When we think about remodeling our home, or sprucing it up, our laundry room probably doesn’t leap to the forefront. However, the laundry room can be a powerhouse if it is streamlined to work efficiently.
Where Is Your Laundry Room in Your House?
How this room relates to the other spaces in your home makes a difference.
Is it located in a passageway from the garage or outside the home?
If so, it likely serves as a combination mudroom and laundry room. Reviving this space may include.
- A row of coat hooks for convenient storage.
- A rack at floor level for shoes and boots.
- A shelf (other than the top of the washer or dryer) to put down groceries while you take off your coat, hat, and shoes.
- A convenient place to keep car keys, house keys, and maybe even your sunglasses.
ironing boards can take up a lot of room. Wall or cabinet mounting your ironing board will save lots of space
If your laundry room is a separate room in your home, then there are other opportunities to consider. Depending on the size of the room, here are some ideas:
- Add a rod for hanging clothing. If you need specific articles of clothing to dry, and you do not have a floor drain, a 1″ high pan under the rack will suffice. Check out water heater pans at the hardware store.
- Install a deep wash tub.
- Add an ironing board that folds into a wall cabinet or hangs on the wall.
- Use it for additional storage for household items. If your laundry room is large enough and conveniently located near the kitchen, you might consider using it as an additional pantry space.
How Do You Use Your Laundry Room?
We spoke to Rosie On The House Certified Partner Bridges Conner of Get Organized with Bridges to gain a deeper insight into what that laundry room could be. Bridges encourages folks to consider realistic utilization of the space.
Bridges tells us the first step is to decide how you want to use your laundry room. She tells us that commonly, a laundry room becomes a dumping zone for household items we can’t decide what to do with. It can become cluttered and, therefore, less functional than it could be.
Think about what it is that is clogging the flow of the room and keeping it from functioning well. That could be dirty clothes on the floor waiting their turn in the washer, or brooms and mops stacked in the way of a door opening fully.
Once you identify those clogs, plan to address them. That may not mean relocating the clog elsewhere but rather organizing the space to accommodate it effectively. Here are some thoughts:
- If the laundry room is where dirty clothes are gathered, put in a hamper or basket. If space allows, you might consider using multiple hampers as a first step in separating the laundry.
- If you store household items in the laundry room, such as batteries, then put them in a clear tub or bin, label them, and store them in a cabinet or a shelf.
- Paper towels and toilet paper storage are another common item in need of storage. Find a home for the items you want to keep in the laundry room and be consistent in using that space for each item.
Thinking and planning are key to having a more efficient space.
Bridges reminds us that the laundry itself is not done until it is put away. The first step in putting away clothes typically involves folding or hanging them. As we mentioned earlier, installing a hanging rod with extra hangers and having a folding shelf makes this first step much easier.
If space, or lack thereof, is an issue, install a rod over the washer and dryer, and hang a folding shelf on a hinge that folds up to the wall when not in use.
Another consideration is how to adapt our laundry room as we get older
Here are some practical adaptations you may want to include in your laundry room.
- Good lighting is essential. Add a fixture or increase the lumen output for the existing fixtures.
- Choose appliances that use levers or large buttons to operate. Consider front-loading appliances set on a low pedestal to reduce or eliminate bending over.
Rolling laundry baskets are a back saver! - Install a non-slip flooring material.
- Consider lowering the sink height or installing a small step that can pull out from under the sink.
- Raise the counter height to 36 ” above the floor. This is a good height for folding tables, collapsible shelving, and ironing boards.
- Label everything you can in clear, large letters. Having clear tubs or storage containers is also best.
- By having wheels on your hamper, you don’t need to lift the hamper to move it across the room.
- Use low cabinets with pull-out shelving also reduces the need for bending and reaching.
Decluttering and safety go hand in hand. By following these suggestions to organize your laundry room, you will find that your laundry room will be functioning smoothly.
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Homeowner Handbook | #LaundryRoomRevival
PODCAST
Weekly To Do on reviving your laundry room. Plus homeowner questions on a humidity issue in a zero energy home, surface water intrusion from a neighbor’s gutters, a new garage floor coating, roofing, water/sewer line insurance and more!
Original Broadcast Archive Page With Expanded Content
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