Efficient Laundry Room Design

The laundry is generally the worst planned area of the house. The laundry can be found tucked away in a remote location, like the basement; combined with other work areas, such as the kitchen; or crammed into a hallway closet. All of which make this job harder than it needs to be.

A Brief History
With the advent of indoor plumbing, the laundry left the back porch and took up residence in the basement, where the pipes were easier to tap into. The basement also provided the "perfect place" to accommodate drips from the wringer on the washer, and a "handy place" to hang clothes to dry on rainy days and in winter months. And so it stayed that way for almost a half century.

During the 1970's, in response to the complaints of working wives, architects began designing homes with the laundry in a closet or hallway off the kitchen, or in the garage ... not because this was the best place to put it, but because they didn't know what else to do with it once it was out of the basement!

You can still optimize this work space to make an efficient laundry. Other options include relocating the laundry to another area of the house that is more practical, or convert a seldom used bathroom into the ideal laundry room.

If you are building a new home, you are free to put the laundry anywhere you want - even on the second floor (closest to the dirty clothes). Depending on your lifestyle, you may even want to consider a second, smaller, laundry for use by guests or in-laws.

Design considerations for the Laundry

Above all, be practical when planning your laundry area. When doing laundry in real life, laundry rooms tend to be cluttered with dirty clothes sorted in piles on the floor, and clean clothes piled on top of the dryer or in baskets competing for floor space with the dirties and the ironing board. Allow enough room to provide the necessary space.

Below are some ideas that can be incorporated into existing laundry areas, as well as new laundry room plans.

Location

1. Do not locate the laundry room in a traffic area.
   Stepping over laundry baskets and piles of laundry on the way to the kitchen or garage is not only inconvenient, it is a safety hazard.
   
   
2. Don't put the laundry in the kitchen.
   Laundry rooms produce high amounts of humidity, dust, lint, vapors from cleaning solutions, etc. You don't want this near food preparation areas ... nor do you want food and grease all over your clean clothes. Likewise, don't have the laundry share space with a pantry for the same reasons.
   
   
3. Resist the temptation to make the laundry a multi purpose room
   (ie. mud room, sewing room, hobby room, etc.). Laundry room humidity and noise levels don't mix well with other full-time activities - not to mention the competition for space when actually doing the laundry.
   
   
4. Don't combine the main laundry with the bathroom . . .
   unless of course you find it relaxing to take a bath while gazing on piles of dirty laundry, or delight in using the dirties to dry your feet when stepping out of the shower.
   
   
5. Consider placing the laundry room near the largest source of dirty clothes. This is probably the bedroom, specifically the master bedroom. Having a door from the laundry room to the master bedroom closet/dressing room, as well as to the hallway, is a great convenience.
   
   
6. If your new house is a split floor plan (Master bedroom located apart from the other bedrooms), consider putting a stacked washer/dryer near the bathroom your guests will use. This not only makes it convenient for your guests, but makes it easier to handle bed linens. If there are children in the household, locate the laundry in the main bedroom area, and place a stacked washer/dryer in a separate area near the master bath.
   
   

1. You should provide 48 inches of clearance in front of each appliance to give you room to walk around the open doors. Avoid placing appliances so the doors block passage doors.
   
   
2. Be sure to provide for a cupboard or shelving over the washer for soaps, detergents, bleach, fabric softener, and other chemicals. These should be kept out of the reach of children. Leave adequate clearance for a top-loading washer lid to clear with 6 inches to spare.
   
   
3. If space is not available for full-sized appliances, consider a stacked washer/dryer. They tend to be smaller and more expensive, but they save considerable floor space. What they gain in floor space, however, they lose in counter space.
   
   
4. The laundry should have some sort of floor drain to protect the house from water damage in the event a washer hose breaks, or the washer/laundry tub overflows. You can either install the washer over a shower base with a floor drain, or provide a center drain in the room, with the floor sloped to it and the sub floor protected by a waterproof membrane. (Note: the shower base will not provide protection from a broken hose)
   
   Automatic Shutoff Valves
   Avoid costly water damage from burst hoses. The IntelliFlow^™ automatically senses the electrical current draw from the washing machine to only open the water supply when the machine is in use.
   
   
5. You will replace your washer and dryer someday. Don't customize the room to hold only the units you now own; try to leave extra space. If you have a front-loading washer, it may be best not to enclose it under a permanent counter because you may move and the next owners won't be able to fit their top-loader in that space.
   
   
6. Placing insulation in the walls and floor of the laundry room will help reduce noise vibrations in the adjoining rooms.
   
   

1. A drying bar to hang dripping clothes should be over the drained area or a sink, not over other clothing that could trap moisture. Consider putting in a shower stall with a retractable clothes line and a vent fan to hang drip-dry clothing.
   
   
2. If you do install a shower in the laundry room, consider placing rails on either side that can be used to hold sliding, removable mesh "shelves" to drip dry sweaters and other items that should not be hung to dry.
   
   The shower will also come in handy for washing the dog, golf clubs, emergency clean up, and more. Placing the shower close to the sink and/or washing maching machine will group all of the plumbing into one area.
   
   
3. If a showerstall is not an option, consider the Maytag Neptune Drying Center to handle all of your drying needs.
   
   
4. Do provide some sort of a sink in the laundry room for hand washables and other clean up jobs. Today, a traditional laundry tub/tray is not really necessary in most cases.
   

   Consider installing a Jentle Jet^TM Laundry Sink for hand washables and other small cleaning jobs. This whirlpool sink has a washboard front, recessed soap dish, 3 Micro-Jets, 1HP pump, light draw suction with filter, air volume control and pneumatic on/off button. The whirlpool action can be adjusted from a gentle swirl for lightweight items to vigorous action for heavier ones. The basin holds up to one large, bulky sweater, two blouses or five pieces of lingerie. (We've even heard some people using it for a doggie whirlpool!)
   

5. If you decide to put a sewing machine in the laundry for quick repairs, make sure to provide adequate ventilation to keep humidity from damaging the machine. You can drop the sewing machine into a counter top, set low enough to work easily, yet high enough to slide a stool or chair under the counter when its not being used.
   
   
6. If you plan to use a built-in ironing board, be sure to leave adequate space to walk around it when it's open. If you will be using a freestanding unit, you may wish to provide a tall wall cabinet to house it - but remember to allow enough space for traffic.
   
   
7. Adequate lighting is important, including a light over the sink and any work area. Consider an overhead fluorescent fixture; they are effective and energy efficient.
   
   
8. Try to keep the dryer vent as short and straight as possible to promote airflow.
   
   

1. Counter space is always at a premium in the laundry area. Try to provide as much as possible. Sorting bins are extremely helpful, including storage for a hamper for dirty clothes, and don't forget a space for a wastebasket
   
   
2. Place wire bins or plastic laundry baskets under a counter top on sliding rails, to hold clean clothes for each member of your household. The baskets make it easy to return clean items to the proper room
   
   
3. If you will have a laundry chute dumping into the room, provide for an adequate storage bin in which the clothes can collect. This should not be the laundry sink.
   
   

Pretty it Up!

The Watts DuoClozure Washing Machine Wall Box provides a convenient and attractive means for turning on and shutting off the hot and cold water supplies to your washing machine.

The DuoClozure wall box includes the Watts Duo-ClozureTM single-lever combination shutoff valve that is simple to install and provides reliable protection from the water damage that would result from burst washing machine hoses.

To match your decor, the DuoClozure features a plain white faceplate that can be wallpapered or painted, and the valve handle uses a standard thread to accept decorative knobs. (Model # 2M2-DWB, Order No. 006625)

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