How To Make The Most Of Your Laundry Room
Posted on Nov 13, 2019
The laundry room is like the supporting character of the home. It is the place where the background work happens to make the rest of the home happen. Whether your laundry room is small or large, make the most of it by considering these details.
Raised Washer & Dryer
The doors on front load washers and dryers are fairly low to the ground, requiring you to bend over each time you load and unload it. This movement paired with the twisting required to go from the washer to the dryer can cause serious back strain, especially in the elderly community. Most laundry appliance manufacturers offer pedestals that raise your washer and dryer up about 15 inches to a height that makes your items more accessible while reducing back strain. These pedestals also offer additional storage space for detergents and other cleaning items.
Refrigerator Or Freezer
Most homes require more storage space than what one compact refrigerator can offer. Instead of keeping a second refrigerator or freezer in the dark garage, the laundry room offers the perfect hiding space that is more easily accessible. It is also climate-controlled so your unit doesn’t have to work harder to maintain a certain temperature, especially in the summer months.
Install Countertop Space
Countertops add extra working area to any room. The laundry room is a room for work, so the extra workspace is especially beneficial for chores like folding laundry the moment it comes out of the dryer, treating stains in fabrics, and even storing detergents within accessible reach. Many homeowners are capitalizing on space by adding a countertop above flat surfaces of their front load washer and dryer which is otherwise just dead space. Larger laundry rooms have actual cabinets and countertops similar to a kitchen, and even an island for additional workspace that keeps stored items nearby.
Folding Station
For those with top load washers and dryers, installing a countertop above their appliances is not an option. However, there are other ways to incorporate a countertop for folding clothes and treating stains while still maximizing space, such as a fold-down tabletop surface that hangs from the wall or a medium-height bookshelf for additional storage that doubles as a countertop surface.
A Work Sink
Some messes are so bad they require a pretreatment you really don’t want to do anywhere else in the home (I’m looking at you, cloth diapers). A sink in the laundry room allows you to soak, spray, and everything in between without disturbing the rest of your home.
