10 Functional Laundry Room Design Features

Many of us use our laundry rooms on a daily basis, but more often than not, this area is swept under the rug during the design process.

Now that you’re building or remodeling, take this opportunity to create a truly functional laundry room. You can make sure this essential space receives the attention it deserves by knowing what you want and then bringing your desires to the design table. Today, we’ll look at the first four functional laundry room features.

1. Planning Ahead for Front-Loading Washers and Dryers: Are you planning to purchase a front-loading washer or dryer? If so, be sure to choose these machines before your plans are complete. Here’s why: So far there are no industry standards governing the location of door hinges on these machines. Although many dryers have doors that can hinge on either side, the hinges on washer doors are stationary (some fixed on the right, some on the left). And if you aren’t careful, you can end up with the scenario shown here.

In this case, switching the swing of the dryer door won’t fix the problem. The washer door will still open toward the dryer.

Hauling loads of wet clothes over or around open appliance doors is no fun, so make sure your plans indicate the correct placement of these appliances. This way your builder can ensure that the plumbing plan coordinates with the washing machine location.

2. Built-in Ironing Board: When determining the location for a built-in ironing board, it’s important to take into account whether the person who will be doing the majority of the ironing is left- or right-handed. You’ll want to be sure he or she has room to stand comfortably on the correct side. You’ll also want to specify on which side the door hinges. Most people prefer to iron on the side opposite the open door.

The location of the board in the model home pictured to the right was not well thought-out. Number one, only left-handed people will feel comfortable using this board. Number two, it’s too close to the cabinet to easily iron anything. Number three, the door to the board will always be in the way. Mounting the board at least 30 inches to the left of the cabinet could have prevented these problems. Additionally, hinging the door on the opposite side would better accommodate right-handed ironers.

Remember that a built-in ironing board will need approximately 48 inches of unobstructed space in which to fold down.

3. Sorting Space: Is the floor of your laundry room your current sorting space? Designing the base cabinets to hold laundry baskets is one idea for solving this problem in your new home. These baskets can hold sorted clothing that is ready to be washed. Alternately, clean, folded clothing can be placed in the baskets-one basket for each family member.

If there isn’t enough space in your laundry room for a built-in sorting area, consider the Sort ‘n Neat wall-mounted laundry sorter. This product is designed for small laundry rooms and will sort four loads of laundry is just 24 inches of wall space. Visit www.buildingtips.net. for more information. The photo shows two Sort ‘n Neat sorters hung side-by-side.

4. Features for Your Pets: The laundry room or mudroom can also include functional features for your pets.