An Efficient Laundry Room

Design Notes

While the laundry room is not the most visited room in the house, it certainly plays a vital role in keeping the home clean and neat for everyone who lives there. Though no one enjoys the task of sorting, washing, and drying laundry, it is a necessary chore, and with the average family of four doing up to ten loads of laundry a week, it is safe to say that this space should be well-designed. Over the years, the laundry room has also evolved into a multifunctional storage area for cleaning supplies, paper products, sports gear, and overflow from the kitchen. This makes sense as it tends to be in a central location that is easily accessible to all, but it increases the need for efficient storage design and layout. Here are four ways to efficiently design the hardest-working room in the home.

Streamline Supplies

The laundry room tends to be a magnet for collecting a wide variety of things due to the various tasks performed in it. Inevitably, this leads to a pile-up of detergents, stain removers, and other cleaning supplies, which can create stress for you. Here are some helpful tips to streamline your laundry space and eliminate the piles.

Minimize: try to limit the amount of detergent and cleaning supplies you store, especially if you have multiples of each. Downsizing the number you have lessens the likelihood of clutter later on.
Section off: keep similar items together, such as cleaning supplies, detergents, paper products, etc.
Keep the floor clear: no one wants to stumble over piles of clothes, whether dirty or clean. Plan on having baskets or hooks where items can be placed, keeping your pathway clear at all times.

One great way to create a plan that works best for you is to mentally walk through your day. Consider what time of day you do your laundry, and does it conflict with other activities that occupy this space, such as the kids coming home from practice and needing to put their equipment somewhere? Do multiple members of the household use this space and have their own particular detergents and other household items? Taking time to factor these things in will help you streamline your supplies and layout, giving you an effective space.

Built-Ins

When it comes to storage, built-ins can be one of the most beneficial assets to your laundry room because they allow you to store larger items while keeping everything looking great. They also give you a variety of depth, meaning you can use it for a range of items. It also helps keep things organized and can even be used to separate items by individual or usage, which eliminates time spent looking for something and makes it easy to have a place for everything. Talk to your designer about incorporating built-ins into your laundry room layout. Check out some of these beautiful designs featured by HGTV.