Recommended Additions to Improve Laundry Day

It’s rare to find someone who enjoys doing laundry. For most of us, it’s a literal chore. And the more people in your family, the worse it gets, as it easily becomes an endless task to tackle.

In addition to actually separating your whites from darks from delicates and towels before actually washing your items, it’s just as frustrating to find a place to hang and fold everything. Instead, your clean items too often wind up in a wrinkled pile, leading you to wonder if those items were even washed to begin with.

Thankfully, this cycle is about to end for you!

As you embark on constructing your new home with the Washington State builders of your choosing, you can plan your home and laundry room to account for the above annoyances and make decisions to improve laundry day.

Having assisted countless new homeowners to build a house to meet their needs, here is what you should consider when planning out your laundry room.

Convenience

In some houses, every day is laundry day. But whether you clean your clothes on Monday, Sunday, or every day in between, when you construct your new home, make the process easier on yourself.

One idea we love is adding a laundry chute. Requiring this, like many additions, takes planning as the chute really needs to be located above the dedicated laundry room, and the clothes should land in a convenient, safe location.

Additionally, this is the most fun for kids and will make getting their clothes from their floor to the machine less of a chore. For this reason, consider adding at least one chute near their rooms, if children are in your life. Then, see if you can add one for your ease too.

Want something even more luxurious and convenient. If your room is on the same floor as the laundry room, plan with your Washington State builders so that your master closet backs up to it. Then, add either a secret door or nook where you can easily transport your clothing from its mainstay location to the washroom.

Noise

In addition to convenience, what you should highly consider is the noise factor. There will be days when your favorite shirt you planned to wear, but didn’t ensure was washed, will, in fact, be dirty. If you’re lucky, you’ll have enough time to throw it in the wash machine, then dryer before heading off to bed. But, that means you’ll have to listen to it if it’s within earshot as you’re trying to drift off for the few short hours before you’re important meeting.

As often as this happens to you, as your family grows, so will this problem. For this reason, consider adding the laundry room where you can run a load without inconvenience to anyone who may need to awake early, or who loves to sleep late.

Layout

Think about all the ways you use your laundry room now and everything you’d like to use the room for into the future.

Hampers – This is where you’ll want to keep your dirty laundry. However, don’t limit yourself to one. Instead, make a space for at least three (whites, dark, other).

Shelves – You’ll want your needed materials within reaching distances, so add shelving so you can quickly access your detergent, dryer sheets, spot remover, and more.

Clothes Line­ – There’s something pretty special about adding a clothing line outside. You just can’t replicate the feeling of a crisp, sun-dried towel. However, in the Pacific Northwest this isn’t often possible, so add a space where you can add a collapsible drying rack instead.

Folding/Hanging Station – Folding laundry is even less fun than washing it, but it’s a necessary task if you don’t want to iron the wrinkles out of everything. So instead, set up a station where you can easily fold and hang your items.

Pick-up Station – Whether your household consists of two people, five, or even nine, you’re designing a custom home, so add a custom laundry pickup station, marked conveniently with each person’s name.

Iron/Steam Station – Even if you’re very gentle, there will be items that inevitable need to be ironed. So, add a fold-down ironing board and accessible outlets so you’ll be ready when the moment strikes. Also, consider opting for a steam cleaner. While a luxurious one may cost more than an iron, it prevents creases and quickly de-crinkles the most wrinkled, hard-to-target areas on a garment.

Ambiance – The laundry room can get quite loud, so keep this in mind in the plan. Add a speaker so you can hear the kids playing in the next room or when someone rings the doorbell. Also, add music speakers so you’ll be able to sing along to your favorite tunes as you fold the seemingly endless piles of clothes.

Machines

Today, there are so many washer and dryer machines to choose from, with new models coming out each year. Make sure to look at more than just price as these are investment pieces you’re adding to your home.

Look for energy efficient machines marked with the ENERGY STAR rating and confirm performance through the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE).

Next, decide if you want a front or top-loading machine. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so think about what fits your life, personality, and aesthetic style best.

If noise is a major concern as the laundry may inevitably be next to a guest room you use more than expected, then look for models with vibration reduction and added insulation for just this purpose.

Also, how much laundry do you need to wash? If you expect many large loads choose a machine that best fits your capacity requirements.

Lastly, think about space. If you know which machines you want, plan your laundry room floor plan and interior design layout around these key items.

Planning a laundry room with your Washington State builders can be even more complicated as you have so many options at your disposal, but if you put in the time now to create the space to fit your needs, then, every day might be laundry day, but at least it’ll be less of a chore.