There is a necessary room (or space) that we all tend to put at the bottom of our list for a number of reasons...and that is the Laundry Room. Whether you actually have your own washer or dryer or not, it's something we all need to have done--and unless you are making so much money that you can pay someone to do your laundry for you, you most likely are dealing with whatever laundry situation you have now with either happiness or great stress! I have a few suggestions to make this necessary chore as painless as possible.
The Laundry Closet - If a closet area is all you have for your washer and dryer, you have virtually no space to work with. If you can add a shelf above the appliances, that would be great for your detergents and anything else you might want there. Maybe it can even have a pole to hold empty hangers there as well. Also, if there if there is any space between the washer and dryer, you can purchase a pull out shelving unit to maximize even more wasted space. If neither of those will work, you can always use the top of the dryer to hold some things you need. If you have a stacked set, then keep a basket of your cleaners you need in another room or closet and pull it out when it's laundry time. I have had all of these situations and sometimes you have to be creative.
That Tiny Laundry Room - For those of you who actually have more than a closet to deal with, I have a few ideas for you to be able to maximize that space as best as you can. First, if you don't iron a lot, get rid of the ironing board and get a heat resistant pad and use the top of your dryer or a table when you need to iron something. This will save some space in your small room. Use the walls by either adding hooks to hang things or small baskets attached to the walls to hold cleaners or whatever else you might want to keep in the room if you don't have cabinet or shelf space. If you have the wall space to add shelves, then do so. In a small laundry room, you can keep laundry baskets and necessities, but it might be difficult to actually fold or hang laundry in there. I had a laundry room like this for the most part and would fold clothes in another room (on a table, on a bed...on the couch so I could watch TV). Hangers I still tried to store in there so you could catch hang up items right away and not have to deal with ironing.
Use Your Imagination - When you have tiny spaces, you have to use your imagination on how to store cleaners, where to fold clean and deal with dirty clothes! Laundry in the basement was always the worst for me. (Especially if it was a creepy basement and if I had little ones running around). I had a stacked set in my kitchen in a trailer once, washer and dryer closet in my bedroom once (our clothes hung in another room) and before I wised up and started using laundry baskets in bedrooms to collect dirty clothes, I would have mountains of dirty laundry sometimes in the middle of my bedroom (not my proudest moments). If you have to take your clothes to a laundry mat, a hamper with wheels (if you walk to it) or maybe a basket or box with all your laundry items kept in your car and use collapsible laundry baskets you slide under your bed until needed are in order. Whatever you are dealing with, use your imagination to find a way to make the chore as painless as possible and then it won't be so awful to deal with. In fact, when I come up with some ingenious ideas, I actually feel good when I can use them. It's as nice pat-on-the-back to myself!
Your Laundry Future - I had to make due for a lot of years where laundry was concerned. Every place I have ever lived, laundry was a consideration when I would move (that I would at least be able to do laundry in my own home was the main one) but, it wasn't really ever a priority--until this last move. After so many moves...I finally learned that when you are looking for a place to live, it's the small things that matter the most. The things that make YOU and YOUR FAMILY most comfortable. Sure, a theater room, pool or an in house gym all sound awesome, but none of those things are needed every single day of my life. You might argue that good laundry facilities aren't used every day, but, generally speaking, clothing is used every single day (unless you have a nude day every so often!) and how you care for it is a necessity whether you are poor and don't have much clothing (every piece is important) or wealthy and have lots of clothing (every piece is expensive).
So I suggest that the Laundry Room no longer stays as the Forgotten Room, but becomes the House Hold Room that is maybe not the center of the home (like the kitchen) but is a special room filled with all the things that make your life smell better, feel better and look better. For me, finally having that space (even though it's not brand new and fancy like some of those you see on Facebook!) is a game changer for me. It makes my life so much more comfortable and when I'm comfortable, I am at my happiest! Aren't you?!
As always, if you want to find your perfect House Hold Room in your new home, I know a couple of Realtors that I can recommend!
Until Next Time!
Jen Lush--Associate Realtor Broker and Mother of Managing Realtor Broker
