skip to main content
Photos
Photos
Advice
Stories From Houzz
Houzz Discussions
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
Explore Discussions
Home DecoratingDesign DilemmaPolls
edubya

POLL: Does your laundry room pull double duty?

Emily H
6 years ago


Snug Harbour · More Info



Is your laundry room used strictly for laundry, or do you maximize the space to meet other needs (mudroom, office, pet station, etc.)?


Vote and tell us about it in the comments!

All laundry, all the time
My laundry room is multipurpose
Featured Answer
  • rebeccamomof123
    6 years ago

    I don't have a laundry room - I have a laundry closet, that is located on my main floor with stackables. I fold laundry from the couch, in front of the TV anyway, so it works for me!

    Comments (160)

    • Rod Cook
      5 years ago

      We have a nice sized laundry room with a sink as well as space for a freezer. The best use of the room though, besides it's normal use, is an art room for the grandkids. There is a desk/counter and I've put all the markers, paints, crayons on it as well as any standing art work (ceramics, school projects) the kids have done. Art work is hung on the walls of the room and there is an easel for the kids to use. Floor is tile so any spills just wash off. The grandkids love it!

    • kriii
      5 years ago

      This is such a helpful thread for me because the design of my laundry/mud room is one of the sticking points in my new build. I will be entering the area from the garage. We are considering lining up the washer/dryer, sink and closet storage along one wall then hiding the entire thing with closet doors. There could be storage space above/below the sink area too I think. It is helpful to see how others are handling this space.

    • pgeraghtyca
      5 years ago

      My dedicated room does duty for laundry, with a "cabinet" of "lay flat to dry" racks, washer, dryer, and supplies. The ironing board drops down from the wall. It is also a sewing room and craft room where the machine is on a hydraulic stand that lowers into the knee space of the cabinet for a continuous counter top when used for other activities.


      However the BEST laundry room story I ever heard was from a busy new mom with three children. The children's dressers were in the laundry room. Clothes travelled from dryer to drawer without taking a step!

    • kriii
      5 years ago

      pgeraghtyca,

      Would you be willing to share a picture of your laundry room?

    • Kathi Steele
      5 years ago

      kriii, our laundry room also is the way to enter/exit the garage.

      Pros....when doing yard work, coming in from work, shoveling snow, etc. you can strip there and not take dirty clothes thru the house.

      Cons....your dirty laundry is on display for anyone coming thru the garage!!

      Ours is galley style, one side is washer, dryer, laundry tub and door to hallway. The other side is double sliding door closet, empty space that I put wire baskets with a shelf on top for easy laundry separation and our extra freezer. The door from garage is between the dryer and closet and the exit is at the end of the laundry tub. Kind of an L shape. I like it.

    • pgeraghtyca
      5 years ago
      @krii
      Here you go. The room is 11’3” x 5’9”. My husband built all the cabinets and installed the sewing machine lift. The racks slide out and are made of plastic grid tiles that were used for ceiling lights. It is over 20 years old so I can’t get sources for anything. It has certainly held up to the test of time.
    • judygilpin
      5 years ago

      Love the sewing machine lift.

    • Tania Villalbazo
      5 years ago

      Our laundry room doubles as a bar in our house. We have a curtain covering our washer & dryer.

    • kriii
      5 years ago

      Wow thanks for the photos! What a clever set up!

    • Randy Brown
      5 years ago
      We have 2 laundry areas in our home. A stackable pair in my (his) closet.
      Between the kitchen and the garage is a laundry room with regular washer and dryer cabinets and sink on one side. Opposite the laundry pair is my wife’s computer desk. There is a refrigerator, freezer pair on that side also.
    • judygilpin
      5 years ago

      Randy Brown, You are so lucky....2 laundry rooms.....WOW !!!!

    • tracygiles
      5 years ago

      I’ve lived in some tiny condos and it always puzzled me that, being tiny condos probably no more than two people would be living there, and yet they crammed in ginormous full-size North American behemoth washer and dryers. But then you see the rip-off prices for the smaller footprint “European” or “apartment-size” style appliances and then you understand. Top load washers were a complete mystery to me too when I arrived in Canada, we hadn’t had those in the UK for decades. I’ve tried a few but they don’t wash so well and they are space hungry because of the access required.

      If i had the space, and children constantly creating chaos, then I would go full out to have a well organized laundry room, with space to sort, fold, iron and store supplies. You sure see some delicious laundry rooms on Houzz. But, as it’s just me in my tiny, small house, for now I put up with my “combo-room” - washer, dryer, wall cabinets, coat rack, shoe rack, hot water tank. One day when the washer and dryer come to the end of their useful life I will replace them with apartment size appliances and gain a bit of space, until then, hey ho, I have a home, I can do laundry at home, I’m luckier than many.

    • Sue
      5 years ago

      If you have a full size stacking washer/dryer, how is the top unit removed when service is required?"

      We have had ours for 15 years, and have only had one problem. When the service person came, the repair area was totally accessible without removing the top unit.

    • webberdotone
      5 years ago

      I have my stacked washer/dryer in the second floor (small) bathroom. The room has few possibilities for storage. My idea is to raise up the washer and dryer since the ceilings are high and have a storage unit put under them. I can still reach the dryer enough to get the clothes out, even though I am only 5' 3", but wonder if there would be other issues that I have not considered?

    • Linda Herron
      5 years ago

      Pictures of our Pantry/Laundry room. I love it :)



    • PRO
      MRC Home Improvement LLC
      5 years ago
      I think laundry make more sense in the same floor where the bedrooms are...even some where along the walking closet in a type of sepatate compartment.....the distribution and the energy will be less time consuming and the mission easier to accommplish while step up and down with piles/baskets.... the plumbing can be solved along with a bathroom near by and a nice drain for emergency. never understood this american way to make moms work double when we even have work to share!
    • kathymcquillan
      5 years ago
      I use my laundry room as an important area when entertaining. I wash dishes (dishwasher) or store dirty dishes out of site in dish tubs filled with soapy water. There is a small Breville Countertop oven. I also use it to line up ingredients on trays if I’m having a dinner party. This keeps my kitchen tidier while guests are here.
    • Kathi Steele
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      MRC, I am one of the few people who do not spend the majority of my time on the second floor. I spend the majority of my time on the first floor. THAT is where I want my laundry. I do not want to have to run up and down the stairs all day while I am doing laundry. But, I also like to add my own Downy and when the wash is done, I put it immediately in the dryer.

      Thus, I can get all of my laundry done in one day. It gets brought down thru the week and separated into the appropriate baskets. On laundry day, I assess the loads to be washed and dried and washed and hung up instead of dried. I wash a dryer load every other load. I can hang the non dryer clothes and keep the house humidified in the heating months. They get folded and put into the proper owner's basket and then are taken up at the end of the day. Voila!! Laundry done!! And I don't have to deal with it until the next week!!

      I too use my laundry room as a staging area when we entertain. Extra supplies, containers and lids, etc. are staged in the laundry room. We have the laundry tub if needed.

      I love having my laundry room on the main floor.

    • Felicia Lucco
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      My laundry room, designed by me, was in the basement just down the stairs from the kitchen, so I also used it as a pantry. On one wall was the W/D and on the other, a standard length of countertop at a height comfortable for folding. I installed cabinets above both to house both laundry supplies and extra groceries. The ironing board hung behind the door and there was a double utility sink for those messy jobs. The floor was vinyl tile, which was easy to maintain with a Swiffer. At the bottom of the stairs was a free-standing cabinet for additional storage of seasonal supplies, bakeware, etc.

      I no longer live in that home and I really miss that room.

    • pickchantale
      5 years ago
      I took a large bathroom and split it. The front part is a laundry room, a large shelf for folding, a small cabinet for detergent and softener and a bar for hanging up clothes for ironing. The other half is a full bath with tub, toilet and vanity. It worked perfectly.
    • Anne Van Dijk
      5 years ago

      I have a good size basement laundry/utility room. It houses the furnace, water heater, washer, dryer, a shower, shelving for towels and such, and has plant lights over the top shelves (5 feet high) so I can grow seedlings in spring and keep plants over in winter. Makes doing the laundry feel like being outside. Well. almost.

    • mharon
      5 years ago

      Finally finished our bathroom/laundry area ( w exception of shower glass)

      New space and as it was when old storage room

    • Lyndee Lee
      5 years ago
      Like many other areas in my house, my basement laundry room is still a work in progress. When we bought the house, it was a very large 3/4 bath with the laundry a few feet away. We moved the door down the wall and removed a small closet and makeup counter to make room for the washer and dryer. The toilet is still in the original position but we swapped to a 10 inch roughin model for enough space to add spray foam insulation on the exterior wall.

      The shower was my first completely solo tile project and I also fabricated the Corian shelves, window sill, and shower threshold
    • Dana C.
      5 years ago
      Our Westie shares his space with our laundry!
    • quirkycabin
      5 years ago

      Like most of you, we here at quirky cabin have the washer/dryer in the basement. Stairs have been giving me difficulty because of health issues, My plan is to convert my back bedroom from storage/cloths closet to add a stacking washer and dryer. We will install the w/d in the back bedroom having all the plumbing in one area...the toilet is on the back side of the wall next to the shower in our very small bathroom. I will have to reconfigure the entire foot print in the room as it is crowded, small and inefficient, But we will not have to move the plumbing. I am relatively good at getting a space to work the way I want it to. Between tension rods and beautiful fabric there are many ways to trick the eye into not seeing what you want hidden. Looking forward to my new space.

      What is a fabricaholics official name?

    • Margie Danisch
      5 years ago

      My laundry room is used for mudroom, pet station, utility closet (mops, vacuum cleaner) and overflow kitchen storage. It has many purposes.

    • 1bjs
      5 years ago

      My laundry room is actually a corner of the basement (100 year old house --no other options). So it also is used for storage and cat litter boxes. Would be nice to have a separate area but not going to happen.

    • jenna
      5 years ago
      We built a dedicated laundry room but, in time it found that it needs to house the broom closet, vacume, sewing machine & supplies. now we are trying to add high shelves for stock-up paper products (should have worked in a pantry). also store beach towels for grandkids to access. Room is 8' x 10'.
    • webberdotone
      5 years ago

      Dear lamaisonbleu, my 1880s home has only one full bathroom. It's on the second floor and is approx. 110x70. In it I have fitted a full bath/shower, toilet, sink and then behind a partial wall that includes electric needs for the washer/dryer, a stacking unit (Asko) that I bought at least 15 years ago. It's cozy. I hang the hangers I need from the shower curtain pole, quickly move wet or dry clothes to those to avoid ironing. Folded clothes I stack on the clothes basket top. The Asko model had an ironing board that popped out from between the top and bottom unit, but it didn't work for me as I'm left handed. Good luck! Oh and the only interference in the adjacent bedroom was going into the wall to fix the plumbing for the tub/shower. No space from the bedroom was lost. I hope this makes sense. I can send you a drawing if you send me your email.

    • gunnsharon
      5 years ago

      I have a dedicated laundry room mud room; sounds nice but everything happens in this room as we have never had an outdoor shed for garden tools or supplies, then there is all the sports gear such as cross country skis, camping equipment etc. Oh yes the freezer is here too and the drying rack and a storage closet, Then there is the entrance to the furnace room cum firewood storage workbench with electrical tools such as a chainsaw , a hedge clipper and edge trimmer. I think we need a larger basement with a proper wood room and storage for garden stuff such as garden furniture and fertilizers and spreaders and mower, We are in the process of contacting an architect for an addition above to the kitchen and dining room and as well to extend the daylight basement below to accommodate all of the garden stuff and wood storage. dont know how we survived all this before we retired.

    • Nicola Fazio
      5 years ago
      I live in a condo so my LR houses tools, canned and boxed food, booze and a mini freezer. Thank God it’s bigger than the typical LR in condos.
    • L H
      5 years ago

      Our house was built in 2001. We are the first owners. Yes, we have been here that long. The laundry room has 4 functions: laundry room (of course), mud room (people dump their shoes and whatever else in there), utility room (we don't have a basement so huge hot water tank is in there along with giant HVAC unit thingy and slop sink), and...finally, it functions as a main entrance. We have an attached garage and, more often than not, everyone comes in from the garage through that awful laundry room. If we have the garage door open, guests even come through there. And everyone heads out through there. whether I want them to or not.

      No - it does not make a good impression! I would love to fix it up somehow...

      The room is so small, the newer high efficiency washers and dryers do NOT fit. They are too wide. When we had to replace them, it took a bit of doing to find ones that would fit. No room for stacking, either, because there is a water pipe with a meter that just out above the machines. I put in some wire shelving above that, but could possibly try to put in some cabinets. There is no space at all for folding items - so we use the top of the washing machine for that. There is no space for hanging anything, so we hang stuff off the wire shelving.

      When you are standing at the machines, the utility stuff and slop sink is to your back. The space between is very narrow. So, yes, that makes it very difficult going in and out. And then, of course, you are tripping over shoes, boots, etc. There is no room at all for cabinets.

      So what I might do.....replace the giant water tank with a tankless water heater. Use the space to put in a cabinet. New slop sink - maybe put a small cabinet above that sink. Get some thin, hinged, louvered doors to obscure the HVAC thingamabob. See if I can get a bench for people to sit on in the garage - and leave shoes there. Oh, and replace the floor (again).

      Ideas welcome!!


    • Jennifer Cozine
      5 years ago

      Our new home has a Laundry room / spare fridge room. It has a bit of storage area and room for a standing freezer. I am hoping to finish it and put in a small 1/2 bath. It does not have a utility sink, I wish it did.

    • Gina Brown
      5 years ago

      My laundry room is in the basement. I would like to add a stack-able washer dryer on the top floor (bedroom level) in a cedar closet next to our guest bath. Our basement is finished except for the laundry room, and the latter doubles as a storage area. There is also a work bench/table in there, but it is covered with paint cans.

    • beesneeds
      5 years ago

      My laundry room has a utility sink closet. I also have my second pantry in there for backstock dry goods and cases of home canned stuff. I also houses the deep freezer and a couple litter boxes.

    • larkspurproject
      5 years ago

      Single level home with laundry right off of kitchen. It's a long and somewhat narrow galley type room. My mom would have called it a "butler's pantry" because that's where extra dishes and entertaining pieces are stored. Also where our scotties sleep.

    • probookie
      5 years ago

      The laundry in our 1943 ranch-style house is a 12 ft x 13 ft pass-through between the kitchen and front hall. It houses the laundry appliances, furnace, breakfast/lunch area, and a large number of cabinets that provide pantry space (we have a CostCo habit) and storage for out-of-season comforters and blankets, all the touch-up paint, frequently used tools and extension cords (to save trips to the basement workshop), and the sewing machine. The furnace is surrounded by a screen. The breakfast table has a view of 3 busy bird baths though an 8-ft window, which provides splendid light throughout the day for reading or sewing. The room lacks a laundry sink and sleek front-loaders, but it is a wonderfully comfortable and friendly space and I spend quite a bit of time there, though not much of it doing laundry.

    • Marie
      5 years ago

      A few years ago we redid our small laundry/mud room and split the room in half - one side is laundry with built in machines, sink and white cabinetry and on the other side wine cellar with dark racking, stainless steel upper racks and built in wine fridge.


    • johansmit
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      I am getting a small laundry that will be part of my new kitchen, but in a corner out of the way to one side. There will be a stacked washer and dryer facing a tall 24 inch wide laundry cabinet with dedicated hanging space where damp clothes that may not be tumble dried, can dry on hangers. The laundry baskets fit in there as well as everything else needed for doing laundry. Immediately to the left of that tall cabinet there is about 4 feet of counter space for folding. There is a big window, with a bank of drawers and the bar fridge below the counter. Right next to the bar fridge is a bar sink. I hardly ever use a laundry sink because washing machines these days all have a delicate cycle, but I chose a bigger bar sink so that it can do double duty for laundry if needs be. The bar/glasses cabinet is also close by, so I guess my laundry room will be doing double duty as a bar area.


    • PRO
      Farrells Art Glass
      5 years ago

      2 years ago, I moved my house. My office and laundry was on what was a back porch. It did not survive the move. In the remodel following the move, I decided to use a small 3rd bedroom for the office and laundry. I also took some of the room for a pantry & put in a powder room, so it really has become multi-purposed. It is 1 of my favorite rooms.

    • Momof5x
      5 years ago
      My laundry room is mainly for washing and ironing only but I do have a shelving unit tucked away behind the door for storing extra pots etc..
    • lafreniered
      5 years ago

      We moved our washer and dryer from the basement to a second floor guest bedroom. They sit inside the closet so guests don't feel like they're sleeping in the laundry room. Instead of closet doors we hung a curtain so there is full access to the units.

    • melinda1977
      5 years ago

      My laundry room is also small and a walk through from the garage to the kitchen. I have front load washer and dryer (not on stands). I have topped them with an old door that I covered with tumbled marble tiles. This is very handy for folding laundry as well as wrapping gifts. The gift-wrapping supplies are stored in the cabinet above. But when I am entertaining, I hang fabric panels on a tension rod in front of the W/D, so the area becomes a serving station for drinks or coffee and desserts. It is really quite handy as my kitchen is just of average size.

    • PRO
      Benchmark Homes-Jennifer Granath
      5 years ago

      My laundry room stores all the crafts, birthday decorations, wrapping supplies, etc. I have a long counter so I do all the wrapping in addition to laundry.

    • elend611
      5 years ago

      I recently remodeled my laundry to add mudroom capability. It already had extra pots-n-pan cabinets overhead, broom and garden/laundry cabinets, recycle hamper, a sink for dog baths and a water heater.

    • Sonia Richardson
      5 years ago
      still working on the redo. so loving the space.
    • sherrainex
      5 years ago

      my laundry room shares space with the furnace. there is a closet facing the furnace, and beyond them, enough room for a sewing, ironing, etc. room. the washer and dryer, with a kitchen floor unit between them, plus kitchen cabinets overhead and a shelf beneath them, is located in a niche next to the hallway between the furnace and closet.

    • RaiKai
      5 years ago

      I thought I should update this with photos of my “double duty” laundry rooms now that I am moved in.

      This one is actually a mud room pulling double duty as a laundry (stackables). The door to left is to our garage; “behind” the photo is the doorway to the front entry hallway. We use this laundry pair mostly for kitchen towels etc and gym/pool clothes when we get in door. It has been handy since we moved in though as due to some repairs in our master we have been using our main floor shower so we have used it a lot for clothes and towels. Pax is for shoes, coats, gloves, hats, keys, a handbag or two (not big enough for all of them ha ha). We are looking for right cushion/fabric for the bench :)

      This laundry room is in room next to our master bedroom. We plan to eventually put upper cupboards or shelves up. There is lots of room for me to unfold my drying rack in middle of room. Pax cupboards store linens, towels, brooms, sewing supplies, and even my Dyson V8 - my husband cut hole at outlet so we could put charger in. The Roomba makes itself home in this room too. It will pull double duty as my husband’s sewing “nook” but that is still a work in progress as we just moved in recently.


    • PRO
      Front Light Building Co.
      5 years ago

      We love to make our homeowner's laundry rooms spacious enough to be useful beyond just doing laundry. You will see in these two floor plans one pulls double for the pantry and an entire extra storage space under the staircase. The other is connected to the mudroom with a bench and small home center desk built in.




    • PRO
      Front Light Building Co.
      5 years ago

      Here is the Paris Island mentioned above.


    Sponsored

    Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore

    More Discussions
    basement level renovation would love ideas please
    8
    bathroom renovation advice
    0
    Help, do i cancel the windows order
    1
    Further Education & Training Centre Open Day: Interior Design Classes
    0
    Authentic Feng Shui Workshop
    0
    Ireland
    Tailor my experience with cookies

    Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.