Laundry Room Ideas

Laundry Room Ideas - Beware Of Function Flaws!

Laundry rooms are one of the hardest-working rooms in a house outside of the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I don't go into my laundry room to relax, read, watch TV or jump on my amateur radio.

I go in there to get clothes clean, use the utility sink, iron clothes, feed the dog, etc.

I'll bet you do the same, right?

It's important to realize you must avoid the mistake of making your laundry room beautiful before making it fully functional.

For one thing you need great laundry room ideas that will allow you to work with minimal frustration.

Keep reading as I've got lots of the ideas you need!

Top Five Functional Laundry Room Ideas

Before creating this page I went online and looked at many laundry room photos. Almost all of them could have been in a magazine they were so beautiful.

Beauty is one thing, but function is another. You can have both, but always think of function first.

Here's my top five laundry room function ideas:

laundry basket height
double-bowl utility sink
floor drain
waterproof flooring
easy access for washer / dryer maintenance

None of the above ideas are sexy, but each one will make your life so much easier.

Laundry Basket Height - It's Most Important

How do you deal with your dirty laundry now? Do you put your basket up on a 36-inch tall countertop? The top of the basket is now almost 54 inches off the floor! That's hard on your shoulders.

Do you put it on the floor? Is the floor always clean and free of dirt and lint? How's your back feel bending over so much to lift the clothes into your washer?

Consider a rolling platform that puts the top of the laundry basket about 32 inches off the floor. Try this idea out now using a simple cardboard box in your current laundry room. Experiment until you discover the perfect height for you.

Double-Bowl Laundry Utility Sink

I grew up with a double-bowl cast concrete laundry sink in my basement. Now I have a single-bowl thermoplastic one made by Mustee.

Mustee makes a fantastic double-bowl thermoplastic wall-mounted sink. CLICK HERE to order one.

You'll never regret having two bowls in your laundry room. One bowl can be dedicated to YUCK projects while the other bowl can be relegated to CLOTHES ONLY so it's always free of paint, oil, grease, etc.

Here's my single-bowl laundry sink. I wish the builder had made the room longer to accommodate a double-bowl version. All that was needed was 20 more inches! CLICK THE PHOTO to order an affordable Mustee double-bowl wall-mounted thermoplastic sink. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Floor Drains Are A Must in Laundry Rooms

I had to install a new drain pump in my washing machine the day before New Years Eve. The job would have gone so much faster had there been a floor drain in my laundry room.

Washing machines can develop leaks. A floor drain can prevent thousands of dollars of damage and you'll have NO MOLD outbreak!

Waterproof Flooring Prevents Mold & Rot

Another key point is waterproof flooring. Don't even consider laminate flooring as it has a wood-dust core.

You want ceramic tile, natural stone or some other material that can be installed over the cement base that will be installed over the waterproof membrane that connects to the floor drain.

Easy Access for Maintenance & Repair

The water shut off valves for the washer need to be above the top of the machine and in clear sight. You should turn off the water each time after the washing is complete. Modern braided supply hoses can fail and a flood will be the result.

The metal vent pipe for the dryer needs to extend up from the base of the machine and go outside through the wall just above the top of the dryer. You should be able to unscrew two or three screws on the 90-degree bend allowing you to slide the dryer out away from the wall to clean out the pipe.

You'll need at least 4 feet of space between the front of the dryer and any cabinets across from it to be able to slide it out the entire way so you can get access.

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