Design and organize a small laundry

We all fantasize about having space for a laundry, but the truth is that many homes don't have the luxury of a room designed solely for this purpose.

 

While most homes accommodate a washing machine and tumble dryer in the kitchen, if the times comes, having a separate laundry - even a small one - not only frees up space in your kitchen, but allow for more organisation in a home.

When planning a kitchen renovation where adding on becomes in integral part of the design, plan for a small space as a laundry centre; this can be a small alcove just off the kitchen or just a countertop with enough space for your washer and tumble dryer. It might not seem like much, but removing these appliances from a kitchen gives you up to a metre and a half of additional floor space for storage units.

When designing a space to situate a laundry consider the most important components: The ease of using your washer and dryer, especially if they are top-loading models, the ability to sort without taking up space in a kitchen, hanging space for small items, and a countertop for folding.

A small laundry centre can be designed to accommodate all your washing day requirements with storage for detergents and washing essentials, your iron and ironing board.

Appliances

Taking into the consideration the amount of floor space available, manufacturers offer side-by-side or stacking models for where space is limited. These days, many washer/tumble dryer combinations can be stacked - with the washing machine at the bottom. The most important consideration is to allow access to a water and drain outlet for the washing machine, since most tumble dryers not feature venting at the front of the unit.

Storage

Storage cabinets or shelves don't need to take up lots of floor space. Look for units that offer vertical storage, such as high cupboards and shelves, for storing detergents and other laundry cleaning products.

While storage shelves are great, being able to close the door on clutter is a far better idea if you laundry centre can't be placed in a space of its own.

One item that takes up a lot of space when in use is an ironing board. With a little DIY savvy, adding a bracket and folding leg onto your existing ironing board will allow you to design an ironing board that folds up when not in use.

Even if nothing else, having a countertop dedicated to sorting and folding washing will make your life easier. You can buy Formica LifeSeal countertops at your local Builders Warehouse, and it's simply a matter of adding a mounting bracket, or brackets, to fit the countertop onto the wall above your washer and dryer.

Whenever possible, make use of wall space when floor space is limited. Way back when, we featured a wall-mounted drying rack for airing damp clothes. It's space-saving ideas like this that don't take up too much space but are handy for creating an organized laundry area.

Organization

- Have plastic laundry baskets that stack or can be packed inside each other for easy storage when not in use.

- Where cabinets are fitted, install sliding rails to fit pullout baskets inside cabinets.

Keeping a laundry centre or small laundry room neat and clutter-free means the space will work better for the whole family.