Laundry rooms are all about work, so it's essential that your laundry room layout optimizes the space to help you be efficient on laundry day. The size of your laundry room isn't as important as the way you arrange the appliances and accessories.
The first and most important principle of laundry room design is ease of access. Not only should it be easy for you to load and unload clothes from your washing machine and dryer, you should also be able to perform these tasks without bumping into things. Also, if you have space, put your laundry room on the ground floor of your house - this will prevent you from having to lug loads of laundry up and down flights of stairs.
Lighting is extremely important in laundry rooms. You need to be able to see well to perform precision tasks such as mending and ironing, and bright lights help you identify stains on clothes that need to be treated before washing. You should include both overhead lighting and wall-mounted light fixtures, and aim for uniform brightness among all light sources in the room.
Once you've created a well-lit layout that gives you easy access to your appliances, the next step is to add helpful accessories that will make laundry day easier. Keep a wastebasket near the dryer so you don't have to walk anywhere to empty the lint trap. Most ironing boards fold up and can easily be stored in the narrow space between the washer and dryer. If you want a table for folding clothes, opt for a hanging table that you can lower when needed and raise so it's out of the way when it's not in use.
Organization makes things much easier, too. If you have a family, assign each family member a color-coded laundry bin so you know whose clothes are whose. Should you have the luxury of a large laundry room, consider hanging an indoor clothesline so you can hang delicate items to air-dry. A foldable drying rack is also a boon to any laundry room.
Finally, don't underestimate the power of a little décor. Some pleasant accentuations, like flowers or pictures, will help laundry day be a little more pleasant. Also, since you'll probably be working in the laundry room for extended periods on a regular basis, it's good to invest a few dollars in an inexpensive radio or CD player so you can listen to music while you sort, fold, wash and dry laundry.
To help you accomplish these goals, take careful measurements of the room you plan to use for laundry before you go shopping for appliances. This will help you select models that can fit comfortably into the assigned space while leaving room left over for accessories and laundry aids.
