Laundry
Brayer Design Save Email Just because a laundry is small doesn’t mean it can’t be an exercise in timbered practicality. The washer and dryer in this cupboard laundry sit inside the cupboard, raised off the ground for ease of access and below a detailed timber shelf for folding washing – or, um, shoving away your un-ironed clothing pile when people are coming for dinner.
1. Hide it away You can make laundries beautiful, regardless of the size. But there’s one thing you will have to get your head around, and this is a difficult thing to do for an Antipodean: you need (a) a front-loading washing machine and (b) a condenser dryer that doesn’t need venting. These appliances fit into narrow, tight spaces under benches and in cupboards, plus they stack on top of each other and generally behave well if you do.
6. Invest in a hoist Because we’re all trying to be kind to the environment, it’s nice to give the dryer a break on wet days and use a clothes airer instead. They’re essential for delicate items as well as for clothing that is still just a little damp around the edges. Of course, airers come in many designs, from the standalone clothes horse to the more elaborate drying drawers. One space-saving winner of a design is the drop-down clothes airer. When it’s not in use, it’s a simple action to hoist it up and out of the way.
Save Email LAUNDRY Even the most utilitarian laundry deserves jazzing up My laundry room has just enough room for me, the machines and a hamper. But that didn’t mean it had to be the drab and depressing space it was. After seeing so many beautiful laundry rooms on Houzz, I was inspired to add cute bins and baskets to a shelf above the machines to corral laundry supplies and store linens. I also thought to bring in a sweet little bin so I could pitch used dryer sheets and lint right there, to get a cute vintage wicker hamper to put in there and to hang up some of my most cheerful folk art paintings. It makes doing laundry so much more enjoyable.
0. Follow a ventilation plan A well-ventilated laundry has windows and a door leading directly outside to a clothesline. A glass door is ideal as it allows more natural light in the room. Keeping windows and the back door open during washing or drying cycles allow for excess moisture to be drawn outside. Similarly, fumes can easily escape externally when soaking white clothing in bleach or using other toxic chemicals in the sink. This will work even better if the sink is located near a window. If these simple solutions are not possible, an extraction fan or vent to the outside is best. The fan will help eliminate mould caused by moisture and can expel the fumes omitted from some household cleaning products commonly used in the laundry.
Architecture Matters Pty. Ltd. Save Email 9. Flood the laundry with light The best light in the laundry is natural light streaming in from well-placed windows. Sunlight helps you make an easy assessment of how dirty or clean something is and whether a stain you might have worked hard to remove has gone. If there is no window, consider installing a skylight for illumination. Or if the laundry is subterranean, put quality ambient lights in the ceiling and run task lighting in LED strips above benchtops to spotlight work areas. Painting walls white will also help bounce light around.
7. Stow laundry baskets and bins Whether you call them hampers or baskets, large deep bins used to hold dirty clothes need to be stored neatly out of the way in a busy laundry to avoid tripping over. They also need to be easily accessed for when loading the washing machine, so having them on wheels is ideal. Most often they are rolled under a bench, but they can also be housed in integrated cabinetry in paired chutes for dark and light clothing.
. Place hangers and hooks up high Once clothes are clean and crisply ironed, hang them from an airing rack or from an overhead rail set across the space between two cabinets. This will make your washing day routine run smoothly. Wall-hung shelves, wire racks that flip up when in use, or canvas pockets slung from the back of the laundry door will also increase your laundry’s storage capacity. A bank of decorative hooks from which to hang small items, such as aprons, keys, swimming goggles or items of errant clothing, will also prove to be very handy.
5. Store irons and ironing boards After the laundry is clean and dry, it’s time to iron. But storing a bulky ironing board can be challenging in the confined space of a laundry. A clever idea is to stow an ironing board in a custom-built cupboard and flip it out when needed. Keep the iron on a shelf in the same place and make sure there is an electrical socket within the cavity to conveniently power the iron. Alternatively, mount the ironing board directly onto the wall or hang it on the back of the laundry door to keep it up and out of the way. If none of that is possible, a simple solution is to buy a small padded board designed to sit on the benchtop.
. Integrate an ironing centre Many older homes have nifty recessed ironing boards, and it’s perplexing why they went out of style. Everyone hates dragging a heavy ironing board out of some closet or corner and setting it up, and then there’s the tippiness and cord combat that usually ensues. With a wall-mounted system, like the one shown here, you can install it to your desired height, and there are also swiveling models for tight spaces that turn the board right or left by 90 degrees. There are also great sit-down options. Wall-mounted units can hold only a hinged ironing board, so you still have to store your iron elsewhere. And they don’t come with electrical capabilities, so you’ll need to install the system near an outlet. Plus, they must be attached externally to wall studs for support, and they protrude from walls quite a bit, so consider how that will affect your overall space. If you have the luxury of planning ahead, you can easily incorporate a recessed system that fits in the space right between your wall studs. These allow more space so you can store your iron or even include a garment hanger. Plus, an electrician can run electricity right into the unit for an iron a...
Lindsay Construction Services Save Email 1. Raise your washer and dryer Front-loading washers and dryers have become more prevalent than top-loading types, due to higher energy efficiency and their capacity to fit more dirty clothes. However, most front-loaders are quite low to the ground, requiring you to kneel or crouch down to load and unload the clothes. Aside from the uncomfortable position, remember the clothes will be even heavier when wet. Some front-loading machines, like this pair are constructed with drums located at a higher height, which makes reach into them while standing much easier. Generally, a comfortable height is 75 to 90cm for women and 85 to 100cm for men. Plus, you can fit a sizable laundry basket below the drum to catch wet laundry instead of holding it sideways and upward. Raised drum designs can help save your back.
10. Get a step stool It might sound surprisingly basic, but a one- or two-step stool is invaluable in the laundry room. Because it’s so lightweight and easy to grab, you’re more likely to actually use it versus getting out a heavier, more cumbersome three-step ladder – or worse, attempting to reach something too high without the help of anything. Just make sure the stool you select has a nonslip surface; spilled bleach and liquid detergents can make it mighty slippery.
Just make sure you have adequate support in the ceiling. By itself, a system weighs between 3 and 4.5kg. You’ll need about 23cm of clearance from the ceiling to clear any encroaching door swings. Eclectic Laundry Room Laundry Room Save Email If operating a pulley isn’t appealing, and you have the space, a suspended ladder with hooks will work just fine. This one is hung at door level, approximately 203cm, an easy reach for most with a hanger in hand. Larger, longer S-hooks could also be used for shorter people for an even easier reach. Often seen in hotels, retractable drying lines are also great for drying delicate items. Unlike ceiling-mounted options, they take little force to draw out and can be hung at any height desired.
9. Don’t overlook air-drying systems For clothes that are destined to be air-dried, here’s a great feature the British have been using for centuries: a ceiling-mounted pulley system. The rack is composed of either four or six laths suspended between two cast-iron ends and anchored to a marine-style wall cleat. To load and unload, lower the pulley to your desired height by pulling on the cord. Raising it upward keeps longer articles from brushing the floor and also makes use of warmer air at the ceiling level. When not in use, it’s out of the way.
Save Email If you don’t have the wall space available for a wall-mounted or recessed ironing centre, consider one that’s drawer-recessed. The Ironfix by Hafele, shown here, fits into a 61cm-wide, 16cm-deep space and, once extended, rotates 180 degrees. Two cons are that you’ll still need to store your iron somewhere, and the drawer unit will need to be installed near an outlet. Also, you’ll need to be content with the ironing board’s height, which will be close to 90cm if installed in a standard-height cabinet.
John Hall Custom Homes Save Email 7. Integrate an ironing centre Many older homes have nifty recessed ironing boards, and it’s perplexing why they went out of style. Everyone hates dragging a heavy ironing board out of some closet or corner and setting it up, and then there’s the tippiness and cord combat that usually ensues. With a wall-mounted system, like the one shown here, you can install it to your desired height, and there are also swiveling models for tight spaces that turn the board right or left by 90 degrees. There are also great sit-down options. Wall-mounted units can hold only a hinged ironing board, so you still have to store your iron elsewhere. And they don’t come with electrical capabilities, so you’ll need to install the system near an outlet. Plus, they must be attached externally to wall studs for support, and they protrude from walls quite a bit, so consider how that will affect your overall space. If you have the luxury of planning ahead, you can easily incorporate a recessed system that fits in the space right between your wall studs. These allow more space so you can store your iron or even include a garment hanger. Plus, an electrician can run electrici...
n a linen cupboard that’s a cut above If you have a linen closet in the hallway, like many homes do, adding pull-out drawers could make life a little easier – much more pleasant an experience than rummaging around trying to find that matching pillowcase with guests due to knock at the door at any second. Modern Closet by Al Williams Al Williams Save Email Drawers and motion-activated lights? Now we’re just getting spoilt.
Hakwood Save Email 9. Go full height Gosh this is nice. With the luxury of a very high stud, the designers of this loft in New York took the cabinetry almost to the ceiling, with one dramatic door opening to reveal dark timber cabinetry – a striking contrast in a minimalist white apartment. There’s a stainless-steel bench for practical tasks, and a lot of storage above. Though I do wonder how you’re supposed to reach the towels on the top level…
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