Many hostesses, complaining about the modest size of the typical housing, often do not even consider the idea of equipping the home laundry. And in vain! The presence of its own functional laundry room has many advantages. We share the main ones and tell you how to fit everything you need in a limited space.
Why you need a laundry room: 3 good reasons to set it up
- Convenience. No matter how to choose, but to collect the entire complex of clothes care in one place is much more convenient than to go to the balcony with a basin of wet laundry or set every time a folding ironing board in the middle of the living room.
- Aesthetics. Separate laundry storage areas make the washing process more aesthetically pleasing.
- Space saving. Ironically, setting up a small home laundry room will save a lot of space in the rest of the apartment. You can refuse from the economic cabinets and chests of drawers.
How to arrange a compact laundry room: 7 important points
- Plan everything in advance. The smaller the area allocated for the arrangement of the utility room, the more carefully plan literally every inch of space.
Think about how to place the equipment and where you’ll need outlets (for washing machines, dryers, irons). Plan the plumbing points for connecting the units.
- Choose your appliances responsibly. Home appliances are something you can’t skimp on when setting up your home laundry room. Choose a model that suits your needs in terms of loading volume and dimensions, that uses resources efficiently, and that has all the washing modes your family needs.
- Don’t forget ventilation. Even if you decided to organize a mini laundry without dryer, ventilation is a good service – it will prevent the formation of mold and mildew and get rid of the smell of damp. And if your laundry room has a place for drying things, you can’t do without a good ventilation system.
- Consider custom furniture. And in the smallest utility room, you can’t do without organized storage. Custom cabinets and shelves will use every inch of available space to their best advantage.
- Use retractable and collapsible systems. The possibility to “hide” an ironing board or a dryer when it is not needed will help to organize a functional laundry room in a modest space.
- Make use of hidden reserves. Use the space above the door and on the door itself, arrange storage vertically, up to the ceiling, do not forget about hooks, hangers and shelves. If there is a window sill or a mezzanine, don’t leave them unattended.
- Add coziness. Even if your laundry room is just a corner of your apartment or a small room without windows, that’s no reason to leave the space uncomfortable and uninhabitable. Add some decorative trinkets, put a beautiful planter with a potted flower.
A course on ergonomics: 3 more secret tricks
- Place the washing machine on a pedestal. If your household unit has a horizontal load, place it on a pedestal or a small pedestal. Firstly, it will be more convenient to load your laundry. Second, it will give you extra storage space.
- Niches in the wall. When space is decisively scarce, niches in the wall can be a real salvation: in a recess you can partially slide in the washing machine or place shelves there, organizing storage.
- Laundry room in the closet. Opt for a compact option, where everything you need is literally located in one utility closet. And you can both “assemble” such a laundry room yourself, or buy a ready-made, fully equipped version.
Tips on what to look for when choosing a washing machine?
The washing machine is at the center of the laundry room and choosing the right model determines whether or not the laundry process is fast and easy. We tell you what to look for.
- Large drum capacity. If you have a large family, you certainly won’t have the pleasure of running multiple loads of laundry in a row. Pay attention to washing machines with sufficient loading volume: for example, Samsung Addwash can hold 9 and 12 kg of laundry, depending on the model.
- The possibility of adding forgotten items. Starting a new wash because of one sock or T-shirt is not only energy-intensive, but also time-consuming. With a Samsung washing machine with Addwash function, you can add clothes, bedding at any stage of washing – for this purpose there is a convenient additional door AddDoor.
- Smartphone control. There’s no need to run to the laundry room to check the current washing stage, or turn it down when you’re not home – the new Samsung Addwash washing machines have Wi-Fi access. Download a special app and control the whole process, even when you’re away from home.