Sue Stubbs
One small step from your dirty clothes basket to your indoor laundry is a giant leap for humankind.
Having an inside laundry is a dream. It’s a luxury sometimes taken for granted by those who have never had one under the house, in the garage or shared beneath a block of apartments.
You may find you’re never up to date with your washing, simply because it’s freezing out there, there are mosquitos and cockroaches, or the rain hits you as you dash from the back door to the laundry door. It’s a first-world problem, but a handicap to an efficient washing system.
Moving your laundry inside the house might be easier than you think. You don’t need an entire room to make it happen – depending on the layout of your home, borrowing space from other rooms such as a hallway or kitchen, sneaking it into a cupboard or area under the stairs might see you with a whole new optimism for clean and dry clothing possibilities.
Here are 5 things to consider when planning to move your laundry inside your house:
1. Ventilation
Whether or not you’re planning to include a dryer in the space, ensure adequate ventilation. An exhaust fan is a must and will remove the risk of electrical accidents through wet and steamy walls and fixtures or better still, opt for a heat pump dryer to eliminate excess moisture in the drying process.
2. Bench space
Front-loading washing machines can be tucked underneath laundry benchtops along with washing baskets, leaving the top surface free as a workbench. Many front loaders can have 12kg wash loads so are no longer restricted to small households and do so within a 60cm footprint. Even with a top loader, allow space to fold and stack washing and store your laundry essentials in overhead cupboards.
3. Organisation
Bring baskets and buckets into the space that are streamlined and pleasant to look at. Store your laundry powder, cleaning products and equipment in designated spots and use wall-hung storage where possible.
4. Use the full height of the space
The best small laundry ideas are simple yet effective. Erect a rod or dowel above head height between walls or cabinetry to hang shirts, small and delicate items to dry. As little as a metre is all the width you need.
5. Built-in storage
Investing in good storage in the home may seem like an extravagance but pays dividends in the long run. You’ll maximise the use of space with custom-built cabinetry for your laundry and free up space for other uses. Modular off-the-rack solutions like Ikea, Kaboodle or even Amazon will often fit beautifully.
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