When building or renovating, it’s easy to focus on the feature rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms and neglect the smaller spaces such as the laundry. Often, laundry plans are drawn up with thought for where the appliances may be installed but the way that the appliances will be used, how other laundry equipment will be stored and how the space inside the laundry will be used isn’t thought through properly. At Budget Plumbing Centre, we are Perth’s one stop shop for laundry sinks, troughs, mixers and tapware. Here’s our guide to making sure your laundry design will support all the necessary laundry tasks in the most efficient way possible.
Plan Your Space
With a little careful planning you can streamline your laundry space to maximise its efficiency, whatever its size. If you are building a new house and have flexibility with the size of your laundry room, ensure it is of a size appropriate to the rest of the house. While you don’t want to sacrifice living space for an oversized laundry, without proper design and planning it’s very easy to end up with a laundry room that will be inadequate to cope with the laundry demands of the residents.
If you are renovating and cannot change the dimensions of the room, you should still thoroughly plan the zone to maximise space and functionality.
Think About Your Appliances and Fixtures
When choosing washing machines and dryers there’s endless possibilities when it comes to size, style, capacity, energy efficiency and features. Do your research and understand what you want from your appliances – do you have a large family and do large loads regularly? Do you need a washer/dryer combo? Would you like the latest technology and features such as sensors, timers and multiple wash cycles and settings? When selecting laundry sinks there’s just as many options in regards to size, colour, shape, style and material so don’t just pick the cheapest one for your budget. Taking the time to select the right laundry sink, tapware and appliances will ensure you have a highly efficient and functional laundry room for many years to come.
Create Zones
Create specific zones for every necessary laundry task such as washing, drying, folding and ironing. This will help keep things organised which is the main factor of increasing efficiency. Arrange the work surfaces and appliances to facilitate the general laundry flow of wash, dry, fold and iron. While laundries are generally one of the smaller rooms in the house, it’s where a lot of work happens so you should make it easy for the laundry to go from the washer to the dryer to the bench for folding. A clothes rod to the right of the dryer offers space for hanging items. Shelves above the washer and dryer will keep laundry products within easy reach. Don’t forget a large laundry sink for hand-washing delicate items should be within steps of the washer and dryer.
Designated ironing area – ensure your iron is in a spot where it won’t come into contact with water. The ironing board should be positioned close to a power point so there’s less chance of the cord catching and pulling the iron onto the floor.
Folding space – include as much bench spaces as possible so you have a place to fold clothes as they come out of the dryer. Ideally, the folding space should be right next to the dryer and kept clear and dry at all times.
Space for hanging – every laundry room needs a place to hang clothes fresh from the dryer or delicate items you prefer to air-dry. Clothes rods or retractable clothes lines installed between upper cabinets are great solutions. Another possibility is a double-tier clothes rack on wheels or casters that folds up for easy storage when not in use.
Include as Much Storage as Possible
Compartmentalised hampers allow you to sort colours, whites and delicate items as you go. Built-in, pull down cabinets and drawers will keep things neat and organised, but you can achieve a similar result with baskets and free-standing hampers. Don’t forget to include additional storage for large items such as brooms, mops and vacuums. If your laundry doubles as a linen closet then ensure you have cupboard space for sheets, towels and oversize blankets and doonas.
If you are after expert advice or high quality laundry sinks and tapware in Perth, then pop into Budget Plumbing Centre today. With 2 convenient locations and a team of knowledgeable staff, we can help with all your laundry, bathroom and kitchen plumbing needs. Visit us today or browse our range online.
