9 Tips for Remodelling Your Laundry Room
How does laundry day make you feel? Do you get up in the morning full of dread, knowing that this task is on the to-do list? Do you procrastinate before doing the laundry? It sounds like you could use a laundry room remodel!
If your laundry room is cramped, cluttered, poorly lit, and has an ineffective layout, these factors could all negatively impact your laundry day experience. But that’s not all that could discourage you from facing this chore! From washing machines that are noisy and inefficient to improperly situated laundry rooms that carry the risk of flooding your living space, there’s a lot to keep in mind to ensure a better experience.
If you’re looking to upgrade your laundry room into one that really suits your needs, you’re in the right place! Check out these laundry room remodel tips and ideas that might just make you look forward to your next laundry day.
1. List Everything You Don’t Like About Your Current Laundry Room
A good starting point for your laundry room remodel is to list points of improvement. Once you’ve listed all the things that you don’t like about your laundry room set up, turn that into an action point.
Here are a few examples:
My laundry room could use…
- more space;
- better lighting;
- improved accessibility;
- a door that can open fully and easily;
- better storage areas to avoid clutter;
- an upgraded layout for the washing machines and cabinets; and
- better ventilation to avoid stuffiness and humidity.
2. Centre Your Laundry Room Remodel on Your Workflow & Lifestyle
In the previous step, you identified laundry room pain points and derived action points from them. Now, it’s time to consider the workflow and lifestyle angles. How will your laundry day fit in more seamlessly with your day?
Lifestyle Considerations
Some people opt to put their laundry room and home gym in one room. This helps them save space and get a good workout while being productive. Others place a small desk for a laptop in the laundry room. This makes it easy to sort through work emails while doing laundry. How your laundry room would blend in with your lifestyle is up to you.
Workflow Considerations
Another key consideration is how you accomplish the chore itself (i.e. your workflow.) How would your layout best serve your workflow? Do you have enough space for sorting through and folding clothes? Is your shelf for laundry detergent close enough to the machines?
As you consider your lifestyle and your workflow, write down all of your ideas as part of the brainstorming stage.
3. Figure Out the Best Place to Put Your Laundry Room
Is your laundry room in its most ideal location? Commonly, laundry rooms are placed in these areas:
- In or adjacent to the kitchen;
- Adjacent to the bathroom; or
- In the basement.
Each of these locations has its own advantages.
Kitchens and Bathrooms
Putting a laundry room near the kitchen or bathroom makes the area easier to access while you go about your daily routine. Moreover, having a laundry room near such areas means that installing water, drainage, and electrical connections would be less extensive (and less expensive).
Basements
A basement laundry room, on the other hand, removes noisy laundry operations away from the living areas. In addition, accidental floods can be contained in a basement. However, an unfinished humid basement could pose a threat to the longevity of your washing machines—so it would be best to at least waterproof and increase the ventilation in the basement before moving your laundry room there.
4. Determine Your Budget
Identify your budget before starting the project. Most low-cost laundry room remodel plans incorporate cabinets, counters, and inexpensive flooring. A mid-range remodel is a step up from this with better-quality materials. Meanwhile, a relatively high-cost remodel will use more durable materials and could involve major layout changes.
5. Get to Know Your New Washer and Dryer Before Remodelling
As the washer and dryer are part of the core of the laundry room, it is often advisable to start shopping for them early. The layout and design of your laundry room will be influenced by your choice of machines.
6. Plan the Laundry Room Layout
The next step is to decide on the laundry room layout, or footprint, within the chosen space. In a galley or corridor-style laundry room, there are laundry machines and cabinets on one side. However, for larger laundry rooms, an L-shaped layout can give you more counter space to fold and sort clothes.
7. Be Conscious of the Laundry Room’s Interior Design
In terms of interior design, the laundry room often gets ignored. This can make the laundry room feel like another dimension from the rest of the house. Therefore, aim for interior design practices to make your laundry room feel brighter, more spacious, and more calming.
8. Be Mindful of Lighting and Ventilation
Poor ventilation leads to moisture buildup in your laundry room, which can then cause mould formation. Poor ventilation also makes the laundry room feel more stuffy and uncomfortable. Consider adding larger windows to your laundry room for better ventilation.
9. Get Stylish Waterproofed Floors
Sheet vinyl flooring is highly recommended for laundry rooms because they are waterproof. In case of plumbing issues or mishaps, this type of flooring will not be damaged. Sheet vinyl flooring also comes in a variety of styles. Find the perfect pattern or colour that will complement the rest of your laundry room interior design.
Reliable Plumbing & Washing Machine Installation for Your Laundry Room
Once you have your plans for a laundry room remodel, all you need is a plumbing professional to set up the plumbing and drains.
PlumbWize is a trusted provider of plumbing remodelling services in areas like Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Ancaster, Milton, and Stoney Creek. On top of that, we can also assist you in choosing the best and most reliable appliances for your new laundry room.
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