laundry
We've talked a lot about water, but remember there's fire in the room too. The most important safety concern in your laundry room is the dryer duct. A smooth-walled rigid duct, properly installed with the minimum run and fewest number of turns is critical. Make sure the dryer isn't pushed against the wall, crimping the exhaust. Clean your lint filter and check the ductwork and exterior outlet at least once a year for lint buildup. You've made your laundry space beautiful and functional — don't let a flood or fire ruin it.
The closer your laundry room is to the rest of your house, the more sound will be an issue. If you are building the room from scratch, install batt insulation in the walls to reduce noise. These are heavy appliances that move around a lot. If the laundry is going to be on an upper floor, the floor joists should be reinforced to handle the load. Stiffening the floor will also reduce noise from rattling objects nearby.
Rev-A-Shelf Fold-Out Ironing Board - $190.30 » If your laundry is in an area open to view as people pass through your house — like a mudroom — you'll want to keep things hidden. Some of the same things that we install in kitchens to make life easier work in a laundry as well. If you are building a kitchen and laundry at the same time, consider combining the cabinet order and get accessories like this pullout ironing board. Or use the old kitchen cabinets in the laundry and add an aftermarket pullout trash can, like the one available at Rockler.
Make your laundry room a place that brightens your whites — and your mood. Keeping things fresh and light in the laundry area can help make this chore feel a little more fun. Clean white or bright, sunny hues are a great choice. If you like to buy giant containers of detergent, decanting them into glass jars will make them more attractive and more convenient to use.
Go for summery baskets. I love these white-dipped baskets from Wisteria, though you could certainly try to create a DIY version by adding paint to existing baskets. Cute bins like these can be easily tucked into a corner of the kitchen or bath without screaming "laundry
Make it individual. As kids get older, having more than just their own pencil and crayon bucket becomes important. They need their own desk. This space has four individual workstations. Matching white cubbies form the bases of the desks, while prefab tabletops laid over the bases create two contiguous setups. Hanging black cubbies give each student additional storage space.
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