The laundry room has almost become one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s a place that can easily get messy and overwhelmed with laundry, and that’s why it should be organized and designed to fit your needs and routines. So, if you would love to make your laundry room more efficient and organized, you should consider remodeling it. However, don’t rush into these remodeling decisions, as there are some mistakes that are easy to make. That is why we are going to help you avoid laundry room remodeling mistakes. Read on.
Mistake No. 1 – Not Being Flexible with Location
When choosing the room for the laundry room, make sure you are flexible with its location. It is not set in stone that you have to have this room in the basement, on the bottom floor, next to the kitchen, or anywhere else. You should start by choosing a location that is most flexible for you. You don’t want to end up setting up the laundry room on the bottom floor if you are ironing clothes on the top floor. So, organize the room in a way that you can easily move the elements to some other room. Or, make sure to pick a room that has plenty of space and light, preferably next to a yard (in case you want to hang your clothes to dry outside).
Mistake No. 2 – Not Adding Insulation
Another mistake to avoid is skipping on insulation. No matter where you’ve situated your laundry room, you should make sure it has proper house insulation. Just like for the rest of your house, insulation will add an extra layer of protection to this room and help it become more efficient. Also, you can prevent excess moisture in this room, as all those washing cycles can really dampen the air. It’s highly important to prevent moisture in this room, and this leads us to our next mistake to avoid – ventilation.
Mistake No. 3 – Not Installing Proper Ventilation
If you have picked a room with a window, then you don’t have to spend that much thinking on proper ventilation. You have a natural one, and all you have to do is crack the window open from time to time to prevent any condensation and mold. On the other hand, if your laundry room doesn’t have a window or any other natural ventilation system, you have to factor it in. You should install a ventilation fan that is ducted to the exterior. The appliances in this room produce a lot of heat and moisture and it’s highly important to ventilate this room to avoid mold due to excess moisture in the air.
Mistake No. 4 – Poor Placement of Drain
Your laundry room should have a floor drain. And this drain should be at the lowest point of the floor. So, when renovating this room, make sure to find the lowest point of the floor and you will be able to easily install the drain. There should be a slope in the floor in order to lead the excess water into the drain later on. If you place the drain the right way, any water that may accumulate due to unfortunate issues with appliances or leaking pipes can easily go down the drain without any damage. More specifically, such drains can save you from flooding the room if you install them properly.
Mistake No. 5 – Limited Access to Water Shutoff Valve
In cases of emergency, you will have to quickly turn off the water supply to the house or that room. That’s why you should have easy access to the shutoff valve. So, when you are renovating the laundry room, no matter how much you want to hide those valves, due to the design, don’t hide them too well. These valves might be an eyesore design-wise, but they are crucial in cases of emergency. Also, avoid putting the washing machine or the dryer directly in front of the valve, as these appliances are often too heavy to move.
Mistake No. 6 – Lack of Storage
Just like the rest of the house, this room should have ample storage. When renovating, plan for some creative and functional storage that will help you use this room and organize it neatly. You can easily build custom cabinets up to the ceiling to make use of the vertical space. Also, you can have decorative bins where you can keep all the detergents and even dirty and clean clothes. However, don’t overcrowd the space with too much storage as you want to leave the floor space as open as possible for easy traffic.
It’s easy to make remodeling mistakes if you are not planning in advance. When updating your laundry room, take into consideration all the illogical things you have in there and how you’d like to use the room. That way, you can plan for enough storage, better placement of the appliances, and everything else you need to use on a daily basis.
