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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Jan 07 2009 at 3:15pm | IP Logged
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All this talk about the Duggars has me reconsidering if maybe I couldn't pull off a more efficient laundry room space. I have two problems, aside from a small laundry room. One is that it has 3 entrances (cutting my wall space)...one from the kitchen, one to the garage and one to the side porch. Not sure if there is anything I can do about that.
But the other thing is that I have several rows of hooks on every possible free space on the wall for winter coats, and in the summer, they hold swim towels and swim suits. If I recaptured that space, I am at a loss for where to put all this stuff? We have a coat closet but its fitted with shelves as my daily homeschool closet. It doesn't seem practical to me to hang their snow pants in their bedroom closets next to church clothes.  We used to keep the coats in the garage right outside the laundry door. No one liked having to go into the garage without a jacket though, since its so cold in there. Where do you keep all this stuff?
I'm dreaming of two washers and dryers  , so I'm ready to think outside the box. Any suggestions?
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Jan 07 2009 at 3:25pm | IP Logged
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I have hooks on the back of bedroom doors for swim gear bags (suits and towels and caps etc in the bags)
But I wouldn't be quick to give up my hooks for something more difficult.. I think not having it easy to put away heavily used coats and such would make life more difficult than having laundry take longer to do. 
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SaraP
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| Posted: Jan 08 2009 at 8:21am | IP Logged
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Could coats, swimsuits, etc. go in a wardrobe or free-standing cabinet - something like this - in the kitchen near the door to the laundry room?
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Jan 08 2009 at 9:05am | IP Logged
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SaraP wrote:
| Could coats, swimsuits, etc. go in a wardrobe or free-standing cabinet - something like this - in the kitchen near the door to the laundry room? |
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Or perhaps in front of one of the doors if there is access to those spaces through a different way?
If you find a magic black hole for coats and things, please let me know!! I am so tired of masses of them hanging on the hooks behind the front and back doors. Its a mess, but in a small, old home without closets, its all we have atm. Maybe some day we will finish our front porch to be more like a mudroom and add something onto the back.
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Jan 08 2009 at 9:24am | IP Logged
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Hmmmmmmmmmm.... you know what? There's no room in the laundry/kitchen for a wardrobe, but that's not such a bad idea for just outside the garage. That way they wouldn't be quite as chilled and miserable to put on. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...that would really improve the overall space. Now if only I could get rid of an extra door! 
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Milehimama
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| Posted: Jan 08 2009 at 10:47pm | IP Logged
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I made a family closet in our little pass through laundry space. It also had three doors - to outside, to a hallway, and to the family room. I used wire cubbies from Target - you can make a grid of shelves on the wall.
Here's what it looked like in that pass-through space (a hallway about 3 1/2 ft. wide by 8 ft. long.) You can see the side of our deep freezer next to the clothes!
And here is our current version, in a different house that is in the master closet.And here is
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mary
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 6:55am | IP Logged
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sorry! toddler hit the button before i finished!
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mary
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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i redid my laundry room last summer and love it. i also have 3 doors, so every space has to count.
between the garage door and kitchen door, i have hooks for the season's coats. things we do not use every day (like snow pants) are stored in an open rubbermaid container. this container is kept in the coat closet located in the foyer.
the wall between the kitchen and outside door holds a utility sink and the washer and dryer. above are 2 wire racks with laundry detergents, and 4 nice looking baskets. the baskets hold baseball hats; laundry spot cleaners, etc; swim googles; and misc stuff (snowman supplies, extra fanny packs, etc.) over the utility sink is a drying rack that can be pulled in and out. i don't have that rack, mine is heavier but i can't find the brand. in the summer, i keep the suits on this hanger until they are dry and then they go into a swim bag.
between the outside door and garage door, i have a wooden cabinet that my brother in law built. it has 3 compartments and they hold tall laundry baskets. i sort dirty laundry in this. the top is a shelf that holds my baskets - one for boy clothes, one for girl clothes and one for small towels that needed folding and sorting. above the baskets are three insta hangers that hold the hanging clothes for each of the bedrooms (ours, boys and girls) when i pull clothes out of the dryer, i hang them up and every day, the kids take their clothes back to their rooms.
hth!
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 3:36pm | IP Logged
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There are some great ideas, here...I'm going to have to get out some paper and try to visualize this. Love the drying rack option!
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Jan 10 2009 at 1:35am | IP Logged
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I don't have anything specifically to add to the laundry room - these are some fantastic ideas. I know that I like to just do the laundry, hang it and not worry about it until I am wearing it.
I did just get all my boxes unpacked though and my son's godfather graced us with a trip to IKEA and the gift of several bookcases in addition to the ones I was given money by others to purchase for myself. The improvement is drastic! Everything is UP!
Long story to simply say: use that vertical space! It goes such a long way to eliminating visual clutter (since us moms are usually looking DOWN!). Whatever you don't use often, put it UP (as long is it's not too heavy) and hopefully, you'll find more room!
Good luck!
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Jan 10 2009 at 6:09am | IP Logged
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Hmmmmmmmmmmm....now there's a thought. I wonder if I could make use of some higher shelves in the laundry room? Bookshelves are slim to the wall which could work...Like I need another excuse to go to Ikea for storage stuff!!
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Jan 10 2009 at 8:38am | IP Logged
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I wasn't *suggesting* a trip to IKEA, but we all have to admit they've got some great stuff! What I like about these particular shelves is that they are narrower than usual - so I can actually fit two where I could only fit one and used to have unusable horizontal space left - and of course, still not use the vertical space with the old ones. I'm 5 2 and have to put my arm up to touch about 1/3 way back on the very top. I love them!
One shelf (the second one down) is permanently in place - the others are adjustable. For the price too, I've never seen anything else like them. They're not real wood of course, but for the purpose I need (simply to enjoy fully unpacking all of my books for the first time in over 16 years), they work!
(I sound like an advertisement - maybe I am! My initial point was to definitely consider the upper space in your laundry room - as I prepare to tackle the smaller bedroom (it is SMALL), I wonder if there's a way to use ceiling space too....)
God bless!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: clothing storage/laundry revisited
