Washers and dryers have come a long way in the past few decades. While they used to be loud, disruptive and bulky, they're now much more quiet and unobtrusive, meaning they don't always have to be tucked away in the same corner of the house. Many families have been rethinking their laundry room location, and it turns out there are quite a few good candidates to consider. Before you start your next renovation, check them out:
Near the bedroom
The advantages of building a laundry room near your bedroom are numerous: You don't have to walk as far to your closet after you've cleaned your clothes, for starters. And then there's the fact that your clothes will stay out of rooms you entertain guests in. It keeps your laundry where it's supposed to be: as close to your room as possible. This also has the added bonus of being a more private area of your home, meaning that your guests won't have to see your (literal) dirty laundry. That being said, there are a couple drawbacks to watch out for.
If you build your laundry room into the second floor of your home, you could risk leaks that could permanently damage rooms underneath - like your kitchen. This also means that any dirty clothing coming in from the outside will have to move all the way through your house and potentially up the stairs.
Should you opt to build your laundry room area near your bedroom and want to occupy less space than a traditional utility room, you can go for stackable front-load washers and dryers. Just make sure that wherever you put it, you add some utility cabinets to stash your laundry supplies.
Near the kitchen
Keeping your washer and dryer near your kitchen, on the other hand, eliminates noise near the bedrooms as well as the potential for leaks on the second floor. It's been a popular location for laundry rooms for decades for good reason: Many people already spend the bulk of their time at home in their kitchens, making it accessible. You're able to move easily between cooking and doing laundry, all while holding a conversation with whomever is hanging out in the living room. This area of your home usually has a bit more room to set up shop as well. If you already have a laundry room in this area, you could probably afford the space to make a major expansion.
The downside of having a laundry room near the kitchen, however, is that it's pretty far away from where you actually put on and take off your clothing. When guests come over, they will likely spend time in your kitchen, meaning your laundry room will be on full display. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if you had an organized work station set up inside, but we digress.
In a mudroom
This is particularly great option if you bring a lot of mess into the house. Dirty clothing and shoes can move straight from the doorway into the washing machine, and mudrooms often have enough space to accommodate hampers and ironing boards. It's far enough away from the entertaining spaces of your house that your guest won't likely even see it. This is the farthest option from the bedrooms, however, so this may not be a good choice for you if convenience is a concern.
