https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 00:54:27 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather/page/2#post-2882341 Sat, 27 Apr 2019 21:59:47 +0000 azaela 2882341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: late to the party but wondering if you always dry your clothes in the dryer or do you hang dry? We have quite a few clothes that shouldn't go in the dryer so I either line dry (easily accessed from our laundry room in the basement) or we have an extendable clothes drying rack that hangs over our heater that I use in the winter. I don't know if anyone mentioned that but space for hang dry clothes is something else to consider. I would not choose the attic if you plan to use an outdoor clothesline at all! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather/page/2#post-2882228 Fri, 26 Apr 2019 15:54:27 +0000 periwinklebee 2882228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Littlebit7: Thanks! Yeah, it's nuts how much money (and also time!) everything is :silly: I find it a bit intimidating to figure out what architect/builder to go with, as this can make a big difference in both cost and quality and I don't have a ton of domain knowledge. Have been talking so far with the group who has done a lot of work on the house previously, and I like their work, but we'll see... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather/page/2#post-2882121 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 20:28:17 +0000 Littlebit7 2882121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: also,<br /> I don’t know if I said it before, but CONGRATS I know how hard it is to leave the city but I’m thrilled for you to have all of this new space. We too move this summer (we are staying in our current community across the Hudson) and no one other than fellow city dwellers understands my jubilation over seemingly mundane things. We are spending an ungodly amount of money on our bonkers new place and my mother in law’s response “oh you don’t even have a garage. That’s sad.” </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather/page/2#post-2882115 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:38:14 +0000 periwinklebee 2882115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownepiano: kids dresser next to the WD sounds awesome! If i had space to swing that in the hall bath I definitely would, but it would be super tight even to fit a WD. Great point on the door, if we do the closet I will talk to the contractor about what doors make the least noise opening and shutting. </p> <p>@LemonJack: Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather/page/2#post-2882102 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:54:51 +0000 LemonJack 2882102@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Of the options, I think I would choose the hallway. I would avoid the attic, and just keep laundry on the same level as the bedrooms. Ours is in our basement, which is fine, but it would be nice not to have to lug everything up and down stairs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882100 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:16:26 +0000 brownepiano 2882100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, we had a laundry closet in a hallay in our apartment (with sliding doors). I think I'd rather have a laundry room than closet. It was annoying to be in the hallway doing laundry and with sliding doors the noise was a lot louder for napping kids. I really like have a command center for folding and hang drying etc. I'm one of the few people that does fold clothes straight out of the dryer (vs couch, bed, etc). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882098 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:08:49 +0000 brownepiano 2882098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not sure I'd want laundry in my master bath, but we do have a full washer and dryer in our only full bath. It's great and I would 100% choose it again. We also have space in there for the kids dresser so having washing, folding, storing, dirty clothes basket, and changing kids all in the same place is wonderful. </p> <p>Yes I do have to stay on top of laundry because EVERYONE uses the same bathroom, but I do better with motivation to keep my house clean. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882097 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:03:55 +0000 periwinklebee 2882097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lindseykaye: Thank you!</p> <p>@ShootingStar: Yeah, right now our bathroom is a postage stamp, no in unit laundry, and I have almost no clothes out of necessity because the only small closet in our unit is overflowing with bins storing baby clothes :silly: So it all seems beyond great. You guys have convinced me that despite what the architect has said, there's nothing magically amazing about a laundry room versus a laundry closet, except for people who know that they want to use the laundry sink a lot. I'll get cost estimates but I think will probably prioritize a somewhat larger master bath, as I know I'll love that, as long as there are no unexpected large costs to the closet... </p> <p>@MaryM: We did entertain the idea of putting stacking machines in the hall bath. I'm sure it would be fine but I know inevitably there will be someone using it when I remember to switch the laundry (hall bath will also potentially double as a guest bath), and then I'll get annoyed :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882088 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:00:54 +0000 MaryM 2882088@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not to totally throw you for a loop...but have you considered putting the laundry IN the master bath? </p> <p>My mom lives in a tiny MIL house attached to my brother's house, and the only place it made sense to put her laundry was in the downstairs bathroom. The bathroom is big enough to be handicap accessible (should she need it in the future). There's a vanity and toilet on one side of the room, and a tub and storage/laundry on the other side. She has large front loading machines with a counter built over them and cabinet doors only on the lower part to close off the appliances. Above, there are a couple cabinets and shelves for towels. It's more open than a laundry closet, so it doesn't necessarily feel like it's taking space "away" from a large bathroom. </p> <p>Just throwing that out there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882085 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 14:27:02 +0000 ShootingStar 2882085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a laundry closet on the 2nd floor, which is where all of the bedrooms are. Proximity to the bedrooms is key for me, so 2nd floor would be a must. We do not have the grandest master bath in the world - we have a double size shower, two sinks, a toilet and a linen closet. But no tub. I think our size of bathroom is more than fine. </p> <p>In my dream house I'd love to have a gigantic bathroom with a tub and a full laundry room. But we live in reality, so our set up meets my requirements. There's no way I'd move our laundry up to another floor, even if I got a gigantic laundry room. And I also wouldn't really want to make our bathroom smaller, so I think it depends on how small you're talking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882084 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 14:17:54 +0000 lindseykaye 2882084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I don't have a walk-in closet myself (older home with small closets in each bedroom) but if we did it would be AWESOME. However, having no closet space at all would possibly be a dealbreaker because then you need to fulfill that function with furniture and find storage elsewhere for so many things. Good luck with all your planning!</p> <p>We have a small laundry room off our kitchen that basically connects the kitchen to the outside/rear entrance. Think kitchen &gt; laundry &gt; back yard. I appreciate this because we, like so many said, can be there to know/hear when things are done and need moving over. And similarly, we never fold in the laundry room. We use the rest of that space for a tall cabinet that holds all our cleaning supplies, random tools, etc. as well as a chest freezer and the cat litter boxes and food dishes so they are away from the kids. Works perfectly for us. In your situation I would probably perfer either the hall closet near the bedrooms or the main floor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882074 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 13:09:13 +0000 periwinklebee 2882074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: Good point about the noise below, and heat. </p> <p>@Littlebit7: Thanks! I've never tried the houzz forums, will check them out. I don't have anything against stackables per se, but did like the idea of having some counter space directly above frontloading machines. I can see though that a sink would be useful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882069 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:39:16 +0000 Littlebit7 2882069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you have a floor plan of the existing or proposed second floor you can post? That might help visualize what space to work with. But I can say confidently, you'll want laundry on the second floor, not the attic. </p> <p>I think I've mentioned it before, but Houzz is a good sounding board for problems like this. I might have missed it, but what does your architect recommend? What about stackable but in a small laundry room? Or stackable plus a sink on the side or built ins on the side? That is what we are putting into our renovation/build. Its on the other side of the master bath so there is plumbing there. I really wanted a sink since i use it so much for for laundry stuff. We ended up with a long narrow laundry room with a stackable at the end and cabinets along one wall.</p> <p>Also another thing to consider is the noise generated by a washer and dryer. You might not want that to share a wall with your master bedroom if you are someone who runs laundry at night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882058 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 11:45:28 +0000 Iced Tea 2882058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’ve actually lived with all the scenarios you mentioned. I disliked the attic and basement the most. The attic laundry in a historic house...ugh. It shook everything and would get hot as hell up there—serious sweating while doing the laundry! </p> <p>Our basement laundry in a historic house sucked because the basement was so dirty and musty. </p> <p>I liked our stackable just fine because we like doing a small load of laundry each day rather than doing tons on the weekends, so having oversized units just didn’t matter to us. Others are correct that being near the laundry means you monitor it better and complete it faster. </p> <p>As for resale, a lot of people do prefer full sized machines, but I think more people are likely to nix a place for lacking closet space. Closet space is so great! </p> <p>I honestly don’t know anyone who folds laundry in their laundry room. Doesn’t everyone do it on their couch or bed? Then you can watch a show at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882034 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:41:26 +0000 Foodnerd81 2882034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Pollywog: that’s a good point. When my kids wet the bed or something, I pull off the sheets and leave them in a laundry basket in the hall. If laundry was upstairs I’d be more likely to put them right into the wash. Throw up still gets dealt with right away though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882030 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:30:14 +0000 periwinklebee 2882030@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ajsmommy: @graceandjoy: @Pollywog: Great to hear noise wasn't an issue!</p> <p>@Madison43: This is a good point. If we move it up I think we'll get new machines and leave the (very dated) ones in the basement, just to hopefully reduce the risk of flooding, but I'm sure it's still there and would be a huge, expensive pain :meh: </p> <p>@peachykeen: Ugh, thanks! Contractor didn't mention anything about the floor but will ask. The closet would be directly next to a chimney structure, off the master location is on an exterior wall with windows, so I'm hoping that will help with the venting but definitely need to ask. Venting is a good point, and might actually make the proposed first floor location impractical... If we do the off the master location there's already plumbing, closet location is near a bath but no idea how much it would cost to extend. Based on this thread, I think i may ask for cost estimates for off the master and hallway closet, and be sure they include the various things mentioned here. Thank you!</p> <p>@lindseykaye: Thank you! I've never had either in-unit laundry or a WIC, so it's so hard for me to judge what I'll love versus not really notice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882028 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:12:18 +0000 lindseykaye 2882028@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I noticed your comment above about the potential for making a walk-in-closet for the master and I would definitely prioritize this if there is currently no closet space for that room. Super important in a big house like that, as is having dedicated closet space in general. Not sure if that would affect your plans. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882024 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:02:06 +0000 Pollywog 2882024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a laundry closet right off of LOs room and love it. Kid throws up/wets the bed, it's like so not a big deal to throw in a load at 3am. Not having folding space or a sink isn't an issue. I fold on my bed or on the floor of the kids room. Noise has never been an issue </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882022 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:56:03 +0000 peachykeen 2882022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So my comment is not about convenience, but we looked into moving the ground-level laundry room (off the kitchen &amp; garage) up to the 2nd floor in our previous house. What we learned is that it is challenging to retrofit this as you basically have to rebuild the subfloor to accommodate the shaking/weight of the machines. It can also be harder to safely route the vent (although I'm sure your contractor can comment on this) and you're limited on location unless you install totally new plumbing. So I'd be aware of that if you decide to go 2nd/3rd floor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882020 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:51:39 +0000 graceandjoy 2882020@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our laundry space is in the basement and truly so annoying to lug stuff up and down! So I voted for by the kids room. Both my kids sleep with white noise and I feel like washer/dryer noise in itself is kind of like a white noise anyway (unless there's something hard bouncing around), and maybe turn off any loud beeping notifications. I picked that vs masters since I feel like more laundry is for the kids anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882019 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:41:09 +0000 Madison43 2882019@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My laundry is currently in my 100 basement, so I hear you. But I will be the naysayer and say that you should leave it there! I would only even put my washer in the basement or the first floor bc it mitigates the (however unlikely) damage if it were to leak. I deal in construction litigation by trade so I see a lot of this, mostly in new construction high rises but I’m still scarred :). We left ours in the basement when we moved and now that we are renovating the basement, will have the fancy laundry room I’ve always wanted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882018 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:39:29 +0000 Ajsmommy 2882018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: i'll piggy back @MaryM: (hiii btw) &amp; @josina and say that our laundry closet was right up against the same wall as DD's crib on the other side and it never caused any issues. Even when it would have something clunky or loud like buttons hitting the sides.. she still napped just fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882017 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:36:20 +0000 periwinklebee 2882017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@josina: Thank you! Great to hear noise hasn't been an issue! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882015 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:35:15 +0000 periwinklebee 2882015@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: This is a great point about flooding that I hadn't thought about. This is the advantage of laundry in the unfinished basement, but there's just too much for LO to get into down there that I don't want him to touch...everything from HVAC to the ancient hearth and sink that people used to do laundry before electricity and running water. All I can say is thank god for modern conveniences :silly: I was thinking sound proofing more for the back of the closet, which is what will border the bedroom, but good point on the door having to be open. Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882014 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:35:04 +0000 josina 2882014@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We currently live on one floor and have the laundry in basically a hallway closet close to the three bedrooms. We have talked about moving it to the basement at some point, but it's SO convenient being close to the bedrooms, I am forced to walk by it so notice the laundry, and start a load.<br /> I do usually run it at night, one because that's when I tend to notice it, but we also get discounted rates on electricity then. The noise has never been an issue, I actually like it as a 'white noise'. </p> <p>I would hate having to lug laundry up and down stairs.<br /> I voted to put it in the master, but hallway by kids room would work as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882013 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:12:06 +0000 catgirl 2882013@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: This is a really good point too. We have our laundry room upstairs with the bedrooms and while it is definitely better than having it in the basement - I find it hard to stay on top of laundry because we hardly spend anytime upstairs. If it were downstairs I would be more likely to flip loads right away and start the next. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882012 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:11:55 +0000 MaryM 2882012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I'm not sure how effective sound proofing would be since you're supposed to keep the closet open when the machines are running so they don't overheat. </p> <p>We don't have any sound proofing, and it's not too bad. </p> <p>Also, having experienced a flood due to a leaky washer, I would definitely NOT put it on a third floor (more chance for major damage below). Thankfully we're on a slab so it only affected the two rooms the closet borders. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882011 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:10:38 +0000 periwinklebee 2882011@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jennibenni: Thank you!</p> <p>@MamaCate: Yeah, I can also definitely see the argument for having it as close as possible to the downstairs space where you spend the majority of time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882010 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:08:35 +0000 periwinklebee 2882010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: Good to hear from you! Hah, hah, I'm sure it's super annoying, but the comment about your husband cracked me up. Mine would be the same :silly: It's like, are you that oblivious, or is this just a ploy to get me to do the laundry instead so you don't wake up the baby. That's good to hear that it's not too disturbing. Since we had to build the closet, we can add soundproofing, but I don't know how effective it is.</p> <p>@Lindsay05: Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laundry-room-would-you-rather#post-2882009 Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:08:20 +0000 MamaCate 2882009@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn’t vote, but I wanted to share that we have laundry in a closet right off the kitchen. It is on the first floor while the bedrooms are upstairs. I really like it because we spend more time on the first floor so I can keep loads moving while doing other things—we did three loads last night during dinner and play time. If it had been upstairs I am not sure I would have stayed on top of it. We fold on the guest room bed and have hanging space there, and we use the kitchen sink to rinse icky stuff. </p> <p>So think about when and how you would use the laundry and figure out what works. Ours is side to side and is a good set up for our use. </p>