I think most folks will vote for putting the laundry near the bedrooms, to avoid lugging laundry baskets around the house. I'm the exception, because I line dry most of our washing so I want the laundry near the back door.

All our bedrooms are on the second flour and we're putting in a side-by-side w/d under a folding counter in a hallway alcove between all the bedroom doors. No way I'm giving up the floor space for a whole laundry room (cost to build here is crazy) or toting it all up and down the stairs.

Definitely near the bedrooms...although I do understand the appeal of the first floor - you can be working in the kitchen - cleaning the living room, watching kids etc and not have to run upstairs to change from the washer to dryer...

This is why I like single story living!

I prefer the first floor near the kitchen. I spend much more time downstairs so it's easy to put a load in the washer and then move it to the dryer. I don't like making extra trips to move the wet laundry. Laundry comes down in the morning and moves back upstairs, clean and folded at night.

I prefer the laundry by the kitchen. We live on the main floor, not in the upstairs bedrooms. Either you lug the laundry up and down--or you run up and down several times a day to move the loads into the washer, and from washer to dryer. At least on the main level I can hear the reminder that the load is done and ready to be folded :)

I prefer a laundry room where I can HIDE the laundry, whether it be the clean or the dirty laundry. It would have to have a door.

We live in a single level 1400 sq ft apt now, and our laundry is near the kitchen. Wel, to some, it is IN the kitchen but I digress. Without fail, there is always something laundry related near the closet. Dirty clothes thrown outside the door; a laundry bag waiting to be put away, folded clothes on the dining room table (hey people this is nyc-ish, we have space constraints). My vote is getting the laundry as close as possible to the laundry producers. Maybe that is the bedrooms for you,
Maybe not. But also in a place where the laundry will all find its way both to be cleaned and also be put away easily.

I like my laundry away from the bedrooms.

My laundry is not at the bedroom wing of the house. I'm fine with it. I'm a 'peeker' and a 'listener' and I can hear what the laundry is doing when I'm in my office or kitchen. I know if something isn't balanced quite right, if my washer is making an odd noise, where in the cycle and how close to putting into the dryer. Also, when clothes are dry so they can be shaken and at least draped over the ironing board. Board that I rarely use but DH does iron.

My laundry room has many cabinets so is the storage for things like vases, lightbulbs, paper napkins, paper plates and 'to go' containers. A built in hamper. A deep porcelain sink that I love. A built in ironing board. Counter space for folding. Undercabinet lighting. A utility closet. Tile backsplash. Someone put a lot of thought into that room when the house was built in 1955. I would hate to trade it for a stacked pair in a closet.

Depends on the volume of laundry you have to do. I would prefer doing bath/bedroom linen, and undies near where they're most likely to be generated. Kitchen laundry and clothes I might want to iron would be better done on the floor where I'd spend most of my cleaning, laundering, and ironing time. So I'd opt for both if the budget and the size of the household warrant it.

Of the two, and with a family, a spacious laundry room near the kitchen.

I want my laundry where I spend the largest active part of my day, which is the kitchen, family room and office area. Also, I do laundry at night when people are already in bed upstairs, so the sound of the machines or of me going in and out doesn’t disturb them.

If you can afford it why not both? In the houses we design, we often have a larger laundry room on the main level with cabinetry, storage, hanging space, etc. and a small laundry room upstairs or a stacked washer/dryer in the master closet.

I want my laundry near where I create most laundry -- the bedroom. I'll use that room off the kitchen for something else I'd enjoy more. However, if given the choice, I'd rather have a roomy space for laundry upstairs near the bedrooms ;)

Love having our laundry room off the kitchen.

After living in California with laundry in the garage (yuck!) for 20 years, I am so happy to finally have a dedicated laundry room for folding. The clutter factor in our house has dropped dramatically. Laundry waiting to be folded never appears in our family room. It stays hidden in the laundry room and that is a beautiful thing :)