My mom had a wringer washer that was very dangerous. My husband's aunt in Mississippi had a little house in the back yard with the washer and dryer in it, until Katrina. "Be careful of the fireants," she said as we headed out to do laundry there. I'm thankful, too, that we have any kind of laundry facilities compared to the old ways. My Grandma lived in a third floor apartment in Minneapolis, and the laundry was in the basement, with a clothesline outside. In the winter they hung laundry all over the apartment to dry. She NEVER griped about it or anything. Maybe having really good things makes us long too much for the best.

Mine are in our hallway near our bedrooms. We upgraded to the front loaders and had to remove the doors and part of the wall so we could open them. The vent for the dryer runs under the house in the foundation and has to be cleaned out periodically. We are renovating the bathroom next to it that is extremely small. Now hubby has decided to move the washer and dryer to the garage. He does the laundry so I guess I should not complain.

I would love laundry on the main living floor!

i would like my laundry to wash and fold itself and then put itself away.

because i will own right up to my lazy-ass-ness.
more often than not, my clean clothes are in a pile at the foot of my bed.

and then i get tired of that, and finally fold and put them away.

SHOES! in the laundrymudcoatroom
With a family of 5 the shoes are at the entrance way of the laundry room-near the garage door. Someday though I'll miss all those shoes...

That I currently have no laundry room. My washer and dryer are currently residing in my kitchen. I plan to build in my carport and relocate them as soon as possible.

I hope none of these women who do laundry for teenagers and/or husbands have jobs outside the home also. Anyone over 10 (my son started at 9) should be doing his/her own laundry including sheets and towels. And that applies to households where the mom doesn't leave the house for a job. She has enough other stuff to do.

My husband has broken several washers and is banned from touching this one. He can use the laundromat though.

mhteb, I am impressed your nine/ten year old son did/does his own laundry! I taught our children to do their own laundry and iron (when people actually did that) when they were each 12, and it made a huge difference in how they took care of their clothes.

Chookchook2, my better half can not operate our dryer especially; if he wants to run his own load I will predial the washer, pour the soap for him and preset the dryer. Then all he has to do is fill washer, pour soap, start; when the stuff is done, stuff dryer and hit start. I love him and sometimes he wants to do a load but it's easier if he DOESN'T.
My stackables arrived today; and got crammed into place. I am going to hinge the panel behind so I can get in at their plumbing and ducts whenever I want, it's an interior wall. The other side is now part of the master bath, which is going to be with a functioning shower tomorrow! (I hope my grout is dry if not one more day, then the sealer) The butler pantry is already war-zone over the flat spot NOT being a catchall (I love him anyways but they might not find the body pretty soon!)

Comment: for those of you having washers that 'smell', try getting some odoban. This stuff is meant to clean kennels and it takes smells out of everything. Manky towels, gym clothes that got forgotten, you name it. I will put a capful or two into such a load or a glug in the bleach dispenser cup (do not use bleach or fabric softener if you do this); undiluted. Some do not like the smell, I find it a civil one I can live with. This will also clean out smells in your washer after running a load with this. I also keep it in a spray bottle diluted at 1 oz (1/8 cup) then fill a 24 oz sprayer with water to the 24 oz line; to spray the plunger if used and to deal with sprinkles around the toilet. It will kill urine smells. I get it at Sam's Club or from Amazon.

edithsmon, 30+ years ago I caught my son loading the washer so I wouldn't know there was cat poo on his bedspread. I asked him how he could do that and he said easy and explained the steps to me. New job for him! My daughter had already started doing her own because she didn't want his yucky stuff in with hers. I was blessed with great kids!

okay maybe I'm weird but I don't want my kids doing their own laundry because I feel like it would waste water/energy.(we live in New Mexico which happens to be a desert) I built a bench the length of the side wall and have 7 white med plastic receptacles (trash bins really) under neath labeled:whites, darks, darks you wash normal & hang after a light drying to dewrinkle, medium light that also don't get dried all the way, delicate darks, jeans, bras and weird stuff ( have teen daughters who are athletes) . Sheets have no bin. They go straight from bed to washer. When a bin is full I wash it. If your laundry isn't in a bin it doesn't get washed. Kids do the folding. Am I the only one??? Maybe it is because I grew up working as a Dry Cleaners daughter?

How old are the kids blueskiesinNM

No gripes here, husband does all the laundry....only trade off is I've learned to not own sweaters....lost too many the first year of marriage :)

My kids did laundry from 6th grade on. They decided when it was time. to wash their own clothes. They had to bring it down put the detergent in, and get it started before school and then I didn't mind finishing it for them. since they played sports after school. My only rule was if you didn't turn it the right way, that is how you got it back, inside out. I used to spend hours turning things the right way. They didn't mind getting it back that way either and I never put it away for them. I delivered everything folded in the basket. If they wanted wrinkled clothes, it was fine with me. When my son went to college, he said "Mom, I can't believe all the kids that don't know how to do laundry". I said "Aren't you glad I taught you when you were young". He said" not really", they learned in l0 minutes!!!

Laundry rooms belong near the bedrooms. I'd go for a stacked unit but I do wish manufacturers would make front loading dryers with a reversible door. It would make designing so much easier.

My sister in Iowa has to hang her laundry out to "dry" in the freezing cold because she doesn't have a dryer. So I can't complain. Except about those socks that keep running off. I've started pairing up the lonely ones if they look somewhat alike.

We buy socks by the dozen if possible. That eliminates stressing over the lost mate.

Down the stairs; up the stairs...laundry room is in the basement that I rarely use.

The front loading washing machine takes too long!

@ Design Details, I bought a GE 'Easycare Automatic' dryer that had a reverseable door in 2009, and had to move it to the other side when I got it. The new ones don't matter, they're stacked and I am not going to door their cubby.

My laundry room is also the mud room/entry from garage. I got irritated always seeing laundry in some state of doing every time I entered the house. Like Tennisanyone below, laundry seemed an endless cycle. I finally put some boundaries in place. Laundry stays up in the hampers in bedrooms. It gets done all in one session, folded and put away. Takes some discipline but it's good to teach kids follow through. They don't connect the dots about when the chore is done because it's broken up into so many steps. Has anyone noticed how kids process like that? Generally, it's done once a week, sometimes we need mid week laundry. This freed me from the endlessness and now I wouldn't go back. Dishes in the kitchen......now that's another story.

My biggest gripe? You live in a sunny and hot climate and you actually own 2 dryers. I bet if you hung things outside in a discreet place it would take less than 1 hr to dry. Even Eco dryers don't save that kind of energy. Obviously you won't do the lot outside - especially if you are accustomed to 2 dryers - but you should give it a go some time. You might even pass the value onto your children as I am sure they are accustomed to 2 dryers as well. Break the cycle.

Have always hated doing laundry, but it's just one of those things....nobody promised that I wouldn't have to do things I don't particularly enjoy. And for those who have commented that they have so much laundry to do because of teenagers, I have only one thing to say.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

I dislike washettes. When my husband and I began dating I promised him if he'd buy me a washer and dryer I would never complain about doing laundry. Almost thirty years later the w&d'ers have always been by way of outside- in the garage, shed next to garage and now out to cellar doors to get into the basement. It's still better than a public washette!

My laundry room problem is with the machines. They make only a few that the doors open up to the right for the washers. The selection is dim. If your laundry room is in the wrong place you can't keep the door to the washer open on the front loaders. If you close it it molds and smells. I wish they would make more models with interchangeable doors.

I fold clothes on the guest bed. Tip: If you get the clothes inside/out from the kids, give them back the same way and maybe they will put them the right side for the laundry. :)

I just have to say that this inspiration photo is amazing, I love the idea of having a refrigerator in the laundry room.

Only plus of being forced with a whole house remodel (joists up) and not being afraid to blow walls out (I identified all the load bearings before I started) is that I do have the W/D stacked, no problems with the stuff hitting anything; and made bins on other side of the Master Bath wall... hubby likes toss the stuff through the wall into the bins (whites, not whites, towels) and I go on other side and raid the bins to do ....

With his horrific dust mite allergy (developed over time, and since we all know what house dust is made of, he's allergic to himself) we put our clothes into large translucent/clear sterilite tubs with lids. That way the clothes can't collect dust until used, and I don't have to spend my life folding. Towels don't matter if they never get folded, and I buy socks bulk so don't worry about matching (other than newer white versus campaigner dingy).

If he leaves the towel or teeshirt or socks in his office, it stays there. He can leg it back across the house, after all his legs are how it got there in the first place... the kitchen is on the other side of the butler pantry/laundry so most of the laundry stays in a close area ON THE SAME LEVEL. Notice that a woman did the layout and work? ;)

I did mess with my mom's mind, first time I came home from college. I washed all my stuff and brought it home clean. She'd prepared the washer for the onslaught, and I did do what I needed to before I left again, but. She actually did the washing and drying, I got to iron and fold and lug and put away, while I was home. I did learn how to do the sprinkle, roll, bag, refrigerate, and iron (spritz with spray starch where needed) routine; and the joys of permanent press! (haha at least no more sprinkle-roll-bag-refrigerate-iron, just skip to iron)

My main has been redone, I am taking break before starting a mass round of drywall; it is so nice to have enough power to run everything and no more half burned out outlets and such. It is over the flat shelf in the butler pantry/laundry by the door, and a simple latch drops the shelf for 100% access to the box. Now just have to electrify it with a floor trigger plate so if hubby tries to put stuff on the flat spot it zorches him.

Biggest gripe: that the drain from my washing machine only works intermittently without overflowing into the floor while pumping water out.

I don't mind doing laundry, but I get mad when I put on a shirt and see I bleach spot on it. No matter how careful, I somehow get a splash spot where it will show, and never on an old blouse, always the new one. Maybe those old aprons where not a bad idea.
I like having a small freezer in the laundry room. I love to bake and never have enough room in the frig. freezer.
After reading the comments from around the globe, I really appreciate having my laundry area. The lucky ones are the ones who can hang them outside. The clothe smell so good.

--I miss hanging clothes out on a clothes line. I've asked for one for Mother's Day...I'll have to do it myself, I guess.
--Children began doing laundry at the age of 7, 3 days/week, and when there were enough children old enough to split it up, I no longer did laundry. (I do spot-clean tablecloths, though, before they go in the washer.)
--Machines are at the end of my kitchen. Maybe "tacky" to some, but so worth the convenience! Grateful every time the washer/dryer are used.
--I am grateful every day for modern appliances...no beating clothes out on rocks down by the river. Even when we had to use the laundromat while our kitchen foundation was replaced, I was grateful we were able to scrape up the money each time. (Made us think more carefully about when something was dirty, though.)
--And I am grateful when folding clothes that I have the mobility, strength, etc. to do so, that we have the appliances, that I have the blessing of people in my life who need to have the laundry done. Work is a blessing, and laundry is a good reminder to pray for those who live in my house.
--Fold table? It's called dump out clean clothes on my bed and fold there. Only clothes for my husband and myself, plus kitchen towels, etc., so most stays right in that room. (Kids do their own.)
--Thanks for the hint from those with front-loaders...I never thought about smell due to a closed door. Our top-loader's lid is usually open--kids think I'm odd because I want the machine to dry out, but I didn't want it to smell. Maybe I won't be so quick to get a front-loader next time we are in the washer market.

washer that is quieter, takes less time and gets the clothes as clean as the old ones did.

Ventilation! I have a compact laundry behind a roller shutter and a small fan is not enough to extract all the moisture. Wish I had demanded a bigger unit or added a flue. Now, when I use my dryer, the walls sweat like they're doing bikram yoga.

I wish I had a laundry room. We were just on vacation and the rental house had a nice laundry annex with generous folding space, a clothes rack and an ironing board which I didn't have to put away. It was so convenient. Here at home, the washer and dryer are stacked in a bathroom nook, I do the folding on the large kitchen island, I iron in front of the tv, and all the while the ironed stuff hangs all over the place.

On the other hand, it could be worse. We do have all those modern conveniences and still gripe. Maybe we are just spoiled and ungrateful? At least my washer at home does a much better job than the top loader in the vacation house. Ha!

I hate dragging clothes baskets down 2 flights of stairs to get to the laundry room! My knees are bad enough I can only do 1 step at a time with the good knee and with the baskets in my hands I can't hang on to the rail and look down to see the step:( If I don't show up for work some day.. look for me at the bottom of the stairs under a pile of cloths!

I definitely think more attention should be paid to design and planning of doing laundry, just based on all these comments! It is an activity we all need to do, maybe even more than cooking. With all the trend for snazzy kitchens, clearly this part of how we live has been overlooked.

I just moved to a smaller house and have been looking at properties for the past 2 years. A big plus with the house I chose was that it had a finished and spacious laundry room, although sorry to say its in the basement. Previously, I had one next to the kids bedrooms- the best! And I did teach them to do their own laundry from about 10th grade on.

And that fridge in the laundry room... I'm about to add one. It's for the overflow from the kitchen fridge (drinks, frozen food, parties & holiday cooking!).

@ladykacy: you might try switching to an easier to manage laundry basket such as this style: http://www.amazon.com/Flex-N-Carry-Laundry-Basket/dp/B00100820O/

The pen in a certain husband's shirt pocket (I swear I checked it!) that comes apart and leaks all over the walls of a brand new dryer. There was also a red crayon in a child's pocket once...that was a lovely mess.

Kleenex left in a pocket that leaves bits and pieces all over dark clothing. And the rug I washed, with the rubber backing that crumbled into a thousand pieces and got into all the holes in my new front loading washer! Seriously, I only do laundry once or twice a week, once for all the clothing laundry and once for sheets and towels. We have enough sets of everything so we can do this. I do it while I am in my home office and set the timer so I know when it's time to change loads. I try never to do laundry on weekends, that is one of my personal rules.

I'd say my biggest laundry gripe would have to be putting the clothes away... Room for all my clothes is quickly receding, aside from that I don't mind doing laundry.

Laundry!

The fact that our washer didn't last more than 4 1/2 years...thanks to Whirlpool.

we have had a fisher and paykel for...I don't know...more than 10 years.

Laundry room is to small

Any ideas on how an elderly person with bad knees can get the laundry basket from the basement up the stairs? It is too heavy to carry! I'm wondering about some kind of pulley system? Any ideas?

can you afford one of those stair elevator seats? there might even be either free, or greatly discounted offers for the "elderly" with health problems. Please look into it, and God bless you ;0).

@naomilynne: here's a gallery that includes a pulley system in a laundry chute: http://www.handymaams.com/jobgallery.html

In the meantime, switching from large laundry baskets to smaller baskets will lighten your load. Or try placing laundry in reusable grocery bags with handles. Hiring a local teenager for an hour a week to help around the house may be a good option, too.

Jan Moyer, well said and thank you.

I leant the hard way to what I call 'live clean and easy'. Being the oldest girl in a family of 5 children, with a divorced working Mother, I had to pick up 'the slack' at home. My brother and Mother went of to work (from her day job my Mother went on to her second job and was home at about 10pm) and I had to organise the others -and myself- for school. Because I was 'a mean big sister' everyone had to do their bit all had to get up dressed/ teeth brushed, eat brekkie, remember their school goodies and off we walked. Once home we all had to -get lunch, clean house, hang washing(no dryer) then fold, put away and I would start dinner. My brother usually was home about 6pm after work and he too pitched in to look after the younger ones and do any of the 'Man stuff' around the house. It all worked smoothly.

It is amazing what necessity teaches each of us. My Mother had a calmer working and home life, we all learnt to live 'clean and tidy'. It was a great life's lesson for us all.