Top 5 Laundry Room Questions Answered

Okay, I confess: I don't know if these are *the* top 5 laundry room questions in the whole world, but when I started researching organization for myself (and my teeny tiny laundry space), I saw some questions asked over and over. As long as I was curious about them anyway, I figured I'd write an article to share the answers I found.

So, without further ado, I give you the list:

Frequently Asked Laundry Room Questions

1. What's that smell and how do I get rid of it?

Laundry rooms can have funky odors. Sometimes you know what's causing them and sometimes you don't. Here are a couple of common culprits you might check into:

Septic/sewer smells -- If there are drains in the floor, shower, sink, etc. that don't see much use, try pouring water into them to fill the drain traps (these can dry out when they're not used, which allows sewer gas to enter the house).

Musty/damp smells -- It could be mold/mildew. Make sure your dryer is venting outside the house properly, and make sure there aren't leaks coming from anywhere. If there is a leak, water can get under floors and into walls where mold and mildew can thrive.

Can you move the laundry room upstairs (to the second or third floor)?

Sure! It's actually becoming quite popular to move laundry rooms closer to bedrooms, which are usually located upstairs. Who wants to tote baskets full of clothes up and down multiple levels of stairs?

It does cost some money and there are some hoops to run through. The washer and dryer should be installed close to existing water lines, and you'll also have to run a 220 volt electrical line in for the dryer. Building codes in your area may also require you to put in a floor drain.

3. Where can I find cheap cabinets?

Cabinets are a great way to add storage. But you don't usually see laundry room cabinets advertised as such when you visit the home improvement store. Sure, you could use some of the nice looking cabinets from the kitchen remodeling section, but those aren't going to be cheap.

One thing you can do is reuse old kitchen or bathroom cabinets and mount them on the wall in your laundry room. Check with second hand stores or even junkyards to find them. Lots of people throw out perfectly good cabinets just because they don't match their new kitchens.

4. What's an inexpensive way to organize the laundry room?

As mentioned above, cabinets offer a way to create storage that isn't out in the open. You can also save space by using ironing boards that fold up behind the door, getting laundry hampers/baskets that can be folded or otherwise compacted (i.e. mesh hampers), and adding wall-mounted hanging racks that can be pushed/folded nearly flush with the wall when they're not in use.

How can we save money and reduce energy costs?

People are looking for lots of way to save energy (and thus save money on monthly bills) around the house, and the laundry room is definitely a spot where improvements can be made.

If you have the money, investing in a new energy-efficient washing and drying machine can pay off in the long run, but appliances aren't cheap, so here are some other ways to save energy without spending any money:

* Only run the clothes when you have a full load
* If the weather is nice, hang your clothes out to dry
* Clean the lint trap after every load
* Avoid buying clothes that require costly dry cleaning

Bonus Question!

How can you make your own laundry detergent?

I found this recipe online and had to add it to this article (since another way to save money is to make your own detergent):

Mix...

* 1 Cup grated Fels-Naptha soap
* 1/2 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax
* 1/2 Cup Washing Soda.

Use 1-3 tablespoons per load (adjusting for load size and dirtiness).

There you have it--the top laundry room questions answered. Now you can organize that laundry room, and make it more efficient to boot.