I have just experienced the best thing in my life; the family closet. I turned my laundry room into a laundry room/family closet. Now, I can wash, dry, fold and put away all in one room. No more lugging laundry baskets or keeping kids closets organized. A winter hanging closet and a summer hanging closet and a cubby for each person in the family. I have now converted the kids closets into shelves for all their toys, games, etc. This keeps it up off of their floor. My laundry time has decreased by more than half.
By BarwickJ from Ottumwa, IA
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I'd love to see a picture of your laundry room! Would you consider posting one? Maybe you'll win Tip of the Week!
I wish my laundry room was large enough to do that! What a GREAT idea! I'd love to see pictures, too!
What a great idea! My "laundry room" is really just the hall from the kitchen to the garage but I would love it if I had room!
Congrats!
I thought about doing that years ago, but never had a way to do it. I also wondered how you would get the family to put their dirty laundry in there. I don't have room in my laundry room now, but if I ever get a chance to build a house, I'd do that very thing. I also thought about it being in the center, between all the bedrooms, with doors opening from the bedrooms into the "closet" with their clothes. In other words, the "closets" would have a door from the bedroom side and the "laundry/closet" room side.
Now that's what I call a laundry room. Most home floorplans were designed by those who never do laundry, or expect us to abuse our launderers by making them do laundry at the top of the stairs, in a hallway or in a closet.
We have our Laundry room in the Basement of our home, which is not that handy. But my husband has made a office/closet in a room next the the Laundry.
Great Idea!!! I love it!! I don't have the room to do that in my house but I would LOVE to! My closet is so small anyhow and it has it fit 2 people's clothes in it!
Loved this idea.... Immediately after reading this I had to jump right in re-oragnize my laundry room to work this way too. It turned out perfect! Fortunatly I have a small laundry room upstairs where all our bedrooms are. I decided to make it only a "closet" space for my children's clothes. I hung a "shoe cubbie" on the back of the laundry room door and now store their undies/socks/etc in these cubbies. I even saved myself a spot for a pair of scissors, pencil, small notepad, and other misc items I like to have handy. Above my washer & dryer I put in a tension shower curtain rod. From here I hang all their shirts and few dresses. I found a hefty bookself in anther room and moved it into a small cut out space in the laundry room.
My favorite part is I am in control of what they are wearing. Everything is always put away, and I am not nagging them. They no longer change their clothes 5 times a day. I can monitor what their have and what they need. No more clothes falling off the hangers in their closets and no more washing clean clothes because the never got put away in the first place, got left on the dresser, or somehow made their way under the bed.
Thanks so much for your post. I am just loving my new laundry room!! :-)
We recently implemented the family closet. Our home has a small room off the kitchen that has our back door at one end. My husband installed our washer and dryer at the other end. Above those, he hung 2 wire storage shelves. I keep one laundry basket for each family member (6) with their t-shirts, socks, underwear, pj's.
How does the closet work? Do the kids take their clothes to their rooms the night before, or do they go into the "closet" to get dressed? I am curious about logistics.
I can't imagine how this would improve family life, if people have to go to another room to find their clothes. I want my clothes in my room.
I'm with Pixie on this, and I can say from personal experience that this is not working for me! My husband and I use a small, easy to heat room as our bedroom but it is too small for us to store our clothes in.
He has his clothes stored in his study in a free standing wardrobe and an repurposed side board. Mine are in my sewing room in more free standing furniture. He doesn't seem to think it's a pain, but I sure do! I've got to go into a cold room where my clothes are and grab an outfit. It's got to where I just dress in the bathroom after my shower, and it's more than a little inconvenient.
Love this idea! My 'laundry room' is currently one end of the family room and only allotted the space the washer, dryer and scrub sink use along with wall space above those. Still, I am going to sit down and try to figure out how I could better utilize this space to implement your idea. My son's clean clothes are, somehow moving into my 'laundry room'! Thanks!
I am also with Pixie. I wany my clothes in my bedroom where I can dress in privacy. And I do not want to have to go to another room to get my clothes. It doesn't take that much effort to transfer clothes from the laundry room to the bedroom.
Crazy idea. Don't know about my frugal friends but I a lot of us don't have laundry rooms. My washer and dryer is in my garage. This may work if all in the house is the same gender but I wouldn't want to be walking to a different room in my birthday suit. Sounds inconvenient to me but to each his own.
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