First time ever having a laundry room! Help me out MN

[Teachingteacher]

For the first time in my adult life, I’m moving to a house and will have a separate laundry room in the basement! Until now, I’ve had the washer/dryer in the kitchen or bathroom, and clothes have been hung all over the apartments we’ve lived in. Fine when it was just me and DH, but now we have two young DC, 5 years and 8 months.

Laundry will be in the basement and it’s a 3 storey house. Our bedroom and DS’s bedroom will be on level 1, DD (and potential future child) will be on level 2.

How do I organise my laundry? Give me all your advice!! How does my family bring dirty laundry downstairs and clean laundry upstairs? Should I get a top loading washer and dryer? What capacity? How do I hang things? Tell me your favourite products.

Is this a joke? How do you bring things down stairs and upstairs? Please! If you can organise your washing in a small space I am sure you can work it out now you have more facilities. We'll done you on your new home.

You’re going to get loads of exercise going up and down from basement to 3rd floor.
I think I’d use those thick canvas duffle bags in each bedroom and do all the sorting in the laundry room.
And get people involved asap.

Surely you just have a normal washing machine and dryer, why would you need a top loader

Having lived with a similar set up here are some of my ideas:

-keep the front loader, they are a lot more effective at washing and if placed next to the dryer you can use the tops as a decent sized sorting/folding bench
-a hanging rail or hooks above, to hang small things that should't go in the dryer that you can't be bothered carrying upstairs
-I still had an airer in a sunny spot upstairs and a line the garden which I used in preference to the dryer
-laundry bags in each bedroom or bathroom - depending on where you get changed. Bags are easier to cart downstairs than baskets. (Or use baskets with a removable bag inside.)
-sort clean washing into piles according to the room they're going into, then place in basket in the order you are going to visit each of those rooms.

Are you in the UK, apologies if you are in the US where top loaders are usual.

Not very stylish but we use the big Aldi Bags for Life instead of laundry baskets. Any bag that's roughly the size of a load will do though. I have one each in the kids rooms and we've a couple as i separate out my delicates.
When the bag's full it gets washed, and when dry it's folded and back in the bag to carry upstairs. Also means I can carry a couple of bags up and down the stairs at once and still hold the banister!

Why would anything change?

Mine isn't in the basement but same thing could work. I have a laundry sorting trolley and every morning I take a basket around the dirty clothes bags in the house and put the contents in the sorting trolley. When a section is full I put a load on. Then I fold everything from the Sheila maid or tumble dryer into piles, put it in the laundry basket and carry it upstairs to the bedrooms. Then hang up the next lot and that's it until the next morning. I spend a lot less time on laundry now and absolutely none hanging around the house, which was my bugbear!

Re hanging things I have a lot of hangers on a clothes rail in the laundry room, and if the weather is wet I dry t shirts and dresses etc on the rail and anything else on the Sheila maid above. My husband put a wall heater on the wall so that if the temperature gets too low to dry I can just stick that on.

@PerryMenno Thanks that’s really helpful advice.
Do you sort the clothes into whites/colours/wools etc. Once they are in the laundry? I’ve honestly just been putting everything in the same wash for years due to space, but it’s not been good for our clothes.

@Sgtmajormummy Thats a great idea with the duffel bags.
Yes, everyone except the baby will be involved, no way I can manage on my own.

@Doingmybest12 No, not a joke. Obviously I know how to walk up and down stairs. I’m looking for advice on how to manage the new setup in an organised and efficient way with young children and a full-time job. Our laundry situation over the last few years has been anything but organised.

@DiscoBeat I had to Google what a Shiela Maid is. It looks perfect! I’ll definitely get one of those.
I think that drying will be an issue in the winter in the basement, so I’ll try the heater idea.

@User85398653 No, not in the UK. Top loaders are common here, normally once the family grows.

@ColonelSpondleClagnut Great idea with the Aldi bags. I’m realising that something easy to carry for my DS will be key.

Basket, get a large capacity washer if you can afford it.

I did wonder after I had written my first post as top loaders are very uncommon in UK in homes. Holiday places often have them, we use one sometimes on caravan sites.
I would definitely think about heating if you are drying inside because of damp

In my utility room I have 3 laundry baskets for dirty clothes. I also have a plastic box for each memeber of the family. We have a soft a laundry bag in each bedroom. Everyone is responsible for carrying down their dirty laundry, sorting it into the 3 laundry baskets in the utility room - darks, coloureds, whites) and woollens/delicates go on the side. When those baskets are full I run lads through the washer. Mostly I dry outdoors or on a drink rack. Clean laundry gets sorted into each persons box and they are responsible for taking own laundry back upstairs and putting away.
It's not difficult!
The kids have to help hang stuff to dry and to sort clean clothes out.

This is a bonkers thread, this OPs user name suggests she is a teacher . Gawd help us if they need to have it pointed out to put a drying rack in a warm space which might not be the basement.

Make sure that you always carry bulky items such as bedding in a bag .
A friend of mine broke her ankle when her foot got caught in a duvet cover that she was carrying downstairs.

So many typos sorry! I obvs don't put my lads through the machine (loads) or on the drinks rack). Drying rack! Heated drying rack is good - fit lots on, kinder on clothes and cheaper to dry.

Well, she did ask how to carry it downstairs, whereas in a large bag would be pretty obvious so that is probably why there are these other posts stating the obvious.

My point exactly.

@DiscoBeat would love to see a pic/ link to your laundry trolley or similar - not heard of those before!

@CupEmpty this is it