Futility room

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

Can everyone please stop calling their super-useful utility room a futility room? I'm going to have one soon, and I'm really excited about it .

[wonkylegs]

My current one is very long and thin and works fine but currently also doubles as a tool and garden store.
New one is smaller but better laid out and We've budgeted for one of these

[MrsLyman]

I envy you all with your utility rooms, currently house hunting and it's top of my list of must haves, mine will also look very similar to the photo posted.

[Schooldidi]

Mine is an old coal shed. It's not nice at all :(, it's a brick coal shed with a washing machine and tumble drier (that doesn't work) in it. It's so cold in the winter that that the pipes freeze and we have to defrost the washing machine with a hairdrier. I really miss having my washing machine in the kitchen and if we could afford to have the kitchen redone we would, just so there was a space for the washing to be done inside the house. I hate having to go out into the "garden" (a small patio really) to do my washing.

[JulieAnderton]

I'd love a utility room. I think that all of that "stuff" has to go somewhere and I'd rather it be in a single out-of-the-way room, rather than in the kitchen/hallway etc.

goes off to Rightmove houses with utility rooms

[pettyprudence]

oooh I am about to have a futility room when we complete on our house on friday! Well, technically its a dowstairs shower room atm but I'm going to take out the shower, leave the toilet and sink and then add washing machine, dryer and cupboards. It will be a long while yet before its beautiful but IT WILL BE!

[CiderwithBuda]

Quite interested in the washing powder too! DS is prone to excema but I like nice smells. Presumably it would be easier on the skin than stuff you buy.

My utility room would be great except the dogs live in it. It's pretty big - Long and narrow with fitted white gloss kitchen units from Wickes. The builder put the sink slightly in the wrong place so although we had planned a space under a counter for the dogs to sleep this hasn't worked so on sleeps in the middle of the floor.

Its also a bit clinical - white units, black work tops and grey tiled floor. Trying to decided what colour to paint the walls.

I try to keep it tidy but DH keeps his tools there and the recycling is there too. Both tools and recycling have cupboards but end up on counters!

I also have a boiler room where I dry clothes on one of those hanging things and a think that pulls out of the wall.

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

I am so going to make my own washing powder now . My utility room will smell lovely, I'm thinking Bergamot.

[middleagedspread]

I love mine; tumble drier, washing machine, boiler cupboard (perfect for airing).
2 downsides though, becomes a dumping ground & guests have to walk through to get to the loo.

[Frostybean]

at Hassled's Room of Doom
I'm thinking of knocking out the wall between my downstairs loo and the utility room to make them both bigger, as at the moment, I have to breath in and shuffle to get into either.

[Goodwordguide]

iIve nearly given up buying cleaning stuff now (except for bleach and dishwasher powder, which I can't replicate) - washing soda and white vinegar plus e-cloths seem to work better and cheaper in the long run. I can't bear how normal washing powder makes your machine go mouldy.

[WaitingForMe]

Mine is a glorified cupboard but I love it. I've the washing machine under a worktop (so have a tiny space on top for the laundry bag) and a tumble drier on top. Then a high shelf above the tumble dryer with the microwave, cat carry box, cupcake carriers and cool box. Tucked down the sides of the machines are picnic blankets, reusable shopping bags etc. there is loads mounted on the walls (ironing board, mini Dyson, dustpan & brush) and the vacuum cleaner and Bissel are parked in front of the washing machine.

I always wanted a utility room and the fact the house didn't have one wasn't going to stop me.

I'm keen to start making my own washing detergent though. I've been thinking about prettifying the space and making it scented with essential oils sounds fabulous

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Mine isn't big but we had it refitted so it included a larder cupboard for the ironing board, a sink and lots of cupboards to hide crap in.

Small but perfectly formed.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

Our third bedroom was a utility type room, despite being upstairs. Washer, drier and sink in there, plus lots of cupboards. It is now slowly being reclaimed to become DC2's bedroom. It's a mission and a half as it's now so full of crap! Kitchen is pokey, so washer and drier are having to go in the conservatory, which I am stealing for my new utility room, although I'm not sure if DH has realised this yet. When I win the lottery I will extend the house, make the kitchen bigger and have a REAL utility room built, just for me and my laundry and wellies!

[Iteotwawki]

Good bit. Not but.

[Iteotwawki]

I love my utility room! Washing machine & tumble dryer, butler sink for hand washing with drying rail over the top, lots of cupboards and a large coat / boot / bag / water bottle cupboard.

But the really good but is that aside from my delicates / hand washing, I don't use it :) DH does all the laundry :)

[SquinkiesRule]

I had a teenie one in our old house, I liked it, never thought about it, room for the boiler, a deep sink, washer and dryer and a broom cupboard, it had three doors, one to the kitchen, one to outside and one to the garage. Latest house has a corner in the garage and everyone piles stuff on my washer. I never thought I'd miss that little room.

[Goodwordguide]

I got the recipe from the Seeds and Stitches blog - search on it for 'laundry' (try googling it - don't think I'm allowed to link). It's a mix of borax, bi of soda, washing soda, soap flakes and essential oil for scent. It's gentler on clothes and keeps your washing machine much cleaner and nicer smelling. It's also cheaper - I bulk buy the ingredients, though you can get them in health food shops. It seems to clean all stains but our stuff isn't heavily stained - I do have Vanish for emergencies too but I find it very satisfying to make my own. DH thinks I'm slightly weird...

[ThePskettiIncident]

My old house had one and I loved it! Mostly filled it with trays of seeds and dirty wellies.

[sweetkitty]

I've just had one built as part of the extension, unfortunately we've run out of money to do it up properly with sink/units etc so it looks like a garage really.

So far it has the tumble drier, 2 airers and a spare freezer in it plus all the paint and DIY tat.

I want a sink unit, washing machine and drier together units above, two larder cupboards and some shelving. It's 4m x 2m.

[ggirl]

Goodwordguide how do you make your own washing detergent and does it get stains out?

[ggirl]

Love mine , hides a multitude of washing , housekeeping detritus ..until a guest has to walk through it to get to the loo

[Goodwordguide]

Love mine! It has two bath sinks (ok, a bit unnecessary but we inherited this layout), a sheila maid, big wide radiator, pretty window, and space to keep an ironing board up all the time which means it's very easy to just iron eg, school uniform as and when I need it. I make my own washing powder so bulk buy all the ingredients and keep them there so it smells lovely of lemon oil. But best of all, I'm the only one who ever goes in there soit's the only bit of the house that is completely mine!

[ClaraOswald]

Nope, mine will always be the home of futility.

The never ending washing, the string of unending handfuls of shopping bags and DIY equipment, the constant food in and out of the house.

Futility room sums it up perfectly.

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

Yay (mostly)!

Mine has a slightly odd layout at the moment, but I think we'll be able to make it really useful. We're going to make a pantry in the under stairs space (a pantry!), so I might be able to ditch some of the kitchen cupboards.

I think DH and I are planning to put pretty much everything in the utility room. It may need to be a tardis.

[NaturalBaby]

I have a corner of the garage as my utility area. I can't wait to move house - I will have a utility room to call my own, and in my dreams it will look like this