Utility rooms-can we have a “things we have learned”

[JudgeRindersMinder]

There are brilliant threads on lessons learned for installing kitchens and bathrooms. I can create a utility room in my new house (way too excited by this ) and would appreciate any tips about things that definitely work or don’t work in utilities

Youth-hostel style wall mounted boot rack here. Basically long slanted upwards pegs. Takes 16 pairs and they dry on it well.

Ceiling drying rack is much faster than airers on the floor.

Stacking WM and drier

Adjacent chest freezer is good for folding clothes on

Still a junk room as well though.

Ours has:

Two washing machines, two dryers. Washers stacked on top of dryers, with a pull out shelf under each washer which can be tucked away when not in use.
Underfloor heating.
Huge sink with spray tap for hosing stuff off

Loads of shelf storage, cupboards, drawers, and hanging hooks
A pull out rubbish bin in one cupboard
A hanger hook that the ironing board hangs on
Loads of plug sockets
An extractor fan
A space to slot the clothes airer away when it's not in use.

It's been a work in progress but it's almost there. Because the floor is heated I also use it to block my knitting projects too.

The other advantage of having a slightly raised washing machine is that you can actually drain it out of the annoying filter thing which is always at the bottom of the machine and usually impossible to access.
Our "utility room" is just a section of the garage and was a bit of a last minute thing when we were having the kitchen done. We took the run of worktop which had the sink in it and had covered two under worktop cupboards. We now have washing machine then the tumble dryer then the under sink unit. Having a sink (with hot & cold water) has been such a bonus through a reflux baby, potty training, football mad kids etc. Above the cupboards we have open industrial shelves. If I'd thought of it, taking some of the wall units from the kitchen would have made sense! As it is, these are fine and make it marginally easier for DH and, increasingly, the DC to find the various tools, light bulbs, hoover etc accessories & so on kept out there. We also have a freezer & a fridge freezer. The freeze freezer was an accident (the previous owners left it here) and we meant to give it away but found it really useful, particularly with lockdown and going to the supermarket no more than once a week.

When we built our extension I finally got an actual utility room and not a cupboard without a door.

The best bits are:
A pole to hang clothes on clothes hangers to dry.
Two pull out drying racks because kids are messy.
I got the builder to make a space under the worktop fit the litter tray with a shelf for pet food.
A tall cupboard is a must for hoover and ironing board.
A huge sink for washing the dog (small) with pull out tap. Good for soaking and hiding large trays.
Space allocated for wellies.

What hasn't worked for me is the little bench I had envisioned for sitting and putting on boots. You know with the hooks over it? Turns out when you have so many wet days the last thing you want to do is hang jackets over a bench! It's been turned into a bit of a large shelf now.

If you put a drying area in then planning will want an extractor.

I miss the futility room in our old house - we had very high ceilings so put the washer and dryer side by side at eye level with a double cupboard underneath for laundry baskets, powder etc and the same above for less used bits and pieces, bogoff purchases etc. So easy to access, load and keep everything neat. In this house I have a more traditional lineup with washer and dryer side by side under a counter with sink and drainer above and cupboard between. We do have a high level drying rack, tall cupboards etc for appliances and cleaning products, but all packed into quite a small space - I just wish it was bigger. If I was doing it again I'd go bigger and put in far more storage than you think you need!

Have it upstairs. So much more convenient for doing the washing and putting it away when it's dry as you're on the same floor as the bedrooms. Have a window for airflow.

Those with stacked washer dryers... could I ask?
What do you do when the washing machine goes on a random walk during a spin cycle? Mine is rather new and did this today.

@CaviarAndCigarettes

Those with stacked washer dryers... could I ask? What do you do when the washing machine goes on a random walk during a spin cycle? Mine is rather new and did this today.

Washer is below on mine, with a frame and worktop, then drier on the worktop. The two are not in contact and washer is lower because it is heavier.

If your washer is going for walks, do it's feet need adjusting?

@MinesAPintOfTea I can't honestly say I've ever checked if it had feet! Just pushed it under the work too and left it to it.
A utility room is on my dream list so I am following this thread with interest. Thank you for answering my silly question

My washers are basically bolted down, they're not going anywhere.

Our utility is tiny (1.6 x 2.5m plus a 0.7m2 alcove for the laundry machines) but packed!

Here’s what I have

Broom cupboard
Undercounter freezer
Undercounter wine fridge (only 30cm wide but keeps DH happy!)
Pullout for laundry liquids
Sink (with lid made from worktop material, so is extra worktop when not in use)
Upper cupboards for storage of general household crap
More upper cupboards above those (high ceiling)
Slot at the end of the units for ironing board (we had problems putting a cupboard there due to soil pipe, so used the space for the ironing board)
Laundry machines stacked with pull out shelf between
Pulley airer
Electric towel rail - so useful for drying off soaked shoes and coats and giving a blast of heating in the room when the ufh is not on
Big shelves above the laundry machines for laundry baskets. However in the end I bought brabantia folding baskets which slide down the side of the machines. So the big shelves get used for garden cushions instead.

@butwhatcanwedo

If you don’t stack the washer and dryer (makes me nervous for some reason) here is a tip. Make sure they are adjacent and the doors of each open outwards. So it’s then really easy to move the laundry from the washing machine into the dryer. Ps we didn’t do this!

I was about to say this. I just got a new tumble (heat pump) and the door opens the opposite way to the washer so it’s much easier to pass the laundry from one to the other. Previously I had to sort of lob it over the door into the hole!

I’m also thinking I’d like to make mine more of a tool room, so that for minor DIY jobs I don’t have to go out to the garage to fetch tools. At the moment it’s ended up as more of a pantry, with spare food. Would love to make more space for DIY stuff.

Oh yes one other thing:

Socket installed inside the broom cupboard so I can charge the cordless hoover out of sight

I don’t try storing shoes and coats in there as I need it to stay clean for when I’m doing laundry

If I redesigned my utility room I'd make the door only small enough for me (and the cats) to fit through but not DH! 😂😂 He constantly leaves crap plants/tools/hobby stuff on every surface!!

Forget a washer and a dryer with doors opening the right way. 2 x washer dryer is the way forward. You don't even have to move stuff between machines.

We have raised our washing machine and tumble drier, with sorting baskets above. It’s made laundry so much easier. Just make sure that the doors on the machines open the right way.

I’m not keen on the pulley airers that are mentioned on here, and I don’t have the ceiling space. Instead I have a towel rail radiator.

I also don’t like having mops in cupboards because they don’t dry properly so mine hang on the wall on a clippy hook thing.

I have a drop down ironing board and a hanging rail.

Think carefully through what you’ll need to store in your utility room. I went for deep drawers and a pack of shallow drawers but in hindsight at least a couple of presses would have been better for storing big bags of cat litter, and litre bottles of water.

I thought a sink in the utility was a bit of a waste with the kitchen sink so close but actually it’s invaluable.

@CaviarAndCigarettes

Those with stacked washer dryers... could I ask? What do you do when the washing machine goes on a random walk during a spin cycle? Mine is rather new and did this today.

Did whoever installed it remove the transit bolts? I think that's what they're called anyway. If your machine is loud and walking off by itself it could be that the bolts haven't been removed. They are there to stop the drum from being damaged in transit but should be removed when installed.

What are people's views on a toilet in a ground floor utility room?

I grew up in a house with a toilet in the utility room so it doesn't feel odd to me, but we are about to do a redesign on our house and DH really wants to make a separate room for the toilet. I think it will be a waste of otherwise useful space to carve off room in the utility this way.

The utility is off the hallway so not adjoining other living space.

Unlikely to apply to you, but I dream of a utility room that can also be the cat’s bedroom with totally flush units so he can’t bring live rodents into the kitchen that then hide. Then I feel guilty and think it would be mean not to give them a chance to escape as there have only been two that didn’t pop themselves in the humane trap within a couple of days so I could congratulate them on their cunning and set them free.

We finally moved to my our forever house and I'm planning the mother of all utility rooms. It is actually going to be the existing kitchen with a bit added on to the top end for a walk in pantry

My list so far
All appliances that make annoying noises
Also banished to the utility will be cat food and cat flap
Double sink
Washing Machine & Dryer - side by side
Hanging rope pully thing on ceiling to dry washing
Shelves and hanging rail for folded up ironing
Ironing board in it's own cupboard that folds out for easy ironing in situ
Boiler
Spare freezer

I am of course having a separate boot room.
New kitchen will be in the new orangery.

We have one of these @Thistledew, it's called a lootility. Ours is basically a large downstairs loo with a big set of floor to ceiling doors, behind which is the boiler, shelving, worktop and washer and dryer underneath. When the doors are closed all your shit stuff is neatly tucked away. We have a condenser dryer so the water from that goes straight down the loo.

We've just sold the house and it was one of the things our buyer really liked about the place. My aunt has also just done an extension and put one in after seeing ours. We've got a more traditional set up in our new house and I'm actually really going to miss going to the loo and realising the wash has finished and can go in the dryer I've seen on MN that some people can be funny about laundry and loos, but it's a great solution for houses that may not have space for both a d/stairs toilet and a util.

The stacked washing machine and dryer should go anywhere. Ours are fixed with attachment drawer in between. We have same brand machines so just bought the stacker part that is compatible, but you can buy universal ones

Plan storage around what you want to keep in there. Apart from washing machine, dryer and a freezer I have three floor to ceiling cupboards to store vacuum cleaner, all dog walking, gardening type coats and footwear. I also had these built with the top shelves the correct size to store all of our garden furniture cushions. I also have a vase cupboard which sounds ridiculous when said out loud but is very useful.

@TheCraicDealer

We have one of these *@Thistledew*, it's called a lootility. Ours is basically a large downstairs loo with a big set of floor to ceiling doors, behind which is the boiler, shelving, worktop and washer and dryer underneath. When the doors are closed all your shit stuff is neatly tucked away. We have a condenser dryer so the water from that goes straight down the loo.

We've just sold the house and it was one of the things our buyer really liked about the place. My aunt has also just done an extension and put one in after seeing ours. We've got a more traditional set up in our new house and I'm actually really going to miss going to the loo and realising the wash has finished and can go in the dryer I've seen on MN that some people can be funny about laundry and loos, but it's a great solution for houses that may not have space for both a d/stairs toilet and a util.

Do you have a photo @TheCraicDealer ?

This sounds like a set up I'm after!!