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

We’re planning to convert our two room cellar to a kitchen and utility room. I can’t wait! Plan to stack washing machine and dryer have a ceiling drying rack. We’ll use old kitchen units in utility room so will have heaps of storage space, a definite bonus in a back to back terrace.

@fizbosshoes

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!!

I love this idea.

Watching as also need ideas as our original utility (shelving washing machine dryer and massive shower) is all being ripped out and replaced. Maid pulley sounds blinking marvellous!

We need to finish ours off. I'm getting a pull out airer that fixes on the wall like this. Up a bit higher so we can still put stuff underneath.
We also need to box in the underfloor heating gubbins and and have a cupboard above it to the ceiling.
Think about what you want to store in it. Laundry stuff, cleaning products, pet food?
Vases, medicines, batteries, tools? Recycling?

@inappropriateraspberry - we have those outside and they are great. I hadn’t really thought about putting inside but that could work nicely.
Not enough headspace for ceiling pulley here.

Big thing here would be storage space for spare bedding and towels. And large items like toilet rolls (48 box order)

Yes to the power inside tall storage cupboard.
I asked my builder for it and for some reason he got carried away so we have 4 power points inside now. I'm thinking he made a mistake and was covering something up but have to say I have found them v handy!

We have a small but perfectly formed utility room.
On one long side there is a tall cupboard, washing machine, sink with cupboard under and the boiler on the wall.
On the opposite long side there is the ironing board, permanently up so I can do a quick shirt with no faff. Above the ironing board is a pulley drying rack as pictured earlier.
On the inside short wall there is a small radiator with a pull out dryer above (also as pictured) and we have a moveable A frame airer that goes in front.
No tumble drier, but I'm not one for washing everything after one use so it isn't needed.

Our utility is small but we have a big kitchen and I made sure we got a whole wall of floor to ceiling kitchen cupboards. We have room for hoover, mop, loo rolls, bread maker, instant pot, food processor, stand mixer etc. I love my storage!!

This is the wall mounted drying rack that we have

I actually disagree with the comment about putting it on the floor with bedrooms. If it’s just laundry then fair enough, but a proper utility room with all the cleaning and hardware supplies (things like lightbulbs, extension cords, hammers, etc) and big mud sink and spare fridge/freezer is best placed nearest to where you spend most of your time. You don’t want to have to tromp upstairs every time you need the hoover or to grab something out of the freezer or change over laundry loads. Closest is best.

My favourite features of our utility room are:

• Maximise your worktop space as much as possible, because it is so handy for everything from folding laundry to unloading dry goods into the pantry cupboards. Tall units are overrated I think; get a simple wall hanging thing for long things with sticks like brooms, mops, dustpans, etc instead of taking up valuable worktop space with a tall cupboard. I have kind where you have a few clips that hold everything on place. It hands next to the wall mounted Dyson so it’s all very easy access for quick cleanups.

• Get a folding ironing board that lives in a pull-out drawer. Amazing invention and saves so much space and hassle having to store the ironing board. They are the same size as a regular ironing board and are sold on Amazon. You can attach whatever door you want so it blends with the other doors (ours matches our other ikea doors)
• clothes dryer on a wall-mounted pulley instead of a floor unit

• good under cabinet lighting

• Space for every family member to have a basket for folded clean laundry (I just ask my kids to take up their baskets and put their clothes away every few days, and they also know where to look if they have run out of something instead of rummaging through piles of clean clothes )

• a laundry chute if you can swing one

• space for pet beds/food/litterboxes/outdoor access

• we have a large 80cm width set of drawers for all of DH’s tools and hardware. It is a lifesaver! We keep everything in there from extension cords to screws and even a jigsaw. So much more organized, and I know exactly where to go if I need to grab something like the tape measure or a new lightbulb.

• cupboard space to store things like the orphan sock basket, spare towels, rarely used appliances/machines like sewing machine, pottery wheel, instant pot, etc

Things to make sure of:

• Make sure whoever installs the plumbing and electrical for your washer and dryer puts the inputs BELOW worktop height so that the plugs and water input are hidden behind the units. Ours did not do this (I wrongly assumed they would automatically place things to be discreet) and it looks untidy.

• As with the kitchen, more plug sockets than you think you will need. Each appliance will need its own dedicated plug, so plan for those to be below counter height where you plan to locate the appliances.
• Make sure if you have washer and dryer next to each other that the doors open so that you can transfer laundry from one unit to the other without having a door in the way.

• If you have a stacked washer and dryer, make sure you get the pull-out tray for between the units so that you can load things out of the top unit without struggling to hold the basket whilst simultaneously unloading.

• If you have pets, plan in where you might put their food, bed, possibly doggy door/cat flap, cat litter box, etc.

Apologies, a proofread would have been good for that post!

Oh, if you plan to have under cabinet lighting (strongly recommend), make sure to have your builder place at least one light socket near the ceiling, and request a light switch to control that socket.

This is the ironing board in a drawer. It’s on a mechanism so that it folds out when you pull the drawer open.

I didn’t have room for a tall cupboard because of the positioning of windows, boiler, radiator, but I make good use of wall space by hanging my ironing board on a hook and having a wall mounted thing for my vacuum cleaner.

I hang mops and brooms on the back of the door using a hanging system I bought from Amazon. Also yy to the ceiling pulley.

Your washing machine and tumble dryer doors need to open in the opposite directions to each other, so if both are open, you can shovel wet stuff from one to the other efficiently.

Have a pulley maid to dry non tumble stuff hanging from the ceiling - our non tumble things dry overnight, it truly is a game changer.

Sink tap - get one of those flexible hoses so you can use it to wash off muddy boots, muddy veg straight in from the garen, stray guinea pigs, small dogs etc etc.

Tiled floor so you can mop down mud and detritus easily.

A tall cupboard space for mop, broom, ironing board and iron.

Normal cupboard and drawer space, this will be your random stuff drawer, and where things like batteries, matches, spare shoelaces etc will live. Cupboard space will be for your spare things e.g. hot water bottles, jams, hobby stuff (OH's cycling bits live in there where they are easy to grab, my soap making stuff has a cupboard to itself)

Don't forget to include plug sockets both at floor level and near your sink.

If you have underfloor heating, have it on a separate circuit to the kitchen, as the tumble dryer / WM may very well keep it warm enough. We have an upright freezer and the spare fridge in there and we don't use the underfloor heating there.

Enough coat pegs / shelves for hats, gloves, walking boots etc. A bench or something to sit on, whilst doing up laces etc is really useful.

Ours is possibly my favourite room in the house renovation / rebuild we just did. We did spend a lot of time thinking about our 'perfect' utility and what we wanted to do in it though.

We have one of these for hanging up shirts etc. It's deep enough for regular hangers, you can store stuff on top but it doesn't take up too much room

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tjusig-hat-rack-white-40152633/

I have a wall-mounted cupboard with a hanging rail attached to the underside and about 20 clothes hangers. All shirts, T shirts, dresses etc. that can't be tumble dried get hung up straight from the machine, it's so neat and easy! Also have a pulley maid for trousers, underwear etc., anything else that can't be tumble dried.

A second freezer is always, always a good idea. I only had a tiny space left so I bought a mini chest freezer - it's not exactly practical for day to day use, but it's just an invaluable overspill space for things like an emergency loaf of bread, and stuff I hardly ever use like frozen fruit

We have some of these extra deep hooks. I find them really useful for hanging ironed things on, as ironing tends to be done in one go in this house, so it otherwise ends up with shirts and tops hanging from every handle and the top of every door. I'm sure there are more aesthetically pleasing ones.

Lots and lots of storage is what I realise I need. I prefer cupboards, as I don't like the dust that accumulates on shelves or racks.

I also realise that I need two ironing baskets on the go. One for things that have been washed but are ready to put away, and another for things that are ready to be ironed. Mine stack, but it is rare that each is empty!

Sports kit storage is near the top of my list, to include swim kit and beach bags filled with stuff (young DC).

Loads of brilliant ideas which I hadn’t thought about. I wasn’t sure about having a sink, but seeing what a few people have said about bathing the dog in there, I think I may go for it. Sockets within cupboards is a great idea too.
It will definitely be on the ground floor, although only in our 50s, dh and I want to future proof this house as far as we can, so that we can basically live downstairs if we need to

Sockets remind me, a charging station would be handy for all the never ending things that are recharged nowadays. Hoover batteries, lawnmower, drill etc..

My contribution!

The thing I've found easiest to sort, transport and move my washing is those gardening plastic tubs with handles! They stack when empty.

I have a white and black and so on laundry days everyone outs their darks and lights into right basket and takes their personal laundry basket back to bedroom.

I have a third for pulling all washing into out if the machine and is easy to carry to washing line in garden or to rumble or airer.

You can also put all the clean stuff back in them for each separate person to take to their room and put away!

I have this - it’s from Schuller & wonderful www.schueller.de/en/utility-room

Have the washing machine door open to the left and the tumble drier door open to the right - so much easier if you can arrange it that way for easy loading from one to the other.

Also my husband put a wall mounted fan heater directed at the Sheila maid and airer which is cheap to run and very quick drying when it's raining.

I often see people suggesting you have an ironing station in a utility room. I wouldn't. I do iron, but I don't see why it's something that needs to be hidden away, its not rude!

Butt YY to a pulley, a tall cupboard and a large sink. Also, put it next to the back door if possible, so you can use it as a buffer between house and garden.