DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Laundry rooms can be loaded with function

With these tips that put everything in a place, laundry is a chore no more.

mcclatchy newspapers

Laundry rooms tend to be dirty little secrets — raw spaces where clothes pile on the floor and washers and dryers stand alone.

The irony wasn’t lost on Helen Norman, who had cobbled together a bare-bones laundry area in her 1850s Maryland home.

Tired of the inefficiency, she and her friend, designer Janna Lufkin, redesigned the space with loads of function.

Janna designated areas for laundering, folding, ironing, air-drying, and storage.

“Everything seemed chaotic before,” Norman says. “Now, it’s a space I want to come into and treat with respect.”

With these tips that put everything in its place, laundry is a chore no more.

UNDER COVER

Norman had a cabinet built to house her front-loading washer and dryer. The top is made of linoleum flooring to provide a durable work surface. (Marmorette flooring, $23/square foot; armstrong.com)

LIGHT LOADS

“A fresh coat of paint works wonders,” says Lufkin, who brightened the room with white beaded board that covers uneven walls.

OUT TO DRY

An antique quilt rack augments wall-mounted drying racks. Norman air dries a lot of clothes and doesn’t iron much; space for those tasks was assigned accordingly.

HEAVY WASH

A shelf provides storage in the space above the washer and dryer. Detergents stored in clear, labeled jars allow Norman to gauge levels and prevent shelves from becoming a riot of packaging. (Duet steam washer and dryer; $1,599 and $1,499; whirlpool.com)

CLEAN SLATE

Store stain removers on a lazy Susan to keep them in reach and catch drips.

TOP STORY

A freestanding table offers storage. Norman’s two boys can grab clothes stacked on the top. The iron rests on a heat-resistant old enamel tray. (Varde base cabinet, $349; ikea.com)

OUT OF SIGHT

Drawers conceal mending supplies, extra dryer sheets, stain removers and the inevitable pile of unmatched socks.

HOLDING POINT

Baskets are used to tote clean rags and towels to their proper rooms. Closed boxes store seldom-used table linens.

HANG TIME

A vintage drying rack has arms that fold in when not in use. If you can’t find an antique version, modern ones are available. Eight-arm wall dryer, $22; lehmans.com.

STRETCH SPACE

Tip-out drying racks are an alternative to a standing drying rack. These are custom, but there are many ready-made options. (Beadboard drying rack, $89; ballarddesigns.com)

HIGH AND DRY

A vintage coat rack lets Norman hang items to dry or to get wrinkles out before wearing.