Who has a laundry room section in their upstairs bathroom?

trailingspouse

I've never heard of putting a utility upstairs before. My in-laws have their washing machine behind doors in their bathroom, but it's a bungalow so makes a bit more sense.

Our house is quite big, but there would be no room for the washing machine in the bathroom. I wouldn't fancy it - imagine lying in your bath all bubbly and relaxed, with the washing machine whizzing round by your head. Not my idea of relaxation.

Our utility room (which is in the basement) is used for washing (and drying if the weather's bad). But that's not all - we wash paintbrushes in the sink, keep the alcohol down there, there's a spare freezer which we use if we have visitors, and the cat sleeps down there at night.

lostinrates

DRP wrote: »

how are people drying their clothes upstairs?

indoor clothes horse/line? difficult in a small room.
tumble dryer? surely not for everything (expense).
outside clothes line? means you still have to traipse up and down the stairs.

Am i missing something or is it much more practical to do your washing downstairs?

Generally people opting for this in houses are using tumble dryers. This works financially in us more, but would work for us ( mr rates and I) here.

Fwiw, we have a dressing room, next to a family bathroom one side and a planned master suite ( not the bedroom but a further dressing room and en suite that could be a laundry room if future inhabitants preferred, or if we opt for it later when I am less mobile. Its just not for us by choice:)

ey143

Our current house that we recently bought and will be gutting out is quite large, about 3,200 sq ft inc garage but a very poor layout with lots of cellular / rat run style rooms. Hence why we want to do a large single storey. We also have a balcony to the bedroom so I'm sure our rear neighbours would love to see our brand of underwear we put out to dry if we have a first floor laundry room.

I had requested to the architect that he put in a laundry chute to the proposed utility (these are not very expensive maybe £500+ when spending over £100k on redeveloping the house) but he suggested upstairs laundry. I did raise the issue of taking clothes downstairs outside as we only use the dryer when it rains or if we're lazy.

I'm also thinking of the long term factor of saleability. We never run the washer or dryer overnight for fire safety reasons. We have one 15 month old baby but do people really use their machines EVERYDAY? Wow maybe we just wait until clothes pile up and do a big wash but then I suppose we have to wait and see til we have more kids and how dirty they get as they grow.

SailorSam

I've got a porch at the back of the house and the washing machine & dryer is out there. It's quite convenient 'cos we don't get disturbed by any noise and if you want to hang out washing to dry then it's straight out to the garden.

lostinrates

ey143 wrote: »

Our current house that we recently bought and will be gutting out is quite large, about 3,200 sq ft inc garage but a very poor layout with lots of cellular / rat run style rooms. Hence why we want to do a large single storey. We also have a balcony to the bedroom so I'm sure our rear neighbours would love to see our brand of underwear we put out to dry if we have a first floor laundry room.

I had requested to the architect that he put in a laundry chute to the proposed utility (these are not very expensive maybe £500+ when spending over £100k on redeveloping the house) but he suggested upstairs laundry. I did raise the issue of taking clothes downstairs outside as we only use the dryer when it rains or if we're lazy.

I'm also thinking of the long term factor of saleability. We never run the washer or dryer overnight for fire safety reasons. We have one 15 month old baby but do people really use their machines EVERYDAY? Wow maybe we just wait until clothes pile up and do a big wash but then I suppose we have to wait and see til we have more kids and how dirty they get as they grow.

I am afraid we create a lot of washing. . Probably why I am conscious not to dry it all too. bedlinen is a load each bed once a week. (Have cut down from twice a week as I recognised this was money wasting). Work clothes is a load a week at least, dh's City clothes often get done in the City now ( as he isn't here weekdays) but used to have a load of them. Towels are a couple of loads a week.

Dog washing, in winter this works out as a lot. . Dog towels from walks/ wash downs. beds from slightly not paddy enough dogs! And the odd extra bit. Things like floor rugs, table clothes....., coats.......:D.

No kids here, . But dogs, lots of gardening, some sports wear.....

Not every day, but so e weeks many days in a week, and most weeks many times in a day, and so running back and forward to make swap overs isn't ideal for me, In your house it might be ideal though. Its about getting it right for you. That is ALL that matters

ey143

I too work in the City, but your msg has shocked me. This is going off topic now but either you're an absolute complete clean freak or we're just filthy people lol! I consider ourselves clean but washing bed linen once or twice a week??

I manage to wear the same shirt twice in a 2 week period, sometimes three times as they appear clean and don't smell (I don't sweat badly). Makes it easier for me to build up a pile of 7 shirts to wash every 2.x weeks and have stock of lots of other personal clothes.

Anyway....I'm off topic like I said but interesting comparing how the others live!

MallyGirl

we have a tiny extension on the back of our Victorian house - no idea how long it has been there, it could be many, many years. Downstairs it gives us a downstairs loo, above it is level with the switchback on the stairs (high ceilings) and it is just big enough for washer with condensing dryer on top and an inward opening door, just! We have big dogs so rarely dry the washing outside as it would be pointless. Mostly I use an airer in the bathroom, which is upstairs and only a few feet from washer, as it has UFH - towels and king duvet covers get finished off in dryer. We have quite a big space in the airing cupboard so I can get one tall airer in there with the boiler.

AnnieO1234

It's very common in Australia, the thinking being you're not lugging clothes up and downstairs at all (provided you have a dryer). It would be a positive for me in some ways but I prefer my utility where it is because when hd gets in from golf he can get rid of his muddy wet clothing without tracking it through.

Xx

lostinrates

ey143 wrote: »

I too work in the City, but your msg has shocked me. This is going off topic now but either you're an absolute complete clean freak or we're just filthy people lol! I consider ourselves clean but washing bed linen once or twice a week??

I manage to wear the same shirt twice in a 2 week period, sometimes three times as they appear clean and don't smell (I don't sweat badly). Makes it easier for me to build up a pile of 7 shirts to wash every 2.x weeks and have stock of lots of other personal clothes.

Anyway....I'm off topic like I said but interesting comparing how the others live!

Lol, I am certainly not a clean freak. Wish I were:o We live on a farm, we get dirty.
Don't know how you get two wears out of a shirt, DH doesn't. Though, he doesn't wear detachable collars or anything, just normal shirts etc...if you do maybe they'd look ok if you aren't busy/ sweaty? Otherwise you get a grime ring on collars / cuffs from pollution/ city grime? More over, DH doesn't have to wear a suit most days, but does for client meetings, which are often at short notice. Its not unheard of for him to wrack up ten shirts rather than five in a week. There is gym wear, which obviously you don't want to re wear when its been sweaty, though DH re wears on the same day which I think is fair enough if he is silly enough to go multiple times in a day.

Bedding is the subject of a lot of posts. People's opinions differ, and again, how you use your bed is differs.

DRP

A few people have mentioned using a tumble dryer for all their washing... holy !!!!, i don't even want to imagine the elec bills....

As for comparisons of cleanliness... Our bedding lasts a couple of weeks, but i can't be wearing the same shirt 2 days in a row.