Laundry rooms don’t always receive the attention they deserve. They become cluttered with clothes, sticky detergent spills here and there and lint dust practically everywhere. Updating your laundry area is actually a practical home-improvement project that can maximize available space in your home and just make life a little easier, more organized and brighter, too! If you’re ready to get rid of your dreary and drab laundry space, consider these four laundry room plumbing and planning tips to make the most of your new laundry room.

Upper Floor Or Lower?

The first decision you may be pondering is where to put your new laundry room. The fact that washing and drying clothes is a regular chore, you may be thinking along the lines of easy access, such as an area close to your upper-floor bedrooms. You’ll need to consider drainage needs and noise and vibration from your appliances, too.

On the other hand, you may have space on the first floor near your kitchen. Your washer could share plumbing lines with kitchen appliances, and serve as a storage area for other common household cleaning products.

Drain and Sink Placement

Bleach, detergents and other chemicals are going to be stored in your new laundry room. So, your laundry room floor needs to be durable with forethought to drainage. You don’t want a flooded laundry room, especially if it’s on an upper floor.

Plan space for a good utility sink with a pull-out spray handle and a high-arc dispenser. You want plenty of room in your sink for hand washing and to fill cleaning buckets. Of course, don’t forget about space for cabinets, counter tops and ironing board space, too.

Preventing Floods and Fire

Flood and fire prevention is important when planning your laundry room plumbing, ventilation and gas line. Install a flood alarm to alert you to water overflows or drain backups. You’ll also want a smoke detector in the area and a CO alarm if your dryer is gas, or if the space is shared with a gas water heater.

Be mindful of the location of your water shutoff valves for the clothes washer and the sink. The valves should be accessible to everyone in your home — not obstructed by the washer or dryer.

Tips:

  • Make sure your clothes washer uses a braided metal drain hose — not a rubber hose.
  • Drain hose should have a lint trap to minimize debris going down the drain line.
  • Clean or replace the trap every few months, depending on usage.
  • Dryer vent should be made out of metal.
  • Clean the dryer lint trap after every dryer use.

Ventilation

Venting for gas dryers should be up to code, of course, but you may want to consider a ventilation fan to remove moisture from your new laundry room. Water vapor from your washer and dryer, sooner or later, is going to cause moisture problems, such as mold and mildew growth on surfaces. Ventilation fans and your dryer vent should send exhaust outside your home — not into attic space.

Work closely with your professional plumbing company to ensure you’ve covered all of your bases and design options. Contact MN Plumbing & Home Services for questions or help with your new laundry room plumbing.