ISO basement laundry room tips

amother

Lime

Tue, Mar 07 2017, 2:09 pm

We are considering buying a house where the bedrooms are two flight above the washer/dryer. I know this is fairly common, and am trying to plan how we would make it work most efficiently. (We currently have everything on one floor, and a divided laundry hamper in the bathroom for darks/white on wheels. This has been working great but wouldn't make sense when laundry is in the basement, and the bathroom isn't large enough for laundry baskets.)
Does every bedroom get it's own laundry basket?
What type are best for shlepping up and down steps?
Where does everyone put laundry if their basket has been brought down to the laundry room?
I guess I sort laundry when it gets to the laundry room?
I would love to hear everyones experiences and tips!

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 07 2017, 3:57 pm

Is your kitchen big enough to install a washer/dryer 2 in 1 unit? You can put it under the counter, European style. (If you have a big family, a 2 in 1 will not be big enough for you. I have one, and with just the 3 of us, it takes me forever to get laundry done. The combos are great for small loads.)

flowerpower

Tue, Mar 07 2017, 4:00 pm

I have exactly that. I got a foldable mesh hamper at Target. It's in the corner of the upstairs bathroom. It has handles so I shlep it down to the basement and sort the clothes there. I then fold it and bring it up empty. I bring up my washed laundry in a regular basket that's easy to carry. I fold my laundry in my boys room.

solo

Tue, Mar 07 2017, 8:12 pm

Every bedroom gets a foldable mesh hamper with handles. My basement laundry room has a 3 compartment hamper. I take the hampers down when I'm ready to do a load. Wash what I want, sort the rest and return the hampers when I put the laundry away.

amother

Crimson

Wed, Mar 08 2017, 3:05 pm

In each bedroom and/or the bathroom, keep 2 laundry baskets stacked inside each other. That way, when one goes down to the laundry, there's still another right there. And when you finish with the ones in the basement, re-double everyone's laundry baskets.

Growing up, we'd put the laundry from the hamper into a garbage bag and drag it down all those stairs - it's much easier than carrying a laundry basket or hamper. A similar idea is to line all the hampers with big mesh laundry bags, and use those to carry the laundry down. Have extra's on hand, to immediately put a new on in the hamper before you take the old one down.

amother

Salmon

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 9:44 am

Bump, any other tips for laundry room that is two flights down? We are moving very soon and I am used to having my machines on same floor as bedrooms. I don't have any system now, and just do laundry as needed. But with laundry room in the basement, I have to have some sort of system or schedule,or else I'll be running up and down all day!

Chayalle

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 11:08 am

About a year ago my DD (now 19 B"AH) decided to start doing her own laundry. I bought her a laundry hamper for her bedroom - the kind that is made of metal, and lined with a laundry bag that attaches to the frame.

I see how easy it is for her - when her hamper is full, she just takes the bag off the frame and takes it downstairs to put in a load.

I'd recommend something like that for you.

BTW until 6 weeks ago I lived in a house like that - two flights down to the laundry. DH used to put in a load for me in the morning, and one of us would then transfer the load to the dryer and separate the hang-up stuff, and later on he usually brought it back upstairs. This system worked for me, for 17 years B"H!

ETA: In my new house it's one flight down to the laundry. I don't like to crowd the bathroom with hampers, and the hallway is wide. I have a white hamper and a black hamper in the hallway, on either side. White laundry goes in the white, dark in the black...DH or I bring down the hamper that's full for a wash.

Hatzlacha with your move!

thunderstorm

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 3:11 pm

greenfire wrote:

can you build a laundry chute ? guess that's the charm of old houses ...

I was just telling my DH that I wish we could do a chute . Schlepping down heavy hampers while pregnant is no fun. I avoid doing laundry because of it

amother

Hotpink

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 3:19 pm

I actually prefer the laundry in the basement for a few reason.
1.dont hear machines in bedroom floor
2.dont constantly see laundry
3. Can have a bigger laundry room. With a sink. Closet. Racks for drying things. Etc.

I have a laundry basket in each room and bathroom. Have my cleaning help or husband carry it down. Not in laundry baskets that are in the rooms. In a differnt laundry basket. I have multiple baskets in laundry room. And separate the laundry and then do loads.

solo

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 3:56 pm

I moved to a house with laundry in the basement last year. It took a minute to figure it out but now this is what we do:
Each bedroom has a pop up hamper in the closet, a compartmentalized hamper in the lr, and 1 big basket with handles in the Lr.
On laundry days I put all the laundry in the big basket n carry it downstairs. I sort wash n fold in the basement. Then fill the big basket n put everything away.

doodlesmom

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 4:03 pm

I know someone who's laundry is in the basement and she also has a very comfy bathroom down there, so she just has all the little kids bathe in the basement and all the laundry-towels etc go right into the laundry room. For the rest of the laundry she has small hampers upstairs.