Preferred Laundry Room Location: Main Floor or Basement?

[gusherb]

My grandmothers basement was totally like those pictures you guys posted. One half was finished and the other half was sorta semi finished. Everything had those asbestos floor tiles, painted walls, curtains over the windows. The area that the early 80s Belt Drive Suds Saver Whirlpool stood in was next to a concrete double basin sink, and a few feet away from a 1960 Carrier Weathermaker furnace. There was even a vent right in front of the washer just like that first photo.

Across from the washing machine was a table setup for folding, a 1950s refrigerator (sorry it was broken since I was a baby and gone before I paid much attention to those things) and an assortment of other random stuff. Across the span of the utility area was a clothes line that she always put everything on after running her clothes for 10 minutes through the Kenmore gas dryer that stood on the other side of that Carrier furnace.

My grandma was very involved in her laundry. She never let the washer do it's thing, wouldn't even let it fill on it's own. She would fill the sink up and then start the suds saver pulling the water into the tub. and then of course she always saved the rinse water for the next wash.

 

[Marky_Mark]

Two photos:

(1) in our apartment in the UK we had a laundry cupboard off the hallway with the machines stacked.

(2) here in Spain our small laundry room is off the hall in our apartment.  Machines side-by-side.

 

In other homes in the UK I have had them in the kitchen, utility room, garage and bathroom.  In Spanish houses you can find the machines in the garage, basement, kitchen, utility room, bathroom, even outside on an enclosed porch/balcony.

 

Homes I've seen in the US (mostly AZ and CA) and the UK with a utility-cum-laundry room tend to have it between (linking) the garage and kitchen.  I guess it's most convenient to have the laundry room as close as possible to the living area and to the bedrooms/bathrooms where the laundry will be generated and the clean items from the dryer will be stored.  I think it would be great to have a laundry room with two doors: one leading to the hallway and the other directly into the master bedroom closet.  But noise could be an issue if someone is sleeping.  Simple solution to that -- have two laundry rooms!  One with Miele and the other with a Speed Queen TL set -- my dream house with the best of both worlds!

[this post was last edited: 1/21/2016-06:43]

 

[gansky1]

Sam (xraytech) I love that laundry chute and catch bin the basement, always thought that made so much sense with a basement laundry.  

 

This house was built in 52-54 so the laundry was in the basement.  (no chute!) and given the laundry processes at the time for most people who used wringer washers and dried on clotheslines, the basement was the preferred location.   Lots of room for machine, tubs and clotheslines for the inevitable rainy day or -8F winter washdays.  

 

I've added hookups in the garage for a washer & dryer and it is nice to have it just steps away from the kitchen.