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rosieo_gw

Where's your dirty laundry live? Pics of pedestal/cubby solution!

rosieo
12 years ago

HELP!! I need a remedial course in laundry management, lol. We just adopted 2 children and moved to a farm where we're building a house (lots of mud/manure/kid stuff) so laundry has suddenly become complicated. Plus this is my first front loader and I'm debating the whole pedestal vs countertop thing.

BC (Before Children) it was easy. We each did our own laundry. We kept 2 baskets in our closets for whites and colors. When they were full we'd just bring them to the lr and wash.

But now I'm doing mine plus kids plus linens and it seems much more complicated to me. How do other families deal with it?

Right now I have a laundry basket in each child's closet but often when they come in I have them strip down and throw the muddy clothes directly into the laundry room.

So, I came across this DIY pedestal and got all excited.

{{!gwi}}

Source: ana-white.com via Vicki on Pinterest


At first I thought it looks like a great way to

1. get a great looking pedestal for cheap, and

2. corral all the dirty laundry that is presently living in an overflowing basket on my tiny lr floor.

But wait, don't I want to have a countertop over the W/D? Is this a better solution for stashing dirty clothes? (and thank you crazyhouse for posting it!)

{{!gwi}}

Source: ths.gardenweb.com via Vicki on Pinterest

This might be an even better solution because it would let me keep the countertop over the w/d, and still utilize cubbies for separating laundry.

Or has anybody here come up with an even more brilliant idea for dealing with dirty laundry?

Do you stash it in your bath/closet/bedroom until it's full and then drag it into the lr and dump it all out on the floor to sort? Or what?

Which is better, having a countertop running over the wd or having the pedestal? At first I was in love with the idea of having the countertop. (But probably I'd just keep baskets of laundry on it anyway, so they may as well live underneath, right?)

I'd appreciate hearing any thoughts on the pics or any ideas you have on managing dirty laundry. Thanks a bunch!

Comments (13)

  • dualref
    12 years ago

    That really looks nice. But when putting counters and such over front loading machines you have to make sure they can be removed for servicing if needed. Some people put the counter tops that go over the washer & dryer on a piano type of hinge so if access to the washer & dryer is needed they can just lift up the counter top.

  • mustangs81
    12 years ago

    Of course my system is predicated on space and configuration--I have labeled bins in each closet. Family undress in their closet and put dirty clothes in the appropriate bin. I also keep a spray bottle of pre-treat to be used if necessary before putting in the bin. The bins are labeled:
    White
    Color
    Dark
    Dry (this is in the adult closets for dry cleaning)

    There is no sorting done in my LR! All laundry is pre-sorted in the closets.

  • justColleen
    12 years ago

    I have some old old stackers made by rubbermaid, probably 15 years ago. I have them in my laundry room and that is where my dirty laundry lives. I have 3 bins and use them as whites in top, lights in the middle and darks in the bottom. I can't find the one's I have anywhere, but found these on the rubbermaid site:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stack'n Sort

  • cheerpeople
    12 years ago

    I thought about your basket idea. I used to have 3 baskets one for "hog wash" yes we farm, and one for "white wash" and one for 'colors'. But then life got better- here's what we do now---
    Everyone here does their own wash and has since my youngest was in 5th. The hardest one to train was my husband!
    Their basket is where they want it, and if they chose to sort ( they don't) they can. No one folds, no one irons. I don't buy things that need ironing. Clean Towels and linens go into baskets unfolded.
    I avoid buying white clothing/ towels if possible. My week has 4 less loads in it, and I've gained several hours to do more important things. :Life is good.

  • rosieo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Lol, cheerpeople. I have a milk cow and she has her own laundry too. She requires clean cloths to wash her udder twice a day. I can't believe I'm washing a cow's laundry but such is my life, lol.

    My kids are too young yet to be responsible for sorting, much less pre treating their clothes. (The youngest one just peed in his toybox if that gives you any idea.) At this point I'm doing good to get the 8yo to put her dirty clothes in her hamper.

    If I recall correctly, my older kids started doing their own laundry when they were around 10ish. Or the first time they complained about my laundry service, lol.

    As a newby farmer I'm interested in what color towels you chose. I thought white would be good simply because you can bleach them. At this point I'm thinking brown because I'm sick of replacing the hand towels every. single. time. my husband comes in and washes up.

    I learned real quick no more white socks and underwear (and what sick freak thought up white underpants for toddlers anyway?) No more pretty white socks either. Now we all wear dark socks.

    Ironing??? hahahaha

  • asolo
    12 years ago

    I want some of you people to come to my house and organize it. Or, do any of you have sisters?

  • dadoes
    12 years ago

    I've never understood the deal about various people in a family/household doing their own laundry. If sorting is done properly, it'd take quite a while for each/one person to muster-up a large-enough load of each kind to justify running the machines.

  • mustangs81
    12 years ago

    Dadoes, I guess we have a lot of clothes-LOL! I don't often have less than full loads. This is DH's bins; they are the largest because he is a college coach and is always changing dirty uniforms.

    I was a stay-at-home mom until my DD went to school; we enjoyed working around the house together and she was doing her own laundry (with a step stool) when she was 6. That's when it dawned on me, if a 6 year-old can do laundry then a DH with a masters degree should be able to figure it out and do his.

    When I got a FL there was a learning curve for him so I made a job aid that is posted on the inside of the cabinet door above the W & D.

  • mydreamhome
    12 years ago

    We just moved in our new home build a month ago & I absolutely LOVE how we did the laundry room set up. We are a family of 4 and somehow it seems like we generate enough laundry for a family twice that size! I knew something had to change in the new house because I was completely overwhelmed with the laundry room set up we had in the previous house (pretty standard setup). In the new house, we have 3 laundry pullouts--they are full size double trashcan pullouts from Rev-A-Shelf. Each can holds 1 full load of laundry for my 3.7cu ft front load washer. So we have 6 hampers/cans altogether--1 for lights, 2 for darks/colors, 1 for DH's uniforms, 1 for whites, & 1 for towels. When a hamper gets full, I just pop the contents into the washer. The laundry not only stays out of sight all the time, but it stays sorted too! If you go this route, make sure you specify the tall, full under counter height (with no space for a drawer above) trash cans. If you say 'hamper', you will get a single low hamper in each. If you just say 'trash pullouts' you will likely get the little short cans that would fit under your kitchen sink & won't hold anywhere near as much laundry. Feel free to use my pics to show your cabinet guy what you want.

    Like you, we're on a large piece of property & most of the time the kids are stripping down in the laundry room & then headed straight for the shower. If they are clean enough to bypass the laundry room, I have them bring their dirty clothes into the laundry room after their shower/bath and they sort their clothes themselves into the proper bins. DH & I have a hamper in our master bath--I just bring it to the laundry room every couple days & sort the clothes into the proper bins.

    I have a fairly simple set up & my laundry room is about 8.5' x 8.5'. My folding counter/hanging space/3 pullout hamper space is on the left as you go in, the sink is in the corner with a counter, upper & lower cabinet to the right of it, and the washer and dryer are to the right as you go in (conveniently located just across from the pullout hampers, folding counter & hanging space.)

    These aren't the best photos as I had to use the webcam but you get the idea--haven't found the box with the battery chargers for the camera yet! Hope these help :-)

    Front shot of Pullout Hampers/Trash Can Pullouts:

    Middle Hamper Pulled Out:

    Corner Sink w/ Counter & Cabinets to Right:

    Washer/Dryer w/ Deep Cabinets Above:

  • rosieo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    You guys are the BEST!! Mydreamhome, I can't thank you enough for sharing those pics.

    As it turns out, the dryer vent is in the wrong place and we may need to stack the w/d which would leave the perfect room to put those double pullouts.

    And I just saw them on sale at Lowes for half off!!! I am leaving right now for Lowes and praying they still have a couple...

    THANKS A TON!!

  • muskokascp
    12 years ago

    mydreamhome- you still have me thinking about those hamper pull outs for my own laundry space. They really are fabulous! I apologize for going slightly OT here for a sec. You kindly helped me with a plan for my laundry room. A question came up about how close the floor to ceiling cabinet could be to the corner sink without feeling to closed in. Did you happen to check it in your laundry room. TIA.

  • mydreamhome
    12 years ago

    muskokascp--So as not to hijack the thread, I have posted my complete response to your request on your original thread which has now moved up to the 1st page on the laundry forum :-)

    rosieo--Did Lowe's still have a couple double pullouts for you? Congratulations on the kids!! Boys, girls or one of each? It's a whole new world at your house! Enjoy them!!!

  • itgeek
    12 years ago

    @Rosieo: "what sick freak thought up white underpants for toddlers anyway"

    I think that statement could be safely extended to most grown men for that matter. ;-)

    In my house, I have a cubby in the master bathroom where a walk-in shower would have been placed if I liked standalone showers. So everything gets sorted there - on the floor. No bins, no fancy storage. Maybe it's brutish by comparison but it works for us.