Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

Laundry rooms used to be the neglected room in the house. Find a closet or another room large enough for a washer and dryer, and that was all you needed. These days, the laundry room has become an important working area for a busy home, and careful thought and planning will create a multi-functional area that works for washing, drying, and folding as well as numerous other household chores.

Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

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Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

Some things to think about when designing your laundry room are:

1) Storage: Make sure you include enough cabinetry - including drawers - to store all of your household Supplies including detergents, cleaning Supplies and pet Supplies.

2) Laundry: With today's' front-load washers, it is important to remember that any cabinets installed above the machines will need plenty of clearance if the washer/dryer are on a pedestal.

3) Folding/Hanging: Give yourself enough countertop space to enable folding of large loads of laundry. This eliminates the need to take the Clothing to another room, losing half of it on the floor as you walk. Include space for hanging racks or a hanging pantry that opens and closes with retractable doors as needed. Built-in drying boards are also extremely useful in small spaces.

4) Pets: The ultimate luxury? Find room for a pet shower - a simple shower base with tile walls and a hand sprayer will create an easy-to-use washing station for dirty pets AND dirty feet!

5) If you have a central vacuum in your home, a handy idea for ease of cleaning is to install a toe-kick (technical term is "Vac Pan")in the baseboard of the cabinetry. You simply "kick" the vacuum valve open and sweep the dust/lint/cat litter into the vacuum.

Make a list of the many functions that your laundry room serves, and try to incorporate space-saving and time-saving tools that will make this room ultra-functional for your family!

Laundry Room Design - Designing a Functional Laundry Room

Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances

Competition in the manufacturing of appliances has never been as intense as today. With major appliance brands such as Whirlpool, GE, LG, FrigidAire, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, MayTAG, Broan and Bosch it is hard for consumers to make a decision. They all offer exceptional products, with extensive research and innovation, pushing the boundaries of the way we spend our time and effort in the kitchen and laundry room. All of these manufacturers, even though they all make most types of appliances, truly shine in one or two appliance types.

Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances

Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances

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Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances

Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances

Laundry appliances, which include washing machines and dryers are one of the most popular consumer products. Many manufacturers offer most models with a matching washing machine and dryer combo, which are similar in color and aesthetics. These can also be stacked on top of each other, using a stacking kit, with the dryer on top to maximize the space available in the laundry room. The most popular brands for laundry appliances are Whirlpool, MayTAG, Bosch, GE and FrigidAire. These manufacturers also offer pedestals to raise the appliances 10 to 15 inches.

Refrigerators have become a necessity throughout the world in the past century, which puts them at the top of most bought appliances. Extensive research and developMent has been put in the features of refrigerators, such as ice dispensers and ice free freezers. The aesthetics have also improved from the usual top freezer mount design, with new bottom mount, side by side and the combination between the two, French door models. Frigidaire is probably the lead manufacturer of refrigerators, with LG and KitchenAid making very impressive high end models.

Cooking ranges are a slight exception with almost every manufacturer making great products, both electric and gas. GE, Frigidaire and KitchenAid make a variety of range appliance designs with prices ranging from very affordable to high end products. Whirlpool, LG, Maytag and Jenn-Air make excellent, durable and high performance ranges, that tend to be a little more expensive than the previously Mentioned brands. The functionality, features and aesthetics of ranges have improved very much in the last decade, with designs looking like kitchen works of art. However in terms energy efficiency there is more work to be done, but overall the eclectic range is more efficient than the gas.

In modern kitchens, many consumers are choosing alternate choices over the Cooking range. Cook tops and wall ovens offer more stylish and space saving options. Manufacturers that shine in this departMent are Jenn-Air, Amana and KitchenAid.

Microwaves have revolutionized the way a lot of people heat up their Food, although controversial it is a great time saver. Modern designs are also offered as built in and over the range microwaves. The competition is being led by GE, Amana and Bosch, although most manufacturers offer excellent microwave appliances.

Last by not least, range hoods keep the home smell free and should exist in every kitchen. Broan makes the largest variety of range hoods from affordable to modern hoods, pushing the boundaries with architectural looking designs.

Appliance Brands - Top Brands in the Competitive World of Appliances