(Scroll to view transcript)

Additional Information:

• Doorways/entry: 

  • 32" minimum (28-32" possible for those with smaller mobility equipment).

  • Consider swing-away hinges for space gain when widening the doorframe is not an option. 

  • Consider barn doors or pocket doors to conserve floor space. 

  • Measure current mobility equipment and consider future mobility needs.

• Sink:

  • Install beside washer/dryer for hand-washing, stain removal.

  • Under-sink clearance is ideal for those who are seated.  

    • Easy fix: Remove cabinet doors for additional knee clearance

    • Renovation: Install a wall-mounted sink with lots of counter space.

      • Clearance recommendations: 29" vertical, 32" horizontal, 18" depth under sink. Measure the user’s knee height from the floor and accommodate mobility equipment measurements.

• Washer/Dryer:

  • Raised front-loader reduces bending.

  • Hookups: washer left, dryer right ease of transferring clothes from one machine to the other. 

  • 48" clearance in front of machines.

  • 18" clearance from corners.

• Storage:

  • Pull-down shelves for upper cabinets.

  • 75% storage between 18-48" from floor.

  • Reduce to 50% with pull-down shelves above 60".

  • Ironing/Folding

    • Consider a pull-out ironing board in upper drawer or wall-mounted unit (Height: 34-36" or adjustable 30-42")

    • Create a roll-under folding area with an adjustable table or fold-down table.

• General:

  • 5x5 ft turning radius floor space is ideal, but a T-shaped turning area could be utilized.

    • A T-shaped turning area allows someone with a mobility device to turn into a nook, roll backward, and then move forward again (basically making a three-point turn in the space) where 5x5 feet of open floor space isn't possible. See the linked info from the ADA on specifics.

  • Include lighting and ventilation.

  • Choose easy-to-clean flooring.

Course 4: Adaptations for Everyday Living outlines products and techniques (with pictures, videos, and links to purchase) that could be helpful to make this area of the home more convenient and easier to use with minimal cost and time. See the Laundry lesson, linked here.

Transcript:

The laundry room can be one of the trickier spaces to modify, as we often find them nestled within tight spaces like closets, or tucked in basement or garage corners, often out of reach for those who use mobility devices. With many liquids, detergents, and other cleaning chemicals present, a poorly set up laundry room can create many safety hazards quickly in such a small space.

However, cleaning our clothes is a constant task and can be very inefficient if we do not optimize our space for it. As always, check the doorway width to get in and out of the laundry area. Extra space is helpful for people to get in and out and carry all of those loads of laundry. A 32-inch wide doorway is ideal, and while we're talking about space, make sure you have at least five feet, or 60 inches of turning radius in front of those machines, that will be helpful for extra moving as well. 

While the laundry room I'm going to show you today may not look like yours, I hope you'll be able to take away some important ideas to make yours more functional. Or, maybe consider moving it to a more useful location in your home.

This particular laundry room is missing many pieces that could ease our laundry tasks. First, installing a sink beside the washer and dryer will be helpful for when we are hand-washing clothes, rinsing stain remover, or washing off our hands when we accidentally spill that concentrated detergent all over them.

This eliminates the inefficient back and forth to another room with sink access so you can conserve time and energy. To free up room to sit while doing such tasks at the sink, it will help to remove the cabinet doors or completely remove the cabinet underneath the countertop. This gives individuals a space to roll under and do laundry tasks.

Installing a small curtain to cover that area is a nice way to make this space more aesthetically pleasing, so the sink pipes are not in view. To continue adding to this multipurpose workspace, we could install a pullout folding, or ironing table in one of the top drawers. 

Meanwhile, to ease the task of operating machines, it would be helpful to install a raised front loading washer and dryer. This way you're not repeatedly bending and reaching into the machines to retrieve clothing, which will save your body in the long run. This design is also imperative for those with mobility equipment, where it would be extremely difficult to complete laundry tasks with the reach required for a top loader.

Also, large loads of laundry can become heavy fairly quickly. Easy-to-reach machines eliminate the risks of reaching for heavy, bulky objects outside of one' s center of balance. Reach can also become reduced by installing pull-down shelving from upper cabinets, so detergents, dryer sheets, and other items stored there can be easily reached. This way, folding areas and the machines can stay clear of clutter too.

Whether you choose to keep your laundry area in the same location or move it to a more accessible one without any steps to reach, there are plenty of ways we can make this space work well for us, no matter its size.

Stay tuned for more space-optimizing strategies as we travel through additional areas of the home.