2018 Spring & Garden

2018 Spring Home & Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May 2, 2018 Page 9 By Lisa Ramlow F or many years homeowners had washer and dryer hookups in the basement. There are good reasons to put the laundry in the basement: noise, humidity, dust, etc. With laundry in the basement proprietors did not worry about a room, cabinets, or decorations; homeowners were not concerned about others seeing the laundry area. Instead, the washer and dryer sat alone, perhaps with a rod hanging from the ceiling to hang clothes on once dried and a shelf for storage of detergent and softener. Today, however, the laundry room is often an essential feature of the house that is located near the bedrooms, in a kitchen area, or near the backdoor. Homeowners expect the laundry room to be clean and bright, functional, and flow well with the rest of the house. When planned properly, the laundry room can be an asset to a family, but without careful consideration for its use it can quickly become a cluttered storage area that is not useful to anyone. The laundry room needs to be a highly functioning space so when designing the room, no matter the size, remember you want to be able to do the laundry quickly and efficiently: ■ Use every available space: shelves in the corners, pedestal drawers under the washer and/or dryer, ladders or hooks hanging from the ceiling, cabinet pull outs, and carts on wheels help fill a small space with needed storage. ■ Use the right appliances: washers and dryers come in many sizes, stackable and side-by side, top loading and front loading. Be sure to measure and plan ahead to get the right appliance for your laundry area. ■ Consider lighting that will brighten the space: under-cabinet strips, ceiling fixtures, lamps, or wall sconces. It is always great when natural light brightens a room, but many times that is not possible because of where the laundry room is located. Inviting your laundry room up, out of the dark, dingy, scary basement Continued ■ ■