Fresh and Clean: Greening the Laundry Room

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This well-decorated laundry room has display space for treasured objects and ample storage space for linens, craft and sewing materials, and cleaning supplies. The Mexican-tile countertops, soapstone sink, and stained concrete floor are durable and easy to clean. Photo by Jason McConathy

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Most of us have fond memories associated with doing laundry—playing on the floor of the laundry room as a child, the fresh smell of clothes dried on a clothesline, or the warmth of a towel just out of the dryer. It’s not surprising that we take comfort in this chore that humans have known for thousands of years. Some historians attribute the invention of laundry soap to the Phoenicians, while others credit the ancient Egyptians, according to Irene Rawlings and Andrea Van Steenhouse in their book, The Clothesline (Gibbs Smith, 2002).

Comfort, in more than one sense of the word, may be the reason that we are now more interested in our laundry rooms than ever. A recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says that laundry rooms and dining rooms are widely considered to be essential in new homes. When asked to specify extra rooms for convenience and luxury, 92 percent of respondents wanted a laundry room. Van Steenhouse thinks there is another reason. “We long for a simpler time when people were more connected to one another—by extended family, by neighborhoods, by communities, and by the simple tasks that sustained life and gave it continuity,” she writes.

The nurturing laundry room

Not just for cleaning clothes anymore, laundry rooms are now being used as multipurpose rooms for everything from gardening and crafts to storage and pet care. This reflects the changing role of women in the home, according to Lucinda Bailey, owner of Lucinda Bailey Interior Design, a green interior design firm based in Pasadena, California. Bailey, who also teaches courses on sustainable design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, says that because women now watch children, keep house, and run businesses from home, “they have a newfound authority to demand proper work spaces in the home.”

While some homeowners opt for glitzy laundry rooms with high-end wood cabinetry, slate flooring, and multiple dryers, others want laundry rooms that are healthy, environmentally friendly, and nurturing. To begin, Rawlings and Van Steenhouse suggest asking yourself a few questions: Do you want to locate the laundry room in the basement, on the first floor where it can also serve as a mudroom, or on the second floor if that’s where most of the laundry is generated? Do you want a big room for sorting, pretreating, and folding clothes? Do you want a room with large windows that offers a pleasant environment for sewing or doing crafts?

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