Laundry in/near kitchen?

[mackmama]

We are looking at moving into a home where the only way into the laundry room is through the kitchen. Does anyone else have this setup? As a bit of a germaphobe, I don't like the idea of carrying dirty laundry through the kitchen. What do others think about this? There isn't a way to provide a different entrance. Deal breaker?

[crl]

I have this and it doesn't bother me at all. It's not like I pile the dirty underwear in the cooking pots on the way to the washing machine.

Catherine

[BabyBearsMom]

It would not be a deal killer to me, unless the laundry was literally in the kitchen. But if it was a mud room off the kitchen, I would be content. I just wouldn't want piles of sorted laundry waiting to be washed in the middle of my kitchen floor.

[sarahsthreads]

Our laundry room is in the basement, and the door to the basement is in the kitchen. I guess I'm not seeing how carrying a basket of laundry through the kitchen could cause the spread of germs?

I'd love a laundry area off my kitchen - one less flight of stairs to lug the laundry up and down!

Sarah :)

[JBaxter]

I have it too. Im sitting here at the kitchen table folding clothes and reading bbb.
this is a picture before me moved in the open door is my laundry room. Has a large laundry tub I LOVE. I HATED having the laundry near the bedrooms I wash at night a lot and didn't like to hear the dryer/ washer running
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/jeanaspictures/house1.jpg

[edurnemk]

We have that setup, actually it's pretty common around here. You wouldn't be dragging the dirty laundry through the kitchen, or piling it on the kitchen counter, so I don't see any issue. I just carry the hampers through the kitchen, it never touches anything in there. And we even cloth diaper.

[khm]

My laundry room is a room between the kitchen and the garage, the germ thing isn't on my radar at all. I mean, I'm wearing clothing now, the clothing is therefore "dirty". Should I feel bad walking through my kitchen? I don't care when they are on me, nor when they are off me and in a laundry basket.

I am admittedly not a germaphobe, but even if I were, I can't imagine being worried about this one. ;)

[AnnieW625]

In my home that is where mine is, and where it originally was when our house was built in 1950. Honestly the houses we looked at where the owner tried to cover it up with a divider made the area look more of an eye sore than just simply looking at the units.

[mackmama]

Ok thanks everyone. You all are making me feel better (and a bit silly, lol). So we'd need a hamper I guess. In our current home I just grab big piles of laundry and carry them across the house to the laundry room, leaving a trail of dropped and dirty clothes in my path. :)

[BunnyBee]

Ours is off our kitchen. It's very convenient IMO. We keep our extra freezer in there too. I'm not a germaphobe, but it wouldn't cross my mind as being germy. I cook dinner wearing clothes I've worn all day, which puts "dirty" clothes in much closer contact to food than carrying a basket through the space.

[hillview]

wouldn't hit my radar. our laundry room is in the play room right off the kitchen. love the location. I can do laundry and the dishes in one swoop.

[acmom]

I have this and it doesn't bother me at all. It's not like I pile the dirty underwear in the cooking pots on the way to the washing machine.

Catherine

:yeahthat: In our current house the laundry is in the mudroom which is off the kitchen. In our last house, the laundry room was actually in a large closet at the far end of the kitchen. I like having a separate room better, but it was ok the other way too. Neither way made me concerned at all about germs and I like both much better than the basement setup which we had in our first house.

[bostonsmama]

Yes, I like it, too. Ours is at the end of the kitchen right before the door to the garage. I would love to bump out the wall and make a sit-down area in there as a quasi mud room/laundry room, but for now it's a single-purpose room. Admittedly I don't run the w/d during meals, esp since we only have a louvered door btwn the spaces. But I agree w/ a PP that not having to hear laundry running at night, esp w/ front loaders that sound like jet engines at night (worse if your load is unbalanced), is super sweet. I esp like that I don't have to schlep dirty kitchen towels (contaminated w/ kitchen bacteria) into the living spaces. We have an open basket over the washer that lets kitchen towels dry out before getting washed.

[brittone2]

I love having it off the kitchen. We had it just off the kitchen in a previous home, with a laundry chute from the MBR (I know there is some concern with fire traveling up a chute though). So I would use hampers in the kids' rooms and just unload them down the chute, and our stuff went directly in there without a hamper needed.

In my current house, we have really short hallway from the kitchen to the laundry room. Half bath just off the side of the hallway, and then the short little hallway ends at the laundry room. For me that works well because we HS, so I put things in and out of the washer/dryer all day, so I can be talking to the kids, helping them with their work, etc. while dealing with the wash. I use hampers now. I don't always like taking it up and down the stairs to the bedrooms, but I tend to just fold on the DR table right away and then the kids each take up their own little pile, including the youngest child.

[Cam&Clay]

That's the way mine is. Never crossed my mind that it would be bad to carry dirty laundry through the kitchen. DS1 after soccer practice walking through the kitchen is probably way worse than that!

[khalloc]

My laundry room is off of my kitchen too. It doubles as a mud room. You walk in from the garage and you are in this tiny hallway space that has a cubby space for a large front loading washer & dryer, then you walk into the kitchen.

I hate it because I have to carry laundry downstairs to the 1st floor and then back upstairs again. Plus guests can see into the laundry room (we are kind of messy) and i wish it was tidier, but there isnt much space.

Needless to say we are trying to move the laundry to the 2nd floor when we remodel our kitchen this spring.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My laundry room is a room between the kitchen and the garage, the germ thing isn't on my radar at all. I mean, I'm wearing clothing now, the clothing is therefore "dirty". Should I feel bad walking through my kitchen? I don't care when they are on me, nor when they are off me and in a laundry basket.

I am admittedly not a germaphobe, but even if I were, I can't imagine being worried about this one. ;)

:yeahthat: