Futility room

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

Can everyone please stop calling their super-useful utility room a futility room? I'm going to have one soon, and I'm really excited about it .

[FishfingersAreOK]

I love mine. My old futility room used to be a bit bigger than my current one but was stupidly laid out. This one is fab. Downstairs loo, BIIIG cupboard for all my stuff and a narrower one for ironing board/mops etc. Stacked washer and dryer. Boot/shoe storage from ikea, hat/coat rail also ikea. Space for airer by the side of the washing machine, sheila's maid hanging from the ceiling. Space for wellies, the dog's bed and bowl. And a muddy feet back door (as opposed to the bi-folds). All ina space less than 3 x 3m.

I thought it would be teeny, tiny and the one regret in the house layout was I thought it would be so small it would be futile. But the right storage and it works. I luffs it. And the fact I can shut the door and it all goes away.....

[LIZS]

I was excited when we first had one - then it became a dumping ground for tools, wine and laundry which never gets put away !

[evertonmint]

I love mine.

[Hassled]

I sigh heavily everytime I enter mine. It should be renamed Room of Pointless Drudgery. It's the Room of Doom.

[Oreocrumbs]

I love mine! But then I'm one of those strage creatures who will take a cup of tea in there and sit on the floor and watch the washing machine go round . I do have a real life, honest!

[NaturalBaby]

I have a corner of the garage as my utility area. I can't wait to move house - I will have a utility room to call my own, and in my dreams it will look like this

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

Yay (mostly)!

Mine has a slightly odd layout at the moment, but I think we'll be able to make it really useful. We're going to make a pantry in the under stairs space (a pantry!), so I might be able to ditch some of the kitchen cupboards.

I think DH and I are planning to put pretty much everything in the utility room. It may need to be a tardis.

[ClaraOswald]

Nope, mine will always be the home of futility.

The never ending washing, the string of unending handfuls of shopping bags and DIY equipment, the constant food in and out of the house.

Futility room sums it up perfectly.

[Goodwordguide]

Love mine! It has two bath sinks (ok, a bit unnecessary but we inherited this layout), a sheila maid, big wide radiator, pretty window, and space to keep an ironing board up all the time which means it's very easy to just iron eg, school uniform as and when I need it. I make my own washing powder so bulk buy all the ingredients and keep them there so it smells lovely of lemon oil. But best of all, I'm the only one who ever goes in there soit's the only bit of the house that is completely mine!

[ggirl]

Love mine , hides a multitude of washing , housekeeping detritus ..until a guest has to walk through it to get to the loo

[ggirl]

Goodwordguide how do you make your own washing detergent and does it get stains out?

[sweetkitty]

I've just had one built as part of the extension, unfortunately we've run out of money to do it up properly with sink/units etc so it looks like a garage really.

So far it has the tumble drier, 2 airers and a spare freezer in it plus all the paint and DIY tat.

I want a sink unit, washing machine and drier together units above, two larder cupboards and some shelving. It's 4m x 2m.

[ThePskettiIncident]

My old house had one and I loved it! Mostly filled it with trays of seeds and dirty wellies.

[Goodwordguide]

I got the recipe from the Seeds and Stitches blog - search on it for 'laundry' (try googling it - don't think I'm allowed to link). It's a mix of borax, bi of soda, washing soda, soap flakes and essential oil for scent. It's gentler on clothes and keeps your washing machine much cleaner and nicer smelling. It's also cheaper - I bulk buy the ingredients, though you can get them in health food shops. It seems to clean all stains but our stuff isn't heavily stained - I do have Vanish for emergencies too but I find it very satisfying to make my own. DH thinks I'm slightly weird...

[SquinkiesRule]

I had a teenie one in our old house, I liked it, never thought about it, room for the boiler, a deep sink, washer and dryer and a broom cupboard, it had three doors, one to the kitchen, one to outside and one to the garage. Latest house has a corner in the garage and everyone piles stuff on my washer. I never thought I'd miss that little room.

[Iteotwawki]

I love my utility room! Washing machine & tumble dryer, butler sink for hand washing with drying rail over the top, lots of cupboards and a large coat / boot / bag / water bottle cupboard.

But the really good but is that aside from my delicates / hand washing, I don't use it :) DH does all the laundry :)

[Iteotwawki]

Good bit. Not but.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

Our third bedroom was a utility type room, despite being upstairs. Washer, drier and sink in there, plus lots of cupboards. It is now slowly being reclaimed to become DC2's bedroom. It's a mission and a half as it's now so full of crap! Kitchen is pokey, so washer and drier are having to go in the conservatory, which I am stealing for my new utility room, although I'm not sure if DH has realised this yet. When I win the lottery I will extend the house, make the kitchen bigger and have a REAL utility room built, just for me and my laundry and wellies!

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Mine isn't big but we had it refitted so it included a larder cupboard for the ironing board, a sink and lots of cupboards to hide crap in.

Small but perfectly formed.

[WaitingForMe]

Mine is a glorified cupboard but I love it. I've the washing machine under a worktop (so have a tiny space on top for the laundry bag) and a tumble drier on top. Then a high shelf above the tumble dryer with the microwave, cat carry box, cupcake carriers and cool box. Tucked down the sides of the machines are picnic blankets, reusable shopping bags etc. there is loads mounted on the walls (ironing board, mini Dyson, dustpan & brush) and the vacuum cleaner and Bissel are parked in front of the washing machine.

I always wanted a utility room and the fact the house didn't have one wasn't going to stop me.

I'm keen to start making my own washing detergent though. I've been thinking about prettifying the space and making it scented with essential oils sounds fabulous

[Goodwordguide]

iIve nearly given up buying cleaning stuff now (except for bleach and dishwasher powder, which I can't replicate) - washing soda and white vinegar plus e-cloths seem to work better and cheaper in the long run. I can't bear how normal washing powder makes your machine go mouldy.

[Frostybean]

at Hassled's Room of Doom
I'm thinking of knocking out the wall between my downstairs loo and the utility room to make them both bigger, as at the moment, I have to breath in and shuffle to get into either.

[middleagedspread]

I love mine; tumble drier, washing machine, boiler cupboard (perfect for airing).
2 downsides though, becomes a dumping ground & guests have to walk through to get to the loo.

[ItsAllTLAsToMe]

I am so going to make my own washing powder now . My utility room will smell lovely, I'm thinking Bergamot.

[CiderwithBuda]

Quite interested in the washing powder too! DS is prone to excema but I like nice smells. Presumably it would be easier on the skin than stuff you buy.

My utility room would be great except the dogs live in it. It's pretty big - Long and narrow with fitted white gloss kitchen units from Wickes. The builder put the sink slightly in the wrong place so although we had planned a space under a counter for the dogs to sleep this hasn't worked so on sleeps in the middle of the floor.

Its also a bit clinical - white units, black work tops and grey tiled floor. Trying to decided what colour to paint the walls.

I try to keep it tidy but DH keeps his tools there and the recycling is there too. Both tools and recycling have cupboards but end up on counters!

I also have a boiler room where I dry clothes on one of those hanging things and a think that pulls out of the wall.