What Are The Pros And Cons Of A Laundry Room In The Bathroom?

Undoubtedly, having a laundry room in your house is one of the perks of living in the 21st century. Gone are the days where you’d have to pack up your laundry baskets and lug them all the way to the laundromat. Most homes have a built-in laundry room, or, at the very least, a laundry closet with a washer and dryer. But what if you’re strapped for space? What if your home doesn’t really have a dedicated place to do your laundry? As convenient as they are, washers and dryers do take up quite a bit of room.

Many homeowners and homebuilders are looking to save a little space by combining bathrooms and laundry rooms. For some, this idea could be incredibly convenient while for others it could be somewhat out of the way and off the beaten track. It all depends on how your home is set up! If you’re someone who wants to maximize every last available square foot of your home, a bathroom-laundry room combo might just be the right choice.

Combining your laundry room and bathroom does come with a few advantages and disadvantages.

The pros of a laundry room in the bathroom are that it saves space and money, is tucked out of the way, and can be a convenient place to get ready. The cons of a laundry-bathroom combo include the lack of privacy, added moisture from the tub or shower, and can put a damper on relaxation at the end of the day.

Here’s an in-depth look at some of the pros and cons of a laundry-bathroom combo:

If you’re looking to maximize all the square footage your home has to offer, combining your bathroom and laundry room is a great idea. Outside of the United States, it is quite common to find stackable washer-dryer units in either the kitchen or the bathroom. Space is one of the most important aspects of any home, especially if yours is on the smaller side.

By not having a dedicated room to just laundry, you create more space for a larger master bedroom or maybe a small office. Quite a few homeowners love the idea of a bathroom and laundry room combination just because it saves on space.

If your unit is stackable, all the better! You’ll be able to easily hide your washer and dryer in a closet so the appliances don’t get a lot of unwanted visual attention. There’s no need to have an entire room dedicated just to laundry— not when a guest bath or a kids’ bathroom will work just fine!

Combing in your bathroom and laundry room is more affordable than one might think. Because your bathroom already has plumbing all set up, creating an additional hook-up for your washer and dryer is pretty simple.

Budget is one of the most important aspects of renovating or building a home. By combining your laundry and bathroom, you’re not going to break the bank. In fact, you just may create a little wiggle room in your budget for some of the fancier add-ons we all love and look for— bigger bedrooms, nicer countertops, etc.

A bathroom-laundry combination is great because your laundry room suddenly gets tucked away, out of sight. Nothing can mess up the flow of a home tour like a messy laundry room. Many homes that have the laundry room smack dab in the middle of the house or off the kitchen often overflow into the surrounding space.

Guests don’t want to eat dinner where you’re folding your socks! Having a laundry room in your bathroom is a great way to hide all the day-to-day struggles of running a household. Dirty laundry, wet laundry hanging to dry, and dirty clothes bins are all tucked out of sight in a bathroom-laundry combo.

Many homeowners like to have the laundry room in the master bathroom because of the convenience. More often than not, parents are the ones doing the laundry.

Being able to wash, dry, fold, hang, and put away your laundry all in one place is more than a little convenient. How often do we make it to the fold stage but forgo the putting away stage? No more! Everything is now all in one place!

Having a laundry room in the guest bath is also a good idea. It’s far enough away from the master bedroom that you won’t be kept up by the chug-chug of the washer and dryer. Still convenient, but a little more removed. Users of the guest bath can still chuck their dirty clothes right into the laundry bin without having to traipse all over the house.

A powder room— or a half bath— is also a great place for the laundry room. Because a half bath doesn’t have a tub or shower, it’s going to have less traffic than the other bathrooms in the house. The likelihood of you being able to pop in and switch the laundry over without having to kick somebody out is higher than if you were to put the laundry room in a full bathroom.

Having a laundry room in your bathroom streamlines the whole getting ready and unready for the day routine. Many people often get dressed and get ready for the day in their bathroom.

Having the laundry room in your master bathroom allows you to skip a step in the mornings— instead of rooting around your closet for clothes, you can grab them straight from the drying rack in the laundry room and maybe have enough time to grab an iced coffee on the way to work.

By having a laundry-bathroom combo, you can also skip a few steps when getting ready for bed. Oftentimes, clothes end up in a pile on the bathroom floor and stay there for a day or several days, depending on how much you love an organized and clean space. When you change clothes or hop in the shower, you can simply toss your dirty clothes into the washer or the waiting bin, alleviating the need for a pile of dirty clothes altogether!

Undoubtedly, there will be times when more than one person needs to use the bathroom-laundry room. One person will need the toilet and the other will need to switch clothes from the washer to the dryer. This can cause a little bit of tension between roommates or family members.

It’s not always ideal to have your laundry in the bathroom, especially if you have multiple members in your family and bathrooms are being used in a constant rotation.

Most bathrooms have a limited amount of space, so a laundry area inside a half bath or a guest bath that is often used by members of the household may not work. Laundry baskets and dirty clothes piles could also block traffic, making it more difficult to navigate the small space.

Bathrooms, by their very nature, hold a lot of moisture. If you’re someone who likes to take a lot of hot baths, or likes to take long showers, the amount of moisture in the air is going to be a problem.

Clothes that are hanging up to dry or are waiting to be washed can easily get muggy or moldy smelling if there’s a constant cloud of moisture in the air. You’ll want to make sure that you get clean clothes out of the laundry room as soon as possible to avoid them feeling damp.

In all honesty, there aren’t a lot of people who can relax when the bathroom is in chaos. If you’re someone who wants to unwind with a spa-like experience at the end of a long day, complete with candles, soft music, and bubbles, having your laundry room in your bathroom may not be ideal for that.

Laundry is one of those never-ending chores where you’ll never truly be caught up. Unfortunately, there will always be something to wash. By having your laundry room in your bathroom, it can be difficult to unwind in a space shared with piles of dirty clothes.

Related Questions

Where Is The Best Place To Put A Laundry Room?

It really depends on the size of your space. However, it’s always a good idea to make sure your laundry area is next to or near a bedroom. This will make it so much easier to transfer clothes from the dryer to the closet or dresser drawers.

Where Can You Put A Washing Machine In A Bathroom?

Many builders are putting washing machines under the sink so they can be more easily hidden from view.

Does A Laundry Room Add Value To Your Home?

Not necessarily. Most homes automatically come with washer and dryer hookups. If you were to include the washer and dryer when selling your home, you might see a little bit of a return on investment.