Laundry Chutes. Useful or not?

Jeannie Nguyen

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

Are you a fan of the laundry chute?

Vote and tell us if you have one in your home. Photos, welcomed!

Crestbrook Residence · More Info

YES - It's so convenient.

NO - I'm not that lazy!

NEUTRAL - I could live with our without it.

Featured Answer

Laurie

10 years ago

We had one in the house I grew up in. It got clogged up a lot but was great to have. We used it for communication between the second floor and the basement too.
If you have kids they will use it for more than laundry too. At least we always did.

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Comments (115)

Cathy DiVello
10 years ago
I love the idea, but never had one. I though they were against fire code?
Jolene
10 years ago
My Bubbie (grandma) had one in a tri level house in Wisconsin where the laundry was in the basement. She had 6 kids so I am sure it was very well used! Myself being from California (no basements) I thought it was so cool!
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I've done a few similar units and created an island. The wc area has too many utilities (waste pipes etc) to be fully removed, plus living in a Maisonette myself, I find it practical to keep a powder room downstairs. You could push the wall between the front door (if you are able to purchase the access area, you can move the front door out as well for even more foyer space). In its place could be full height cabinets as well as your fridge. At the back wall you could plan your basin and hob on the island (or the other way around). My preference is to place a glass wall and door to the yard, so you have the washing machine away from the kitchen and another layer between the kitchen and the powder room. The chute is contained then as well, which works pretty ok. Your laundry will be out of sight if the glass is frosted, but still provides plenty of light. It requires a bit of planning, but you can create a fantastic and practical space. Good luck with your renovation, Arjan
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dianecourbat
10 years ago
seawitch, I had forgotten about the clotheslines strung up in the basement. Grandma would also string some up in the kitchen in her old farmhouse in a pinch. She had a wringer washer that you had to manually fill with hot water that you had heated on the stove. Ah, the good old days!
saratesoro
10 years ago
Hi Dianne, I can go just one small step further down memory lane. growing up in Australia in the 50's, I watched my mother boil the water for the 'machine' over a wood stove in the back "yard' - not fun in scorching summer heat. Did you assist with the wringer rollers? Keeping sheets off the grass required gymnastic ability but of course everything then dried super fast outside.
Marcelle C.
10 years ago
Love them! My aunt had one in her house in Syracuse new york and I thought it fun and convenient. Now I am considering it for my own home. Too bad the laundry room does not line up with the linen closet. ...
bryan0914
10 years ago
My Laundry Room is right off my kitchen we put a laundry shoot in our master bathroom cupboard that is right above the laundry room its so convenient when i get home from work i can put a load in before i do anything else.
sandybrownlee
10 years ago
Yes, we just bought an older home (1929) that has one and we love it. I always wanted one and was a bonus to get one with the house
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North Shore Design
10 years ago
If you are considering a laundry chute from upstairs down to your laundry on the ground floor you can install the chute in a hallway cupboard. It doesn't have to be from the main upstairs bathroom or master bedroom. A central location is best so it isn't a hassle for kids to use and that they can be "trained" to use it. We've designed and built a few and sometimes a few changes in direction in the chute are necessary to make them work. Any designer or architect that tells you that you can't have one hasn't tried hard enough with the design.
@saratesoro Are you talking about an old copper to boil the water in ? That's what we used to use in NZ a long time ago.
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Georgian CustomDecor
10 years ago
We have alway had a laundry chute in the master bathroom, and I love it. We just redid the master bathroom and incorporated the laundry chute into the vanity. It looks great .
kingsgirl627
10 years ago
Love it! It's in the kid's closet and drops onto the counter in the laundry room. I installed it myself during the construction. It's made of round metal HVAC ventilation piping that the framer just built a chase around and then the finish carpenter build a door for it. now if i could just get the kids to actually pick up their dirty clothes from the floor and use it! LOL.
houseatthelake
10 years ago
I used to have one in the bathroom. It was replaced with a pull out hamper in the wall. I worried about my grandson as he was very curious about it. Also my cat liked sitting in the opening. I also found that the clothes were laying all over the place down in the laundry room if I didn't have the laundry basket just in the right place. The dumbwaiter idea sounds like a plan for getting things upstairs or downstairs like groceries, clothes, etc.
jmcdonough6
10 years ago
I LOVE my laundry chute. We have a huge laundry room in the basement, where I can hide the mess of daily laundry for a family of 6. It's a long way down from the top floor with our high ceilings, and the chute is amazingly convenient. The clothes drop onto a small corner of the laundry room, where they are easy to pull out and sort. Everybody brings up their own washed, dried and folded laundry from a large table I have in the laundry room. Really, I don't know why so many people have a small room off the kitchen or that doubles as a mud room when this works so well.
cardinals51
10 years ago
The problem is not getting the laundry downstairs. It's getting it back up, which I have basically given up on. I had a friend who had a closet at the end of the hall directly above the laundry. I recommended her husband built her a dumbwaiter, complete with a rod across. He did, and they loved it.
elfin2265
10 years ago
Had one in our 1960's house. Went from master bed room closet to a cabinet above the washer on the first floor. The kids loved to feed it after bath time. Only problem was that the cabinet did not hold much and there would be frequent explosions of dirty clothes when the doors were opened.
Snaggy
10 years ago
being from the UK ...the washing machine is nearly always in the kitchen.. Laundry rooms are getting more common here now ..also is sounds like A lot of people use a dryer and not hang washing out in the garden .
Monica Johnson
10 years ago
I have one in the kitchen- it makes me happy every time I use it :)
donnaak
10 years ago
I love my laundry shooting from the bedrooms to the main floor and landing in the top basket of three tiers, right next to the washer. I spend most of my time on the main floor so it is easy to start and keep the process going. BUT, I've an even better solution in my new retirement house under construction! A pass through 'closet of sorts' from the Master Bath to the laundry room. It has a door on both the Master Bath and Laundry room sides. Inside there are hampers (for sorting) under a shelf for folding and a hanging bar over the shelf as high as a I can comfortably hang a hanger on. closet and linen storage. My guests will have access to the laundry room but not my laundry! No image to attach yet!
karelina
10 years ago
When I was small, I used to love to slide down the chute. Now I live in a one story house. Not so useful.
Jane Carman
10 years ago
I LOVE having a laundry chute. Ours is located in our main bathroom closet and clothes fall into a cupboard in our laundry room below. Incredibly convenient and efficient. The chute was built-in to our 70's house.

I grew up in a two storey house with a laundry chute with openings on the upper floors. Also very convenient because the laundry dropped into a box next to the basement laundry room. It was also a fun place to play when we were kids. We lowered our dolls by skipping rope. The chute also enabled us to call one another from the basement to upstairs. Just a cautionary note that the chute should include doors to prevent pets and kids from falling through.
Terri Dunn
10 years ago
Don't have one so I could really live without one
mareningles
10 years ago
My grandparents' house had a laundry chute and we always used to climb up and down it. My mom said when she was growing up, her little brothers would climb up the chute into the bathroom and scare her while she was in the shower. We designed our house so we could have a laundry pass-through. It is between our master closet and the laundry room. And it is AWESOME. I love, love, love it. I spend much less time hauling laundry around now! And my 2-year-old can't climb through it either. Best of both worlds.
Elizabeth Abbene
10 years ago
Presently don't have one, but it sure is a lovely alternative to my husbands dirty clothes pile in the floor beside the bed. Please tell me this sounds familiar to some....
howtrue
10 years ago
I had one in our previous home and loved it. Now my laundry room is upstairs and I love that!
Pam Goodrich
10 years ago
I miss mine soooo much!!!!! will definitely do it again
Julie Quirk
10 years ago
I am in the process of re-doing my bathroom cabinets and am having a tilt-out laundry shoot designed in between the two sinks. When closed, it will look like a regular door - but with a horizontal pull. It will work beautifully, with the cutout in between two floor joists. The clothes will drop into a holding bin/basket right by the washer. I think this is going to change my life! No more bloody knuckles from hitting the door jambs while hauling the overflowing laundry basket to the laundry room, and no more fear of tripping on the stairs with the basket going down when I can't see over it. Another key in this plan is training my teenager to fetch and put away her clean clothes from the laundry room...
jdbishop1954
10 years ago
We added a chute in the master bedroom closet as part of a remodel....absolutely love it! Wish it was a dumb waiter so clothes could go back up easily!
silvermindy
10 years ago
Laundry room on second floor but my teenage daughter's room is on the 3rd floor of an 1878 restored victorian home. we put a laundry chute from her bathroom into the laundry room so the clothes might make it off the floor and into the laundry. we love it.
ageofantiquity
10 years ago
LOVE our laundry chute - just wish there was a dumbwaiter to bring it back up! The laundry chute was part of a master bath remodel done in the 1930's (house is circa 1810) and it is one thing we would never take out.
jodoin117
10 years ago
yes, i built my house and we have one for de pleasure of my wife.
curacaoblue
10 years ago
We use separate bins by color and one for towels
watchandread
10 years ago
WOW. Are most of you wanting a laundry shute needing getting ready to go "workout" or go run with the kids at the park? Look around and enjoy the wonderful home you get to live in. Many of us have not had that oppturnity. Just saying-- appreciate don't envy!! I know you were just answering the question. I think someone might need to have a paradigm shift.
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Trish Knight Design
10 years ago
I have had a few clients request laundry shutes and they are always happy. Next best thing to a laundry room on the bedroom level.
josdon29
10 years ago
Grew up with a laundry chute and it was on the "must" list when we bought our home. Family members get their dirty clothes downstairs promptly and everyone carries their basket of clean clothes back up two flights of stairs to their rooms. Also, we have found it can serve as an intercom - just open the chute and yell!
geunderwood
10 years ago
Wish I had one, especially for my sons. My mother's old house had one and it was very convenient.
baker_fam
10 years ago
Just built our new home- we couldn't fit the laundry room upstairs, so we settled on the main floor for it. Built the laundry chute in the kiddos' bathroom closet, very convenient- the kids (5 & 2) even manage to use it themselves almost daily. :) Tip #1 - cut a hole in the top of of the upper cupboards in the laundry room and you have a great hamper that will stay hidden until you're ready to put a load into the washer. Tip #2 - check on the city fire codes. Our city doesn't allow laundry chutes to be longer than 10'.
unruli
10 years ago
We will have a main-floor laundry in the new house and I situated the laundry room so it is on the other side of the wall from the master closet. We'll have a laundry "pass-through" between the two rooms. I can hardly wait!
flufffy
10 years ago
We have one, built-in (1954 original construction) & we love it. FYI I understand Fire Departments may not approve - fire can travel thru the opening & spread more quickly. Ours is located in the bottom of the main bath sink cabinet & clothing drops into a laundry cart one floor below... We're both retired, it really helps when we've had company stay overnight.
schwiet53
10 years ago
Our house is 100 years old and we had our laundry shoot relined 20 years ago. With all bedrooms on 3rd floor and laundry in the basement we use it all the time especially for towels.. We just have to be careful wet items don't end up waiting to be laundered
cshartle
10 years ago
I have an old house with a laundry chute on the second floor in the office and on the first floor in the kitchen. Washer and dryer are in the basement. Could not live without it. I also have fond childhood memories of the laundry chute at my grandmother's house. When visiting, we would play "spy" and fashion a system of pulleys and strings within her laundry chute. This was used to pass "spy notes". I recommend a laundry chute for everyone.
dshaviv
10 years ago
I think it's useful depending on the house you have.
karencame
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I love love love my laundry chute. Love having my laundry go away to the basement. One opening in the kitchen and one in the main bath upstairs. perfect. Had a main floor laundry in my last house....which meant the laundry just piled up where I didn't want it to be. Now, it goes away, it's easy to get the kids to pick up their clothes and I only have clean laundry upstairs. Love that.
housetoreno
10 years ago
We have one and totally love it. Our kids have never played in it-thanks goodness, but my sisters' cat Nermal was curious and fell into it, poor thing! Good thing we had laundry down there so he had a soft landing! (:
Marianne Scoggin
10 years ago
tMy childhood home was a 1950's ranch with basement laundry room. The basement stairs were right across from the back door and next to the kitchen. My dad built a laundry chute and it was a big help getting dirty clothes downstairs right away, less laying around bedrooms or bathroom. There was just an opening to the side at the top of the stairs. The chute was made of wood slats. A large white laundry bag was hung on the chute's bottom and held the clothes off the floor until ready for washing.
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Darla Scheuerman
10 years ago
My old house, laundry was in the basement, would have loved a laundry chute or better a dumbwaiter
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Lunada Consulting & Design, Inc.
10 years ago
They are amazing and so convenient! I work them into the design whenever possible!
cwas
10 years ago
Of an age now that our laundry is on the main floor. Love that convenience. But loved the chute in the house I grew up in. It was a cabinet door in the bathroom. Mom had a zippered laundry bag at the bottom of it. She'd unzip it and us kids would help her sort the pile. It was fun! Also, it is possible that a few teddy bears took the trip a couple times! It was also fun to talk to a sibling through it!
Ronda Matlow
10 years ago
I either put laundry in a bag and throw it down the stairs, or I use a basket and walk down backwards setting it on each step. I don't feel safe walking forwards down the stairs with a basket. My handyman said that laundry chutes can be dangerous in a fire and will not put one in for me.
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GN Builders
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Laundry shoots are great idea if there is a need for it or if there is a dead space which cannot be used for anything else. In most cases this space should be dedicate during home planning and design, because its very hard to find space for it and most of the time its impossible to install them into existing homes.
When I was building homes in the late 80s Laundry shoots were a popular thing if laundry room location would be in the basement.
Today most homes have laundry rooms on the second floor so you don't have to drag clothes up and down. Most people like to incorporate laundry rooms upstairs when designing additions also... In many cases homeowners request moving laundry rooms up if they have extra space upstairs or if they're willing to modify hallway closet, etc.

With that said, when having a laundry room in the basement, getting clothes down is not the problem, the hardest part is getting it back up... So its not a bad idea to have it, but if that extra space can be used for something else, don't give it away, a little exercise going up and down will do the body good.
PRO
Canfield Interiors Inc.
9 years ago
When I designed and built my home in 1986 I put laundry chutes on the all three floors of my home. It is inside what looks like a small linen closet. One is outside my sons bedroom, the other is just off the kitchen and the third empties in the basement powder room closet conveniently located next to the laundry room. I couldn't live without it!
Martha Kowal
6 years ago
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Laundry Chutes. Useful or not?

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