Laundry Room Updates That’ll Prepare You for Winter

While you might be focused on preparing the larger areas of your home for the cold, don’t overlook the smallest rooms! Learning how to adapt your laundry room for the winter is crucial to a functional, hassle-free season, made even easier with the expert advice from the team at Wood Country Building Services!

#1: Electric Shoe Dryers

A life-changing gadget for the snowy and rainy seasons, electric shoe dryers are perfect for keeping your footwear wearable all winter long! These devices plug into the wall and blow warm air into your boots and shoes, so you can comfortably wear them again soon after they get wet. Not only does this keep the quality of your footwear newer longer, but it also prevents odours and skin rashes due to wet socks!

#2: Vent Mitten Dryers

Another way to keep your winter clothes warm and dry is to use vent mitten dryers, which also work for hats and boots! These racks sit on top of floor registers and utilize your home’s heating vents to blow warm air on wet winter gear, allowing them to dry with no extra hassle or additional cost to your electric bill!

#3: Invest in Extra Drying Racks

To avoid a jumble of dripping clothes clogging up your mudroom, an extra collapsible drying rack will do the trick. Collapsible drying racks can easily expand to accommodate soggy winter jackets and accessories, then fold back up for areas with limited space. Drying racks are better than coat racks for drying clothing, as they allow you to spread out the clothes to dry them faster than hanging them on top of each other.

Grab some extra boot trays too, as the laundry room is a great space to store boots – away from the front door and out of the way! Boot trays will protect your floor from salt and water stains, which can easily damage flooring. You can also place boot trays underneath coat racks and drying racks to catch any dripping water and keep your floors dry.

#4: Install Additional Storage

Bulky winter gear always seems to take up more room than you anticipate, and can easily overwhelm your mudroom and closet space. Consider purchasing a collapsible coat rack and shoe rack that you can easily bring out for the winter, for guests’ gear to stay organized and off the floor.

You can also install extra shelving for bins above washing machines, on empty walls, or in closets to hold winter accessories. To keep things organized, consider a system of one bin per household member, which will also encourage you to declutter old winter gear once the bin is full.

A storage bench is also a great addition for laundry rooms with extra floor space to store out-of-season clothing accessible but out of the way. This is also great for households with kids, as it provides a place to sit down and tie their shoes or put on snowpants!

#5: Repair Your Dryer Vent

An often-overlooked cause for an increased heating bill is the dryer vent! A dryer vent without a cover can cause cold air to rush into your laundry room, making your whole house colder. To prevent this, ensure your dryer vent has a cover that is in good condition and can open and close when needed. Also, keep your dryer door closed to contain any cold air inside the dryer, not in the house.

With nifty gadgets and extra storage, your laundry room is now prepared to handle the snow and ice, making this winter a breeze!