Can You Store Food in a Laundry Room?


In this article, we will discuss if you can store food in a laundry room. Your laundry room can be the perfect place to store items. Large laundry rooms are also used to store linens, kitchen supplies, pet essentials, and garden tools. If you have a spacious laundry room, you can take advantage of unused space and stash extra supplies and tools. But how about when it comes to storing food? Can you safely store foods in a laundry room? Let us find out the answer below.

Can you store food in a laundry room? Storing food in a laundry room is okay as long as it is very well ventilated. Otherwise, the heat and moisture that come from the washer and dryer can cause the food to get damaged. You can store canned goods in a laundry cupboard. It is fine. However, you should not do this if your laundry area is humid because the lids of the canned goods can rust.

You might be thinking of storing your food supplies in your laundry room. However, you need to consider some factors because the temperature and humidity of the laundry area can affect the foods that you store there. Below, we have shared tips and ideas when it comes to storing food in a laundry area.

Can you store food in a laundry room
Image by CSU-Extension from Pixabay

Can You Combine a Laundry Room and Pantry?

If your main goal is to save space, you can combine the laundry and pantry room. However, it is recommended that the laundry and food areas should be separate. There are a lot of reasons for this. The first reason is that the humidity in the laundry room can affect the food. Take note that the washing machines can leak and sometimes cause flooding. Make sure to keep that in mind especially if you have ground-level storage that can easily get wet when flooding occurs.

Aside from that, you also need to think about mold. The humid environment of the laundry room can cause certain food to spoil and get affected by mold. Hence, you need to check the type of foods that you are storing in your laundry room. Consider the pros and cons of combining the laundry and pantry room so that you can make the right decision.

Factors to Consider When Storing Food in the Laundry Room

Sunlight, temperature, humidity, and space are some of the factors that you need to consider when storing food in the laundry room. These factors will affect the lifespan as well as the condition of the foods that you will store in the laundry. Let us take a further look at these factors below.

Temperature

You need to consider the temperature of your laundry room. Food should be stored at the appropriate temperature zones. Aside from that, the temperature should stay constant to avoid spoiling food.

Humidity

Another thing that you need to consider is the humidity level of the laundry room. A humid environment will make food spoil quickly. Moreover, do not store food near the water heater, dryer, or anywhere else where there is water.

Sunlight

It is recommended to store food away from sunlight. Take note that this is not just a dimly lit room, but a space with no windows that sunlight can get through. It is important to keep food away from direct sunlight. Furthermore, do not keep the food in clear plastic or glass containers.

Space

If you have a large laundry area with spacious shelves, you can use that to store food. On the other hand, if you have a small laundry room and the only space that you have is above the dryer, it is best not to store the foods in there. Moreover, do not mix food with laundry detergents and cleaning supplies when storing.

Pantry and Laundry Room Combo

By creating a pantry and laundry room combo, you can have the convenience that you need when you do household chores. It will be easier to find things because they are located in one room. Moreover, having a pantry and laundry combo provides functionality and convenience. It also saves space. However, make sure that you carefully plan the layout and design of your laundry and pantry combo. See to it that you properly store the food and keep them away from laundry or cleaning products.

✅ Video – Pantry/Laundry Room (Tour + Organization)

StephanieWeiss shared the video below on YouTube. In the video, she shared how she upgraded and organized her pantry and laundry room. You can check out the video below for more decorating tips and ideas.

Small Laundry Room and Pantry Ideas

When creating a small laundry room and pantry, there are a few steps that you need to take. You can either start from scratch or you can upgrade your current laundry room so that it can also accommodate your pantry supplies. Moreover, you can add shelving for storage space. Below are some ideas that you can follow for your small laundry and pantry room.

Tip 1: Start from Scratch

If you do not have a laundry room, you first need to determine where the most convenient place will be. You can choose an area near the kitchen for easy access or wherever is most convenient for you.

Tip 2: Organize Your Supplies

To make things look more organized, you hide pantry items like canned goods and snacks behind the cabinet doors. You should have two cabinets—one for your pantry items and the other for your laundry supplies. This is important so that your food supplies will be safe and will not smell like detergent. You can also check out this article that we have shared that discusses how to make a utility room look nice. We have shared helpful tips in upgrading the look of your utility/ laundry room.

Tip 3: Closet Renovation

Choose a closet if you do not want to have cabinets for your storage. You can install a closet inside the room that you are remodeling. Consider having a closet that is customized for your pantry storage. On the other hand, if you have a large space, you can create a laundry and pantry combo into an open room. Custom closet organization is ideal if you are planning to have a walk-in pantry and laundry room.

Top 4: Add Shelving

Adjustable and durable shelves are a good addition to your small pantry and laundry area because it provides quick and easy access. You can add extra shelves on top of the washer and dryer for your laundry essentials.

What Should be Stored in a Laundry Room?

Laundry supplies, ironing and sewing supplies, extra towels, cleaning supplies, and garbage bags are some of the things that you can store in your laundry room. When planning additional storage, cabinets, or shelves in your laundry room, make sure that you consider the things that you want to store in them. You can make a list of the things that you want to store in your laundry room so that you can make sure that everything has space and is well accounted for. Below are some of the things that should be stored in a laundry room.

Laundry supplies

Make sure that you have an adequate amount of laundry supplies in your laundry area so that you can easily reach for one that you need as you do your laundry. For easy access, you can store laundry detergent, fabric softener, and bleach in a cabinet above the washer and dryer. If you do not have enough space, you can use a slim cabinet with roll-outs. This way, you can also take advantage of the depth of the cabinet for storage space.

Ironing and Sewing Supplies

You can also store your ironing and sewing supplies in your laundry room. By doing this, it is easier for you to mend torn clothes because you do not need to go into another room just to get your sewing kit and you can immediately sew any torn clothes that you see as you prepare to wash them. We have also shared this article that discusses what sizes utility sinks come in. You can check out the article for tips on how to choose the best utility sink for your laundry area.

Extra Towels

You can keep extra towels and rags close to the washer and dryer. You might probably need them for drying items or mopping up leaks or spills. Make sure to store some of them in your laundry room.

Cleaning Supplies

Create a place in your laundry room that is dedicated to your cleaning supplies. This makes cleaning easier and convenient because you do not have to go to the kitchen or bathroom if you need paper towels or a mop to clean a spill.

Garbage Can

It is also ideal to keep extra garbage bags in your laundry room. They will come in handy for throwing dryer lint and scraps of cleaning packaging.

What Not to Store in a Laundry Room

Do not allow your laundry room to become a dumping place for clutter. Over time, the laundry room can collect non-essential items that do not have storage space. Avoid storing old clothing and linens that you are no longer using because they only take up space. You can also check out this article that we have shared titled, what is a good size laundry room? We have shared the different sizes of laundry rooms that you can have for your home.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed if you can store food in a laundry room. We have found out that there are some foods that you can store in a laundry room. However, there are some factors that you need to consider before storing foods in your laundry area. As we have mentioned above, the humid environment of the laundry area can cause the food to get damaged and spoil. If you want to have a laundry and pantry room combo, make sure that you separate foods from laundry and cleaning supplies. It is best to store them in different cabinets or shelves. Thank you for reading!

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