• Keep laundry off the floor to avoid mold and mildew.laundry image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  A laundry chute can save time, energy and clutter in a home of any size. This convenient apparatus allows people to toss their dirty laundry into an opening which is connected to a tunnel to another location, usually the laundry room. This gives families trying to maintain a tidy home a quick way to transport their laundry from one location to the next with no lifting or mess.
  
  

Locations

• While the most popular areas for laundry chutes are from bathrooms to the laundry room, this isn’t always an option. In some houses the laundry area just isn’t directly below a bathroom. If this is the case in your home, you can easily adapt. The laundry will have to travel down a vertical chute—a sideways tunnel isn’t an option. Due to this you may have to be flexible in where you install the chute. In some homes it may start in a bedroom or hallway. In this case you can build a faux closet or box around the chute area so it’s not obvious you have a laundry chute in your hallway. Be aware of nearby plumbing pipes and electrical wires when installing in order to avoid potential damage.
  
  

Receptors

• While most people will just throw a basket under the shoot it can actually be easier to build a receptor. This is especially helpful if your basement is your laundry area. Allowing clothes to overflow and collect in the floor can cause mold and mildew if moisture collects on them. Think of a receptor as a built-in basket. You can make it as large as you like; just add a doorway in front so you can open it to retrieve your laundry. This is a great option for large families or those who do multiple loads of laundry a week.
  
  

Keeping it Clear

• The biggest setback homeowners with laundry chutes come across is the tendency for clothes to get stuck on their way down. This is due to things such as splinters in wood chutes, hanging nails or screws, and bends in metal chutes. The easiest way to avoid these issues is to try building without nails (use glue or a similar adhesive) or to line the inside of the chute with a plastic covering. If clothes do get caught a good old broom stick is often the easiest way to remove them.