Ha! Here is an obscure product you bet you didn’t even know you wanted – but now you do – and now you know where to get: A laundry chute door.
And here’s another one — designed and manufactured by Air Rite Service Supply in Lakewood, Ohio, USA. It’s also powder-coated metal.
And the one above: Alas, discontinued: It’s available from American Metal Products / Lima Register … made of powder-coated steel … comes in 10″ or 12″ widths … and includes “spring-hinged, push-in laundry chute door with inner rubber guards for quiet closing.”
Consult with a licensed professional / check local building codes before installing, or if you have one — a reader has pointed out that in some communities, laundry chutes are considered a fire hazard.
Do we all have laundry chute stories?
“I certainly remember my first one,”
she says longingly, as if recalling a childhood sweetheart.
Here’s Ann-Marie’s:
…I do have a laundry chute story from my childhood. My sisters and I were always forgetting our keys to get in to the house after school, but we could usually borrow the spare key from the neighbor.
One day, we realized we had forgotten to return Mrs. Neighbor’s key. We puzzled and puzzled over how to get into the house without a key.
Finally, being the resourceful little schemers that we were, we figured out that my sister Lisa was probably skinny enough to go up the laundry chute (a cut out in the bathroom cupboard, with a tube like protrusion hanging from the basement rafters).The basement was accessible from the garage, which we were able to get into, because the garage door did not lock.
We pulled an act worthy of a circus, with me standing on a box, Ginny on my shoulders, and we crammed Lisa into the chute.
Of course she got stuck, but Ginny and I didn’t care. What is the life of one little sister worth when you are missing the afternoon’s episode of original “Star Trek” rerun? (Captain Kirk was so dreamy.)
So we just twisted her and kept shoving until she popped through, and, the day was saved.
To this day, we cannot figure out why we got in so much trouble for that little escapade. My theory was that it scared my parents into seeing how easy it would be for bad guys to break into our house to steal all our stuff, of which I was sure we had plenty.
JKaye says
We have some relatives who live in a 1.5 story home, built around 1960, without a laundry chute. The original owner of the house next door told them that when she was choosing between the two new houses, the builder pointed out that one had a laundry chute, and the other had ductwork for air conditioning instead. The woman chose the house with the laundry chute over the AC! Not sure home buyers would make that same choice today, but, the neighbor has stayed in that house all these years, and has added AC, while the home owned by my relatives has had several owners, none who have ever added a laundry chute.
Ima Pam says
Big old farmhouse, laundry chute on the 2nd floor…big sisters tried to convince little brother to take a trip to the basement. After all, there was always a huge pile of laundry at the bottom…it would be fun! Alas, he wouldn’t go…
Wendy M. says
Good to know there are replacements available if we need one! The laundry chute in our home is what made our kids decide it was the right house for us…they were absolutely facinated by it when we moved in. I thought it was novel to have one, but I now realize it is genius! Ours drops into a cabinet which is directly over the washer. Laundry is so much easier than when I had to haul it out to the garage in our previous house.
I have memories of my sister’s best friend growing up…they had a turn-of-the-century home and the laundry chute had a bit of a ramp on the inside…she would hide in there during hide-and-seek games. The thought scares me to death now, but at the time we thought it was great. 🙂
Michael says
Our house has two laundry chutes: one in the kitchen and one in a second floor bedroom closet. Both empty into a large cabinet in the untouched-by-time turquoise-painted laundry room in the basement (so no one ever needs to see the dirty laundry). I swear it was one of the reasons we bought the house!
Ann-Marie Meyers says
I just remembered, our 1951 traditional style ranch home had a laundry chute in the kitchen, too. DH and I thought it was the strangest place for one, and we never used it. The kids did, though. Care Bears, Transformers and My Little Ponies all took rides down the chute, and our son threatened his little sister several times.
John says
Everyone is forgetting the coolest thing about laundry chutes… For birthday parties we have the kids use a fishing pole to pull goodies up from below:)
Ann-Marie Meyers says
Dang! That’s a good one, and with a chute in the kitchen, that would have been a great idea for us.
Ann-Marie Meyers says
I have the top one in my bathroom! I love it. It is great not having to lug the dirty laundry down to the basement.
And I do have a laundry chute story from my childhood. My sisters and I were always forgetting our keys to get in to the house after school, but we could usually borrow the spare key from the neighbor.
One day, we realized we had forgotten to return Mrs. Neighbor’s key. We puzzled and puzzled over how to get into the house without a key.
Finally, being the resourceful little schemers that we were, we figured out that my sister Lisa was probably skinny enough to go up the laundry chute (a cut out in the bathroom cupboard, with a tube like protrusion hanging from the basement rafters).
The basement was accessible from the garage, which we were able to get into, because the garage door did not lock.
We pulled an act worthy of a circus, with me standing on a box, Ginny on my shoulders, and we crammed Lisa into the chute.
Of course she got stuck, but Ginny and I didn’t care. What is the life of one little sister worth when you are missing the afternoon’s episode of original “Star Trek” rerun? (Captain Kirk was so dreamy.)
So we just twisted her and kept shoving until she popped through, and, the day was saved.
To this day, we cannot figure out why we got in so much trouble for that little escapade. My theory was that it scared my parents into seeing how easy it would be for bad guys to break into our house to steal all our stuff, of which I was sure we had plenty.
pam kueber says
That is a hilarious story! I am going to post it in the main story!
Jay says
This story made my day, actually brought tears to my eyes, I was laughing so hard – the things you do when you are a kid. Oh well, since no one ever bothered to relocate the washer/dryer to the basement of my ranch, I won’t need a chute but thanks for sharing this story.
wendy says
I can totally relate! I grew up in an old house, and the laundry chute was in my parent’s bedroom (they had a small entry foyer). It was made of wood with a hinged lid on top, and was attached to the floor and wall, so it looked “built in”. Just for fun, a couple of my sisters lowered me in there and I DID get stuck. Like almost calling the fire department stuck. They got in huge trouble, and I got ice cream 🙂
wendy says
I forgot to add that I am planning to put a laundry chute in my house, since every house I’ve lived in had one. I was going to put it in the floor of my bedroom closet, but I like the idea of putting it in the bathroom closet instead.
pam kueber says
“They got in huge trouble, and I got ice cream 🙂 ” See, Laundry Chute stories ROCK
Ann-Marie Meyers says
Yeah, and now I know why we got in trouble for sending Lisa up the chute. It had nothing to do with danger or anything like that. Mom says it was because we lost all common sense when it came to “Star Trek.”
Sheesh. At least we didn’t leave Lisa stuck in the chute and go watch it at a friend’s house instead. We kept at it until she popped free.
Rae says
I love our 1960’s ranch laundry shoot.. and my son has had a blast playing with it!
MCM is Grand says
Ah, our first home was a 1953 cape, custom built by the owner. There was a laundry chute that was disguised as one of the drawers in the bathroom vanity. It led to the basement, where I placed a laundry basket below the opening..you did not have to lug a hamper up and down the stairs…ah, memories!
Jeanne says
Wow! I need to check these out! The laundry chute door in my bathroom is one of the few things left to address after re-wallpapering my bathroom. Mine has been painted a few times (the screws on the hinges are completely covered in paint) and there’s rust on the bottom section (must be from wet towels shoved down over the years?). It’s an eye sore to say the least. It’s installed on the tile wall so I’m not sure how easily it would be replaced or just stripped and repainted. I still use it!
Cindy says
Pam, you’re absolutely right. I realize how much I want ……er, need a new laundry chute door. My current one is simply a hole leading to the chute right into the basement laundry room. It’s located on the floor of the bathroom cabinet and there’s no door that closes. I hope they have them for “floor chutes”! 🙂