C’mon fess up.
Until now, you haven’t really paid attention to lighting in your laundry room. No wonder then, you don’t like to spend a minute more in there than you really have to.
But things don’t have to be this way.
Lighting a laundry room is easier than you think—and by the end of the article you’ll discover how it’s done.
With the help of these laundry lighting tips, you’ll be able to transform your poorly-lit laundry room into a stunning, well-lit space. So much so, you may even think about combining it with crafting space, pet space, pantries, a powder room, or mudroom.
Tip#1 - Natural light is the best for a laundry room (If it’s unavailable, quality LED lighting is a good substitute)
When it comes to cleaning clothes, the natural sunlight is the best. That’s because detecting stains in sunlight is easy and effortless.
However, sometimes sunlight isn’t an option for a number of reasons. For instance, the laundry room might be windowless or subterranean.
So what should you do in this situation?
Reach out for LED lighting. They are the best alternative, provided you pick the bulbs with the right type of color rendering index.
Color rendering index (CRI), in simple words, measures how accurately a light source (such as an LED bulb) reproduces the colors of the object it illuminates. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the rating, the better the light quality.
By better light quality we mean it mimics sunlight efficiently. For your laundry room, consider LED light bulbs with a CRI of 90 and above. These bulbs are excellent option as they closely match natural light’s ability to render color and help you easily detect stains and clean them.
Besides CRI, pay attention to color temperature of your LED bulb as well.
So what’s the best color temperature for a laundry room?
The color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). The regular warm light that incandescent bulbs give is 2700K. However, for a laundry room, consider LED bulbs which give a cooler light. We recommend going for LEDs with a color temperature of 3000K. A slightly cooler light helps you to easily differentiate colors during clothing sorting.
Tip #2 – There’s nothing like well-diffused general lighting
General lighting (also known as ambient lighting) should be the staple of all the rooms in your house, including the laundry room. As long as the ceiling in your laundry room has enough sufficient clearance, you can achieve this by using a flush-mounted ceiling fixture, a semi-flush ceiling fixture, a mini chandelier, or a pendant.
We also suggest adding task lighting above the washer-dryer surface. In case the appliances are closely stacked, you can add task lighting for the nearby work surface, like below the cabinets.
Tip#3 – Don’t ignore undercut cabinet LED lighting
One of the most effective modern laundry room lighting tips is to make use of undercut cabinet LED lighting, especially if your space includes counters and countertops.
Undercut cabinet LED lighting kills two birds with one stone. It effectively eliminates shadows and adds an extra dimension to the space.
Tip# 4 – Trust only LED bulbs
LED bulbs are more popular than ever—and for good reasons.
They consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs—as in 80% to 90% less energy. Also, they can last up to 50 times longer than your traditional bulbs. Need we say more?
Final Words
Many people don’t think about lighting in laundry rooms, even when they spend considerable time there washing, drying, sorting, folding, and even ironing clothes.
However, as this article shows, it doesn’t take much to turn things around. Pay attention to the laundry lighting tips discussed here to add a bright, inviting atmosphere to your laundry room.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many lumens do I need in a laundry room?
If your laundry room is around 8x10 in size, go for 1180 lumens for every ceiling mounted fixture. That is equivalent of 75W incandescent bulb. The range of lighting for tape lighting should be around 840 lumens. That is equivalent of 60W bulb.
- How to brighten my laundry room?
Here are our 4 top tips to brighten a laundry room.
- Use LED light bulbs. They consume less energy and deliver better light quality than incandescent bulbs.
- Install a window. There’s nothing like natural light to brighten a room.
- Paint the walls. Use brighter colors to make the laundry room appear livelier.
- Add mirrors. Mirrors help enlarge a small room and brighten up things.
- What type of lighting is best for a laundry room?
If your laundry room is bigger than normal, use a couple of LED troffers. For an average-sized or smaller-than-usual room, a couple of recessed fixtures will do.