Structural Characteristics of a Residential Laundry Chute

Chute Opening

• Make the opening of the laundry chute large enough to handle large items such as blankets and comforters. A hole between 15 and 20 inches square or with a similar size diameter is large enough to accommodate most laundry without it getting lodged in the hole.

Channel

• Metal or wood are typical laundry channel materials. You can use large metal ducts used for furnace and air conditioning systems or build a three-sided chute from plywood. Metal channels can be clamped together on the outside or secured with duct tape. Metal has a smoother surface than wood, so laundry slides through it more easily. Sand plywood chutes to remove any splinters or rough spots that easily snag looped materials such as terry cloth, textured synthetics or rough fabrics such as denim. Painting the inside walls of plywood channels keeps them smoother longer.

Door

• A door at the top of the chute where you deposit the laundry prevents pets and small children from climbing inside. If small children live in the house, the door to the chute should have a lock on it or it should be positioned high enough on the wall to prevent access. Install the door on hinges and attach a chain to the handle to keep it from hitting the wall when opened.

Installation Issues

• If you install the laundry chute during new house construction, configure it at the appropriate angle and route it around pipes and wires between the floors of the house. Chutes built between floors of existing structures require removing or realigning impediments. Check the blueprints of the house to determine the location of barriers. If blueprints are not available, inspection is required to locate obstacles. You may have to position the channel of the laundry chute at various angles from the upper floor to the laundry room if vital pipes and wires cannot be repositioned. Test the chute with various pieces of laundry during installation to ensure the angles are steep enough to let the materials easily flow through the channel.