Why Don't You See Laundry Chutes In Houses Anymore

Laundry chutes once felt like the coolest invention of all time. Built-in drawers would lead to long slides that shot laundry down a floor or two and spat it into a laundry room, removing the inconvenience of needing to lug a large basket of dirty clothing down the stairs. And this advancement was coveted by adults and children alike — the helpful laundry aid was also often treated as a mysterious toy, turning it into a dangerous slide for kids to play with. It is because of the tool's risk toward curious kids, and the shift in how functional laundry rooms are created, that experts say this once beloved amenity is disappearing. 

House Digest's design historian Sarah Bilotta, who has a masters in the history of design from Oxford University, talked with HD about the many pros and cons of laundry chutes that led to their eventual downfall in modern home design. "Laundry chutes aren't as much of a perk as they once were," she said in the exclusive interview. She added that one big reason for this is because of how homes are designed in this century. That is: instead of having laundry in the basement, homes moved this amenity up. "If your laundry is on the top floor, or you're accustomed to one-floor living, there is no need for a laundry chute," Bilotta explained. "I feel most modern homes are designed to make laundry day as easy as possible – without the need of a laundry chute." 

Laundry chutes rose to popularity in the 1900s. "Chutes (for everything – mail, garbage, and laundry) were all the rage in the early 20th century, and they could be installed basically anywhere in a home – typically a hallway or bathroom," design historian Sarah Bilotta told House Digest. However, like many exciting advancements from the time, they were implemented without enough safety precautions. In fact, safety is a major reason why homeowners are opting out of the laundry chute luxury. "As home safety standards change, these chutes have also been phased out, as they can be dangerous for homes with young children," Bilotta said. They pose a fire hazard too: "Placing an open chute in your home can also greatly increase the risk of a fire spreading between rooms." 

Aesthetics factor in here as well. "They're [...] a bit of an eye-sore," she noted. "Who wants a giant drawer in the middle of their kitchen wall?" While hotels and hospitals sometimes have metal chutes, home laundry chutes often looked like wooden drawers and were framed with wood, Bilotta said in an exclusive interview, giving them a dated look that isn't compatible with modern design. If that isn't enough, she said that the required maintenance to fix potential blockages and clean the chutes drives up their inconvenience factor. And finally, they're not easy to incorporate into homes "This is not something you should typically DIY," she told HD, since the safety standards require professional assistance. 

If you're enamored by the idea of connecting your closet to your laundry room, there are modern, safer ways to get this done. Expert Sarah Bilotta exclusively told House Digest about the more recent inventions that have all the good parts of a laundry chute with far fewer cons. "I've seen a couple of examples of modern laundry chutes that are vacuum-powered (like a pneumatic tube)," she mentioned. TikTok's viral Laundry Jet system (pictured above) is one example. "These vacuum chutes don't just use gravity to dispense laundry downward -– they can actually fling your dirty laundry to any room. They are also tiny -– no bigger than a fist-sized hole in the wall -– and thus don't take away from the aesthetics of a room as much as an old-style laundry chute."

There are some big downsides, though. "The cost of the unit and installation can be upwards of $1,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the system, and can only receive one piece of clothing at a time," Bilotta explained. Indeed, the Laundry Jet system can cost up to $15,000 before installation and might not even be large enough for things like blankets or coats to fit through. If you want to opt for the older versions, Bilotta recommends working with "a dedicated laundry chute company to assure you get the most efficient and safe technology and to guarantee that it's installed in accordance with your local building codes."