Read This Before You Redo Your Laundry Room

• Television (4). It'll keep you entertained during long periods of folding and ironing.

Not worth the splurge
• Natural stone finishes, such as marble, for counters and floors. They require sealing to prevent staining and don't absorb sound. With exceptions for high-visibility laundries, such as one that adjoins a kitchen where you want materials to match, they're rarely worth the expense and upkeep.

• Drying cabinet. This armoire-like machine air-dries your clothes with gentle heat and uses 90 percent less energy than conventional dryers, but at $4,000, you'll never recoup the cost.

• Jetted sinks with timers for hand washables. Most washing machines these days have extra-gentle cycles for delicates.

• Steam settings, which add some cleaning power to a washer but not enough to justify a couple hundred dollars more on the price tag.

• Interactive LCD displays on washers to track the progress of a load and get stain-removal tips.

• Built-in clothes bins. They hide dirties but tend to trap moisture and get smelly. Better to tuck bins into open cubbies where air can circulate around them.