No one can dispute the fact that every housewife’s dream is to run a ‘chore-less’ household and they will be much grateful to technology as a tribe if it could succeed in manufacturing disposable clothes and utensils at affordable prices—preferably ones that are biodegradable! Alas, that is not to be! Menial chores do form a part of lives for home managers who run their show with or without a maid.

In the circumstances, the service verandah in homes assumes an important role as the cleanliness and hygiene of the house is directly dependent on most of the washing and cleaning that takes place in this area.

Hence it is imperative that the service verandah or balcony in every home should be equipped well to help the worker function without feeling taxed.

Essential space

Individual homes have the privilege of using their backyards set with running water and direct sunlight for carrying out their daily cleaning; it is the flats which need the presence of a service verandah in the premises.

Builders usually allot minimum ribbon space for this room which is usually the balcony along the kitchen or the living room of the home. If your house is still in the process of being built, do ask him to apportion more space if possible, just to allow one to move around a little more freely while carrying out the tasks. The area should  have enough space to operate your washing machine, dishwasher among other gadgets. When you have a water problem, extra buckets of water could be stored in this room for ready use.

The flooring of the service verandah will be highly functional if you could go in for unpolished granite or Cuddapah stone which lend grip to the feet. It will help if you fix a couple of slim plastic rods between the walls to dry clothes.

A couple of cupboards with perforated doors built along the walls, will help you store cleaning detergents, soaps, insecticides, phenyl, mops, brushes, brooms and other items. One of the cupboards could hold old newspapers waiting for disposal, garden implements, tools and hardware necessary round the household.

If there is enough storing space you could also store umbrellas, rain gear, foldable chairs, vacuum cleaner and its accessories that can be easily retrieved and put into use. If you have enough floor space, it will be a good idea to build some shelves along the walls right from the ground level, to a height of about two feet and fix perforated doors for them. You could also use this area as storage space and the cupboard could double up as a seat when the person working in the premises, has company. A couple of potted plants placed on them will give that green touch to the place too.

Besides fitting the place with running water —both hot and cold, it will be useful to fix suitable plug points for operating gadgets used for cleaning. It is advisable to have a wash basin in the area. Make sure that you fit the sockets with a protective closed plug when it is not in use as it could lead to inadvertent accidents. The drainage system in the area could be ideally fit with the ‘cockroach filter’ available in the market, which will prevent clogging due to the several layers of filters in the component of the device.

People prefer to cover the portion exposed to the exterior, with a metal grill in order to let in sunshine and also provide a sense of security to the house. It is advisable for all the flat owners to come to a consensus on the pattern of the grill they want to fix for the service verandah so that the building does not project an irregular external appearance.

It is not enough if you simply have a fabulously convenient service verandah, it should be your mission to keep it sparkling clean and clutter free. Trail a creeper along the grilled area so that the creeper frames the area and provides an exotic window to your home so that it appears as beautiful extension of your home when seen both from inside and outside. Chores will never be a bore anymore!