Patent ID: 8375750

Claim:
A modular laundry system comprising: a washing machine comprising a housing having a width, an upper surface and defining an interior, and configured to wash fabric items; a clothes dryer comprising a housing having a width, an upper surface and defining an interior, and configured to dry fabric items; and a vertical laundry module performing at least one of a drying function, a refreshing function, and a sanitizing function, comprising: a housing defining an interior and having an upper surface and a width less than the width of each of the washing machine and clothes dryer; at least one drawer slidable through a face of the housing of the vertical laundry module and defining an interior space; at least one hanging rod positioned in the interior space of the drawer; at least one function element performing at least one of drying, refreshing, and sanitizing in the interior space of the drawer; and a control panel for controlling the operation of the at least one drying function, refreshing function, and sanitizing function; wherein the washing machine, the clothes dryer, and the vertical laundry module are of the same height such that the upper surfaces are co-planar and form an effective continuous upper surface; and wherein the washing machine, the clothes dryer, and the vertical laundry module are stand-alone units arranged in a contiguous relationship to form a coherent modular system.