 If you hate laundry, there is a good chance you also hate your
laundry room. I have done laundry in all types of laundry rooms – the
Laundromat during my summer jobs, the apartment building laundry room
when I was a student, the stacked washer and dryer in a teeny
bathroom in our first apartment, the "pit" in our first house, the
second "pit" in our second home, and finally in our "laundry room" in
our current home.
Who else here has a "pit" to do their laundry in? It doesn't have to
be. Did you know that you can actually take some window cleaner to a
washer and dryer and it will brighten up the entire room? I didn't.
Let's look at some of the things we can do to help turn our
laundry "pits" into laundry "rooms."
Quick note before we start: I know many of you do not have a "laundry
room," you have a laundry area that is part of the basement, garage,
or back porch. Try to visual what part of this space is the "laundry
area" and only concentrate on that space. Now is not the time to
tackle the whole garage or basement! Print out this list and go
through it step by step.
Step 1: Setting the Stage
- SHOP at home FIRST: Gather up the laundry baskets and hampers you
already own, some window cleaner, some all-purpose cleaner, a couple
trash bags, a broom, and a wash bucket filled with hot soap water.
- Music: Put on some great music to get you moving. Right now, I have a
ABBA CD in my player.
Step 2: The NOT ME Five
- LAUNDRY: Gather up all the laundry that is laying around in the
laundry room. Put the dirty clothes into a hamper. Fold the clean
clothes and bring them to their owner's room. I usually just leave
the clothes on their beds so they can put them away later.
- DIRTY DISHES: Gather up any dirty dishes that may have accumulated
in the laundry room. Coffee cups come to mind LOL. Bring them right
up to the kitchen and either set them by the sink, or put them into
the dishwasher.
- TRASH: use one of the empty plastic bags and gather up all the
trash. The empty detergent boxes, the rinse bottles, the dryer
sheets, the lint balls, the wash sticks, the broken hangers, the torn
shirts (that can no longer be repaired with a glue gun), and the
holey socks. Take the trash out to the trashcan. Get it out of the
house right away!
- PAPERS: Gather up any papers, newspapers, books, and magazines
that have accumulated in the laundry room. Add the old stuff to the
recycle.
- STUFF THAT DOESN'T BELONG: Get rid of the things that don't belong
in the laundry room. Ours is on the way to the garage, so the top of
the dryer tends to accumulate a lot of stuff during the week (pop
bottles, recycle, toques, mitts, dog leashes, etc.)
Step 3: Roll Up the Sleeves, We Are Going In!
Whew - good start! I bet the laundry "pit" is starting to look better
already!
- Shelves: Do you have any cabinets or shelves in your laundry room? We have
two cupboards above the washer and dryer and two closets (one for
cleaning supplies and one for jackets, suitcases, and the vacuum
cleaning – this is a "hard hat only" closet. You never know what will
fall down when you open the door!) Pick ONE cabinet or shelf (I chose
one above the washer and dryer). Pull everything out. Toss the trash,
put the things you don't want anymore into a carbboard box, and set
aside the things you want to keep. Quickly use your all purpose
cleaner and wipe down the shelf. Then put the stuff back you want to
keep.
- More Shelves: Repeat for the rest of the shelves. If you are running out of
time, just tackle the spots that bother you the most. You are going
to be amazed by how much room you have in your laundry "pit" when you
get rid of stuff you don't want anymore.
- On Top: Get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated on the tops of your
washer and dryer. Try to keep these machines clear of clutter and
clothing.
- Flat Surfaces: Do you have a counter or other flat surface in your laundry room?
If yes, I envy you! I would love to have a spot to fold clothes in
our laundry room. As it is, I just use the top of the dryer. Oops –
sorry, on a tangent here…clear off the counter. Toss the trash, get
rid of the stuff you don't want anymore, wipe off the counter with
your all-purpose cleaner, and then put back the things you want to
keep. The less you put out, the larger the room will look, and the
more space you will have to work!
- Take a look at your laundry "pit." Are there any other spots where
junk has accumulated such as sinks, window sills, free standing
shelves, ledges, etc? Remove the stuff, toss the trash, get rid of
the stuff you don't want anymore, and set the rest aside. Use your
all purpose cleaner to wipe it down. Then put the things back that
you want to keep.
- GOING UNDER: I always hate going under. You never know what you
are going to find! If you are working in the basement or garage, keep
your eyes open for things that may be moving (just kidding!). Gather
up all the things that have accumulated on the floor around the
washer and dryer, under the shelving units, and in the middle of the
room. Toss the trash, get rid of the stuff you don't want anymore,
set aside the things you want to keep. Don't put them back yet!!
Step 4: We're rocking and rolling now! Wipe and Clean
Wow! You are doing great. You got rid of the dirty laundry, the dirty
dishes, the trash, you cleaned up around the washer and dryer, you
made some space in the shelves, and now everything else is sitting
out in the hallway, and the laundry room is looking empty.
- Start with the washer and dryer. Use your window cleaner to wipe
away all the dust and dryer lint fluff that accumulates in this room.
You are going to be shocked when you see how different these machines
look when they shine. Even my 16-year old dryer looks like brand new!
Remember to open up the lid on the washer and wipe down the inside
ledge as well. This tends to collect dried detergent and other goopy
substances.
- Use your all-purpose cleaner to wipe down any other surfaces in
the laundry room (now it is looking more like a room and less like a
pit!). I usually wipe down the doors and doorknobs as well. Remember
to wipe out the sink and to look up. Perhaps there are windows or a
vent fan that should be washed as well. It only takes minutes. You
can do it!
- Wash the light fixtures in the room (remember to ensure the light
bulb is cooled down – we don't want exploding light bulbs!). Take a
look at the wattage in the light bulb. Perhaps your fixture can
handle a higher wattage. This will brighten up the area!
- Use your window cleaner to sparkle up any remaining spots in the
laundry room.
- Use your bucket of hot soapy water and quickly wash the floor in
the laundry room. If you have baseboards, give them a wipe as well.
Dryer lint fluff builds up on everything!
Step 5: Don't Quit Now, You Are Almost Done!
- Put away the things that belong in the laundry room. Remember to
put a fresh plastic bag into the trash can.
- Try to keep all your washing supplies together on one shelf or in
one cabinet. I like my stuff behind closed doors so I cannot see it.
Congratulations, You Are Done!
Here's a hint: put something "pretty" in your laundry room. Perhaps a
small vase with flowers, a special picture, the radio no one is
using, or a wicker basket to hold a few supplies. I keep my mother-in-
law's old washboard on the top of the cabinet above the washer and
dryer. It is a reminder that no matter how I dislike doing washing,
it is quite simple compared to how people use to do it!
Perhaps even a fresh coat of paint will brighten this room up? I used up two cans of leftover paint to give our laundry room a new look.
A Couple Safety Notes:
Please check your dryer lint trap, under the lint trap, and the dryer
exhaust to ensure you do not have a dangerous build up of lint.
Do not run your washer and dryer when you are not home (no matter how
tempting!). Many home fires have started in the dryer area. A couple
years ago, we had to replace the heater element on our dryer. While
the machine was apart, I was amazed to see the amount of lint that
had built up around the dryer drum. I was shocked to see that some of
the lint was scorched!
Consider installing a smoke detector in your laundry room/area.
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