View Full Version : Mission 11: The Laundry Room


AmyBoz
04-07-2004, 10:03 AM
Okay ladies! Time to clean out those laundry rooms! Any cleaning tips would be helpful and here are some organization tips that may be of use!

Laundry Organization

Hopefully you have shelves or cabinets in your laundry room for storing your detergent, stain removers, dryer sheets, or whatever else you use in doing your laundry. A counter or table at waist level is also helpful in terms of having somewhere to fold. I don’t have a counter or table, so I fold right on the washer and drop the clean folded stuff right into the basket for less to do when I get the basket upstairs. Also helpful is a bar one which you can put empty hangers so you can hang items that must hang as soon as they come out of the dryer. You may also have a clothesline in your laundry room if you do not have one outside. I have a retractable clothesline in my laundry room and the clothespins are in an old baby wipes container on a shelf next to the line. A folding drying rack is also helpful if you don’t have a clothesline right in the laundry room.

Keep a small basket or bowl in the laundry room for "found" items such as money, lipstick, receipts, and buttons. I use an old mason jar.

Don't let clean laundry lay around in baskets. Not only can you avoid wrinkles by folding and putting away clothes immediately, but you also won't have this chore hanging over your head and staring at you from the bedroom floor.
If you don't wear it, get rid of it. Cleaning out your clothes and keeping only what you wear will help make room in dressers and closets so that there is room for every piece of clothing.
Use a large mesh bag to wash items that can't be dried in the dryer. When the washer is finished, simply pull out the mesh bag and throw the rest of the items in the dryer. You won't have to search through wet clothes, and you won't accidentally dry (and shrink) a piece of clothing that should be hung up.
Make each family member responsible for getting his or her own clothes to the laundry room. It may help to have a portable laundry hamper or basket in each child's room. It's then his or her responsibility to put dirty clothes in the receptacle and bring it to the laundry area once a week. And have your kids help you do the laundry so that they can learn the basics.

Many of us have our washers/dryers in a part of the house designated for other use, such as the kitchen or an upstairs hallway, etc. If this is the case, just keep the area clean and neat and try to find some sort of storage for your laundry items and keep it as neat as possible. My laundry room is long and narrow and shares it’s space with the furnace and the water heater. No room for an iron, no folding counter, and my hanging clothes hang from a pipe. Make do with what you have, but be on top of the organization of the area. Not many people enjoy doing laundry, but an organized space makes it a chore that isn’t too painful.

graci42
04-07-2004, 10:47 AM
Ha...Ha...I already beat you to it...Did mine 3 days ago and put the chest model freezer in there, too. Had to make room for the new sewing cabinet.

paelthom
04-07-2004, 07:30 PM
We have more of a laundry closet than a laundry room. Our washer and dryer are off the kitchen hallway and have double folding doors to hid them. When I cleaned the washer and dryer, I cleaned the 2 shelves in this little spot as well. I tossed a gob of plastic bags, put lots of screws and little things like that back where they should be and put all the found money in the change jar. I wish the space was bigger but in order to have them on the main floor, this is where they had to be. (better than carrying baskets up and down stairs).

Missy
04-07-2004, 07:48 PM
i will get to start this tomorrow!! :yippee:

Missy
04-07-2004, 07:50 PM
a retractable indoor clothesline?? where did you find that? do you have a pic of what one looks like??

lucy979
04-08-2004, 02:54 AM
YAY! For once I'm glad I don't have a laundry room! LOL

SusieJD
04-08-2004, 06:37 AM
My washer and dryer are in my bathroom. I have to keep it tidy everyday - if I let it get cluttered, the entire bathroom would be messy too.

Susie in MN

Darlene
04-08-2004, 08:04 AM
I've got my w&d in the basement, and use an old gutted floor tv's cabinet to hold my laundry stuff & tip jar.:D I'll get this job done soon.;)

seadream
04-08-2004, 09:45 AM
MIne is done, did it about 2 weeks ago. Took everything out of the cabinets, wiped them down put the stuff that didn't belong it there where it was supposed to go and then put the laundry stuff back.

SewCrafty
04-08-2004, 10:13 AM
Mine is down in the basement too. I hope to get this done along with cleaning up the w&d and the small chest freezer we have next week. I am knee deep into ripping apart my kitchen cabinets right now and I have to get the kitchen back in order first. :)

Missy
04-08-2004, 12:44 PM
this afternoon i get started on the laundry room. I am dressed for major flinging, and cleaning. When DD goes down for a nap, I will get started. :yippee: I will post "before" pics in a new thread. :)

Sara Noel
04-08-2004, 05:35 PM
I worked on this a bit earlier and will be finishing it up in a few. As I mentioned in another thread, the room is ugly. It's connected to the workshop which is where all the tools are and my light system for my seeds. Next to my washer and dryer on the left is a big double sink and on the right is a large folding table and my freezer. There's a shelf on the wall that runs from the washer and dryer and over the folding table.

My laundry just needs to be hauled up two flights of stairs. I hate this task and often fold and leave some on the table. How bad is that? The shelf is packed with some baby clothes that Alexandra has outgrown, the sweater rack for the dryer, a bucket for odds and ends, laundry soap/fabric softener, and a jar for change. I need to clear off the shelf still. It's not too pretty. lol

canadian gardener
04-08-2004, 07:46 PM
I'm going to get this one later in the next week, as it's a catchall for stuff that is coming and going for the bathroom demolition derby:D

Darlene
04-20-2004, 08:44 AM
Just did the laundry fling this morning. Had a good laugh when I came across a free sample for cleaning delicates & inside the package were some coupons. Must have had the sample for a while...the coupons all expired in 1987!:laugh:

SewCrafty
04-20-2004, 09:34 AM
WTG Darlene! :thumb:

I know I can find cobwebs that old when I do mine! :D

TanyaMT
04-08-2005, 02:07 PM
Did this one last weekend. Our washer and drier are in the garage. I cleaned off the shelf over them and sorted. We also got a new storage unit for near the washer/drier that is now going to be used for the extra laundry detergent plus other garage stuff but it is nice to not have to lean over the washer to put heavy things on a high shelf but rather on the unit next to it. This was getting especially important as I'm almost 6 months pregnant. LOL.

Woohoo, room for everything and tidy now. I scrubbed the inside and outside of the washer as well of dust and gunk.

Just noticed I posted on last year's stickies but that's okay ... I'm ahead of the game this year. LOL. The sun is shining and I'm feeling like cleaning.