Show #8 - The Laundry Room (a happy place?)
All week we’ve been featuring tips and finds about making laundry easier and more fun. In this episode Maja talks about her sweet obsession with doing laundry, and covers the basics for setting up a good routine. She also shares a few ideas for making your laundry room work better for you.
We want to encourage alot of discussion and sharing of your dilemma’s in this area, let’s all help each other in making the laundry room one of the Happy Places in our homes (it’s possible, we’re almost sure of it!).
January 24th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
This was a great show!!! Let me tell you, we decided to make our laundry room a room and not a cave, so we had a plumber come in, did some other renos, and have painted it a lime/candy apple green color and it is FABULOUS!!!! It is SOOOO fun going in there, and I am looking for dirty things that just need to be washed!!! I am just waiting to put up our cupboards and get everything put in it’s place, but I can tell you that my laundry room is definately becoming a happy place!!!
I have also decided to take your advice and to do a load a day. I am totally a one day a week laundry girl, but then that last load sits on my couch in a big pile of unfolded mess, so doing it every day will definately make things easier.
Thanks a lot Maja!!!
January 25th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I am blessed in that I was able to plan our home and have a laundry room/entry room that is connected to the bathroom where dirty clothes collect in a hamper. I also have a hamper in my children’s rooms. Each morning that I do laundry (nearly every day) I bring the hampers into the laundry room, sort by loads, then wash however many full loads I have time for that day. I have a shelf above the washer/dryer that hold laundry detergent, fabic sheets, baking soda (1 tsp. per load), and a small pretty basket for work gloves. The best thing ever is a hook or rod to hang clothes on immediately as they come out of the dryer! I simply bought one that was originally for a hat and coat to hang on. Placed on a wall-stud for strength, I can hang two loads worth on it alone.
I, too, am a bit fanatic about folding although I’ve gotten better in the last 5 years. I have old, faded towels, but they are always folded neatly the same way and in order by color! You know what? KEEP THAT TRAIT! It says to your family, (who are the ones who see it,) that you love for them to have nice-looking/homey-feeling things. If your children are young (say under 7) keep folding their clothes so that they will get used to having organized and pretty drawers and closets. As they get older, then start allowing them to put away their own clothes. They won’t do it like you would. Their drawers may become messy. It is up to them to decide how they want their nest feathered. My teen son drove me crazy with his asserting his way of keeping laundry…which seemed to me like he wasn’t keeping it at all! But, that memory of a nice and organized room has slowly kicked in as he finds and settles on HIS way of living that he will carry with him when we goes onto college and beyond.
Love your site. Great job!
January 29th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I just posted photos of my own laundry room on my blog at http://www.homemakerunderconstruction.blogspot.com. I linked back to your site so I hope it’s o-kay! Contact me if it’s not.
Blessings!
January 29th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Sorry! The link the the laundry room post only should be: http://homemakerunderconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/01/laundry-room.html
January 30th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Hey Maja, just thought you would like to take a peek at my “new” laundry room… thanks for all the wonderful hints, I am actually starting to enjoy cleaning!!! http://wnjshutra.blogspot.com/
January 31st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I LOVE that you gals are sharing pictures of your laundry rooms!! I’d love to share mine but we had a flood this week so everything is torn apart. I must admit that I’m digging the Acid Green paint color Jackie!! That’s hot
January 31st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Great show. I like the idea of doing a load a day. That may be a little out of my reach, but hopefully one day I’ll be able to ease into that. Thanks again Maja!
January 31st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Hey… loved all the tips. I am so envious of that pretty laundry room you have posted. I can not wait until i can have my own Larger laundry room.. i grew up with a very very small laundry room ( actually it was more like closet.. and i hated it even though it was my mom doing the laundry) and know i have a very small laundry room in our condo.. so i look so forward to using these tips in the future…But for now i will really try the load a day tip.. i usually am so busy that it just piles up and up.. so i love that idea and the ironing well we will see about that.. thanks!!
February 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I have a question for all you savvy laundry ladies. What do you do about whites? I mean the socks, undies, shirt collars that turn grey. I try to bleach them once in a while, but it never really works, and I’m afraid using more bleach will wreck the clothes. Tips?
February 19th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Alice - I bleach mine every load. I find it is the only way to keep them looking nice and bright. I only use 1/4 cup so I find it isn’t too hard on my clothes. Seriously, it works!
March 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
Okay but does that turn the red stripes on the tube socks pink?
November 25th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
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