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| Sliding Pocket Door |
This is what you see when you open the door:
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| Laundry Room |
It is a rather utilitarian space. To the left from the doorway, there is my top loading washing machine; tucked into the space between it and the wall is my ironing board and the big drying rack also slides in there, when it is not being used practically every day! Currently, it is permanently set up in the family room!
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| Washer and Ironing Board |
Overhead, directly above the washer is the access to the attic space - it is not a finished attic and I don't store anything up there. The only time anyone goes up there is when some roof or electrical work needs to be done:
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| Access to the Attic |
I had these wire racks installed on the wall for storage, but now, I am thinking that I should have had cabinets installed, instead, as that would have resulted in less visual clutter:
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| Storage Shelves |
I should get some baskets or something to store the items, so that it looks less chaotic. The bath rugs and floor towels are being stored up here after being washed, until the flea situation is more under control. The brown grocery bags under them (we pay $.10 per bag) will come in handy when I bag up stuff for donations. On the other side of this long wall is my bathroom.
To the right of the doorway, opposite the washer is the dryer, with the laundry baskets stacked on top.
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| Dryer |
There is a window above the dryer, so this space is quite bright during the day. The only problem is, I keep the dryer pulled a bit away from the back wall because the vent hose is behind the dryer and I don't want it to get too twisted and kinked up (although, since the dryer doesn't heat and I don't use it, I suppose that should not be a concern, anymore), and being short, I can't quite reach over the dryer to open the window! I have to keep the step stool in front of the dryer and climb up to sit on top of the dryer and twist around in order to reach the window handle:
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| Window |
I store one of the two smaller plastic drying racks in the space between the side of the dryer and the wall (the second plastic drying rack has been set up in the bathtub in daughter's/visitor's bathroom, so really wet items can drip, if needed).
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| Small drying rack |
These two smaller drying racks were bought from Woolworth's when my daughter was born! Still going strong!
I have this small wire rack in front of the washer, to store the container of laundry detergent, bottle of bleach, iron, box of dryer sheets, and some other miscellaneous items (a plastic clothes line, the broken dial knob from the washing machine, a roll of wall paper border); the bottom basket is empty, right now, but I used to store some extension cords there and I might store the bottles of flea sprays, etc., there.
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| Storage Rack |
Today, I wiped down the walls, wiped the washer and dryer, washed the wire rack, wiped all the things I store there to remove dust and cat fur, and swept and mopped the floor before I put everything back. I tossed an old sponge, but that was all I found to declutter from here, today.
It took me longer than I liked to wipe down everything, but, I am hoping that now that I've deep cleaned it, I will be able to keep it up with regular maintenance.
What does your laundry area look like? Any suggestions as to how to keep the visual clutter to a minimum?
You could get cabinets with doors or baskets or boxes like you suggested. But you know what? It's a laundry room and I think it's okay to have things out in plain view. It doesn't have to be perfect looking especially since you have a door to close it off when you want to.
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of some sort of baskets, I think, but I don't want to spend a lot of money to buy them. Maybe I should just get a couple of boxes and cover them in contact paper...in the meantime, I shall keep the door closed when I need to! :D
DeleteVery nice! I'm always impressed by neat laundry rooms because most of us just throw stuff around in ours! lol Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. I, too, throw stuff in there when I want to do a quick tidy! Put everything in there and close the door! LOL.
DeleteYour laundry room is very neat. You should see mine.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tiny space and has the washer, the dryer, a small sink, the water heater and the AC unit. And above the washer and the dryer, I have installed several wire shelves to keep shoe boxes full of stuff. Rolls of tape, batteries, bulbs, tools, etc etc. all are labeled, but it looks quite messy.
Sounds like you've made the most of what storage space you have, Nil. I will sort through what is stored on the shelves, next time around and see what I can do.
DeleteIt's lovely and tidy Bless.
ReplyDeleteOh, I would just love to have a laudry/utility room. We only really have them in larger and new build houses over here. X
Thank you, Jules. The task now is to keep it clean and tidy!
DeleteThere wasn't a laundry room when I bought the house - the previous owner had the washing machine in the garage and the dryer in an enclosed patio in the back. I had my washer and dryer in the garage for several years, but when I built the family room and bathroom, I had the laundry area put in. My cousin still has her washer and dryer in the garage. Where do you have your washer? In a bathroom? In the kitchen?
We have our washing machine in the kitchen. I suspect my house would seem tiny compared to yours. X
DeleteSmall homes are cozy, costs less to heat (or cool), and takes less time to clean, I think! My house was built in the early 1940s, and was considered the standard size for then - 1,040 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, plus living room/dining area, kitchen, a small utility room where the water heater was located. The first owner added a detached garage and the 2nd owner added a covered aluminum patio, which was pretty dilapidated when I bought the house. I am the 3rd owner. After I had lived here for 5 years, I remodeled the kitchen, extended the dining area to include the utility room (moved the water heater outside, per new earthquake safety requirements), replaced the covered patio with the family room, and added the laundry area and a 2nd bathroom. The house is now 1,400 sq. ft. It is a single story house and I think it is big enough, but, it is still considered a "small" house, here! The average house in the US now is about 2,600 sq. ft., or almost double the size of my house!
DeleteI agree with the other commenters about your space looking tidy. You have also used decorating ideas to make it seem larger than it really is. White walls and white tiled floors are terrific. Also, by using wire shelves instead of cabinets, you give the area a brighter, more open feeling. Of course, a window helps immensely. Cabinets will make the area seem closed in and smaller. (That is the reason I have used wire shelves in my teeny tiny kitchen) I very much like the idea of using matching containers on the shelves (like the paper covered boxes, for instance, or same coloured plastic bins.)Great job.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Yes, it is a small area (3' x 8'). The floor is actually vinyl, but in a tiled pattern. I was glad of the wire shelves the one time the water hose to the washer sprang a leak! The water just dripped down and it was easier to clean up than if there had been cabinets! Also, the wire shelves allow me to hang all the clothes hangers from the edge, without trying to find storage for them! I think some matching containers to store everything would be a good idea. :)
DeleteGlad to hear of your daughter's fantastic girls' weekend. She was busy as well but it would be a lovely distraction from her work week.
ReplyDeleteYou were a busy bee this weekend with all of your deep cleaning and vacuuming. No moss grows under YOUR feet. I left the house at 8 am for Kingston. A group of us ladies were traveling to Ottawa to attend a baby shower from 12 noon until 2 PM. I returned home by 6:15 in time for dinner. I watched a little Netflix and went to bed. That was my entire day, but it was a lot of fun.
Thank you, Susan. She had a wonderful time, but, she said she was glad to come back to her apartment, yesterday. She calls herself a hermit and said that two days of 24 hours a day with her friends were all she could handle! LOL!
DeleteYou had to travel a long time to get to that baby shower and back! That was a whole day's outing! I'm glad you got to relax, afterwards.
We have the same wire shelves as you do and I find them useful because I can put S hooks on the wire and hang things underneath. With 2 S hooks and some string or wire, I can hang a roll of paper towel, for example. My peg bag hangs on the end of one shelf. I don't think my laundry room is much bigger than yours. It has the two appliances with a laundry tub between them, the top loading washer on the left and the dryer on the right, with wire shelves above each. A roll out bin under the laundry tub holds bleach, vinegar, detergent, etc. There is a window on the wall next to the dryer. There is enough space in front to open the dryer door and some to spare. It isn't huge but it is adequate. The central vac hose and wand are tucked in beside the washer on that wall. The ironing board is upstairs as there is no room to use it in the laundry room.
ReplyDeleteSounds like we have a similarly sized laundry room, Bushlady, though yours might be a bit bigger. It sounds like you have it nicely organized. I must look for some S-hooks!
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