34 Weeks of Clean! Week 22- The Laundry Room/Mudroom

Welcome back to 34 weeks of Clean!  If this is your first time joining us we are so glad you are here.  Even though we are on the downhill part of this series, I want to encourage you to pick up where we are and just move forward.  No step is little when it comes to cleaning and organizing.  It all counts and it is all good!  We are in the process of taking our homes back, one week at a time!  You can do it.  This week we are headed to our laundry rooms/mudrooms!

First I want to show you this!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/301741243759234263/

and this

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/301741243756358026/

Ummm, these are NOT my laundry rooms and I do not even have a mudroom.  They are the ones of my dreams.  Actually, in my dreams mine is even more amazing, but for now, it is just a dream. When you move every few years and are usually in base housing or rentals, you have to deal with reality instead.  And trust me, reality is far different.

Yes, it is crowded and yes, it is a mess.  In this house my laundry room is on the main floor, not a bad location, behind a sliding pocket door, with not nearly enough room.  Technically it can not even be considered a room as you are half in and half out when you are working in there.  As you can see, there is barely enough room for one laundry basket.  Luckily it is just slightly shorter than the swinging door of the dryer, or it would not fit either.

A note about laundry baskets.  I am not a huge fan of them being in individual bedrooms, ESPECIALLY boys' rooms!  In my experience, they tend to be a smelly mess, take up much needed space for toys and such, and just add to the clutter problem.  My girls do have their own baskets because they do their own laundry and their rooms are on another floor, and I have one in the master bathroom for my husband and myself.

Despite the fact that this space is small, it collects layers of stuff.  A bad habit we are working on, I promise!  If it were mine I would change some things up, like PAINT, but for now, we have to deal with it as is.

So here we go...

• Take everything out.  You knew it, right? ;)  Yes, I did leave the washer and dryer, but all else came out.  If my hubby had been convenient, the appliances would have come out too!

• Wipe down all surfaces, including floors.  It is hard to squeeze behind those appliances, but trust me, you need to.  It is dusty back there.  Ask me how I know these things!

• Take the time to clean out your washing machine.  Even the top loading ones can get grimy, but the newer front loading ones especially do.  We use a vinegar solution and occasionally resort to bleach.

• Before you put things back, ask yourself

            - do I need it?

            -does it belong somewhere else?

 As for me, I scrubbed, sorted, and threw away some things.  I arranged the shelves a little better and even hung a few pictures on a whim.  I figured if I was in there it could at least bring me a little joy!

One last thing about my Dawn container.  Yes, I use Dawn to wash dishes.  We make a lot of our own cleaning products, including laundry soap, but I still use Dawn for dishes.  Any time I finish a bottle I fill it with water and put it in the laundry room as my "stain stick."  Seriously, Dawn will take out most stains, and I save a little money by "recycling."

So that is it for this week.  Pretty simple, huh?  Can't wait to hear how you did last week!  Don't forget to link up and show us your progress or leave a picture on our Facebook page!  For each link or picture left, your name is put into a drawing for our 34 weeks of Clean Prize Basket that will be given away at the end of our series.  The pile is growing and will include a mason jar filled with our laundry soap!

Week 21- The Hall Closet

Week 23- The Linen Closet

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up with friends!

Blessings,