The Laundry Station
The Laundry Station
Is your laundry room littered with shoes and laundry dumped on the floor – waiting for laundry day; windowsills cluttered with laundry detergent containers and softeners, shoe cleaners, baskets of mismatched and orphaned socks or gloves and tuques? Are your cleaned clothes sitting in a heap on the tabletop waiting that half hour of spare time for folding or ironing?
Very often the laundry room will be the last room for consideration when it comes to thinking about renovations or the decluttering of your home space. Yet the layout of a laundry room needs to be considered for its functionality, spaciousness and to be well organized.
Take some time to give your laundry room a thorough inspection. Ask yourself what you would need to make it tidier and more efficient and manageable.
Here is a checklist for your consideration:
- Do you have enough natural light in your laundry room?
- Do you have a special storage space for your detergents and cleaners?
- Do you keep your vacuum cleaner, brooms and mops in the laundry room, and is there a specially designated cupboard for them?
- What other personal items in the laundry room require storage?
- Is your laundry littered with baskets, shoes, shoe racks, portable drying racks?
- What are your options — shelves, baskets, or a cabinet or two?
- Do you have enough room for your ironing board and for a stand-alone drying rack? Which corner of the room would be the best to house either or both of these?
- How would your ironing board look with a bright decorative new cover?
- How can you spruce up the energies in the laundry to make your visits to it more enjoyable?
- Do the walls need a fresh coat of paint or perhaps wallpaper for a new look and added interest in the texture of the walls? How would a neutral or pastel blue or green keep the colour scheme consistent throughout the house?
- How would your windows look with new blinds or curtains printed or embossed with a splash of contrasting colour and design?
If you are thinking of remodeling your laundry room, you might want to consider having pullout drawers that house your laundry baskets. Try to be as inventive and creative as possible to clear everything you can off the floor and tucked neatly away into drawers, shelves and especially designed cupboards.
After you have gone through your checklist, have a look at your budget and make a strategic plan as to how to proceed. See how you can keep your laundry room clean, clear, uncluttered and as stylish and in keeping with the décor of the rest of your home. If you are thinking of selling, buyers will definitely appreciate the care you have taken to keep the laundry station in your home neat and tidy.
