>Help me, Jesus! This is the thought and prayer I had every time I thought about cleaning out and organizing my laundry room. It became the catch-all for dirty laundry, cleaning supplies and mate-less socks.
I cringe as I post my “before” photo:
Note the piles of stuff all over. What you can’t see is, in front of the dryer, there’s a large hamper full of clothes. It actually blocked the back door.
I mean, really? Wow. I can’t believe I’m putting this out there. But I am.
Partly because I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. Partly because I think there might be just one more person out there who has a piled up laundry room and maybe they need to be encouraged that it doesn’t take all that long to clean it out.
First, I started with clearing out all the clothes. Dirties went into the washer. The clean clothes were folded and put away. Then I had my Hubby pull out the dryer and I vacuumed the vents and floor. I wiped down the washer and dryer. I organized my laundry supplies and put away cleaning supplies that weren’t laundry related.
It took me only a little bit of time, actually. I was interrupted by my two-year-old several times, but it took me a total of only a couple of hours, maybe, to get my laundry room straight. And as you can see, it really needed it!
This is my “after” photo. My washer and dryer are actually running as I took this photo. All supplies, including hangers, are within arm’s reach.
I am embarrassed to admit that the first day or two after my laundry room was clean, I kept bending over to pick up the laundry detergent from the floor to do a load of laundry. I had gotten so used to it being on the floor, instead of on the shelf as it should be that I instinctively bent over to get my detergent.
Also note that the hamper is gone. The floors are clean. We can actually walk out our back door. Will wonders ever cease?
I can’t tell you how happy I was that our Fly Lady missions last week included cleaning the laundry room. Mine needed it so badly! And I’d already decided to work on it, so having actual Fly Lady missions to help was just icing on the cake.
I have had this antique wash board for years, always with the intent of hanging it in my laundry room. And now it finally has a home on my wall!
I also have two little signs to make me smile. One says, “Laundry Help Wanted” and the other says “When I said I do, I didn’t mean Laundry.”
Just a lil’ laundry humor here, folks!
Because I don’t know many people who just love to do laundry. If you find anyone who does, send ’em my way!
Fly Lady suggested hanging a nice picture in our laundry rooms to give us something pretty to look at. I’ve had this for a long time, and I’ll soon change the decor in my TV room, so it wouldn’t have anywhere to hang. I hated getting rid of it, but the bucket is blue and I’ll be using greens, so it would be out of place.
It’s actually quite perfect for my laundry room. It’s fresh but winks at the past, with the weathered boards and antique bucket. I love it. And keeping with the theme of keeping only what I love or what is useful, this little baby fits the bill! Because I do love it and it blesses me and makes me smile as I do our laundry.
In the spirit of Anit-Procrastination Tuesday, I also have a few items from my Doozey list that aren’t fully complete, but are in progress:
* Having a set time for email, Facebook and blogs (mostly finished, but I need to check it twice a day for church nursery updates, etc.)
* Preparing for yard sale on May 1st. My local charity is already scheduled to come pick up unsold items.
* Reorganizing laundry room – DONE!
* Reorganizing Master Bedroom
Progress is slow and steady. This isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon, but thankfully, it IS getting done, one job at a time.
WVgurl's Blog 
>this is so, so, so GREAT! This is my exact vision for "AP Tuesdays!" Thanks so much for being willing to get real and show us your stuff!! My laundry room at the moment is worse then your before pic, and I know there is more than me out there who can relate, that you have inspired!! Thank you and job well done!!(i'm supposed to be spring cleaning my living room, finally got the motivation to do it, and my vacuum pooped out on me!! after spending an hr taking it apart to look for clogs (none), i feel like quitting! Thank you for this timely post, gonna go finish up, maybe borrow a vacuum??:) (grr)
>Thanks for stopping by, Amy! I so appreciate your encouragement! I've actually taken several "before" photos of stuff, and when those projects are finished, I'll post them, too. I may not be the best at anything. I may not have the perfect home or whatever, but if anything, I'm real. lol. I do try to be honest in the many areas that are a struggle for me.
>Wow way to go girl. It got done and then some. The rest will get done too, that is why we are here to support eachother and get inspired to slowly getting things done that has been on the to do list for a while. I will be back to business next month. Maybe I too will decorate my laundry room some. It's actually tidy as it is in the kids bathroom and the top of the dryer is my changing table ;), but it sure does need some decor.
>Well done Aimee! I remember when we did our laundry room last spring, I absolutely loved the results. Now, it's my office that needs serious help. I am hoping to get a post up about that and other things on the Doozey List today! (hopefully I won't procrastinate) 🙂 Love your blog design – excellent.