I am participating in a Spring Cleaning Challenge hosted by "Real Me" at Meaningful Days . Wednesday is our check in day to let everyone know how our spring cleaning is coming along. Last week I did not have much time and decided to clean my front porch. I did manage to to get it cleaned and I have photos that I will add tomorrow. This week I am working on my laundry/utility/craft/sewing room. We have lived in our home 31 years and my husband, who builds custom built homes for a living, has never finished my laundry room. Each spring I tell him how nice it would be to have that room finished. He always responds by saying that no one ever goes in there but me. I usually get busy working outdoors and it stays unfinished. Maybe this will be the year that he decides to finish it....
Cleaning the Laundry Room
Step 1. Remove everything from the laundry room shelves.
Step 2. Pick through the items from the shelves and decide what is still needed and what can be thrown away. Things like old boxes of detergent that have hardened and dryer sheets that have grown dusty with age are likely candidates for the garbage bin.
Step 3. Dust the surfaces (top and bottom) of the laundry room shelves. Afterward, replace the objects you removed from the shelves.
Step 4. Use warm water, mild soap and a clean cloth to wash the surfaces of the washing machine and dryer. Make sure to get the knobs, switches and dials as well.
Step 5. Open the washing machine and dryer. If there are any old stains inside, wash them off with the same soapy solution and cloth you used to clean the outer portions.
Step 6. Remove the lint from the lint trap on the dryer.
Step 7. Dust any lighting fixtures, light bulbs and windowsills in the laundry room.
Step 8. Touch up any spots on the walls that need new paint. Make sure you use paint that matches the color that's already on the walls.
Step 9. Remove any area rugs or mats on the floor and take them outside. If they are vinyl or rubber, you can rinse them off with a garden hose. If the rugs are cloth, drape them over a low tree branch and beat the dust out of them with a wooden spoon or clean broom.
Step 10. Finish your spring cleaning by mopping the laundry room floor. Once it's dry again, replace the rugs or mats.
Touch up chips and nicks. If your washing machine or dryer drum have chips in the finish, take care of them early to prevent transfer of rust stains to laundry. Home repair stores have touch-up kits to repair the enamel finishes. Be sure to check the outer areas that are near the openings and fix those nicks as well.
Trash cans and plastic bin. Keep a trash can in the laundry room for lint and other debris. Set aside one plastic bin or basket to catch the flotsam and jetsam of pockets. Our rule is Laundry Doer gets to keep any money found. Other pocket items are kept for one month then discarded. Another plastic bin or basket holds odd socks. Once per month these are matched up or placed in the rag bag for dusting.
Sort laundry products. Most detergents and laundry products do not have expiration dates. However, most of us will find an empty container, a product that we don't like or a product like starch that will never be used. Recycle empty containers, pass along products you don't use to friends or a shelter that can use them.
Green laundry tips....
1. Only wash full loads of laundry, using as little water as possible.
2. Use the cold water cycle for all wash-loads, except heavily soiled loads, since up to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water.
3. Use highly concentrated detergent to minimize the amount of chemicals entering our environment.
4. Use only the manufacturer recommended dose of detergent to eliminate residue, maintain the quality of your clothes, reduce service calls, and minimize the amount of detergent entering our environment.
5. Recycle your detergent bottles, rather than throwing them in the trash.
6. Clean the dryer lint trap before using the machine to keep the air circulating efficiently.
7. Separate towels and heavier cottons from lighter-weight clothes before drying to minimize dry times.
8. Immediately remove clothes from the dryer to reduce the need for ironing clothes. This not only saves you time, but saves energy too.
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