I am very
fortunate with my little home that I have an actual laundry room. It isn't overly large, but it is a room
dedicated for doing laundry and big enough to house my large capacity front
load washer and dryer. And it makes me very happy.
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| The rod across the top here is super handy and a great place to hang items to dry |
There was a time
when this room didn't make me so happy.
I resented the nonstop loads of laundry and the room had become quite
the dumping ground. Everything that
didn't really have a home seemed destined to end up on top of the appliances or
on the floor. I never wanted to come in
here and I avoided it like the plague. After
several years of living in our home I realized what I really needed was to
change my mind set… about a lot of things.
Not the least of which was my relationship with this "room of doom".
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| The area next to the dryer houses our drying rack plus a shelf unit with laundry & cleaning supplies, light bulbs & extra pet supplies as well as the kitties' food bowls |
Instead of
resenting that I had to do laundry I
needed to be grateful that I had laundry needing to be done. I also had a place to do it, working
appliances with which to accomplish it and all of the supplies I needed to get
it done. Not only that, I also had the
ability (functioning arms and legs) and the cognition (knowledge and
understanding) required to complete the task.
In a nutshell, I am extremely
blessed. I had nothing to complain about.
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| This rack for the iron and both of my ironing boards has been a true blessing |
Then I had the
very real in your face moment of the simple fact that the current condition of
this room was entirely my fault. I was the
only one responsible for why I dreaded to come in here and struggled to get
things done. But, I also had the skill
and aptitude to do something about it.
So I did.
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| There is a small bathroom off of the laundry room, another true blessing! |
Over the course of time I've cleared, cleaned, painted, decorated and maintained this room and everything that resides in here. I don't allow clutter to accumulate and I keep it neat and tidy. I have established laundry and cleaning routines. I've paired down our laundry supplies to the basic essentials and keep them organized. I custom built and installed a coat rack on one wall to solve a storage problem. I bought and installed an ironing board organizer to take care of that issue as well. I got rid of things I really didn't need or use. On a rolling wire rack that fits perfectly next to my dryer I keep our laundry supplies and there is just enough space to keep the drying rack next to it when not in use.
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| One of my very first home improvement projects was to put in this coat rack |
I made this
space pretty and a reflection of my taste and style. I searched high and low until I found the
perfect laundry themed wallpaper border and I made some art work to hang on the
walls. To make it even more inviting I
hung up pictures of my grandparents and used my great grandmother's glass
washboard and kitchen scale as decorative pieces. I love this space.
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| I treasure my great grandmother's washboard and the vintage wash pan I found at a thrift store |
This room has
taught me a lot. For one thing, if you
have a space in your home that you aren't in love with figure out a way to make
it better and then do it. Take care of
that space and nurture it, keep it clean and maintain what you have in there. Don't complain or feel resentful. Remember to be grateful what you have and how
blessed you are for what you are able to do.
I love to come in here and I truly do enjoy doing the laundry.
One of my many Blessings and experiences was when my parents decided they could afford to take me 'home' for my HS graduation gift (along with lil sis). I was born in the Netherlands and we immigrated when I was an infant. Along with meeting grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins too numerous to count, I learned about how spoiled we are in the USA.
ReplyDeleteDad's lil sis/BIL had 3 children. They lived in an apartment that MIGHT have been 300sf. The girls shared a bedroom that barely held 2 twin beds at opposite ends (the beds were side by side at their feet) and they each had a dresser beside their bed with barely walking room. They were "lucky" to get a top floor apartment that had attic access. Their son's bedroom was the attic just large enough for a twin/dresser. Their bathroom had a LARGE sink. You used a stepladder to get into it and that was the shower. The kitchen? 1 bank of cabinets with a 4cf fridge under counter. Parents bedroom? Murphy bed in the dining room. The table/chairs went into the living room every night, the bed came down and the curtain was pulled.
When Mom's oldest brother came to the US in the mid 80s, they came to see us in our first home. 1450 sf on half acre. My uncle stood at the sliding glass door staring at the yard and said "you are rich". I knew what he meant even though hubster was making minimum wage and I was at maybe $7/h then. There is NO land in the Netherlands.
It was a fantastic lesson to learn so young. I've never taken for granted what we have here even though in my 20s I was impatient to have it all!
Happy Wednesday :-)
Thank you for sharing this. You are so right. We felt the same way after our first trip to China. We visited an apartment with dirt floors and the family with grandparents shared the one room. Their sleeping mats rolled up in the corner each day and they cooked in a communal kitchen with one wood fired "stove". No refrigeration, food is purchased daily, and you haul your water from the neighborhood tap. By their standards my 1130 sf home is a mansion. No doubt about it - we are very fortunate and blessed.
DeleteThanks for the reality check! We are so blessed!
ReplyDeleteI love your laundry room! Great job decorating.
My washer/dryer is in the basement with concrete floor and cinder block walls. It is also home to the water heater, water softener etc, plus a freezer and 5 litter boxes. Needless to say, I don't enjoy doing laundry down there. But you have inspired me to see what I can do to improve things a bit. Thank you.
You have a blank slate. Have fun with it!
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