i love our laundry room.
love all of the cabinets for storing away items.
love our new-ish washer and dryer (which we had to replace a while ago when the washer died).
yes, you know it’s coming…what i don’t love.
i don’t love the fact the washer and dryer are so tall that i can’t easily get into the cabinets above them. this angle gives you a better idea of the annoyance…
the washer sticks out pretty far because of the mechanics/piping behind it. i would love to tuck them back under those cabinets, but this is as far back as we can get them.
the cabinet above the washer is where i had been storing my stain removers and dryer sheets. and because i don’t enjoy eye clutter, i kept them hidden away in those cabinets…
meaning each time i started a load of wash or transferred wet clothing to the dryer, i had to get into those cabinets – and using a small step stool.
this weekend, since it was mother’s day after all and we should do something small for ourselves….preferably something to make our mommy life a little easier…i decided to change that small issue. once and for all.
i’m sure you’ve already picked up on what i did to solve the problem…
i created a small laundry supply box that now sits on top of the dryer….and it looks cute. not an eye-sore…
2 bottles of shout stain remover (this is my go-to stain remover for sports clothing – the smaller bottle being a bit stronger)…
a box of shout color catching sheets…
and this cute little pail i had tucked away in a closet. now it’s full of dryer sheets…
i was always either fumbling with the dryer sheet box or the washer/dryer vibration would knock the box onto the side of or behind the dryer. no more! now when i need a dryer sheet, it’s easy to grab one.
not that i enjoy doing laundry, but this little box sure made it a little more bearable this weekend…
i found this box at the container store. it’s lightweight and has a beautiful whitewashed finish. i purchased this box in a medium size, which i am not seeing on the website, but they do carry in the store.
in case you are wondering where exactly i keep the detergent?…
i love that these risers not only get the washer and dryer up of the floor and a bit higher (my husband and i are tall), but the hidden storage is a great place to store away my laundry detergent stockpile…
hope you had a wonderful mother’s day and weekend!
I would kill for that washer and dryer set!!
awe, thank you! it's nice BUT the washer isn't perfect. i'll be sharing a post soon about the smell we have been experiencing that is coming from the washer. i think i finally figured it out – and possibly how to get rid of the odor. every friend i know that has a front loading HE washer has the same exact odor issue.
they are nice, but they don't come without their little issues 🙂 don't you wish everything was perfect from the beginning? 🙂
thank you for stopping by!!
Front load washers need to be cleaned weekly – you can take a rag and wipe around all the rubber components (where the majority of smell comes from). Make sure to pull the rubber up and wipe between it and the machine. Also, air your washer out every night and whenever you are not using it to help dry out the moisture. Once a month, run the washer on sanitary with 1-2 cups of white vinegar and wipe out the rubber components again and let air for 12-24 hours.
You should also clean the lint trap on the dryer once a month and wash it with dish soap to get the residue off. Water should run through the trap when clean. I make cleaning both a 1st day of each month item so I don't forget.
KM,
thank you so much for the reply to the odor issue. since i posted this comment, i have been doing a ton of research and found many of the tips you suggested. real simple did a great article on the issue a few months ago. and i have a post in the works to share some tips for other readers that are also struggling with the washer odor. i'll make sure to quote you on some of your tips, too 🙂
thank you!
samantha
Now that we're talking laundry..do you have any tips on how to best organize doing laundry, tips and tricks? I dont' mind doing laundry and but the putting it away is such a challenge and time consuming.
of yes, dear – coming up soon! 🙂
i know – the worst part is the putting away stage. no one enjoys that part of doing laundry. unless it's towels….those are the easiest to put away, right? lol!
thank you!!!
I found a tip online that's brilliant, and which I will implement as soon as I have a home with laundry inside the house instead of the garage 🙂 Keep baskets for each family member in the laundry room; do one load a day and fold the laundry into those baskets. At the end of the week, everyone puts away all their clothes. That way, you keep up with the laundry because you do it a little at a time, but you don't have to spend the time to put two things away in a bunch of places. All the putting away is concentrated 🙂
kel,
that is a great idea! thank you for sharing!!
xo,
samantha
Love it, thanks for sharing! I always love to see what other people use to do their laundry. 🙂
Anna
http://www.askannamoseley.com
thank you anna!!!
My cabinets in my laundry room are exactly set up the same way. Very annoying to reach inside them. Your idea is fine, but would not work for me. I always have clothes piled up on the dryer. I never can seem to keep up with putting it away.
hi carol jane!
thank you for the comment and for stopping by! i wanted to let you know i do the exact same thing – pile my folded laundry on the top of the washer and dryer! 🙂 and this weekend all i did was pick up that lightweight box and move it over to the counter behind me. once the laundry was folded and put away, the box went right back up on the dryer. at some point soon i'll share my method for getting laundry done and put away, but i'm pretty quick to get clean laundry out of the laundry room. but i know exactly what you're talking about. laundry is the last thing any of us want to put away – there is so much of it!!! sometimes it's easier to leave it stacked up in the laundry room – 🙂
I did the exact same thing because I have the exact same problem. Although I bought a green decorative basket from Target. I needed a pop of color, and that did the trick.
Btw, I also love your laundry room. It's so big, and I love the color of your cabinets. I have the same w/d as you!
I'm so envious that you get to do a pop of color in your laundry room. With our red accents, it's hard to do that in mine. But I do love the red too 🙂 maybe in our next house. Haha!
Thank you again for all of your sweet comments – you might have to let me know your name soon so I can appropriately address you 🙂
Sam
Hey Sam…sorry it's Melissa. My husband started calling me Momma G ( last name is Geittmann) and I couldn't think of a more clever screen name!!
no, it's fine! and you definitely didn't have to tell me your last name. just wanted to know your first name for replying purposes…you have been leaving a lot of sweet comments so i wanted to be more personal with my responses. 🙂
sam 🙂
[…] i had the perfect little spot for it too…inside my new laundry supply box… […]