For a family of 5 we have LOTS of laundry!  Our last house had a laundry CLOSET…just enough room to fit the washer and dryer.  I wanted to make sure our new house had a nice size laundry room since we spend an abundant amount of time in there.  Did you notice I said WE.  Yep, listen up, except for my 8 year old, every member of our family {including my husband} does their own laundry.  Honestly, it’s time for me to begin teaching my 8 year old to do hers as well.  This is not the 18th century.  We don’t have to use a washing board to clean our clothes.  Nor do we have to hang them on a clothes line outside.  This is the 21st century.  We are blessed with the modern conveniences of a washer and dryer.  Teach your children and your husband 1.) how to sort, 2.) throw the clothes into the machine, 3.) where & how much detergent to add, 4.) which button to push and the machine does the rest!  Sometimes they forget to transfer the clothes and I do it for them.  The dryer is much easier to teach: throw in a fabric softener sheet after adding the clean, wet clothes and push the appropriate button.  I wash all of our linens and towels.

 The paint color is what I would consider a robins egg blue {even though it looks somewhat green in these photos.}  It comes from Benjamin Moore Pottery Barn’s Winter (2008 or 2009, can’t remember) paint line.  It is called Atmospheric (AF-500.)  I really like it and used it in our bedroom as well.

We used small slate tiles for the back splash and front of the counter (Lowes.)  We bought black granite tiles for the counter top…much more inexpensive than slab granite.  I chose the least expensive utility sink/faucet combo.  This is the first time I’ve had a sink in the laundry room and I love it!  As I’m looking at this picture, I’m thinking I might want to paint the plug cover.  It sticks out like a sore thumb, huh?

This is how I sort my dirty clothes when they come into the laundry room.  It was my idea to have the builder build these cubbies for my laundry baskets (Wal-Mart.)  Over the years I have gotten particular about how laundry is done.  This might sound a little extreme to some people, but I don’t like to put my clean clothes in the same basket as my dirty clothes.  To me this makes perfect sense.  The clothes were dirty when you put them in the basket, so why would you put your clean clothes in the same basket?  I guess if you washed out your laundry basket before adding your clean clothes it would work, but who wants to do that every time?  Not me!  However, as I have talked to others they say I’m crazy.  { To each his own }  I found the labels and idea of attaching them with clothes pins from Better Homes & Gardens.  Click on their name and you can download your own laundry labels.  I was thrilled they used the same baskets I already had.  I spray painted my clothes pins pink for a splash of color.

 

 

Thank you to Design Sponge for the creative idea of the starburst mirror using clothespins.  I tweaked mine some by painting the pins with chalk paint and using a self adhesive mirror from a package of circular wall mirrors I bought from TJ Maxx.  So there was no need to glue them on.  I hot glued a soda can tab to the back to hang it up by a nail.

The window looking mirror above was a Goodwill find and I had already spruced it up with a can of white spray paint and used it on my fireplace mantel.  My initial intention was to place it over the sink in the laundry room because we have no windows in this room.  I decided I wanted to re-paint it again with my favorite chalk paint and antique it a little before hanging it.

I bought these elfa drawers at the Container Store.  They work well and slide all the way out for taking to family member’s rooms.  I only wish they weren’t as heavy.  Hey, but it helps work out the arms, right?  The cute chalkboard labels came from Pottery Barn Outlet.  I wrote my kid’s initials on each basket.  They are responsible for putting away their clothes when they are clean.

To the right of the basket is a thin broom closet where I keep my broom, mop and other cleaning tools.  I hot glued a table runner to make a pocket to slide my tension rod through and it made a perfect little curtain to hide the cleaning tools. {no sewing whatsoever!!! Yippee!!}

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our family’s place for washing clothes.  If you have to be in the room a lot, why not make it functional and pretty?

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After a while crocodile,