Monday, July 30, 2012

A Look Inside the Laundry Room ~ Free Printable Labels


Nothing lovelier can be found
In woman, than to study house good.—Milton.

We spend so much time in the laundry room which makes it a worthy place to add some female touches. Gather up some linens, labels and love and place them here to fight the laundry room "blues". Sorting clothes in a happy and floral space can be very peaceful. It is also nice to have a CD player in this area to further the idea of tranquility with some soothing music.


Organization of space helps to create a pleasant working atmosphere. We like to have everything nice and tidy in our homes but the poor laundry room is often neglected making our daily duties seem dreary.


Simply place all like items together in some sort of storage container. Bless your space with lovely labels to give it that "finished" feel.

I have included some versatile "Laundry Label Printables" (below) in case you want to reorganize your washing area. 


If you are lacking "inspiration", you can always print out our "Wash Day Prayer". It puts everything into perspective as you begin to tackle the piles and mounds. I taped ours onto a cardboard, hole punched the top and slid some ribbon through for a frugal frame.


Look for jars in thrift shops and garage sales to store your detergents, extra clothespins, laundry bars and soaps (we also have a shower inside the laundry room which is why there are some bath products).


"Here, wherever it is, is your spot. This place should be expressing something of yourself. It should be communicating something of you to your visitors, but is should also satisfy something within you. You should feel 'at home' here, because you have made it home with something of yourself."
~ Edith Schaeffer


Even the basic ingredients necessary for a "natural" wash day are prettier to use when you apply a simple home made label (I place hydrogen peroxide in my rinse cycle as a whitener). For a frugal recipe on making your own fabric softener, visit here.


Most of the time, we are a clothesline community but in those winter months, the dryer is a blessing!


To save money on dryer sheets, we cut them in half. It works out just as well :) and leaves you with an extra supply of inventory.


Some other items we store in our laundry/utility room are rags for household cleaning, garden tools, and measuring cups (to use exclusively for preparing detergents, cleaners and other household concoctions). 


I love the convenience of sorting my clothing straight from the main hamper in the bathroom and directly into the appropriate sections in this laundry rack. Once a bag is full (which happens fast!) then it is time to do a load. We use the white, lights and dark system for our laundry. Hot water for white, warm water for lights and cold water for darks.



This old shelf/table hides a lot of items underneath the makeshift "skirt" it wears. I am able to store my cleaning buckets, outdoor towels and bulkier supplies underneath its covering. One of my favorite household inventions is the spring rod! Pairing them with curtains, flat sheets, or tablecloths, it is easy to cover any unsightly' s. This floral panel was one dollar at the Salvation Army.


We use store bought detergent for our "nicer" clothing. What I did learn is that two coffee scoops (when did I start measuring in the coffee system?) is suffient for your front loading washer. I was causing my machine many problems and clogging everything because of all the soap I was putting in at the beginning!


We use the homemade detergent for our towels, work and play clothes. It isn't as good at stain fighting but it does clean the clothes and save money for the items I am not so particular about. I found this easy recipe at diy natural. Note: When I wrote "scoops", it means tablespoons. 


We are going on our second year with the front loading washing machine. We like it although it does require a little extra care than the old water guzzler.


It helps to keep a towel (we like the microfiber) near your washer so that when you are finished laundering for the day, you can wipe up the glass on the front door.


It is also important to wipe out the inside of the rubber nook in the machine at the end of the wash day. Mold grows here very quickly! Lastly, keep the door ajar when not in use for the same reasons (and to prohibit musty smells).


The tour is now over and I hope you are ready to start on those clothes! HERE are our free laundry labels should you like to revive your work space. You can either print them out on plain paper and affix them with glue or you can print on plain sheet sticker paper (and cut to size). Happy washing and organizing! 

"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."

~Robert Louis Stevenson


I hope you have enjoyed this article and invite you to visit here for more Wash Day Inspiration!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsMake Your Home Sing MondayGood Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersThe Homesteader HopWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and ConversationHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadAwesome Life Friday Link Up and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

25 comments:

  1. Thanks for the look inside your Laundry Room!
    It's so sweet!

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  2. Thank you Carolien for the "sweet" comments you leave that "sweeten" my day :)

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  3. Oh my! You've done an amazing job organizing your laundry room. I LOVE it! I certainly would fold clothes in there for sure. :)

    My laundry room is about the size of a closet, literally. There is just enough room for the washer and dryer, and so there is NO space to fold clothes or anything, ugh. I'd still like it to be more pretty though.

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    1. Our last house had a similar situation. What I did was (okay, hubby did, not me) place a long shelf (just a cheapy kind) above and across my washer/dryer and placed all my goodies on it. Then I hung a bulletin board in there and pinned some inspirationals :) etc. This is the first time I have had room for a laundry rack which is why I was so excited! :) Nice hearing from you ~ JES :)

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  4. Jes,
    Your post reminds me of Brother Lawrence -- how he served the Lord as he went about his daily chores and "did all to the glory of God." Thanks for sharing! I'm visiting from Be Not Weary (www.lorihatcher.com)

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    1. That's the idea ;)

      "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord…" Colossians 3:23

      Thanks for visiting! ~ JES

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  5. A beautiful laundry room that would be a PLEASURE to spend time in! Love it!

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    1. Thanks! You are invited to come over and help me fold clothes then ;)

      Have a wonderful day! ~ JES

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  6. I didn't know a laundry room could be so pretty - or organized! You've got the wheels turning in my mind! How wonderful!

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  7. this makes me feel I know you just a bit better :) I love your orderly and pretty laundry room!

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    1. You will find that I love to organize and label. Hubby says one day he will find a label on him ;)

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  8. Thank you very much! I really like it. It will help me organize my laundry area and other stuffs. :-)

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  9. I missed this one somehow, lots of good information. I made the mistake of not caring for the front window of my front loader, will not do that one again!

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    1. Live and learn… Thanks for sharing here today Dallena, it was nice hearing from you and hope you are having a good summer!!! :)

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    2. Oh yes, good and busy, but that is what summer is all about, makes me long for those cool crisp fall days. Hope and pray the same for you!

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  10. What a lovely laundry area. I love your printables. Thanks for all that you share here. Such a happy and comforting place to visit. ~ Abby

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    1. Thank you Abby! It is always nice to hear from you :)

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  11. Your laundry room is very pretty, Jes. It will be one of the features tomorrow at the new Every Room In The House Party. Thanks for sharing it along with the free printables, laundry detergent recipe, and all the tips. xxx ~ Nancy

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  12. What a great post and a lovely laundry room! Would you believe we have identical Bosch appliances? They were in our home when we moved in three years ago and are still going strong. Thank you for the wonderful info you share!

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing here today! I love Bosch products :) Their mixer is the best 💗💗💗

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  13. I absolutely love your floral pattern on the clothespins in the last photo as well as on the curtain underneath your sink. Where can I find or how can I create that exact pattern ?

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    1. Thank you so much! The curtain panel was from a thrift store and the clothespins were bought long ago... I shared a tutorial on how to make your own if you visit here:

      https://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2016/03/diy-pretty-as-pinny-clothespins-tiggy.html

      💗💗💗

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