Time to talk laundry.

 We have a laundry room: from the garage you go directly into this room, then a few steps into the back hall and you’re in the kitchen. It’s a nice size room: about 10′ x 12′ and has an east facing window for lots of morning sun. Those are the basics.

What’s in it? When we moved in there was a washer and a dryer and a deep, free standing, plastic utility sink.  Nothing else. Oh, yes, some shelves on the wall, right over the washer and dryer so of course I can’t reach/use them as they are too high up and far away! Thank goodness we brought some old bookcases with us for storage.

I’m embarrassed to show you…but here goes. One of the offending corners of the room:

What a complete jumble:

more of the sight for sore eyes:
cookbooks, vases, baskets of hardware and lightbulbs, my bean pot…you get the idea.

We’re getting estimates for redoing this room! I’ve added and subtracted cabinets, corner units, glass doors etc. several times. But we’re getting close. Oh, thank goodness for blogs and for Houzz and the internet in general for SO many great ideas!
The MOST important element in re-designing this room is the fact that…
ta da….
1. I DO NOT USE a dryer. Well, maybe three times a year. At most. I hang up all my clothes and sheets and towels. Much to my disappointment, we are not allowed to hang any laundry outside here (home owners rules..) and I do long for my wonderful, long clothes line of former days. So be it. I have a portable clothes liner/hanger for small things, and have then rigged a retractable clothes line across the room for sheets and towels.
2. Yes, we inherited the former owners washer and dryer. We’ll talk about this later!3. I have been looking everywhere for just the right air drying “system” for my laundry room.
Right now we have this:

On the right there is a sheet hanging up on a long clothes line that extends across the room.
Really, it works beautifully! They dry in a few hours, no matter the season or weather.
Anyway, I searched all over the internet. And HERE is what I came up with:

and is sold exclusively by Lakeland and only in the U.K.
Yes, I looked everywhere.
This one, from Ballard Design, had almost found a home with me, when I came across the Airdryer.
It would work… but takes up A LOT of wall space, and I don’t really like the overhang effect.
To make a long story even longer… I had put the Airdryer picture on one of my Pinterest boards,
The most surprising and remarkable thing (to me, at least) is JUST HOW MANY TIMES this image has been repinned and liked. I am absolutely amazed. Every time I check my email… every time… a few more people have repinned this image. How are they finding it? What are they ‘searching’ for? Laundry ideas? Clothes lines? I have no idea. But there are A LOT OF PEOPLE out there looking for ways to hang up their laundry! For all you Pinterest followers and users out there: this image has been repinned over 325 times in a few weeks.
Which leads me to the next image: my newly arrived Airdryer!
I ordered it on a Saturday afternoon. The line itself is not expensive: 25 pounds, which is $38.00. But the shipping, from UK to the US, is 28 pounds or $43.00. So I ordered it. Do you know, it arrived three days later? Now, it’s hard to get that kind of delivery from ANYONE in the U.S. alone!
It is going to be just perfect under that window (see image above of present drying rack).
So now you know.
Once again, I just checked my email and four MORE people have repinned the item!
And yes, I wrote to the company saying they might think about promoting this item in the States. Obviously, there is quite a demand!

 

To be continued….