I am writing every day in October--taking on the challenge set forth by The Nester for bloggers to write a "31 Days to..." blog series. I'm tackling Minimalist Living and you can click here to read Day 17's post.
We're going to be tackling the basement for a few days. I will not be touching Brad's tools or his camping gear or anything else that is technically "his" as I agreed not to do so. I will be dealing with my storage items and minimizing what I keep down there. We have an unfinished basement which tends to be a "just chuck it down there" kind of space. There are lots of things that need purging-especially mementos & trinkets and baby toys. (ahem, i have no babies in this house anymore!)
First up: Laundry Area.
There's nothing extravagant about our laundry area. It's got a washer, a dryer, and an ancient laundry tub. Brad made a "step" for the w/d to put them up a bit higher and he put a shelf above them. There are two shelving units for storage, the laundry sorter, and the freezer.
Here's a shot before I took the vacuum to the space, removed the extra junk and wiped down the w/d:
Here's the "after":
I have to say that I believe I already am a minimalist where laundry is concerned. I don't have any pre-treaters, I don't have any sprays or stain sticks. I use laundry detergent, vinegar, and dryer sheets. I don't have any foofy accessories kicking around (which are cute, don't get me wrong). I don't have elaborate laundry sorting systems or even too many laundry baskets-so I guess I'm pretty streamlined where laundry is concerned.
I've never used liquid fabric softener and I even tried "quitting" my dryer sheet habit. Using the vinegar really helps with static & softness, but I simply *LIKE* how our laundry smells when it's had a dryer sheet thrown in there!
My best (maybe minimalist?) laundry tip is to get into the habit of doing a minimum of ONE load per day--from washing to drying to folding AND putting away. Some folks prefer to let their laundry build up and then spend an entire day washing and drying and folding. That won't work for most people because giving up a free day to do laundry just doesn't sound fun at all.
If you're a working family, simply toss a load in before you go to work, have the kids (if they're old enough) toss it in the dryer when they get home & take it out to fold and then everyone helps put it away. I've been sticking to this idea of doing a minimum of one load per day and it has changed my life.Well, it's changed our laundry life, anyway.
By doing a minimum of one load per day, it allows me freedom on less hectic days to do more laundry. My one load per day is always clothes-kids clothes, adults clothes, nasty smelly soccer & teenager clothes-but because I'm not behind on clothes, I can add in an additional load of towels or sheets or rugs.
Day 1 email
Day 2 magazines
Day 3 kitchen tools
Day 4 junk drawer
Day 5 bathroom counter
Day 6 first aid & medicines
Day 7 kitchen sink
Day 8 plastic containers
Day 10 spices
Day 11 mail
Day 12 linen closet part 1
Day 13 linen closet part 2
Day 14 donate!!!
Day 5 bathroom counter
Day 6 first aid & medicines
Day 7 kitchen sink
Day 8 plastic containers
Day 10 spices
Day 11 mail
Day 12 linen closet part 1
Day 13 linen closet part 2
Day 14 donate!!!