November 11, 2013

Dream Laundry Room

"By Trudy Connor"

The changes in laundry facilities has become noticeable. I watched and helped my mother and grandmothers do laundry. The old wringer washing machines, scrub boards, rinse tubs, and of course the clothes line. On my grandparents farm the chore began with hauling hot water to the machine in the wash house and filling the 2 rinse tubs. In the summer we pulled the machine and tubs outdoors. Then sorting the clothes emptying the pockets into an old coffee tin. As a young child, I excelled at sorting by colors! The first items washed were always the whites, as they came cleanest with hot water. Wash in the machine and pass through the wringer. Next into the first rinse of hot water hand wring and into the second rinse in cold water. Anything to be pressed was dipped into starch. Then through the wringer again. Before carrying the load to the clothes line the next was dropped into the machine the water was not changed nor heated up. As the basket filled you carried it to the wash line and began hanging. Sheets always pinned on the outside line then pinned to the second line to keep them off the ground. Panties, slips and bras on the 3rd line. Next the shirts and dresses. Then finally a line of pants. While you were hanging on the line the next load is twisting away in the machine.
The biggest difference between the farm and our house in town was is town the machine was in the unfinished basement with a drain in the floor. We used a waxed box to carry clothes up and down the stairs. Making many trips as there were seven of us to do laundry for. The last load was always my fathers work clothes, as he would have oil and grease on them from the machine shop where he worked. By the time we would get to the last load we would begin bringing in the dry clothes. A bottle sprinkler would be used to moisten the shirts before pressing. We would moisten cottons all at once and roll them up one by one. Ironing began with the first shirt rolled. We did not have a steam iron!

Enter today and a new laundry room really a hallway just off the garage. The days of the wringer machine are over and the clothes lines no more. Nostalgic I may be, but I want to improve the function of the laundry room. While not a bad arrangement it needs a few things. This photo is a stock photo!

After all form follows function!


  1. Safety! Yes I need to maintain the walkway as wide as I can to allow my husbands wheelchair to pass through. With my husband's tendency to fall, I need to think high, but not so I this vertically challenged person (me) cannot reach it!
  2. A handy shelf on the back of the washer and dryer would be a great addition, and keep items from dropping behind the appliances!
  3. A way to store hangers.
  4. I need a place to hang clothes coming out of the dryer.
  5. A place to store the ironing board. Yes, I still iron!
  6. A way to sort clothes would be great also! The space is to narrow to sort on the floor my usual way!
  7. Oh, a place to hang jackets also!
  8. I also want a motion sensor light. One that lights the way when I need it and turns itself off when I am not in the room!  Hum, for the bathrooms also?
  9. Cheerful place. Wall color needs to be bright as the room has no windows.
  10. Shipping Station. While I usually do my shipping out of my laundry room. This one does not have counter space! No room for most of my shipping supplies. This will require some thinking.
  11. Cork Board/ note board
  12. Lutron Occupancy Sensor Switch
  13. Drying rack to cut down on energy consumption!




Now how to do it all!










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