Quick and Easy Laundry Room Decor Ideas

By Jessica Ackerman

Believe it or not, but laundry room décor does exist. A laundry room doesn’t have to be a dreaded dank dungeon when it has the potential to be bright and happy. Any laundry room, no matter how small or dark, can be transformed into an inviting space. Best of all, you don’t need to spend a lot of money or time on improvements. You’ll discover that by adding a few simple touches will make all the difference to your washing experience.

Like it or not, your going to spend plenty of time in your laundry room, time that only increases as families grow larger. Therefore, why not choose to like it instead of loathing every minute. By adding some of the basic laundry room décor tips below, you may even find yourself looking forward to washing clothes.

Tip 1 - Paint the walls your favorite color - If you don’t have a favorite color, then choose bright and energetic shades such as yellow, orange and red. On the other hand, should you desire your laundry room to be a place where you can relax, choose blue or green. Your walls should be a color (or colors) that make you feel happy.

Tip 2 – Pictures to give walls character – If painting is too much of a hassle, or if you have any free wall space, why not add a picture or two as part of your laundry room décor. It doesn’t matter if it’s a painting by a famous artist, a picture your child drew, or a movie poster. The laundry room is certainly the one area of your home where you can be really liberal with your wall decoration choices.

Tip 2 – Keep your feet cozy - Add a couple of soft rugs or mats to the floor in front of the washer and dryer to keep your feet snug and warm. Rugs also help to absorb any water that may fall. You do not need any special mats unless you have a theme for your laundry room décor you wish to follow, simply choose the rugs with the color/design and texture you like best.

Tip 3 – Get nature involved – Plants, regardless if they are real or artificial, add life and color to a room, and can easily infuse a dull room with vitality.

Tip 4 – Music makes a difference – Include a little radio or CD player in your laundry room so you can listen to and sing with your favorite tunes as you work.

Tip 5 – Light up your life - If the lighting is dull in the laundry room, or there is not enough, do yourself a favor and obtain brighter bulbs or additional lighting (I.E. floor, table or task lighting). Poor lighting puts strain on your eyes and can make you feel tired.

Tip 6 – Keep it cool – A laundry room can often feel damp and warm. A small fan can help circulate the air and be a great comfort on a hot day or if you’re feeling overheated.

Tip 7 – Add convenient laundry room décor to your space - Convenient décor includes shelves, hanging clothes rack, hampers and a waste basket. It is imperative that some form of organization exists within your laundry room so you can store soap, keep dirty clothing off the floor, and have a place where delicate clothing can hang to dry. A waste basket is also needed to collect any tissue left in pockets, lint from the dryer or fabric softener sheets. A cluttered laundry room is a huge deterrent so keep it clean.

Even if you only incorporate a few of the above laundry room décor tips, you will notice a difference. Keep in mind, if you are the one in your household who does the most wash, decorate the laundry room for yourself!

Jessica Ackerman is the featured author at http://www.walldecorandhomeaccents.com
For more information, visit Wall Décor and Home Accents , browse the large selection of elegant wrought iron wall décor and shop unique home accents.
To read more articles by Jessica Ackerman, see this important article on how to use wall hangings
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The Laundry Doctor is In

by Martin Satriani

American households are washing about 400 loads of laundry a year. That’s a lot of time in the laundry room. Doing laundry seems to get more complicated every year, with new fabrics, washing machines and additives. You aren’t alone in your confusion; even your mom had questions about the best treatment of her family’s wash.

Today, help that your mother never had is here. Harold Baker, also known as Dr. Laundry, offers tips and advice on his own blog. Baker, a senior scientist for laundry care and 30-year veteran at The Clorox Company, provides answers to pressing laundry questions. His is one of the first blogs available on the Internet to focus on laundry and stain removal.

Dr. Laundry washes away the mystery surrounding common laundry questions such as:

Q: How do I treat a stain when I’m not near a washing machine?

A: It is best to deal with stains as soon as possible. The probability of success in removing stains can decrease with time. Always remove as much of the stain as possible. Try scraping or lifting away excess residue, or gently blot the stain with a cloth or towel. Do not rub or push stain further into the fiber. Rinsing in cool water is useful on most fabrics.

Q: What can I do for stains that happen on striped shirts or pants?

A: Pre-treating or pre-soaking is a great way to start dissolving stains. Try using a Bleach Pen on the white part of your item. Clorox Bleach Pen Gel allows you to put bleach exactly where you want. Use the scrubber tip to squeeze the bleach gel onto the stain, rub, and then wash immediately with an all- or mostly-white load using with the warmest water recommended for those items.

Q: I’m planning to replace my washing machine this year. There are so many options out there nowadays. What are the advantages to a high efficiency machine?

A: High efficiency machines tend to save energy by using less water, and have a little better cleaning performance than conventional top-loaders. Their high spin speeds remove more water, meaning clothes can dry faster in the dryer, too. One drawback could be their price. Many cost upwards of $1,000. Dr. Laundry’s advice: Like any major home appliance purchase, it’s best to determine your washer priorities before you begin your search.

Q: I’m confused about bleach. Is it OK to use bleach on colored clothes?

A: It is perfectly safe to use liquid bleach on a lot of colors. Do a simple bleachability test in a small out-of-the-way area to be sure (see bottle or www.clorox.com). Bleach can kill unseen bacteria and body soil that detergent can leave behind. Not bleachable? Consider trying bleach for colors, which is specially formulated to be safe on colors and fabrics.

For more tips and to get answers to your laundry questions from Dr. Laundry, visit www.drlaundryblog.com. Editor’s Note: Clorox and Clorox Bleach Pen Gel are registered trademarks of The Clorox Company. - ARA

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How to Love Your Laundry Room

by Lesley Dietschy

Have your ever thought about how many hours you spend in your laundry room if you added them up at the end of each week? If you’re like me there are very few days that go by without doing at least one load of laundry. This being the case, it makes perfect sense to decorate your laundry room in a style or theme that pleases you and helps the chore of doing laundry a little more enjoyable.

What makes you happy and pleases your eyes? Is it the beach, antiques, art work, the color red? Whatever it is, just remember that you don’t have to decorate your laundry room in the same style or theme as the rest of your house. The first step to decorating your laundry room is to pick a theme. Whether it be a tropical them or a vintage them, carry it out through your entire laundry room.

For example, I decorated my laundry room in a vintage theme. On my neutral colored walls, I placed a collection of vintage washboards on one wall and a faux antique piece of artwork on another wall. I also added a few authentic old irons on a shelf mixed in with vintage detergent boxes. To continue my vintage theme, I added an antique looking wallpaper border close to the ceiling with old looking irons and washboards on it. To give the room a cheerful look, I added a collection of weathered baskets and greenery on the top of the cabinetry above the washer and dryer. I placed coordinating throw rugs on the tiled floor to cushion and comfort my feet while I’m doing laundry. Finally, I added the perfect window treatment to let just the right amount of light in and make my laundry room look complete.

If you choose not to use a decorating theme in your laundry room, you can easily liven up the room with colorful paint on the walls, updated or painted cabinets, artwork, flowers, and upgraded flooring. Be sure the flooring is forgiving of spills. Vinyl flooring, laminate flooring, and ceramic tile are a good choice.

If you decide to paint the walls in your laundry room you may want to paint only one wall leaving the other walls neutral in color. Deeply hued paint colors will reflect on the clothes making it difficult to see stains. If your laundry room has fluorescent lighting, which has a blue cast, neutral colors with yellow undertones can help combat the blue.

Perhaps the best way to love your laundry room is to organize it so that you know where all of the detergents and stain removers are. The following tips can help you organize your laundry room.

* If your laundry room has counter space, keep it uncluttered so that you can use it for folding clothes. If you don’t have a counter in your laundry room, purchase a small melamine table which is stain resistant and water resistant to provide you with a space to sort and fold your laundry.

* Store detergents, stain removers, sponges, and other laundry room supplies in a cabinet or on a shelf above the washing machine. You might also want to install additional shelves or premade cabinets in your laundry room for additional storage.

* Opt for an ironing board that can be mounted on the wall or an over-the-door style. The over-the-door style requires no installation and hangs over the door frame, drops down when you need to use it, and snaps back in place when you are done.

* If space is an issue, consider installing a retractable clothesline for air drying clothes. This type of clothesline is convenient, affordable and easy to install.

* Purchase a laundry hamper on wheels so that you can move it out of the way when necessary.

* Consider hanging laundry bags that will help you to presort laundry on a daily basis. This setup requires no floor space so it is ideal for a small laundry room.

Decorating your laundry room in a style that pleases you may in fact change your attitude about doing laundry. Since laundry is a daily chore for most of us, we might as well try and make the best of it with a great laundry room!

Lesley Dietschy is a writer, jewelry designer, beauty editor and the founder of a network of popular websites including http://www.HomeDecor
Exchange.com and http://www.HomeGarden
Exchange.com. Both of these websites feature valuable information and resources to assist you in decorating your home and garden. For mom tips, parenting tips, and kid friendly recipes, please visit: http://www.homedecor
exchange.com
/MomFamilyCorner/index2.htm

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