Linen Storage in Hallway

Putting laundry away would be a pleasure if I had a built-in linen press like this one. I have seen many old homes with them and have always been envious. One house in particular comes to mind. It had fine linen storage in the entrance hall near the dining room and another on the second floor hall for bed and bath linens. Just.Wonderful. via

Hanging Out The Clothes

An illustration from one of my old picture books for children. I love the flowering trees used as clothesline posts. Notice the high brick wall to "hide" the laundry, especially the undergarments. Randolph Caldecott was the illustrator.

See all of my old posts about this illustrator and MANY more examples of his delightful artwork. I love each and every one and you will too. Enjoy. xo

Washboard Laundry Morning

I used this vintage washboard in the bathtub this morning to wash a few pieces of fleece clothing and it worked perfectly. You aren't supposed to wash fleece too frequently in the washing machine because it breaks down the material made from plastic bottles. Who knew? I don't really have a problem polluting the ocean because I have a septic. Anyway, I had too few clothes for a washer load and this was quick and easy and my things are dripping nicely on my balcony railing. Fleece always dried quickly. The original price $1.89 is written on top of this vintage laundry aid. I am glad I have it. Everything old is new again. xo

My Old Clothes Line with Webster

As I mentioned in this old post, I lost all the trees to the right of my garage/barn after Superstorm Sandy but I still have the white pine on the left. Webster the Wonder Dog used to love watching me hang out the wash. All I need is a new post and I could have a clothes line again. I still manage quite well with drying things outside on wooden clothes racks and my balcony railing so all is not lost. In the winter, the clothes racks are perfect in my furnace room for all but large top sheets which I dry on my balcony. I love sleeping on sheets that have been dried outside and I can honestly report that sunshine leaves an aroma on them like no other. When I enter my bedroom after putting on clean linens, the whole room smells like sunshine. The items dried inside have no aroma at all because I use a detergent with no scent.

The sun can kill the Corona Virus bacteria that can live on fabric for 6-12 hours. Normal laundry detergent should kill it on items in the washing machine. Winter clothes that can't be washed can be put out in the sun to kill the virus. Continue to wash your hands often and be smart about being out in public. xo

PS: I just found an easy recipe for DIY: Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Small Garden w/ Greenhouse + Washing Maching Update

This small but mighty garden is so special. There is something to oooh and ahhh over everywhere you rest your eyes. I cannot believe there is even a sizable greenhouse behind the dahlias. A tall wooden privacy fence, assorted picket fences, pea gravel paths, raised beds herbs, flowers, lawn brick patio, etc. Too many amenities to list! Swoon. Found here.

Washing Machine Update: I washed two woolen sweaters by hand in the kitchen sink this morning. It was quick work and I folded them somewhat and took them downstairs to my laundry room and put them soaking wet in my new Maytag washer. I set the dial to "drain and spin" and walked away. I was very pleased at how nearly dry they were. I always take my window screens out for the winter because they block so much light. I put a screen atop each of two wooden drying racks in my furnace room and put a terry towel atop each one. I took a while to arrange them and reblock them somewhat and to pat and shake out the wrinkles.  I went back downstairs after a couple of hours and they had already begun to dry. I shook each one and turned them over. I was afraid to use the handwash cycle but am quite pleased with hand washing them myself. If you try this make sure you have two or more items for balance in the spin cycle rather than just one.

Nice Laundry Room + My New Washer Update

I love this vintage sink between the washer and the dryer, don't you? I also like the marble countertops and backsplash. 

Now, back to my new Maytag top loading washing machine. When I first got it, I did four loads in a row in four days so I was pretty much caught up on my laundry. I did a mixed load yesterday because I didn't have enough for a white load by itself. I did 2 pairs of cotton slacks, 2 tee shirts, dishtowels, a small bathmat, one blouse, pajamas, underwear, and I can't remember what else. I watched a youtube tutorial about how to load the dry clothes. You aren't supposed to "wrap" a pair of long pants around the tub, but hold them up and drop them down. You are supposed to try to distribute the laundry evenly, so I did.

I used the "normal" setting that I knew to be a lot less water than I usually choose on the bulky/sheets setting.

I chose "light soil" and "warm water".

I did not want an extra rinse and I never do. I learned on the internet that if you turn the fabric softener dial, you will get more water even if you don't use fabric softener and I never do. My clothes weren't really dirty so I used the minimum amount of HE liquid laundry detergent (Tide Sensitive).

I set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes. I watched the beginning of the cycle. At first after the detergent was evenly dispensed in multiple squirts as the tub rotated and paused, the agitating began in not much water but the clothes were all wet. This was to get the concentrated water in all the clothes before the water was diluted. After a while more water was added and the agitating continued. Then I walked away and hoped for the best. 

I went down to the basement just before the 45 minutes was up and arrived at the very end of the spin cycle before the "done" light came on. The cycles using a big tub of water were over an hour so this was a shorter cycle and I liked that. I hung all my clothes outside in the sunshine and they were all clean so what can I say. Some days you just want a lot of water and some days you don't. Either way, your clothes will be clean so I am still over the moon with my new Maytag.

I love doing laundry now and don't put it off the way I used to. Another favorite thing is this vintage laundry basket with "make do" rope handles when the original ones broke. Another garage sale find, of course. 

New Maytag Washing Machine LOVE

My new Maytag washer arrived yesterday and I am thrilled with it.

The lid opens perfectly as if it had been designed for my tight spot. The dryer is recessed and my old front loader used to match it, side by side. But I think it looks fine this way. I had to pull the washer all the way up to the door surround in order to be able to fully open the door but I am very pleased with the way my new laundry room is working out. I absolutely LOVE my new washer and have done two loads. I think this top loader gets my clothes a lot cleaner than my old machine and it spins them almost dry. Today I did my double bed sheets and four towels and I will use the sheet setting again because I like a tub nearly full of water. The load I did yesterday was on a setting that used very little water but the clothes came out clean. I can't wait to do some sweaters on the hand wash setting. One of these days I will photograph the other half of the room which is a half bath but I need to do a deep clean first. 

One of the reviews I read said to walk away from the machine after starting the wash. I decided to watch it because it's fascinating the way it works without the center agitator that I grew up with. I did today's load in all white but threw in an old pink and white striped towel that I use for cleaning. It was so interesting to see that it changed positions in the load so the other things must have also. 

The stainless steel tub is huge but not overly deep so you can easily unload the wet clothes. See what I mean about the center device? I guess the sides work like a wash board and they say the clothes get clean by rubbing up against each other. There are lots of interesting sounds and the clothes are always doing something, sometimes fast and sometimes slowly. I was prepared to be disappointed but instead I am delighted with my purchase from Lowes. They aren't paying me to advertise this, I'm just sharing with my friends.

xo

Hello, September

Hello, September and hello all. Sorry I haven't been around for a while. My washing machine broke and cannot be fixed and I have had a really hard time finding a replacement. The part is no longer available (of course) and the repair man found one on eBay but it was $600. YIKES. I looked and looked and looked and absolutely could not find a front loader that would fit in the tight space in my laundry room. I settled on a Maytag front loader that will fit but it might not exactly line up with my dryer because I completely forgot about the shallow cabinets above. I might have to pull it out farther than the dryer in order to get the top open. I think it will be fine, fingers crossed. It is being delivered on Thursday. I am not at all excited about getting a new one and having to learn how to use it. Nothing is simple these days, right? Things don't last the way they used to and the manufacturers have planned obsolescence built in. I have gotten numerous tips by watching demonstrations on YouTube. Some of the comments are hilarious. My old one was a high efficiency front loader and I could see that it used very little water. My new one is HE too and all the comments were about the lack of water in the drum. It doesn't have the old-fashioned agitator that sticks way up either. My clothes are never very dirty except when I am down on my hands and knees in the garden. I have old work clothes so I don't care if they don't look brand new when they come out of the washer. Sorry to sound out of sorts. I am really fine and just wanted you let you in on what's going on in my life.

Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. I am loving the cooler weather after a long hot spell. I am not ready to kiss summer goodbye, are you? I love fall except for the leaves which I never get raked until spring rolls around. I have learned the birds like it this way because they can find winter food underneath the leaf cover. I don't feed them so this is the least I can do for my feathered friends. xo

Wonderful Laundry Room

Yes, please. I want it all.

Inspiring renovation found here.

Laundry Room Sink and Shelf Love

via

I love everything in this room! The old ginger beer bottles lining the shelf are a lovely touch for a great photo shoot.

My clay chicken pot found on the side of the road on trash day several years ago is planted with on of my rosemary herbs that was originally rooted in water. This photo also shows my second cast iron chicken in the background. I haven't spent any money at all this year in either my front or back gardens. I have just been transplanting, rooting, or seeding with seeds I saved myself or bought last year. I am especially proud of a Limelight Hydrangea cutting I pushed into the ground two years ago when I was pruning that is turning into a handsome shrub.

Here it is in between two American boxwood I just pruned and haven't picked up the clippings yet. I pushed this clipping into the earth next to the mother plant when I pruned my huge Limelight in the fall two years ago. The following spring it sprouted leaves and I left it in place. I transplanted it to the side garden next to the driveway that leads to my red barn/garage this spring and now is thriving and is growing into a real flowing shrub. It will probably outgrown this spot but for now it is in its "nursery" stage. I planted another rooting in another spot but it is much slower showing off than this one. Plant propagating is another form of thrift and requires patience but is very rewarding in the end. Luckily I have a lot of patience that has paid off in many areas of my life.

Current rootings in progress at my kitchen sink. Left and center vases have many roots forming on lavender clippings and the far right has a limelight hydrangea cutting from my new shrub; I am curious to see if it will root in water. I have already planted one clump of lavender rootings and they are growing slowly but surely out back. My mother always had something she had pinched rooting at the kitchen sink and my brother and I liked to root sweet potatoes and carrots there too. Now I want to go out and buy some sweet potatoes and get a good vine going. xo

Vintage Laundry Sinks on Stands

I spotted these old porcelain beauties on cast iron stands at a Broker Open House earlier this week. I have a double porcelain sink in my own kitchen (click link to view) and would love to have these two for my finished basement. One for the laundry room and the other for the summer kitchen. I, personally, like having a laundry room in my basement. I have drying racks in the furnace room for the items I don't like to put in the dryer. Not pretty, but practical. I think one of the sinks above is being used as a drain for a dehumidifier. At one time the washer and dryer were down here but now they are upstairs in this antique house. I am probably the only real estate agent who toured this home and found beauty in the basement. Smile. xo

Cute Wallpaper in a Laundry Room

This post will be short and sweet. I'm pooped from shoveling. Not much snow and easy to get rid of but I did most of the driveway too. I photographed this wallpaper in a laundry room at a broker open house some time back. xo

My Bedroom Curtains Drying in The Sun

I washed my bedroom curtains today in the tub and put them on a drying rack in the sun to drip dry on this windy day. Ironing was a snap and they look so nice and fresh in my room.

They are hanging wrong side out on the rack and the back sides are somewhat faded in places. The fronts are still bright as new. I made curtains for a big double sliding glass door in 1972 and have remade curtains from that fabric for every place I have lived ever since. There is still a lot of life left in these curtains made from 46 year old fabric. It is woven with no right or wrong side. If it were a printed design, they wouldn't have lasted this long. Blue and white checks forever.

I am shadow waving hello to all of you and hope you have a nice weekend. They won't look at my car until Monday. xo

Laundry Room, Home Office and Porch

Was once a porch so it required its own heat/ac unit.

Same house with a great home office.

The house with the best front porch. Swoon.

Photos found when searching the MLS today.

So Many Stockings !!!

Santa is going to be busy at this house! via

Kitchen with Open Fire

I don't really understand the open fire on the cooktop. It looks dangerous to me. I love the baby's laundry hanging out to dry up high. via

The Most Wonderful Laundry Room

I do love a stacked washer and dryer! ‘Cottonwood.’ Jackson and LeRoy, home builders, Salt Lake City, UT. via

Vintage Clothespin Collection

There are so many styles here that I've never seen before. This photos is like the history of laundry day. via

Nice Laundry Room w/ Sliding Barn Door

I really, really like this laundry room!

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design in Portland Oregon via

Laundry Room Extraordinaire

This room takes laundry to a whole new level, doesn't it? via GSMLS