Entries Tagged 'Get Your Laundry Done' ↓

No matter where you live, or in what kind of dwelling, a garment rack is a handy thing to have around.  The typical rolling clothing rack can serve a variety of purposes, from storing seasonal clothes in the garage to adding a closet to any room.

The guest room in my home is actually located in a space that was designated as a small office or bonus room, so it did not come with a closet.  I solved this problem by adding a Portable Spare Wardrobe Closet which acts like an instant closet.  It even closes up for a tidy look in the room.

A good garment rack can also help save your laundry room from getting messy, overcrowded and a confusing.  You can use it to hang clothes to dry, which will also save you some money on energy.  If you use a hanging sweater dryer to air dry delicates, you can hang it from your garment rod rather than putting holes in the wall or ceiling.  If you do not have space in your laundry room for a full size rolling garment rack, then there are a number of alternatives.

A wall garment rack saves you space and gives the same benefits of hanging clothes to store or dry.  Use this kind of clothing rack like a usual closet rod, and even hang sweater shelves or a hanging shoe rack.  Best of all, they can also be folded down when not in use.

As I said before, just about anyone can benefit from having a garment rack in the home.  They can do more than just store and dry clothing – think of unique and creative ways to re-purpose a garment rack!

The holidays are around the corner, and for a lot of us that means one thing – house guests.  By Christmas day, my house is packed with out of town relatives.  My sister, her husband and their two kids, my mom and dad, and Aunt Henrietta on my husband’s side of the family.  We always wanted a big house with lots of space for guest to stay over and feel welcomed during the holidays.  That was before we realized what an ordeal it can turn out to be, especially when it comes to the laundry mess!  The first year we hosted the whole family at Christmas, it didn’t occur to use to have spare laundry hampers around.  You can imaging the chaos that ensued.

Around day four of our family gathering I walked into the laundry room which looked more like a war zone.  Never mind the piles of dirty clothes – I couldn’t tell what belonged to whom and getting all the socks matched back up was a bigger task than cooking Christmas day dinner!  So the next year, I got smart and decided that every family/couple would have their own laundry basket.  But I didn’t want to have three or four extra clothes hampers around all year, so I needed something that would fold down and store away the rest of the year.  I decided on getting four spiral Pop hampers because they’re made of canvas and fold down flat.  When the gang isn’t in town, I can store them in the garage with other seasonal items.

I am so glad that I solved the holiday laundry problem, and that it was such an easy solution!  Doing laundry when my family is in town for the holidays is easier on everyone, not just myself.  Everyone’s dirty clothes come in and go out in the same laundry hamper and now they can fold their own socks!

Who says a practical item like a clothes hamper can’t make a great gift?  I have a friend who loves practical gifts because she’s very minimalistic and doesn’t like “things”.  Being a single working mom, she also can’t afford to buy herself a lot of those basic necessities.  Chances are you probably have someone in your life like that as well.  So here are some gift ideas for that who could not only benefit from a practical gift, but would love it because they wouldn’t or couldn’t afford themselves the luxury of getting a fancy laundry hamper.

Because she’s a busy mom, my friend could really benefit from a laundry sorter to keep her organized and cut back on laundry time.  With something like this, she can keep everyone’s dirty clothes sorted, and gain some storage:

For someone with a family but limited space, I would recommend something a little more compact.  You can still get the large capacity, without taking over the laundry room with something like this:

Anyone who doesn’t have a washer and dryer in their home and has to travel with their laundry needs an easy way to tote it around.  I suggest either a bag that they can carry over their shoulder, or a rolling cart to bear the load, like this:

If you just need a basic laundry hamper to hold your laundry and maybe one other person’s, go with something stylish like this:

If you need a larger capacity hamper to sort laundry but still want style like the last hamper, then this one gives you the best of both worlds!

If you like these hampers either for yourself or as a practical gift for someone in your life, then I think you have great taste too!

Here’s where you can find them:

1.  Laundry Cart: Bamboo Laundry Center by Neu Home

2. Compact Cart:  Triple Laundry Sorter

3. Portable Hamper:  Collapsible Laundry Hamper Caddy by Caddy Concepts

4. Stylish Hamper:  Nadina Hamper by LaMont

5.  Stylish Sorter:  Woven Seagrass Triple Laundry Sorter by Household Essentials

Just in time for holiday shopping, I have compiled a list of favorite clothes drying racks.  “Why on earth would I buy someone a drying rack as a gift?”, you say.  Because a clothes drying rack is something that every one needs!  Get one for your wife, your sister, a friend, anyone who needs a new solution for hanging clothes to dry.  I have made sure to include something here for everyone, including apartment dwellers, home owners and everyone in between!

This expandable drying rack is perfect for anyone.  It has the ability to expand and contract to meet one’s needs.  It holds a large capacity without taking up too much space:

For someone who doesn’t have a lot of space in their laundry room, or doesn’t have one at all, this countertop rack is ideal.  Best of all, it can be folded down and stored in a tight space when not in use:

Another space saving solution for garment drying racks is something that hangs over the door, like this one:

Someone with a large family and enough space in their laundry room would benefit from a larger, more traditional drying rack.  I recommend this one because it offers A LOT of hanging space:

Last but certainly not least, this over door drying rack is the simplest and smallest solution, to meet the most basic needs.  It also makes the perfect stocking stuffer!

As you can see, drying racks come in all shapes and sizes and there is just about any kind available to meet everyone’s needs.  Show someone you really care about them this holiday season with an unforgettable gift like the ones I’ve listed above.  Happy Holidays folks!

Here’s where you can find these awesome clothes drying racks:

1.  Expandable Clothes Drying Rack by Household Essentials

2. Countertop Drying Rack by Polder

3. Brabantia Door Drying Rack

4. 3 Tier Airer Clothes Drying Rack by Moerman Americas

5. Over the Door Hanger Holder – Set of 2

Whether you have access to an automatic dryer or not, manual line clothes drying is a necessity for almost anyone!  Some of us don’t have a machine to dry our clothes and even those of us who do, often have to line dry delicate garments.  I have noticed that line drying clothes is becoming popular as a “green” way of living.  It cuts down on energy use and will save you a little money monthly (and everyone is looking to save a penny here and there in this economy).

Now, you can find just about any kind of clothes drying rack for sale out there on the internet.  Whether you need something to hang a whole load outside, a few garments in your laundry area, or a load over the bathtub in your tiny urban apartment.  There are laundry racks that hang over the door, mount to the wall, stand over the tub, extend from the wall, and everywhere in between! The reason this topic interests me is because it applies to just about everyone.  Even if all you need to hang dry is a blouse or pair of stockings here and there.

When looking for a rack to dry garments and laundry, consider your needs.  First and foremost: capacity.  Are you going to be drying whole loads of laundry or just a few pieces at a time?  Secondly, consider how much space is available; do you have a laundry room, a back yard, or just a space in your bathroom?  Will you need to use a wall mounted drying rack to save floor space, or will you have to go with a freestanding rack because the landlord won’t abide wall damage?  Whatever your needs, there’s sure to be a perfect clothes drying rack out there for you!

Laundry for Dummies Kit

As a brand-new college freshman, many young people heading back to school for the fall are beginning to make some eye-opening discoveries: They are meeting new people from all over the country (and sometimes even all over the world); they are having their world-view opened up to a variety of perspectives; and, they are taking new and exciting courses that were never before offered at their high schools.

Of course, not every single new discovery is quite so positive: College freshman are also learning that there is no one to make your dinner or force you to eat healthy; procrastinating until the night before a big exam never works; it is now on you to drag your body out of bed and make it to class in time; and perhaps most important of all, Mom and Dad are not there to do your laundry anymore, and yes, you smell terrible when you do not do laundry for a month.

While some brand new college students will have to learn these lessons the hard way, one way to be prepared for college dorm life is to have convenient laundry accessories at the ready, such as laundry bags, totes, cleaning supplies and more! All too often with college students, if there are multiple barriers preventing a chore from being completed, it gets put on the back burner and often never gets done (this is a bad, bad thing when it comes to cleaning your stinky, sweaty socks!).

The Laundry Kit for Dummies includes everything a brand-new college student needs to keep their laundry organized and keep them looking their best. This unique laundry accessory kit includes a collapsible laundry hamper, two bags for washing delicates, plus two dryer balls that are the perfect substitute for dryer sheets. Rounding out this perfect laundry set is a lint roller and a table top ironing board so not only will the college student smell pleasant, he or she will also have crisp and lint-free clothing.

With all of these new experiences to be to gleaned upon first arriving at college, it makes life much easier for your incoming college freshman to be prepared for as many of the more obvious first-time-college lessons as possible. Preparing them with everyday essentials such as laundry accessories is the perfect way for them to put their best foot forward.

Visit our back to school shopping guide for more dorm room essentials.

With so little space it can be difficult to find storage in your dorm room for everything from clothes to books to sports equipment. Getting creative with the space you have is the key to keeping that tiny closet from getting overrun, because nobody wants to open their closet doors in the morning to fight with an avalanche of stuff!

Bed Lifters – Wood by Richards Homewares

What’s the one piece of furniture taking up most of the space in your dorm? The bed! By adding bed risers to your standard dorm bed you can take advantage of unused space and add convenient storage. Coming in a variety of styles and heights, there is sure to be a bed riser to fit your bed and storage needs.

The Bed Riser comes in several heights and features a streamlined design that looks like it’s part of the bed frame. This way your storage needs can be customized based on just how much extra space you add to the under bed area. Only need a little lift? Add the Bed Lifters – Wood that come in two wood finishes, perfect for matching with a wood bed frame.

Not sure just how much extra height your bed needs? Try the Adjustable 8 piece Bed Raiser for a versatile design that allows beds to raised at intervals so you can place the bed at just the right height. These stacking bed raisers are also easy to reuse at home when college is over.

Now that you’ve got so much new storage space you can organize it further with some under bed storage bins. Look for long bins that make the most of all that space with a split, lift top lid on one end for easy access. You can also treat the under bed area as an extension of your closet. Add bins with drawers to store everything from sweaters to shoes.

plastic hangers

I remember the week before I started college.  My mom took me to the local drugstore to purchase “the basics”, or what she thought I would need to set up my dorm room, and to set up my new life as a professional student.  A few of the things I probably would have thought of on my own (toothpaste, deodorant), but beyond that, I have to admit that I was clueless.  She had been “furnishing” my life for 18 years up to that point for me, but now she was about to send me off, and clearly, by the look of the list she brought along, she wasn’t quite ready to hand over the reins for some reason.
It went something like this:  “Laundry Detergent?  Check.  Staples?  Okay, if you say so!  Roll of Quarters?  Huh?  What do I need those for? “
If you are in the shoes my mom found herself in (some 15 years ago, I might add), you’ve probably got the basics down yourself.  But here are a few more things you may not have thought of that you should add to your back-to-school shopping list:
·         Plastic Hangers – Why? They’re just so darn cheap!  And something I know that my mom forgot to send up with me (Imagine my surprise that closets don’t come complete with hangers).  Wire is great too if you have a bunch left over from the dry-cleaners (and free).
·         Roll of Quarters  (or two or three) – Yep, your not-so-much munchkin anymore is going to have to do his laundry all by himself, and he will have to pay for it.  And if you think he’s going to run out to get change when he runs out of clean sox, think again – he’s got better things to do now.
·         A jump-drive – also called a flash drive, barely yet invented when I was in college, but now an absolute must-have for every student.

With long, hot days that never seem to end, summertime can be quite expensive on energy costs. For most of the United States, an air conditioner in the summer is not just a luxury, it is a necessity. Unfortunately, air conditioners can be pretty costly on your energy bill as they take a lot of electricity to operate. However, the good news it there are some things you can do to even out the cost of running an air conditioner all summer long.

A great way to utilize the excellent summer weather and cut down a bit on your electricity consumption is dry your clothing on an outside line or a drying rack. I for one get very sweaty in the summer, so I am always doing laundry to keep up with my demand for clean clothing. Drying loads upon loads of clothing can add up quite a bit on the energy bill. Cutting down on mechanical drying is a great way to lower your energy costs in the summer, bringing them down closer to spring or autumn levels. I like to take advantage of that hot summer air while I can – I find that it dries clothing just about as fast as a dryer!

Pullout Wooden Clothes Drying Rack

The Clothes Drying Rack – Wall Mounted – wood is a great choice for those that have a space to wall-mount a drying rack. This is a great option because it does not take up any floor space and will always be right there for easy use.

Collapsible Clothes Drying Rack

However, some of us do not have a good spot to mount a drying rack – or others, like me, are renters and cannot be making permanent installations in the wall. In this case, I would recommend purchasing a product like the Collapsible Drying Rack. It is like this product is tailor-made for my situation. It can be folded down to a very small size, which is perfect for someone that is tight on space like me. It is pretty lightweight as well, so it I can move it all over the house so it is always in the sun.

While I try to cut back on my AC use to save on electricity, this just goes to show there are many other alternatives one can take to cut back on energy costs in the summer.

Many young people these days are opting to forgo a foray into the job market, putting that off and attending graduate school. These graduates are hoping that an advanced degree helps them when they do decide to enter to job market, plus they are able to bridge the recession by living off of student loans.

One of the most popular graduate school choices these days is law school. In fact, I can think of four or five people I know that have recently attended law school (including my wife!). It is a great way to get a prestigious knowledge of the law of the land, and is a great way to find work after graduation.

One thing to note about law school – it ain’t cheap. Unless you are a Carnegie, chances are you are going to be taking out a lot of loans and living as thrifty as possible. This means a very small apartment with a cheap rent and without a lot of storage space. There is one other thing to note about law school, and that is you are expected to be dressed to the nines, early and often. Having an ironing board to get your suits pressed to perfection is a necessity.

But where is one to store such a bulky item in a tiny apartment?

Fold Down Ironing Board – Pressing Perfection

A great idea is to use a wall mounted ironing board such as the Fold Down Ironing Board – Pressing Perfection. What is great about this board is that it has feet that give the board better support than most wall mounted ironing boards. For those who are looking for something a little more simple, the Non-Electric Surface Mounted Wood Ironing Board in Cabinet by HANDi-PRESS is a great choice.

Non-Electric Surface Mounted Wood Ironing Board

With one of these great wall mounted ironing boards, you will never have to worry about looking sharp!