Wednesday, July 9, 2014: A Peek at the Utility Room

 Today I'm giving a you a peek at my utility room.  Feel privileged most people aren't allowed to see it!

I am trying really hard to keep the utility room clean and organized.  It is a difficult task, because it tends to be our "dumping room" and also is where all the things that do not have a home elsewhere in the house get stored in part because it is the only room of the house that is not "open" to visitors.  I always live in fear that someone will accidentally open the utility room door when looking for the bathroom when we have parties!  I'm really working on it, but living in a small house with limited storage makes it difficult.

Today I'm only going to show you the sink.  (I even cleaned it for you.  It still looks crappy because the sink is stained from years of use, but believe me it is cleaner than it was--all the linty dust from the dryer is gone!)
In an effort to make things look better I made the skirt for the wash tub a few years back.  It really helps to make the space look less cluttered by hiding all the clutter I store under the sink.  It was really easy to make.  I just hemmed three panels (I really could have just done two, but I wanted three to keep things from showing in the small gap between the sink and the wall) and attached them with self-adhesive velcro.  I made the panel next to the washer longer than it needed to be so it would wrap around the back slightly.  I even had a little bit of fabric left over that I used to make a valance for the blinds.

When we first moved in I painted almost every room in the house.  (The whole house was the same shade of ivory, sometimes with feather duster faux painting.  I could see past it, but could not live with it.)  One day while at the hardware store I found the sprayer in the plumbing section (sold to be attached to your shower for rinsing children) and figured it would be great for making cleaning painting supplies!  It definitely made my life much easier for cleaning up paint trays, rollers and brushes, and has been helpful for many things since then.  I even use it when I deep condition my hair--it makes rinsing my hair without getting in the shower much easier!  If I colored my hair myself I think it would probably be great for that as well.  Also, since it is right next to my washing machine it is useful for cleaning out the washing machine drum--I can just spray it out, and also for dissolving powdered detergent.  (I mostly use liquid detergent, but I also use a lot of powdered oxyclean, and it has a tendency not to dissolve in a cold water load.)  You also can use it to fill a bucket on the floor.  It has been very useful and rest assured that at less than $20 this sprayer was money well spent, and I will install one in every house I ever live in!

The clear panels were put up by the previous owner, and we thought they were a great idea, especially after we installed the sprayer!  They are just clear plexiglass panels with holes drilled at the corners for screws.

I am a big fan of command hooks--I now can have hooks wherever I want without drilling holes in my walls!  I have one to hang the measuring cup (mostly used to measure bleach) in easy reach of the sink and washing machine, and one to hang the excess hose for the sprayer.

The vase is for holding flowers, but also does double duty for drying brushes and sponges when it is not holding flowers.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek in my utility room.  In spite of the small space (and usual mess) I think there are some good ideas, and I hope my sharing will help someone else to make their space more functional!