Shiny! New! Clean!

These three words generally don't describe my house. Some things may be shiny, but it's generally from wear, not because they are new and/or clean. But our gorgeous front-loading washer is all this and more.

We decided on a Whirlpool Duet Sport. I had a bit of a hard time settling on it, since they all looked so pretty sitting there in the store. But we really don't need 17 water temperatures and 28 pre-set load types. Everything we wash is either with warm or cold, and on permenant press unless it's towels. The Sport (makes it sound like a car, doesn't it?) has 3 temperatures, 3 spin speeds, and 5 load settings. Water level is automatic, so I don't have to guess. Simple is good. And significantly cheaper, too!

I've been washing clothes like a woman possessed since last night after work. I had to go inside a VERY unsanitary house, so I changed clothes in the laundry room as soon as I walked in the door. Since then, I'm almost an addict. What amazes me most is how quiet the washer is. Unless it's spining, you can't hardly hear it. Until it leveled itself as well as it could on our notably un-level back porch, I thought it would shake the house apart when it spun. But it seems to have settled into a sweet spot, and you can't feel the vibrations inside the house now. I can't say the same for the porch. Out there it still feels like a minor earthquake...

But overall I'm thrilled. It uses so little water I'm sure we'll notice a difference in our bills, and it's Energy Star on top of that. I can't wait to get the dryer and stack the two. The porch will be less cluttered and awkward to navigate, and then maybe we'll have room for a little coat locker to stash some of our outerwear in.

Apartment Therapy: Week 3

On to Week 3! My assignment is as follows:

1. Vacuum, dust, and mop throughout your home
2. Clean your entrance and any related closets (this could be scary, since my "entrance" is my laundry room)
3. Arrange to have all repairs taken care of within the next 3 weeks
4. Declutter your entrance
5. Move all old mail, catalogues, and magazines to the Outbox
6. Look into what you would need to create a "Landing Strip"
7. Cancel any unused subscriptions
8. Identify "cool" and "warm" rooms
9. Apply the 80/20 color rule
10. Cook 2 meals at home

Until we expand the back porch into a mud room, it remains our laundry room and tool storage. I'd love to get a stackable washer and dryer to save space, but our budget doesn't allow for it at this point (unless the old ones break...!). There are lots of cabinets out there, but the biggest one is hogged by all of the tools, paint, and shellac. I'm going to buy a couple shelving/storage units for the basement and move everything down there instead. That will free up room for cleaning products and pet food bags. I think I'll definitely get some use out of the Outbox while doing this...

We get lots of catalogues and junk mail, but just about everything goes straight into the recycling bin. Almost all of our bills are paid online, so we rarely have any "real" mail to attend to.

I'm finding it hard not to get ahead of myself. As I come up with ideas for one part of our home, it branches out into other spaces. I have difficulty sticking to one thing when there's so much going on in my head...