Day three took a few different forms for the SOS organizers. There were several things we wanted to tackle.
First and foremost, laundry. Everything else fell into the “If we have time category…”
The massive amounts of laundry had begun to pile up for JoAnn several weeks before our first visit. On top of multiplying laundry, the Rader’s washing machine had stopped working, forcing JoAnn to lug laundry from the basement to the laundry mat. Very little was getting done and more was piling up daily. The following pictures document the clean-up.
The laundry room…
The set up of the laundry room was actually pretty efficient for the family. The problems came when the girls’ threw clean clothes and multiple outfits each day down the laundry chute, leaving JoAnn to decide what items were clean and what items were dirty.
Having a separate area for Jeremy’s nice clothes worked well, but was really the only part of the basement laundry room that was functioning properly. Jeremy, diligent in the upkeep of his “nice” clothing, preferred to have an area to himself. Understanding this need, we kept this area as part of the new laundry room routine.
The view of the clothes from the entry into the laundry room. We had our work cut out for us. We separated the laundry, threw some of the old/moldy items away, designated a pile for consignment and donation and bagged the rest.
The newly cleaned laundry room. JoAnn and the girls were astounded to see the floor again. They could not remember the last time they had seen it this clean and each vowed to help keep it that way!
Another view of the clean floor. Thankful to not have to step on/over piles of laundry each day, JoAnn felt less intimidated by the room and planned to keep it manageable.
The Rader’s dining room. We decided in an effort to get all the laundry completed and give JoAnn a clean slate we would need to visit the laundry mat.
We had approximately 20 contractor bags of laundry.
The laundry mat..otherwise known as the Burg Cleaning Village. Knowing we had an afternoon worth of laundry to complete we brought another organizer, Sasha, to focus specifically on the task at hand.
We came armed with a large box of laundry detergent, a box of dryer sheets, $60 in quarters and all the laundry. Luckily, it was a slow day at the Burg Cleaning Village, with only one other patron there we filled up all but two washers!
We left Sasha with mountains of dirty laundry and returned several hours later to find…table upon table of clean laundry! She had organized the clothing by size-for the girls, and type for Jeremy and JoAnn. We were amazed to say the least!
As the clothes continued to dry, we helped Sasha, now known as the laundry fairy, place them in baskets and totes. Our goal, to organize the baskets by room, so we could unload them quickly and efficiently.
Sasha, laundry goddess, hard at work!
Meanwhile, back at the house, we worked on organizing the upstairs. First on the agenda, the bathroom… In the process of remodeling, the upstairs bathroom had become disheveled. Showers had to be taken in the basement, which meant towels, toiletries and other bathing essentials were lost in the mix.
The first thing to go.. the ironing board. Taking up a lot of space and not getting used regularly, the board was taken down and moved out of the way.
Next up, cutting the clutter next to the sink and inside the mirror. Like items were placed together with more often used things up front.
The girls individual toothbrushes, toothpaste, cups and other items were designated by color to avoid confusion. The same was done with their towels and wash cloths.
The entrance to the bathroom. Cupboards and shelving allowed for the storage of towels and extra toiletries.
Next we moved to the master bedroom…
Beginning with the closet, we worked on going through items to keep, donate and sell consignment. Baskets were purchased for the shelves inside the closet. They were specified to hold ties, belts and hats. Once again the less frequently used items went up on higher shelves and more often used stayed within arms reach or eye view.
All items found on the floor, dressers, or night stands, were placed on the bed to be sorted.
We found things to be returned to the girls’ rooms, the guest bedroom, the bathroom, the basement and the kitchen. The master bedroom had become a catch-all area, so one of our main focuses was to end the disorganization by beginning new routines.
After three full days of organization and SEVERAL hours of laundry, we left the Rader’s house in much better shape than when we arrived. We also left two relieved parents and four happy girls with a clean and organized house. Thankful for their help and for letting us into their home, we were sad to leave the Rader family! We let them know we’d be available anytime for a tune-up and look forward to visiting them again in the future!
