Cleaning the Laundry Room

The laundry room is the place where clothes get piled up for washing and clothes get ironed but very few of us actually clean our laundry rooms on a regular basis and definitely not when we are doing the “company is coming over” cleaning blitz.

The laundry room is usually unseen by others or can quietly be hidden away behind a closed door. But it still needs to be cleaned and given a little TLC.

Cleaning the Washer and Dryer

The heart of the laundry room is naturally what gets the most used – the washing machine and the dryer. Before cleaning, if the laundry room is roomy enough, move the washer and dryer away from the wall to vacuum and wipe the dust off the walls and ducts and wipe down the hoses.

Cleaning the Washing Machine

After washing load after load of clothes your machine is bound to get a residue buildup of detergent, fabric softeners, hard water, etc. To keep your clothes their cleanest, at least once a month the inside of the washer needs to be cleaned.

• To clean the inside of the washing machine, run an empty cycle on a full load, regular wash cycle, warm or hot water (I typically do a hot water cycle). As the water is filling pour in two or three cups white vinegar (you can use more if the washer hasn’t gone through a cycle like this before).
• This part is up to you but I take a clean unused toilet brush and clean the inside sides and under rims and around the upper drum. I’ll wear gloves to so I don’t get hot water on my skin.
• When the vinegar cycle is finished, run a plain hot water cycle (no vinegar). While this is being done, you can wipe down the outside of the machine and vacuum around and behind as best you can. Dry to avoid water spots.

Cleaning the Dryer

The lint trap on the dryer needs to be cleaned after each use, but it can also use a good cleaning down under the lint trap every now and then as little lint dust bunnies and other debris can get stuck down in there. This will also help your dryer run more efficiently and safely.

• To clean under the lint trap, use a dryer lint vent trap cleaner. It’s so easy to do you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it before.

To clean the inside of the dryer, use warm soapy water. Just a few drops of mild dish soap added to a large mixing bowl of water will do the trick.

• Wet and wring out a cleaning rag to clean the interior of the dryer, then take another rag with just warm water and wipe down the inside to remove any soapy residue.
• Then wipe down and dry the outside of the dryer.
• Vacuum around the machine.

Be sure to clean around the knobs on both washer and dryer.

Clean Counters, Cabinets and Laundry Bins

Just as we do in the kitchen to keep bacteria at bay, the countertops, shelves and cabinets should be wiped down in the laundry room as well. Wipe down at least weekly, maybe more if you use it a lot.

Plastic laundry baskets can be wiped down on the inside with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and warm water. If you use hanging cloth bins for dirty clothes, wash those as needed to keep the laundry room fresh.

While you’re cleaning the cabinets and counters, look up. Are there cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling? If so, don’t forget to get rid of those too.

Cleaning the Floor

After everything else is cleaned, move items off the floor then sweep or vacuum then mop the floor, concentrating on the dust and lint in between the machines and the wall. Once the floor is done, you now have a nice clean laundry room where you won’t have to worry about your clean clothes getting dirty right after they come out of the dryer.

Don’t forget to get along the baseboards as well as they can accumulate quite a bit of dust.

Safety Tip: If the laundry room hasn’t had a good cleaning in a while, use a simple breathing mask or a piece of cloth tied around your mouth and nose when you are cleaning laundry room.

This will prevent any breathing problems that may be caused from the lint and dust that will be stirred up when you clean. It will also help you avoid that annoying itching feeling when the lint gets into your nose.

Keeping the Laundry Room Clean

If you don’t want to spend a good amount of time cleaning your laundry room, there are little things you can do to help keep it clean.

• Vacuum the floor on your regular vacuuming day.
• Clean vents regularly.
• On the day you wash towels, take a towel and wipe down the washer and dryer then wash the towel with the rest of the load.
• If you have a sink in the laundry room, add that to your weekly cleaning chore.