Remember, please don't get overwhelmed by this challenge. If it
takes a weekend, no problem. If it takes two weeks, again, no
problem. This is not a race. Do it one box and one bag and one shelf
at a time. Celebrate the big successes and the little successes. And
have fun! If you are not having fun, take a break. You are going to
enjoy the space when you are done. Remember to take an "AFTER"
picture.
Let's set the stage
- First off, put on some comfy clothes and comfy shoes. You
don't want to step on anything sharp (and watch out for those
spiders)! Choose some great music and load it up into the CD player.
Also, bring down a water bottle (I always get thirsty when I am
working in dusty rooms).
- You are going to need a few supplies: trash bags, recycle
bags, and a couple empty boxes to haul out the stuff you don't want
to keep anymore. Also, bring a couple of dusting rags, some all
purpose cleaner, and window cleaner.
- Here's a hint: Start with the stuff on the floor. Once the
floor area has been "spring-cleaned, " then move onto any shelving
units or cupboards you have in the area. If your sewer decides to
burp, or the hot water heater decides to spring a leak, your floor
area will be clear and there will be less damage!
- If you have a digital camera, take a "before" picture. You
are going to be amazed at the difference when you are done. (And you
are going to be surprised that it didn't take as long as you thought
it would!)
Box-by-Box, Bag-by-Bag, Item-by-Item!
The Utility Room is one of these areas that need to be tackled box-by-
box, bag-by-bag, and item-by-item.
You start right at the entrance way/doorway and you pick up the first
thing you see on the floor on your right hand side. Then you decide:
- Do I want to keep it?
- Do I want to toss it (or recycle it)? Put it into the trash
or recycle bag.
- Do I want to donate it (or try to sell it)? Put it into a
cardboard box.
If you want to keep it, then it needs a place to go. If it doesn't
belong in the utility room, then bring it to where it does belong
(right away). If it belongs "someplace" in the utility room, but you
are not sure where yet, then set up a temporary (emphasis on
the "temporary" LOL) staging area to hold the stuff that you will put
away later.
Once you have taken care of that first box, bag, or item, you keep
moving around the right side of the room. Select the second box, bag,
or item and decide what you are going to do with it. Remember, we are
taking care of the stuff on the floor first.
Keep going around the room until the floor area done. Believe me, I
know how hard it is to start in a room where it feels like the ENTIRE
floor has been consumed by stuff. Start at the entrance and work your
way through chunk by chunk. Pretend you are moving out. Only keep the
stuff that you would want in your new home. Get rid of the rest of
it.
Did you find any mystery chemicals or paint containers that you don't
want to keep anymore? Contact your local waste management department
and find out how to dispose of the containers properly.
Whew - great job! Take a breather
This is a challenge where you need to take lots of breaks. If your
kids are helping, they need lots of breaks too! Go upstairs, grab a
glass of water, get some fresh air, let the dog out, have a snack,
and put on a new CD. If you took a "before" picture, take a
quick "update" picture.
Remember to haul out any trash or recycle that you have already
collected. Get it out of the house. Also haul out the stuff you want
to donate or garage sale. Get it out of the Utility Room. We want
this stuff OUT OUT OUT!
If you come across a box that is tough to go through (such as
mementos, important and not-important papers, photos, etc), then
bring it out of the utility room and into the TV room. That night,
while you are watching a show, take an hour and go through the box.
The Hot Water Heater, Furnace, and Floor
Once you have the clutter cleared off the floor, take a couple
minutes to pamper your hot water heater and furnace.
- Use your all purpose cleaner and cleaning cloth to wipe down
the outsides. When you are done, use your window cleaner and make
them shine! Even a hot water heater looks better when the dust is
gone!
- Take a look around your hot water heater and furnace. I used
to work in a facility with a lot of equipment. One of the most
important parts of installing and maintaining this equipment was to
ensure the area around the equipment was kept clear of clutter and
trash. It had to be accessible at all times. The same thing applies
to your hot water heater and furnace. Do you have stuff piled around?
Boxes of books? Canning supplies? Chemicals? Old rags? Try to set up
a "two-foot buffer" zone around your hot water heater and your
furnace. Clear out all the stuff in the buffer zone. Not only is
this safer, but it is easy to access this equipment if it needs to be
maintained.
- Replace the filter on your furnace. If you are not sure how
to do this, look it up in your furnace instruction manual. If your
instruction manual is nowhere to be found (like mine LOL), call up
your local furnace company. They will tell you how to change the
filter and how often. Your furnace is going to run much more
efficiently.
Here's a hint: use a piece of paper from a sticky pad and write down
the date you last changed the filter. Stick it on the side of the
furnace.
Take one more look at your hot water heater and furnace. Do
you see any leaks? Signs of corrosion? Do they make funny noises? Has
it been years since a professional has looked at them? If you have
any questions about them, call up your local furnace company. Find
out what it costs for a general maintenance inspection. It is much
cheaper to correct little fixes than it is to take care of
catastrophic failures (don't ask me how I know this – hee hee).
- Do you have a freezer, washer, and/or dryer in your utility
room? Pamper them as well. Shine them up with some window cleaner and
a cleaning rag.
- Is there a window in your Utility Room? If yes, give it a
quick wipe and let the sunshine in!
- Are there any burnt out light bulbs? Replace them and
brighten up the area. We added an extra light bulb for even more
light.
- Since everything is off the floor, grab the vacuum and vacuum
up the utility room. Look for dust bunnies in the corners and under
the hot water heater. Look up. It is amazing how many dust bunnies
collect along the tops of water pipes and furnace ducts. When the
floor has been vacuumed, give it a quick wash with hot soapy water
and a mop.
Your Utility Room Safety Features
Did you know that your utility room might have several safety
features? (Some of them may be located in other parts of your home.)
A couple years ago, my neighbor came banging on my door at about 9:00
in the morning. "Cindy help! How do I shut off the water in my
basement?" YIKES! When we went over there, her basement was already
covered in a couple inches of water. Her hot water heater had failed
and was leaking (actually pouring) water over everything. We shut off
the water to her hot water tank and the water flow stopped. When we
looked at the damage, I learned how important it was to keep stuff
OFF the floor in the utility room. Books, records, a TV, stuffed
animals, big mess!
This is the "safety" part of the Utility Room challenge: Locate (and
label) the following:
- The shutoff valve for the water into your home.
- The shutoff valve for the hot water heater supply (the water
going INTO the hot water heater).
- The shutoff valve for the hot water (the water going OUT of
the hot water heater).
- The shutoff valve for the outside water (outside taps and
water sprinklers).
- The floor drain in your basement (not all basements have one).
- The shutoff valve for natural gas (Please check with your
local gas company. Look at their website. They will have guidelines
for shutting off natural gas. Most advise against doing this UNLESS
it is an emergency. If you smell natural gas, contact them
IMMEDIATELY. Read their instructions on what to do in case of a
natural gas emergency).
- The off switch for your furnace.
- The breaker that shuts off electrical power to your home.
Also, do you have a smoke detector in your Utility Room (or basement
area)? Change the batteries if you haven't done so yet this year.
Check that your smoke detector is working properly.
Last, but not least
You will notice that we took care of the floor area and the hot water
heater/furnace area in the utility room. I bet your utility room is
already looking a lot better and a lot brighter. However, we haven't
gone into any of the shelves or the cupboards.
This is going to be up to you. You can tackle shelves now or later
(or even next year). I had to go through all my shelves and cupboards
to make room for all the things I wanted to keep. Once I got rid of
the junk, I found out I had enough space to store everything we
wanted and we DIDN'T have to buy any more "organizing units."
So, if you want to go through the shelves and cupboards, please
tackle them one shelf at a time. Use the empty space you create to
store the stuff that you have in your temporary
(remember, "temporary" LOL) staging spot. We were astonished to find
that we had one completely EMPTY shelving unit when we were done!
