Challenge #7: The Utility Room - Part 2

Let's set the stage…

1. 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).
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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!
   
   
4. 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:

1. Do I want to keep it?
   
   
2. Do I want to toss it (or recycle it)? Put it into the trash or recycle bag.
   
   
3. 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.

1. 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!
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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).
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. Is there a window in your Utility Room? If yes, give it a quick wipe and let the sunshine in!
   
   
7. Are there any burnt out light bulbs? Replace them and brighten up the area. We added an extra light bulb for even more light.
   
   
8. 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:

1. The shutoff valve for the water into your home.
   
   
2. The shutoff valve for the hot water heater supply (the water going INTO the hot water heater).
   
   
3. The shutoff valve for the hot water (the water going OUT of the hot water heater).
   
   
4. The shutoff valve for the outside water (outside taps and water sprinklers).
   
   
5. The floor drain in your basement (not all basements have one).
   
   
6. 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).
   
   
7. The off switch for your furnace.
   
   
8. 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!

Take care of you,
Cindy

PS: 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.

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