This post is sponsored by Maytag. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Two months in and we aren’t completely unpacked. Two rooms stand dedicated to our unpacking unwillingness. The office and the formal living room hold the remaining mishmash of things like movies we selectively watch, leaving the other ones behind in the cardboard box, the cases of cookbooks and holiday decorations we just can’t seem to find a place for.

There is still painting left to be done, bookshelves that need to be made by Ben, who was determined to commandeer one bay of the garage for his workshop, and, well, a room for the impending new arrival of our little one that has a ton of baby stuff in it, but no glimpse of organization – just Pinterest boards dedicated to concepts we aren’t ready to commit to.

Thankfully the one room we have decided to tackle was our laundry room. With the impending bundle of joy (and dirty diapers, loads of laundry, late night feedings), I wanted to make sure that this room was done and organized. And at least leave one room in the house, presumably one I will be spending a lot of time in, ready to handle all the jobs I have coming for it.

Maytag and I have teamed up to tackle our new laundry room renovation, and I’m now the proud new owner of the Maytag® Front Load Washer with Optimal Dose Dispenser and PowerWash® System and Large Capacity Dryer with Refresh Cycle with Steam and PowerDry System. My favorite features on the washer? The PowerWash® and Fresh Hold® options. To start, the PowerWash® System offers extra cleaning action with an internal heater, keeping us and our clothes fresher throughout even the craziest days.

We also love the Fresh Hold® option, and the dryer’s Sanitize cycle. With Ben’s work in the hospital, whatever joys the baby will be throwing (up) at us, and who knows what unholy stains will hit our clothes, these two were keys for us. Ben and I work opposing shifts at our jobs, and with the Fresh Hold® option I can start a load of laundry and not worry if he forgets to move it to the dryer before it goes stale and starts to smell. It keeps the air flowing through the drum with an internal fan, and intermittent tumbling rotates the clothes so that they stay fresh if you forget them for up to 12 hours after the wash cycle ends! And with the sleep deprivation coming my way in a couple months, I know I will benefit from this greatly.

Ben works as a nurse, with germs, and frankly plenty of other things I would rather not imagine coming into contact with his clothes. The forthcoming Tater Tot, well, he will be giving us a lot of laundry to do with stains of all varieties on his clothes, and me, a soon to be working mom (wow, that’s the first time I said that out loud… weird), with clothes that need to be cleaned, and delicate professional wear that needs to not get beaten to shreds after only a few wears. There is no doubt a lot of commotion in our daily lives, and one thing I don’t want to focus my efforts on is panic over my laundry.  I want to throw it in, and have it come out sparkling. And preferably germ- and stain-free. The Sanitize cycle is a great way to combat them. Using extra-hot drying temperatures, it will remove 99.9% of three common household bacteria from our laundry loads.

I’ve been brushing up my Laundry Room pin board with ideas for organization, décor, and paint ideas with what is going to match our house, and our sleek new Maytag® washer and dryer. Out with the faded linoleum and in with tile floors. Gone will be the single energy efficient light, replaced with a new exhaust fan and light combo that will make it a little brighter, and a happier place to be.

 

The beige linoleum has held up remarkably well in such a high traffic area, but I wanted to give it a spruce up with some tile work instead. The wood, flat paneled cabinets are really handy and hold a lot of stuff that we need in there, but are too tall for this girl. At 5 foot 6 inches I still need to wiggle between the washer and dryer to access anything in them. And at 7 months pregnant that job is not getting easier.

On top of that there is only a single light with an exhaust fan hanging in the middle of the room. It casts terrible shadows and makes a small room look smaller. We found an option that looks like it would suit our needs well, combining a larger light box with an exhaust fan all while looking good. To up the light factor even further we are considering a couple of aftermarket recessed lights to be mounted over the Maytag® washer and dryer.

This option we found would provide some added class and some muted, but much needed additional light to the space.

And for colors, we’re sticking with neutrals. Maybe like these!

 

As first time homebuyers there is a certain anxiety that comes with it, and the what-if’s that arise if things start to go wrong. One place we didn’t want to take a chance on was our washer and dryer. When we decided on our Maytag, we investigated the models and features we were interested in, and came to the conclusion that they had everything we wanted and features that would make our lives easier. It’s important for us to invest in a dependable brand that will last. Something else that mattered to us was buying American-made products. We looked into various brands and models, and Maytag kept rising to the top of the ratings again and again. Our choice was sealed.

The sleek metallic steel gray makes these essentials from just plain functional to fashionable. With easy-to-read displays and internal lights that come on when you open the doors, it means it’s the little things that make life easier. Every detail was thought through.

This renovation is a small job that Ben and I were intent on managing ourselves as new homeowners. And we can’t wait to see how our vision turns out. I mean, I’m a professional aviation project manager – how hard can this be? Well, with a half-functioning baby brain, at least my hard decisions like picking a washer and dryer are done. Thank goodness!

Keep up to date on our renovations for the house! We are excited to share the progress with you over the next few months. I will be sharing our process on Instagram stories and all other social media channels, so stayed tuned. If you are looking for organizational tips, check out my “For the Home” Pinterest board where I have been pinning my favorite ideas for this renovation. One of my favorites is this clean palate and organization by Chris Loves Julia! Like you saw in the photos of Huck eating his dinner, I love the idea of tucking his dishes and food away in a side cabinet. Plus that little soak sink is genius if you have spare room and don’t mind running an additional pipe and drain!

photo from Chris Loves Julia

What home renovation projects have you done in the past? Any lessons you have learned that you want to pass on to us first timers? Tell us what kind of updates you made that have saved your sanity and what organizational tricks you use to keep you moving! I’m all ears.

What home renovation projects have you done in the past? Any lessons you have learned that you want to pass on to us first timers? Tell us what kind of updates you made that have saved your sanity and what organizational tricks you use to keep you moving! I’m all ears.