Stage A Laundry Room With The Martha Stewart Stamp Of Approval!

I have a confession to make...I've got a thing about staging Laundry Rooms. The Kitchen may be the "heart of the home" but many hours are spent each week in the laundry room. And THAT makes this room a very important space to feature when selling your home.

Many times when I am consulting with homeowners and we get close to the laundry area, they'll ask if I want to see it because after all, it's only the laundry room. In their minds, it's that space that's a catch-all for dirty clothes, shoes, coats, 5 cases of water bottles, dog food and old paint cans. Oh yes! I tell my clients, I DEFINETLY want to see what's behind that door.

The Laundry Room needs some attention and staging too. This is one space you don't want to forget about! The biggest issue is getting rid of everything that is not needed so the room can breathe and look spacious. Yes...that means you have to get rid of the 20 pairs of shoes on the shoe rack behind the door, the dog food has to find a new home and you're going to have to store all that water neatly in the garage.

(Image: Hampton Designs)

Here's a few Staging Tips that can help you transform your laundry room into a fabulous space that buyer's will love:

• DECLUTTER: Get everything out that you don't need. The only thing that should be in there is the stuff you need to do laundry...(detergent, softener, etc.) Now is not the time to buy the HUGE 50 gallon jug of detergent. I'll tell you why in a minute.

• CLEAN LIKE CRAZY: Wipe down that washer and dryer from top to bottom. Push it back against the wall if needed. I've seen a lot of washer and dryers pushed out with all those hoses showing. Tuck the hoses in while you're at it. Think NEAT and ORGANIZED.

• PAINT. Most laundry rooms need a fresh coat of paint and a different color. For some reason, I see alot of sponge painting in these spaces. Probably because it was a "safe" room to try your hand at the technique years ago. I'm speaking from personal experience here and mine looked just dreadful! Trust me, a fresh coat of paint goes a long way.

• STAGE: Canvas Bins and Baskets make a HUGE DIFFERENCE visually when used to store all those detergents. Buyers do not want to see all those bottles that look like clutter anyways. It looks so much more organized and fresh staged with these pretty bins or baskets. This is why you don't want to hit Cosco for the jumbo size detergents. I want you to hide it in the bins.

• KEEP UP THE LAUNDRY: Not letting the laundry get out of hand during selling can be a challenge. We lead busy lives. Doing a load a day keeps you on top of the process. Buyers should NEVER see dirty clothes in piles, in a basket, anywhere. Ever. The same goes for clean laundry. It should not be sitting out on the counter or top of the dryer waiting to be put away or hanging around. Buyers don't want to see your laundry. They want to see the space. Show them an organized room they can emotionally connect to. Not how much work laundry can be.

• HANGERS & CLOTHES BASKETS: Yes...we need them to do laundry but during showings, they should not be anywhere in sight. Storing all those extra hangers on the clothes rack is not an option either. Throw them in one of the bins/baskets or if you are lucky to have a closet in your laundry room, store them there.

• HIDE IT: And one last mention here. If you have a last minute showing or you are just REALLY behind on laundry because you didn't listen to my "one load a day" advice, make sure you get it out of sight and HIDE those baskets. When I sold our house a few years back, I would actually take those baskets of dirty laundry and hide them on the garage shelves during a last minute showing. (They were concealed well and no one ever knew!) I have also been known to take it with me in the car. Hiding it in the actual washer or dryer is good too. For those that have always kept your laundry up, stop laughing. The rest of you know what I'm talking about and it's a great strategy to use.

Ready to prepare your home for the Spring selling season? We're ready to help you and look forward to your call!

Happy Staging!