I need to remember to finish doing the laundry before it gets dark. I forgot today and had to climb up the Stairs-of-Death (TM) this afternoon in the dark. Our laundry room is on the top floor, up these very steep and narrow stairs. There’s no light to illuminate them, unless I turn on the bathroom light or the office light for a bit of indirect light. I decided to not bother with the lights today, and instead turned to my spidey senses.
It’s a bit nerve-wracking to climb up these — or any — stairs in the dark. I pull myself up with the handrail and feel very carefully for the step underneath my foot. Thank goodness there’s carpeting at the top of both sets of stairs, so it’s easier to tell when you’ve reached solid ground.
There is some sort of wiring for a light up those stairs, although it’s only somewhat useful if you’re going up, not if you’re going down, although going down, you could always use the light from the rooms upstairs. I think I might look into getting a simple light for that area, just to make it more appealing for any visitors, and safer for me when I’ve left laundry until later in the day.
Ed. Note — I’m trying to take part in the National Blog Posting Month, where you try to blog every day for a month. Prepare yourself for more inane posts such as this.
A Flamingo in Utrecht 
I’ve climbed those stairs. Up isn’t nearly as scary as down.
Even worse going down with your hands full!
I cannot, for the life of me, figure out Dutch stairs. The Dutch are a relatively tall people… and relatively tall people have slightly larger feet… so why on EARTH do they make the stairs so narrow that you can’t even fit your toes on them. I’d rather climb ladders than most Dutch stairs!
I guess they didn’t get that growth spurt until after all their houses were built. 😉 This particular set of stairs also has a piece of cross wall that is basically right at the top where the picture ends, so to avoid smashing your head, you have to duck and lean in.
We have three stories down, narrow concrete steps on the last leg into the basement. It is a chore to balance wet laundry and avoid knocking pictures off the wall while clutching handholds at the same time. The plastic laundry basket couldn’t take the strain and the handle broke off during one trip this week. I’m tempted to stand at the top of the stairs and just go for the long throw.
Do row houses in New York and Boston have the same stairways?
— Dave (also trying a NaBloMo month and promising that at least a third of the posts will look on the bright side…)
We really do just throw the laundry up to the top of the landing (what you see in the photo), rather than carry it up in a bundle. The laundry coming down tends to come down in small, manageable stages, although every once in a while, it gets a bit scary!
When I lived in Queens, I lived on the top (third) floor of a row house. There was basically one continuous set of stairs going all the way up, with a tiny landing on the second floor, which was also where the door that separated my apartment from the rest of the house was. Managing to open it while also juggling luggage was often a bit of a tightrope act, but overall, I don’t remember those stairs being quite as small and steep as these Stairs-of-Death(tm).
Good luck with the NaBloPo! Bright side optional.
Dutch stairs are the worst… in a very amusing way.
I have to wonder if the stairs are an afterthought when they build their houses. My sister’s in-laws’ house in Reppel has the scariest stairs – might as well be ladders.
Dutch stairs are notoriously bad. I’m not sure why. Surely even in the late 1800s, when this house was built, people didn’t want to break their necks getting up and down stairs. Of course, there’s no telling how many renovations have been made here over the years, either. This house has served a variety of purposes, both private and commercial.
whoah. those look really bad. I’ve seen some Dutch stairs in my time and those could win the prize as worst staircase in NL.
what about Christmas lights around the railing, would that work?
Christmas lights around the railing might get in the way of the actual railing, which is vital for holding onto when ascending or descending. But they might work in the general area. Hmm. I like your idea! I might need to make a trip to Gamma and see what some of my options are. Although first I want to repaint the stairwell and the laundry room. But first I need a paint brush with an extendable handle.