Do you happen to have a room in your house where you simply shut the door instead of dealing with the disorder? Well, sad to say for me it was the laundry room. Below is a before picture. You will see in the picture the complete disarray of items! The shelving contained light bulbs, cleaner, hardware, laundry detergent and a hanger with swimsuits and underwear to air dry. Obviously, this wasn't working.
The tricky part about this room is that it's basically a closet with a washer and dryer on the bottom with the water heater suspended above the dryer on the right hand side. There are only two shelves to store everything and not much wall space.
The total time this project took me was about 30 minutes.
Step 1: Remove Everything - To get a really good idea of what needs to be put back in the laundry room, let's just start with a blank slate. In the picture below you can see I have taken everything off the shelves above the washer. Also, I removed items randomly strewn on top of the dryer. I gave everything a good vacuum and wiped all of the surfaces down with a damp rag.
Step 2: Sort and Organize - I bought these four containers from the dollar store. I highly recommend purchasing one color and buy labels from an office supply store. Make sure each container is labeled, that way you (and family members) know exactly where to locate an item. My containers are labeled with four categories
- Cleaning - Windex, wipes, new sponges and a scrub brush are located here.
- Lighting - For light bulbs
- Towels - Hand towels, washcloths and cleaning rags
- Washing - Detergent, oxyclean, stain removers, and dryer sheets live here.
Step 3: Label - I bought Avery Labels from CVS. They are about $2 and I use them on everything.
Step 4: Change Jar - I took an old tomato sauce jar, wrapped a piece of scrapbook paper around (secured with double sided tape) and then added another label.
Step 5: Hooks - I also added a hook for the dustpan. I figured this would be a good idea for quick and easy access.
Step 6: Decorate - I used decorative plates in the same color scheme to create order and cohesiveness. I love this cobalt blue color, so I hung three to the left and then, placed one above the dryer (in picture above).
There were a few items I removed and found a new home for to include, my drill and hardware, additional storage containers, a wicker basket and TV cables. I also put away all of the miscellaneous laundry items. This is now the perfect apartment laundry room!
Which room do you keep avoiding because you need to organize?
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