Laundry Room Update: Storage Storage and MORE Storage!

A little while ago, I shared with you my newly improved pantry. Part of the reason I was able to improve it so greatly was due to some added storage. Storage. I love that word. Anyway, back to the laundry room. When we first moved in, it looked a little something like this:

But not really, because that is our stuff and we had already painted the walls. See that little wire shelf above the dryer? Yeah, that was my laundry storage, and to be honest, I didn't even think it was that bad. That is, until I wanted to redo the pantry and I realized a good 25%+ of my pantry was being used by cleaning supplies. Pantry =/= Cleaning. At least not to the amount I had in there. This was definitely one of those things that we kept thinking "Why didn't we do this sooner?"

We bought stock white cabinets from Home Depot, one single door and two double door.

(thank goodness for my cell phone. this was the only way i could get a semi-decent shot of the front)

We also looked for a laundry tub solution, but were not interested in spending $200+ for something we didn't love. And it's a laundry tub for crying out loud. And after a quick search on Pinterest, I promptly exited that window. Apparently some people just want a regular sink with a pretty faucet. Yeah, no. We DIY. We need a large ugly tub that functions when we are working on a project. Not another bathroom vanity. So DIY we did. Carl and his Dad worked on it, and oddly, luckily, his Dad had a lone cabinet door that would match. Between some melamine and that random cabinet door, they came up with this.


I still want to change out the floors eventually, and possibly repaint. Don't tell Carl. We'll also come up with some sort of countertop solution for above the washer and dryer so I can 1. stop losing things behind it and 2. use that space for a drink area when we have large parties. And then of course I'd like to make it pretty, so perhaps I'll venture back to Pinterest and just ignore the sinks.

Then lastly, I didn't show you this in the pantry reveal, but it is in the pantry. I needed a space to hang clothes to dry, and the regular hanging part of the pantry wasn't very functional. The wet vac and vacuum would get in the way. The solution was a hanging rack mounted above the door. Always using that vertical space I tell ya! The clothes hang up high enough so they aren't in the way, but I can also just use hangers for a quick item here and there.

Alright, that's enough for today. I'll be back later to show you how I organized the interiors of the cabinets, but this room is a pain to photograph so I'm taking a break!

Outerwear Organization

Since this week we added "Organize Your Outwear" to the challenge list of to dos, I thought I should show how we've updated our "outwear" organization. Keep in mind, my definition of outerwear is anything you take out of the house with you on a regular basis. Shoes, coats, purses, laptop bags, diaper bags, sunglasses, etc.

I already showed you how terrible our front closet was looking up until now. Yipes. But it's in much better shape now. I organized our shoes that we wear often in the baskets in the bottom. The rest went upstairs to be put away in our shoe holders in our bedroom; more on that later. I also went through our coats.

I promise, unless the photo is supposed to have Gibson in it, I do not stage these things. I think he's trying to become famous. Sorry Gib, I don't think this is the way to get there.


Let's stay downstairs and discuss my baggage. No, not my emotional baggage. My literal baggage, the things I put my whole life in and carry around with me! We started putting a lot of things in the laundry room including our laptop bags, but once Cam arrived, it was getting way too cluttered. Between laptop bags, diaper bags, my purses, and more it was just too much. We scaled that entry area back to just purses, my diaper bag and my reusable shopping bags as those are the things I take out of the house the most.
We also still have the other shelf/mirror on the other wall that we use for car keys and our sunglasses.


However, that meant we needed a new place for the less used items. Carl came up with the idea to use the staircase wall heading down to the basement. Perfect! We used these hooks from Ikea because if they aren't being used they flip up which was important to us to avoid any potential injuries.




That's it for downstairs. We've got a place for our bags, shoes, coats, keys and more. But what about all those other shoes that aren't worn as much or perhaps are out of season? I've been using this system for years now, and granted, I let it go for a bit, but when you actually USE it, it works! The Shoes Under system just slides under our bed. I bought four of them and unfortunately have filled them all...and then some. And that's after this recent organization when I got rid of about 20 pairs of shoes. I'm not kidding. Granted, many of those shoes were very old or just flimsy flip flops.

Anyway, it started like this:


And now it's like this:







All neatly organized and each one is slid under the bed, easily accessible. I take these photos not just to show you how they look, but they also get put up on the inside of the door of the closet. That way, I know at a glance what shoes are where rather than to slide each individual holder out and look. Lazy? Maybe a little...I like to call it resourceful!

Lastly, if I take the holders out from under the bed, they are immediately replaced with my four legged friend. This photo was not staged, but it is just to show you what goes under my bed. I still haven't figured out that fascination.



Was that enough inspiration to go organize your outerwear? Hopefully, cause that's all I've got for you right now! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Tackle It Tuesday

Do you have something to tackle? A little project? Does your shower need a wipe down? What about your jewelry- are they tangled beyond recognition? Maybe you have paw and hand prints on your glass doors and they need a swipe! Whatever that task is, tackle it today because it's TACKLE IT TUESDAY!

Take it a step further and blog about it! Then share it in the link collection below so everyone else can read about it too :)

Tonight, I'm tackling this. A few loads of laundry.

Tackle It Tuesday

Tonight was a pretty standard Tackle It Tuesday. (By the way, I think I need a new name for this day. I like to abbreviate these kinds of things and, well, Tackle It Tuesday does NOT abbreviate well) The pantry and laundry room needed some attention. I had actually organized the food portion of the pantry the other day, but the upper shelves needed some fixing and the laundry room was rather disgusting.

So, la la la before = gross:





After = Sparkly!








But tonight I took it up a notch. I've always avoided the utility sink in the laundry room. I figured it was a lost cause all splattered with paint and such. It was so bad, I assumed we would just buy a new one down the road. Well, let me give a shout out to Bar Keeper's Friend and a little waterproof sandpaper, because this bad boy looks almost like new. At first it wasn't doing anything, so I didn't even bother taking a before photo. I didn't think there would be anything to show, and by the time I realized there would, it was too late. Please ignore the very dirty socks. Or check them out. That is dog love right there. Gibson's chain broke loose and Carl bolted after him in his socks to retrieve him. And he says he doesn't even like him. Pashaw.

Before (Click to see it larger with a VERY small bit of the detail):

And here in this old picture (Again click to see it larger):




After!!!! (One more time, click to see larger)



It's hard to tell, but it is VERY clean. Before it was VERY not clean. I'm pretty excited about it and every time I walk by it, it looks wrong. Like it's missing something. I'm not sure if that should also make me excited, or embarrassed. Ah well.

How was your Tuesday night? Did you tackle anything? If not do it tomorrow! And if it's not in the cards for tomorrow, join me next week. Same place, same time, next week.

Spare Time Thursday: Mountain of Laundry

I honestly can't imagine what our laundry situation is going to be like once we have kids. Ours is already a constant chore. Between our clothes, sheets and towels, we usually have 3-4 loads a week. Add a stinky pooch to the mix, and we can easily have 4-5 (he's a blanket fiend). Plus the occasional guest...let's not do the math. Either way, laundry can be a real chore for some. Luckily, it's really not one I mind, its just a matter of making sure it gets done...and put away!

Depending on the week, I might just try to do one load a day, but usually my schedule doesn't permit that. Tonight, the mountain needed climbing, and I had the time to do it, so I'm in the middle of it right now (see- a bonus to laundry...it's not constant...you get breaks!). But if you are saying- ugh, I don't have time to spend 3 hours on laundry, I'm going to help you break it down into smaller, more reasonable tasks. This Thursday, we are going to Spare Time for the Laundry!

Let's start here first. We have this laundry sorter, and it is a life saver!
We put whites on the left and colors on the right. Depending on how much laundry we have, this can completely eliminate the need to sort anything. However, when we are dealing with mountains...there is always sorting.

Ok, let's get to the time break down!

10 Minutes: When you really only have 10 minutes to spare, the best option is to just sort your laundry. When we have a decent amount, ours is broken down by lights, darks, and whites (which usually includes our white towels). Get each load in a basket, and if you have the room, put it in the laundry area. This way, when you have more time, it's just a matter of throwing in a load.

15/5 Minutes (20 Minutes Total): (I'm splitting it up because we need to account for the washer to do it's business- so I'll split the times up for that as you'll need to break up the time) Do the above sorting and load your first load into the washer. Come back when it's done and move the items to the dryer, and hang dry the delicate or shrinkable items.

15/5/15 Minutes (35 Minutes Total): Do the above sorting, starting and drying of the first load. Then, fold the clothes. Mmmmm smell that deep clean freshness! Hate folding clothes? Watch a show while you do it! Make a playlist of your 3 current favorite songs!

15/5/15/10 Minutes (45 Minutes Total): Do the above sorting, starting, drying and folding of the first load. Now go put away the clothes. This is one task that I know is hard to do! Often I will have clean clothes just waiting to be put away, but if you have 10 minutes to surf the net, I'm sure you can spare 10 to put away the clothes. (That was my own personal pep talk...if it helps you to, then that will make two of us!)

15/5/15/10/15 Minutes (60 Minutes Total): This is a possible step. Do all the above, and then iron anything in that load that needs to be ironed. You'll be really thankful on that morning you are rushing around trying to get ready when you don't have to iron your pants! You spared 15 minutes and did it Thursday night ;)

You are only 60 minutes from a REALLY done load of laundry. Start to finish. Go on- do it! The bonus to the laundry is that by just adding a few minutes here and there, you can easily get 2-3 more loads done. Don't let that cotton heap scare you!

Monday Weekend Round Up

Alright! A new week! A fresh start. Let's get moving! (Was that motivational enough for you?) First, let's take a look and see just how motivated my weekend was.

Friday:
Change bedding, clean and put away extra sheets
Start laundry
Clean my pitiful laundry room
Pack

Saturday:
Halloweekends! This was all we anticipated and more! If you live anywhere near Cedar Point, I highly suggest you make the trip there if you haven't already!

Sunday:
Finish laundry
Make Broccoli Cheese Soup for dinner (We actually had broccoli cheese soup out on Friday...it seemed redundant)
Continue looking for holiday inspiration photos (I'll throw one of my favorites at the bottom!)
Remove the little fencing from the garden Carl said not to...I love when I think I have to do something, but then I find out I don't!
Unpack- Kind of forgot about that part!

So on to the fun part- photos! First, the laundry room. Remember the mess it was on Friday? Blech. It's much better now!


I keep our laundry room very simple because well, 1. it's a laundry room and 2. the simpler it is, the easier it is to keep clean. A few things that I do in our laundry room to keep it organized and functional:

1. I like to keep a laundry basket on top of the dryer for dirty towels, blankets, etc. This way, they have a place to go rather than just a mess on top of the dryer.
2. A simple rack is really all I need in there for the cleaning products. I also have a tote on the right side for smaller, less used products.
3. Notice the open door on the washer? That's done on purpose. With front loader washers, mildew can be an issue. One way to fight it is to leave the door open a crack at all times. It allows the inside to dry out properly.

And as promised, my favorite fall inspiration pic I found yesterday. I love the mix of the branches with the berries and gourds, and you can't leave out candles! And how adorable are the mini pumpkins hanging from the branches? Love it!

pic courtesy of www.bhg.com

How was your weekend? It was great I'm sure! I've got a REALLY busy week ahead, including a hair appointment, babysitting and a birthday party. Plus, I need to go do an exciting errand that I'm hoping I can talk about in the near future...better get moving.

Weekend Planning

Weekend? Is that you? Why yes, yes it is. So good to see you. I'm glad you could finally make it. I've got quite lofty plans for you, and, well, we better get down to business.

Friday:
Change bedding, clean and put away extra sheets
Start laundry
Clean my pitiful laundry room
Pack


Saturday:
Halloweekends!

Sunday:
Finish laundry
Make Broccoli Cheese Soup for dinner
Continue looking for holiday inspiration photos
Remove the little fencing from the garden, the last step for it this year

Want to see what I'll be tackling tonight? Ugh this is embarrassing.

Oh, and want to see what I'll be tackling tomorrow? Meet Top Thrill Dragster.




Alright, clearly you can see I have my work cut out for me tonight. But first, dinner with my love. What's on your to do list this weekend?