Operation Organization: Week 3 Victory, Week 4 Plan

Well, I managed to finish the laundry room. It wasn't as hard as I was dreading (funny how we build things up in our minds as an excuse to put them off...) In case you forgot, here is the before pic.

I cleared out the extra junk that didn't belong in there, since the laundry room is just a laundry room in my house. I also culled through the multiple bottles of cleaning supplies; did I REALLY need all those open bottles of spray cleaner? Of course the answer was no, so I combined what I could and tossed the rest. Then everything went in to some sort of container- no nothing matches (that will come later) but all of my Sh-Mop heads are in one basket, my vaccuum bags in another etc. I took a small hanging basket and put it over my washer for spot treaters and lingerie bags.




I had some room, so I moved the washer and dryer a bit and slipped a small combination laundry cart, rack in between the two in order to give me some place to put kitchen laundry, as well as have a place to store dryer sheets and Swiffer sheets. By moving the dryer, I also opened up a spot to store my laundry baskets between it and the wall, as well as my floor cleaner.

I also had one of those "duh" moments while I was doing all of this: I moved the hangers over the dryer instead of the sink. I had originally put them over the sink to have some place to drip-dry clothes. But since I so rarely do that, it was kind of a wasted idea. Now, with the hangers over the dryer, I've been more likely to hang things up as soon as I pull them out.

Remember those boards I cut last week for my pantry that were too long? Well, it turns out they were the perfect width to sit on top of my dryer. I used two (for stability) to give me a folding surface- something I didn't have before. Now I can fold things right away, rather than taking them into another room.




Because I am spending more time in there, I wanted to cheer the place up a bit. I already had a too bright yellow/gold on the wall. Rather than repainting, I decided to tone it down. I purchased two little throw rugs at Wally World for $4.00 each. On the walls, I found some cute laundry related pictures and repurposed some frames from another room.



For the window, I did a window mis-treatment ala Nester using nothing but folded material and a glue gun! I used a dab of hot glue on the end of the existing shade, then another dab in the middle. From there I folded a pleat on each side and secured with another dab of hot glue. Not perfect, but then Nester says it doesnt' have to be perfect to be beautiful!



Used the left over fabric to cover the boards on the dryer to tie all the colors in together. I also covered a recycled dishwashing gel tab can to make a small trash can to go next to the dryer.

Total cost for my laundry room make over: $12.41. I am so pleased with my laundry room that I can't wait to jump in to my next project and window mis-treatment.

Next weeks goal is a big one: I am taking on my youngest daughter's play room. It's a mess and only partially finished. I may be in over my head, but I need to at least make a dent in it!

I plan to:

• Weed out toys she has out grown.
• Give her a place for her AG dolls.
• Give her a reading area.
• Make a window mis-treatment.

For more great organizational ideas and inspirations, go to Coming Clean: Confessions of an Imperfect Parent