Zone 4 - The Laundry Room (Post 2)

Yesterday I posted about my Laundry Room.  (Wildly exciting stuff, I know.) I showed pictures of the layout change and hinted at the organization change.

Now (If you think you can handle the thrill) today is all about the organization. Fun times!

First, I brought IN this cabinet. It has been sitting in the garage since the girl room was overhauled...almost 6 months.  But I couldn't get rid of it. We have used that cabinet as a pantry in 2 houses, and in each child's nursery (4 different houses!)! I knew it was much too versatile and useful to just pass on. So it collected dust and cobwebs in the garage while I tried to figure out its perfect spot. 

Next, I went through every item in the laundry room and decided if that was where it should be located....or just where it was dumped. I was shocked to find only a few items did NOT need to stay. 

(Most of those were just relocated to the garage....i.e. The Final Dumping Ground. That is Zone 6.)  :)

Here's the breakdown of the metal bins in the cabinet:

Top bin - SUN BLOCK, bug spray, and bubbles. Basically, stuff I don't want the kids getting into - but I need on a daily basis. 

Middle bin - Laundry supplies. Bounce sheets, detergent cups (I throw mine in the load to get it clean - so I need a bunch!), and tennis balls for when we wash comforters and large blankets.

Bottom bin - Flashlight and hanging supplies. (PICTURE and CURTAIN hanging; not Friar Tuck.)

The shelves behind the door hold paper towels (we go through them quite slowly - so I don't buy them in bulk), and our shredder. The small box to the right of the shredder holds all papers in need of shredding....when the box gets full, we plug it in and go to town. 

(By "we," I mean My Love. I always forget to do that! And file stuff. My word I hate filing.)

Onward we go....four bins fit on the shelf above the washer and dryer with a perfect amount of space for my detergent. I was entirely too thrilled about that. Have I mentioned how much I love these bins???? They are fantastic! And they were the EXACT sizes I needed. On sale. I'm sure that excitement will wear off eventually....but not today. :)

So, I broke each bin down to a purpose - Light bulbs and other soft/light items....

Rarely used cleaning supplies and large refill containers. (Don't judge me about not using my towel mop often. I have a swiffer mop and I LOVE it. My floors get somewhat clean fairly often.)

This is my most used bin  - my cleaning supplies! I carry that around with me when cleaning, so it has everything I need. I don't store cleaners under the sink because... 1. I have the space to keep it elsewhere, and 2. My kids would totally break into them and I would have called poison control quite a few times if I kept them in reachable locations. I also don't keep tons of different cleaners - I've found exactly what I like and what works for me...and I only keep those items.

Finally - the LARGE Laundry supplies bin. OxiClean (always comes through and is THE BEST stain remover EVER.), bleach, the next detergent, a delicates bag (I have never used this...I think it is a holdover from camp or some deployment or something), and my tissue box with extra bags in it!

The spare paper bags and potty fit perfectly under the sink. Soon (hopefully) that potty will be retired from this house. I am sooooo excited. Although, I hate potty training...so that part is not exciting. But the end result? No more Diapers? I might just have to throw a party.

The sole piece of decorating in the room (at the moment) is this Ikea curtain which I hung by myself. Thankyouverymuch. First time ever! It really made a huge difference in the room feeling pulled together.

On to the other side of the room!

That island/cupboard was actually wedding gift. It has been used in every house we've lived in - 9 and a half years and still going strong! This may be the ONLY thing we registered for that was practical and useful. I was 21 when filling out our registry...it had a LOT of picture frames and pillows and vases and frou frou extras. Pots and pans? Notsomuch. (I think I did eventually end up registering for pots and pans at the wise prodding of people who knew better. Like our Mothers.)

This cabinet holds all of our beach towels and reusable bags. 

The drawer is still full of various odds and ends - measuring tape, batteries, head lamp....the normal stuff.

Finally, a bucket sold to hold drinks (bought on clearance last year) stores all the swimsuits for the kids on top of the island.

And the very BEST thing in the whole room???? 

This organizer! 

It was a Pinterest project I had pinned months ago, and it turned out great. (Thanks to My Love and a good friend!) I took a pegboard, covered it with a .50 thrifted sheet (which I've made 1 dress, 3 skirts, and 4 bean bags from already), and then asked the men to frame it. Which they did. 

Not the way I wanted. 

At all. 

BUT

It turned out great and I like it better than my original plan. 

So all's well that ends well - right? :)

Eventually, that big open space in the middle will have a wire basket in it with dusting spray, dusting cloths, and windex so I can grab it for a quick touch up. 

Whew. There you go. More than anyone ever should want to know about my laundry space. 

If you've powered through to this point, you are either desperately trying to organize YOUR life....or bored out of your mind and need a life.

 Either way, thanks for reading. 

~Whitney Copyright 2013