Episode 1: Laundry Room
Spring cleaning feels so good. As you move through the seasons, you pick up a lot of clutter that commands your attention come springtime. The weather is getting warmer, nature is waking up, and your surroundings are calling for a little pick-me-up to mirror all the change.
For me, when I think of spring I think of all the ways I can prepare my home for the summer. I live for the summer. Especially now that Walt is in school, I want our home to have a nice seamless flow so we have everything we need to enjoy pool days in the back yard, dine al fresco, and just soak up the warm summer rays – all without the clutter stressing me out and getting in the way. I want to get my money’s worth out of summer break, is what I’m saying. Which is why we’re dong some major cleaning over here!
The first place I tackled was my laundry room because OMG. The laundry room is sort of a main hub in my household. It’s got a lot more going on in there than laundry. I’ve got everything from my kids’ games to party-hosting supplies to Skittles’ litter box (not ideal, but hey). And if you use such a productive space as a “catch-all” when you’re just not feeling like doing the full nine yards, it’s going to look like this:
That’s just a little snippet, too. The top of the dryer had so much stuff on top of it that I had just enough space to reach behind it all and blindly push the start button. This space has been on my mind for a long time because of how important that space is for our family’s functioning. So I had a burning desire to start there first. Let me walk you through it!
Sorting
For starters, I emptied all cabinets and cleared all counter tops and placed it all on/around my kitchen table. I grouped it all by item type so it wouldn’t be too overwhelming. I grabbed a construction-sized trash bag and, starting with each group, I tossed what needed to be tossed. Things like dried-up paint, broken crayons, old homework of Walt’s that I couldn’t let go of (because it was so cute!), battered aluminum pans, etc., went bye-bye.
Then, I went through each group again to see what I didn’t want and threw it in a pile to donate. A ton of my kids games and crafts went to my son’s classroom, for example. And the remaining things (like old decor items I don’t use anymore, etc.) went to our local Goodwill.
Organizing
I had a good idea of how I wanted my cabinets to look just based off how I use our laundry room. I recommend you map out how you want your things to be stored before you get to work to make this part less overwhelming. In my case, I knew I wanted the cabinets to hold household essentials like my spare cleaning/laundry supplies, spare light bulbs and candles, spare kitchen essentials for hosting (like Thanksgiving and birthday parties) and extension cords and other electrical items. I also wanted a space in my upper cabinets to hold Walt’s homework station, so I made sure it had room for that, too.
For the counter-top, I used these storage bins to hold everything. They’re not dollar-store bins so they’re a little more money, but the storage quality is legit so it’s worth the few extra bucks in my opinion. I laid the bins out on my counter and placed each group in each bin. My bin groups were: Arts and crafts, coloring, playdough/similar stuff, parent supervision projects (Kiwi crates) and seasonal crafts. I also had a separate storage area for my Dyson accessories so I had easy access to them:
I stored the seasonal craft bin in my lower cabinet because we only use those crafts during special holidays, which ensures that the kids won’t waste them. Next, I stocked my lower cabinets with my hosting gear (napkin holders, cutlery holders, aluminum pans) and extra electrical items like HDMI cables, etc. There is an area in the laundry room where I took out a set of lower cabinet doors for a project a few years back (and never did!) and it was the perfect space to store games for the kids to reach:
Decorating
Now for the fun part! I used random things from around my house that just didn’t quite fit anymore and used them on this shelf that I created. It was the easiest project ever and if you are thinking about doing it, reach out and I’ll walk you through it!
There’s a outdoor picnic tiered tray that doubles as a decor piece and spare change/close-pin storage, a pretty laundry detergent dispenser (used with this and this spout), and a basket that was hanging out in my closet that now holds extra cleaning cloths. I found a cute basket in my cabinet as I was cleaning them out and re-purposed it to hide dryer sheets, stain remover, and a scrub brush. I love how it turned out!
What I love most about this project was how good it made me feel after it was done. It felt like I strengthened our routine by having this space organized. I now walk in this space and know exactly how to use it. It’s such a great feeling!
Another thing I love about this space is how I used decor and storage that was already hanging out in my house. It cost me nothing to add decorative and storage items because I just used what I already had. I definitely recommend you do an inventory of things around your house that you’re not using to see how you can re-purpose them. In my case, all of it was perfect for the laundry room.
Tell me what you think below! What is the main hub in your house? How do you stay organized? Keep your eyes peeled for episode two of my spring cleaning series!