Laundry Room Mini-Makeover: 5 Tips to Get You Organized

Do you guys remember my super messy laundry room that I showed you last week? {You know, the one that’s not even a real “room” – just a little alcove section in the hall…} Well, with the help of a couple of smart little gadgets, and some amazingly sturdy Banker’s Boxes in a pretty print, I have tackled the mess, and now have a space that’s more useful, and much nicer to look at! Check it out….

Tip One: Clever gadgets make storage simple

Sure – this isn’t a Martha Stewart type gorgeous makeover, lol. We’ll eventually be painting the wall, and getting a super cool new red washer and dryer. {Squee! I get so excited just thinking about it all….} But for now, I gave the space an upgrade to make it more efficient. The wall here contains a panel that covers the water heater – meaning, I can’t put much of anything here, since it needs to be accessible. But – it’s a perfect spot for my mops and brooms! I replaced the two little clips that were there when we moved in with the Magic Wall Organizer, and I love this thing! Works even better than I had hoped, and now I don’t have a bunch of gear shoved all willy-nilly around the dryer.

Tip Two: Organize all those cleaning products

You guys know that I’m a major cleaning product junkie, right? Well – if you didn’t, you do now, lol. So I finally cleaned up the cupboards, and organized all of my products by type, so I can easily see what I have, or need more of. All detergents are together, bathroom products are grouped together, and air fresheners have a space of their own too. Also – did you know that dryer sheets fit perfectly into a baby wipes box? Mmm hmm – it’s true. And they stay fresher longer when you store them like this too! Organizing your products also makes cleaning a little less overwhelming – you can quickly grab what you need to tackle problems fast.

Tip Three: Hide the mess

Since I have to keep this section of the laundry area easy to access, I use two rolling carts, one behind the other, for storage. But, most things we store in this area aren’t very pretty, you know? But – I have a fantastic solution that I am SO glad I found: Bankers Boxes! They come in a ton of different sizes, so I had the perfect fit for each of the shelves. And now all the ugly stuff like the dustpan, cleaning gloves, and extra steam mop pads can be easily hidden away. It just looks so much cleaner and polished now. {Yes, that’s another baby wipes container, lol. I use them for everything! This one contains a “laundry emergency kit” – buttons, thread, etc.}

Step Four: Store similar products together

One of the best tips for organizing that I ever learned was to store similar items together – close to where you use them. Seems simple, but not everyone follows this. So, in the kitchen, I store the plates and cups right by the dishwasher to put them away quickly. The plastic bowls for kids snacks are in the cubby where I store their snack foods. In the bathroom, I keep all of my morning routine products in one make-up holder, and my night time supplies in another – so it’s easy to find things. And remember how I put similar products together in the cupboards above? I used the Bankers Boxes to help with some of the bix stuff: This box holds everything I need to clean the floors – steam mop pads, small specialized cleaners, scrub brushes, and gloves. I filled another box with tools for the kids – fluffy dusters, the mini carpet shampoo gadget, and Magic Erasers {best.invention.ever.} – another with clothing that’s waiting for big fixes, like sewing up a hem – and another to hold all of my extra scented goodies that I only need every few weeks, like Scentsy wax, the wall plug-in refills, potpourri refills, things like that. I feel SO much more in control!

Step Five: Make it Pretty

Seriously – a few pretty storage pieces make getting things organized a lot more fun. I adore the print on these Bankers Boxes – I remember my mom using them when I was a kid to store files, but didn’t know until now that they had these fun prints for home organizing too. The boxes are super durable, so you can totally fill them up. They even have cool plastic handles you attach to each side, to reinforce them, and make them even sturdier. They’re made from a really thick cardboard, and honestly are so simple to put together – it took me maybe 2 minutes per box, total. They come with clear plastic windows too – so you can get a quick peek at what’s inside. That’s awesome when you have a bunch of them stacked up, and don’t want to have to move each one to find what you need. See more – sizes, prices, and details – Bankers Box Home Organization.

Get more tips: Visit my Organized Home and Frugal Tips for Moms boards on Pinterest!

Do you need a messy space makeover too?

Check out the awesome contest on the Bankers Box Facebook page – Share a photo of your messy closet. Get votes. One winner gets a consultation with a professional organizer, and up to $500 in free Bankers Box products. How cool is that, right? If you enter, leave me a comment here to let me know, and I’ll check it out and give you a vote! Also, check out the #GetOrganized and #BankersBox hashtags to see more cool ideas on Twitter.

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