Post by Christina of Christina Williams Blog

Recently, I organized the very worst space in my house. The laundry room. When we moved in, it’s where everything got piled up for me to deal with “later.” And then life got busy. I could never justify the time or expense of organizing it properly since the attention and money could be better used elsewhere. It almost felt selfish to spend time organizing a space that’s primarily “mine.”

Here’s the embarrassing before picture, which was actually taken on a pretty “clean” day. I have plenty of cabinet space here so my main obstacles were time, effort and organization. When I finally decided to go for it, I quickly realized I needed a game plan. I told my buddies at Nod what I was doing, and they offered to send me some organizational goodies to help out. Thinking of having some of Nod’s cute stuff all to myself (and not for the kids!) was a big motivator.

I grabbed a snack, and started making lists. First, I made a list of everything I needed and wanted to store in the laundry room. Second, I made a few goals – like hanging the ironing board so I won’t trip over it anymore. Then I drew a rough sketch of the cabinets and drawers and what they would hold.

Then I got to it. It was overwhelming, so I worked for 2-3 hours a day to avoid burnout. I started by decluttering. I was ruthless in giving things away, and only allowed myself to keep items I actually use. I stored all my important, yet messy bits and pieces (like rubber bands, push pins, etc. in the Color Reference Drawers. It’s so cheerful and fun to see on the counter, and it’s been instrumental in staying organized.

Sometimes stacking things on shelves works great, but other times, containing things in a jar, box or caddy on a shelf works even better. For example, my paint brushes are in the adorable Perfect Pitch Storage Caddy; and they’re not rolling around or falling all over the place. The Cubby Cups are perfect for my marker collection. Each cubby holds a different type of marker, and I can see all the colors without digging through the whole lot of them.

The Love Struck Heart Bin is on the counter because it’s too cute to hide away in a cabinet, and it’s makes corralling lost socks a bit more fun.

The Straight & Narrow wall shelf gives me a place to display all my sentimental memorabilia; and I even use the extra knobs for drip-drying my favorite jeans. Psst: there are treats kept up high in the “Things” bin. Perfect for keeping prying eyes and tiny hands out of my secret stash. Hiding that ugly breaker box was high on my list of wants. I measured the box, and realized the For the Birds wall art was the perfect size to cover it! 

I’m so happy with how the laundry room makeover project turned out; and it’s been surprisingly easy to keep it clean since there’s an official place for everything. It was well worth the effort; and I’m so happy to have some Nod cuteness in my own grownup space, too!

So I’m leaving you with my top four tips for organizing an impossible space:

1. Give yourself a deadline. It’s much easier to keep going when you know the end is in sight.
2. Use organizational items that fit your needs. Buy or make things that fit your needs and your space. It’s easier to stay organized when things have a dedicated place.
3. Planning is key! Make lists, draw pictures and then make it happen.
4. Declutter. It’s hard, but worth it.

Come visit my blog to see how the rest of the laundry room turned out; and Happy Spring Cleaning!

Christina Williams is a blogger and graphic designer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. She’s a night owl and a bookworm, as well as a mother to three children ranging in age from two to eight. She shares her latest DIY and design projects along with her adventures in parenting on her self-named blog, Christina Williams.