Organize - Laundry Room

This week I've just been in one of those moods. I want to organize everything.

It's a vicious cycle really. I get to organizing one area (or room), and then suddenly everything in the house seems to be cluttered. So I start organizing everything I see. Then I realize I need bins/boxes/baskets/shelves to really organize that area. I rearrange and re-purpose what I already have laying around the house, which usually causes more spaces to become cluttered and in need of organizing. Finally, I make a list and go to the store. I usually start at a thrift store. Because, let's face it, I don't actually want to spend $$ on these minor reorganize sprees. Generally I don't find exactly what I'm looking for, so I settle for something cheaper (This time, it was found at the Dollar Tree). After I've used my new bins/boxes/baskets/shelves, I spend hours on Pinterest, Ikea, Target, etc web pages browsing the more expensive items I actually dream of having. Then, I give up, and learn to like what I have. I don't usually love it. But I make do until the next "re-organize mood". Or until something that I was window shopping for goes on clearance, or pops up on one of the local classified Facebook pages.

So, there you have it. :) That's what goes on before, during and after my little reorg. projects that I do on a seeming monthly basis. Sometimes I actually really am happy with the final product.

Since we will be moving in roughly 6 months, I don't plan to do a ton anywhere in this house, BUT I have been wanting to work a little more on a few rooms. Namely, the "dining room", laundry room and our master bedroom. This week was the laundry room. It was just... cluttered. So, I emptied out all of the bins, got rid of quite a few nearly empty bottles of random cleaner, moved "garage items" back to the garage (which, by the way, is another place that is in SERIOUS need of some organization and cleaning!), and ran to Walmart and the Dollar Store to see what kind of bins/boxes/baskets I could find. I came home with these green and blue plastic baskets, which I chose from the Dollar Store because I wanted to actually be able to see into them. The white "dish washing" bins I have had for the last 5 years have worked just fine, but I (and especially the man in the house) forget what's in them, and they are often a "toss all" place, and are really messy.

Much better right?? The plastic drawer thing needs to go too. It holds holiday towels/linens, and the best place for it and/or it's contents would be the garage. But that place doesn't need anything else thrown in there right now. I did clear off the top, and the only things up there now are my extra soap, and a bucket, which happens to be the same blue as the bins, so I guess it works ;) 

I've considered labeling these bins, but I think I will wait on that. I'm a big labeler, but I don't know if a) it's really necessary, and b) if these $1 bins will be very permanent. 

A few more pics of what was done in here: 

Laundry soaps I use daily (although Tide is not a normal purchase, it was just on sale)
dusting towels
Large rags
dog towels

On the top shelf, in the little oval bin are some toothbrush "scrubbers", magic eraser, and my laundry room scissors, which were previously just sitting on top of the dryer waiting to be grabbed by the toddler. 

Other things I do plan on doing to this room are :

- Adding another small shelf in the middle to house what's on top of the dryer, and a few small decorations. 

- Adding a few pieces of framed "art work" to the walls. 

I've gone back and forth about making this room sort of an old country washroom, or just a cute organized laundry room, and I think I'll be going with the latter. I'll update more as it happens ;) For now, I'm satisfied, and i like the pops of color the bins add. 

Now to go organize the garage..... or not. I think I'll save that for winter.

PS. I am SO ready for winter ;) 

For more on my ideas, printables, framed art, etc...you can check out my pinterest House board.
Also, my Organize board has some other ideas for organizing large and small spaces.