Laundry Room Blues

I hate my laundry room.  It's ugly.  It's past ugly.  It needs painting.  It needs a clean up.  It needs a MAKEOVER!  So...if you're guessing this is my next big project, you are right.  The thing is...when am I going to actually feel like doing this project.  I think the more I blog about it and think about it, it can turn into a project that I can accomplish very soon.  It seems like I've always been working on this laundry room.  It's not big, but it's not that small.  Right now the laundry room has....2 five shelf book cases, purchased from Big Lots.  I had orginally purchased these for my couponing binge overflow of gotta have the deal now groceries.  Here's what they use to look like and what I had intended them to do...

 I did some pretty good couponing, huh?  Unfortunately, our Publix has cracked down severely on couponing here.  So...I do my menu's week to week and buy what is on sale with coupons.  I was a pretty coupon savvy girl, but for now...these shelves have been re-purposed for other stuff.  Yes, I used all of this eventually!

Okay...back to the laundry room.  It has these 2 shelving units.  It also has a full sized refrigerator.  I have to have 2 refrigerators.  It's a necessity here for some reason!!  On the opposite side of the fridge, hub installed several shelves to hold stuff that you normally keep in a linen closet.  I turned my very tiny linen closet into a game/craft closet for Hannah.  I figured if I was doing the laundry...it would be so easy just to put my towels and linens in the laundry room.  Of course there is the washer/dryer in this space.  Above the washer/dryer is more shelves to hold diapers (for daycare kids) and the kitchen towels and stuff.  This is one crammed pack laundry room let me tell you.  It looks it too. 

So...a few months ago when I was at Goodwill, I started noticing these really nice big wicker and cloth containers.  Large enough to hold sheet sets and towels.  That way no one could actually have to look at all that.  Here's a pic...

Nice containers huh?   I thought this would get rid of the eye soar of loose sheets stacked up.  Then I had these 2 under the shelf wire racks to hold wash cloths and hand towels.  Since I use so many wash cloths with the kids each day...having it right there was handy enough.

Then...the top shelf would hold items I don't use as often and I would use containers for those items as well.  One container holds the beach towel stuff and the extra  blankets are just folded.  Here's a pic...

This is the bottom shelf that holds some extra towels that are not kept in the bathroom.  I also have 3 containers (labeled mind you) of lego's, blocks and cars.

Then....I had the dilemma of Hannah's stuff.  I had purchased years ago drawer containers for all of her junk.   This is located underneath these shelves....

These drawers would make a neat freak CRY!  Look how much room they take up?!!  I hate it.  I would love to have a nice little table here with a pretty little lamp.  My hoarding daughter refuses to give up her prized possessions.  We have already purged this once and this is what was left.  Can you imagine the before??

Here's what ended up on my 2 bookcases in here.  I'm going to show you a few shelves....

An extra coffee pot, some recipes that I have organized in several binders, an iron...and anything else that would fit on this shelf.

Tupperware stuff was moved out of my kitchen and I have a couple of shelves dedicated to that stuff.  The striped cloth containers are our medicines.  Over the counter stuff...prescriptions...other meds you just have to have on hand.  Quite a bit of stuff.  I know there is a better way of sorting this, but for now...this is my idea of keeping it "contained".

So...you get me.  This goes on and on.  I had 10 shelves to fill and not one problem filling them.  There are 2 shelves that hold books and the rest is just misc stuff.

On the opposite side of these shelves is my washer and dryer.  This is a very narrow space.  Can you tell I am trying to get the most out of this laundry room for storage as well?

On the dryer I have a basket with Hannah's clothes that are clean and ready to go to her room.  She is in charge of this basket.  There is another basket that holds all the hangers I need.

Yet again...I've made another cluttered look in the laundry room with all of this.  It's handy and convenient...but I seriously hate having everything out on the dryer.  It could be used as a nice clean space.

Up above my washer is even more shelves.  These shelves hold the daycare diapers and my dish towels.  Even though they are neat on the shelves...it's an eye sore.  See?

Here's another pic of the entrance into this mad house!

I even bought this pink storage container to get rid of the mess on top of the fridge in there.  Even more stuff behind all of that!

This is my planner and I have an area with a wire rack that holds diaper bags.  I mean seriously...how much more can I do to this laundry room.  No wonder I'm dissatisfied!!

I had a lot of nerve putting this up in there!  This is on the inside of the door.  Who sees this?  NO ONE.  The only decor in the entire room. 

 This is on the front of the door.  I clearly had a vision at one time.

So...lots going on here.  I was inspired by another blog that had a similiar look to their laundry room.   Size wise!!  She was able to dress it up with decor and it blended perfectly with the rest of their house.  This laundry room is right off the breakfast room and the door stays open most of the time.  I know...I shiver everytime I look in there.  I tried to make the shelf system work with the baskets, but clearly to me it is not working.  I thought about putting up a decorative shower curtain over the shelves and that is still an option I am open to.  I just need to be able to have access to those items without tearing down a shower curtain everytime I need something.   Also...there's the shelves with the linens on them.  I would love to have a full size cabinet there to contain every single thing that is on that wall.  That would certainly clean that area up.  I would also like to have a wall cabinet over my washer to contain the diapers and kitchen towels.  So...I've mentioned several pricey things that I really would like to have in there to fix things.   Those are on my wish list for now.

Seriously...what I think for a short term goal that would help are these things:

1.  Remove every single thing from that room, except the washer/dryer and fridge.  Give the walls and baseboards a good scrubbing.

2.  Paint.  If you can remember Hannah's bathroom makeover with the color of her walls being green, that is the color I would like to use.  I think it would blend really well with the brown walls I have in my kitchen.

3.  I'd like to try the curtain idea on the front of my shelves.  My mind is spinning now on how to actually get those curtains up...we'll see what I come up with.  I'm leaning towards a salmon color to offset the green in that room.  So...I plan to use that color as an accessorizing color.

4.  I need a remedy for the hangers.  I hate that messed up look.  Any suggestions? and don't suggest I buy a hanger organizer...already did...doesn't work well.

5.  I could get rid of Hannah's basket for sure.  I'm here all day, so I might as well fold and put her stuff away.

6.  I can clear off the top of the fridge...this stuff is rarely used and take it to our storage building outside.  Wouldn't it be nice to have some decor up there like I do in my kitchen?

7.  I need to replace the mini blind.

8.  Curtains need to be hung on the window.  I've never done that.

9.  The shelves above the washer?  Maybe a matching curtain there?  Not sure.

10.  Hannah's 3 drawer organizers are so going to the storage building outside!!  I have a fight on my hands for sure.

Okay...well putting it down on paper certainly brings it to a real place.  It looks like I've got my work cut out for me.   10 things that I can accomplish with hardly any money spent.  The cabinets can wait.  I'm kind of getting excited about this transformation!!!