Laundry Room Makeover

Who's ready to see a laundry room before and after? I am, I am! Okay yes, I am the one who took it from before to after, but I am so excited to share it with you. It makes it seem more real, knowing that all of you are following along.

As I show you the befores, please remember not to judge. I'm sure you've been here at one point or another, and the only way to get past this point is to have a vision and go for it. If you are tempted to be mean or snarky, please read Keep It Happy! and do it! This is a happy blog and we are here to support each other!

And now. Without further ado. I give you the laundry room makeover BEFORE.

Shocking, right? See the dryer hiding there on the left? Behind all the... everything? We had to kind of squeeze in there just to use it. It's probably not surprising that we didn't do laundry very often. To be fair, the laundry room didn't always look this bad. These pics were taken immediately after a Halloween party, when we did the usual "omg where does this go, it has no place, find somewhere to hide it, the laundry room, put it in the laundry room QUICK!"

You've been there, right?

Now I'm sure you're curious what's hiding to the left... where the washer and dryer live. I'm pleased to tell you that area has always looked great.

Haha.

After the embarrassing last minute scramble before that party, I was determined to start my Happy Misadventures with this room. So here are the fabulous AFTER photos!

Look how clean and organized! Someday I will find a more attractive way to store the dog food, but for now I think this works just fine. The little white cabinet is holding all our pet supplies, though it may need to be exchanged soon for something with more storage.

These little bins and cute tray were all snatched up at Goodwill (my new favorite store) and hold regularly used pet supplies: dry shampoo, dental supplies, leashes, and brushes.

Found these cute "whicker" baskets at the Dollar Store (they are actually plastic! shhh...)

See that kleenex box? It's actually full of plastic shopping bags. They were taking up SO much space in our "before" laundry room and were exceptionally unattractive, so I was thrilled to stumble upon this little space saver (thank you, Pinterest)!

If you're wondering about the left side of the room, I fixed that, too!

I found these great storage bins on clearance at Wal-Mart and I knew they'd be perfect for sorting all the random things in the laundry room. The top shelf bins are full of: napkins and paper towels, extra plumbing fixtures, light bulbs, and touch-up paint supplies.

Eventually the laundry detergent and bleach will be poured into smaller bottles for easier pouring. For now, though, this works!

We discovered the hard way that potty training a puppy requires a lot of old towels, so finding a convenient spot for them was definitely a necessity. And I love having all white hangers for hang-dry items, it looks so streamlined!

It wasn't necessary to put the iron in a basket, but it looks much cleaner and since we don't iron very often it isn't too much of a hassle to haul it out (besides, I have a secret future plan for the iron). I also gathered all the squirt bottles together for a streamlined look. The blue bin in the middle is actually our Swiffer pads in their original packaging with the label pulled off. And the pencil box on top is filled with dryer sheets.

I forgot to take a before pic of the wall by the door, but trust me it was bad. Mostly because all the cleaning supplies were just slid in next to the washing machine. They were always falling over for us to trip on, and it was such a pain sorting through them to find the one we needed. It finally occured to me to move this rack off the wall (where it wasn't being used for anything except holding a plastic bag full of plastic bags) to the back of the door. Clutter problem solved!

Well folks, that's my new and improved laundry room. It's far from completed, I have so much more I want to do! But it's a start and I am so thrilled with it. I don't open the door and gaze in admiration with a dorky grin on my face or anything. At least, not often. Well, not more than 2 or 3 times a day. Or 4. Or, you know. All the time.

I am in love. I am so happy. This misadventure has turned into the highlight of my home. I fully intend greet all future guests with the phrase "Welcome to my home. Please, let me show you the laundry room!"

You think I'm kidding, don't you. Just wait, you'll see.

Just in case you've forgotten, let's take one more look at the BEFORE and AFTER photos.

BEFORE AFTER

What do you think?!? I would love to hear your Happy Thoughts, share share share!

This post has been linked to:

Debbiedoos Newbie Linky Party.

Organize and Decorate Everything

Between Naps on the Porch

Homemaker on a Dime