Laundry Closet Update

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Many of us apartment dwellers struggle with storage. Oftentimes we don’t have a designated linen or utility closet to store all of our household products or linens. As a result, we tend to have these items scattered in various places throughout our homes.

I felt like I was drowning in products: personal care items, hair products, cleaning products, detergent, toilet paper, paper towel… the list goes on and on. I was in desperate need of a designated place to store all of my household products and a few linens for easy access.

In this short post, I am going to share with you a few steps that you can take to organize the products in your home.

Before Organizing

Prior to installing these shelves, I was storing products in the laundry closet, hallway closet, under the sink, bathroom, and kitchen cabinets. I disliked having to go to different places to retrieve what I needed. Likewise, I hated the visual cluttered that it created.

I decided that the laundry closet were the perfect spot. I had a lot of unused space above the washer and dryer combo in my rental unit. I decided that floating shelves were best for that space and for my needs.

During the Transition

I installed these shelves a few months before I began to organize it. At the time, I was working on different projects throughout my home. Therefore, having beautiful organizers were not a priority at the time.

However, having these shelves installed made a huge difference in my home. I were able to keep all of my household products, unused pillows, and vases in one place. This created more space in my bathroom, closet, under the sink area, and kitchen.

The Process

Declutter & Group Like Items

The first step to organizing any space within your home is to declutter. Decluttering lets you see what you’re actually working with. Maybe you have multiple of the same items or items that you no longer uses. Without decluttering first, you have a higher chance of purchasing more organizers than what is needed.

After decluttering, your next step is to group like items together. You don’t have to group them in a traditional manner (ex: personal care) but rather an order that makes sense to you and your household.

Grouping is important because it tells you how much of which type of organizers to buy. Certain organizers are better suited for certain types of items.

Create a Plan

The drawings that are directly on top of the items were my original plan. However, I made some subtle changes after considering the size of the basket that is needed to store paper towel. I also considered how overwhelming it may feel to have eight clear bins on one shelf. These two considerations led me to revised my plan on the right hand side.

When creating your plan be sure to consider how you’ll use that space and how it will feel to be in that space.

Shop for Organizers

Now that you’ve decluttered and grouped like items, it’s time to shop for organizers that fits the function and feel of what you’re aiming for.

As a starter, I purchased the Vtopmart 8 Pack Clear Stackable Storage Bins with Lids on Amazon. However, I want a clean, slightly moody feel to the area so I will be purchasing a few black wire baskets and wicker baskets for added texture.

Future Design Plans

I am pretty satisfied with this closet for the time being. It is functional and organized for the most part. However, I would like to make the following updates in the future.

Buy sheet organizers
Buy 3 wicker baskets in a light color
Buy 2 black wired baskets for toilet paper and paper towels
Add 4 drawers under the last shelf
Swap out the detergent bottles for refillable ones
Add a cleaning basket for easy grab and go
Install a broom organizer
Buy The Container Store Elfa Utility Door Rack (maybe)
Add a panel of wood directly on top the washer/dryer combo (maybe)

The Takeaway

Many of us cannot simply afford to buy everything at once. If you have many areas in your home that’s in need of organizing or decorating, the key is to prioritize the space that either causes you the most stress or would add the greatest amount of value to your life (based on your own value system). It is not necessary to buy everything at once if your budget doesn’t allow it.

Remember, having a functional and aesthetically pleasing home doesn’t have to be expensive.