Maximizing Storage Space in our Laundry Room

Last week I grew some you-know-whats and worked up the courage to “unveil” our disaster of a laundry room.  I hesitate to even link back to in fear that you will run away screaming.

Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad, but just keep in mind that when I picture what a laundry room should look like, I picture this:



I know, right?  Who actually has a laundry room like that?  I blame Pinterest for oozing these easy-to-hate-they’re-so-beautiful rooms that make me scream in fear when I see the reality of the rooms I’m living with.  Now, I exaggerate.  I am so thankful to have our apartment, with it’s space, it’s two levels, its cute finishings, and it’s very large laundry room with room for storage.  But I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t panting in anticipation for a laundry room like the one above when we buy a house.

All that to say, you can imagine why I was not thrilled every time I went to wash another load of whites (who knew chefs wear lots of white?) in this room:



Blech!  With all of our precious items that we can’t store anywhere else spilling out into the middle of the room, we decided enough was enough.  Thanks to our new cash budget envelope system, we budgeted $100 to whip this room into shape and then saved the rest of our paychecks for groceries, gas, and bills.  We actually saved a great amount of money last week just by telling our money where to go!

Anyway, we knew we wanted some sort of storage rack, but it had to be large and sturdy enough to hold a good amount of our items.  Places like Target and Home Depot just didn’t have what we wanted in our price range.

They had a decent amount of items like this (plastic):




and this (metal):



but we were thinking of something more like this:



The first two options just were not wide enough for the amount of storage we wanted, with dimensions of 72.0 " H x 36.0 " W x 18.0 " D.  They were good prices, though, ranging from $45 to about $65.  However, we wanted something strong, built to last, that we could easily bring along to our first house, which the other two might be able to do, but aren’t as promising as the last photo.

Although we had been regretting ever getting a membership since we don’t use it often enough, Sam’s Club stepped in and saved the day.  We found one just like the one in the bottom photo above for – wait for it – 60 smackaroos!  It was actually a little cheaper than the metal Target shelving unit.  I would say we actually paid for our Sam’s membership and more, since the seemingly almost-identical version pictured in the photo above costs about $300!  Yipee!

Now, let’s get to the after photos I’m sure you are waiting for.  Please don’t expect some ah-ha moment, since all we did was install the new unit and move stuff around.  It’s no prettier in there, just clutter-free, and I can live with that.

WASHER/DRYER WALL BEFORE:

WASHER/DRYER WALL AFTER:

BOOKCASE OF WEDDING PRESENTS BEFORE:

BOOKCASE OF WEDDING PRESENTS AFTER:

BACK WALL (with dresser) BEFORE:

BACK WALL (with new storage unit) AFTER:

You’re clapping right now, right?  It’s not just me, right?  You’re still reading this, right?  Can you believe we had all that extra stuff in the middle of the floor?  No wonder I started pulling my hair out!

And now . . .

WIDE SHOT BEFORE:

WIDE SHOT AFTER:

Ahhhh!  If you followed along closely, you are probably wondering where the office chair, exercise ball, fan, and mirror went.  I didn’t take an after shot of beneath our stairs since it actually became a little more cluttered when I moved those bigger items over there, but they are hidden from view unless you walk back there, so I thought it was the perfect place for them since that area was hardly being used.

So, what do you say?  It may not be beautiful but it definitely is organized and usable again.  Now Mr. Converse Sneakers can get his kickboxing on with plenty of space.  I wouldn’t want him doing a round house kick into our aqua Christmas ornaments or doing jab cross combo into our beloved cake stand.  Everything now has a place and I can breathe a little easier!

What space in your home do you need to organize?