I tried to organize this small laundry space again and again to make it look tidy, but it was visually chaotic with this pegboard and tools and cleaning supplies everywhere. It’s the little passageway to the playroom that’s already cramped so all the extra things on the wall just made it feel even smaller.
I put everything here in the first place because our garage is not attached to our house and it’s more convenient to have these frequently-used tools nearby. But now that I’m not doing DIY projects every day, I thought I could organize these things in the tiny playroom closet.
The problem was that the closet was A MESS. It was the Mary Poppin’s bag of closets. I kept pulling more and more items out.
In my 30s I thought we needed more tools, more decor, more toys for our kids. Now in my 40s I realize we don’t, in fact, need more and more stuff! So I’m trying to simplify one space at a time. It feels great to see the basic cleaning supplies all in one closet rather than some in the laundry room, some in a cupboard and some in a closet. I’ll save money seeing the tools and products paired down and organized in one space so I can see what I have.
For me it takes a lot of time to figure out how this house can be utilized best for our family. It’s taken five years to edit down what we have and group like items together (dishware, medicine, first aid, extra hygiene products, emergency supplies …). And we’re still not done! This is our cleaning closet.
My rule of thumb now is if it doesn’t fit in the allotted space, more has to go. Do we use it? Do we love it? If not, then it doesn’t matter how much it cost when we bought it, it needs a new home that will use it.
So first I took everything off this large wall. It looked so much bigger!
I took everything out of the small playroom closet. There was way too much stuff! I made piles of donate and trash, along with piles for like items. This is why I’ve been putting this off so long!
(Yes, that’s spilled paint from a couple years ago. Whoops!)
Then I reassembled the shelf and peg board in the playroom closet where we can shut the door on it. I added a small shelf and put things in the keep pile back in. I even had extra space on the shelves!
Next I turned my attention to the laundry room. I spackled the screw holes in the wall and painted the baseboard green before I wallpapered. While those were drying I primed the doors.
Finally wallpaper time! I chose the same tropical wallpaper as the playroom for repetition. The price is right at only $100 and I adore the green and coral color palette. The detail on it reminds me of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. The paper quality is nice too, with a sheen that will wipe easily.
I was in a hurry to finish before I had to pick kids up from school and chose the wrong panel to start with! I even cut a hole where the alarm system stuck out from the wall! You’ll have to watch the video for my reaction. Yikes! But I ended up getting the right panels up and patching the hole. Can you spot it?
Next I painted the doors the same Sage Wisdom color that is outside in the hallway. It has been my paint color obsession for the last couple of years. It’s not overly saturated, so it still feels neutral, but adds character and richness. Here’s a post on exactly how I paint doors.
I added a few more of the kids’ artwork above the door. Their colorful paintings make me smile whenever I walk in. They’re just so happy. Do they go perfectly with wallpaper on the other side? I don’t know, but it works for me!
And yeah, two different washer/dryer models. Why? I don’t know, but I’m grateful they both work! It might be because it would be a tight squeeze through the sink and dryer if it were much bigger.
And finally I added a skirt to this very well-used utility sink using a fitted bed sheet! I was determined to use what I had and this was an easy hack. I just cut a hole in the middle and cut off the excess material that didn’t need to go behind or on the side of the sink. I tried the elastic tight and that’s it!
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