Delightful Order: Storage Solutions

Showing posts with label Storage Solutions. Show all posts

7/19/16

July Challenge: Organizing and Cleaning Laundry Rooms

Hello! I'm a bit late posting the challenge for July, but hey... better late than never, right?!

How did you do with the June Organizing Challenge? Hopefully you got some control over your Garage.

During the month of July, we are getting our laundry rooms cleaned and organized.

This month I'm challenging you to do the following:

Create a space that you LOVE
I find that if you love the space, it's a bit easier to keep it clean and organized

Create an organized area for dirty clothes separating
Laundry bin sorters, baskets, etc. help keep dirty clothes organized

Create an organized area for clean clothes
If you have the space, create baskets or bins for each family member for their clean clothes

Catch up on ALL your laundry
This means, washing, drying, folding and putting away the clean clothes.
Try to do this at least once a week

Organize and Clean Interior Cabinets

Clean Washer

Clean Dryer

Clean Behind and Underneath Washer & Dryer

Clean Light Fixture

Clean Baseboards & Trim

Wash Windows

I've featured a lot of laundry rooms here on the blog. Below are links to each blog post that I've written. Simply click the links below the photo to be directed to each blog post.

My Laundry Room Reveal

Tamara's Laundry Room/Craft Room/Office All in One Makeover

Kim's Laundry Room

Small Laundry Room Solutions

Clients Laundry Room Redo

Ikea's Expedit in the Laundry Room

Our Second House - The Tour

So hopefully that inspires you to bring Delightful Order to your laundry rooms!

This post is part of the Monthly Organization Challenge. You can join the challenge at any time. Go HERE to see all the posts and bring Delightful Order to your home and life this year.

To stay connected, you can sign up to receive emails when new posts are published or follow along on Instagram or Facebook. (Please note that Facebook has made some changes, and you may or may not see all the posts there.) I also have a Monthly Organization Challenge board set up on Pinterest, so you can follow along there as well.

May you be a little inspired!

Until next time,
DaNita
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View more of my Most Recent Projects HERE.

6/20/16

Office Makeover

I recently had the opportunity to create an office space for myself.

I wanted a wall of built-ins, but didn’t want to spend the money to hire someone to build them for me. I started looking for shelves that could be placed on the wall to make a built-in look, and everything I like would cost me a few thousand dollars and it still wouldn’t have the “built-in” look.

We started by ripping up the carpet in my husband’s old office, and putting on a fresh coat of paint. Didn’t get a good picture of the whole room with the lighting, but this shows the wall color and new flooring.

Here are my book cases. It took me a few hours to put them all together. I got them moved into my space and then it was my husbands turn to help.

I put together the same shelves in another color last year for shelving in my master closet.

We added trim pieces between each shelf, and then added a few boards that reach the ceiling, with trim and moulding. This helped to create a more custom, built-in look! I painted it and I’m still thrilled with the look of it each time I walk into the room!

I had a desk downstairs that was a collector of things. Anything the kids didn’t know where to put, got thrown on or in the drawers. I moved it to the office and changed it from black to grey very easily with chalk paint. I then added a wax finish to it. It was a very quick project and I’m thrilled with the results.

My almost completed office. I say “almost” because there are always little things I would like to do. I have one empty wall that I may add another chair or storage unit to, and a mirror.

I have plenty of storage on the shelves, and more in the closet, which is where I also keep my printer.

I got this little chest of drawers at Ikea. Another great storage option.

I purchased this map of the United States and little wooden push pins. I placed a push pin in the spots that my husband and I visit most frequently and are our favorite stops. I am thinking I will have him build a frame around the map to finish it off nicely.

Thanks for checking out my makeover! It’s a space that I enjoy being in ~ each morning I do my Bible Study here with my coffee, and find myself here throughout each day, to blog or study. Would love to see any other “Ikea Hacks” that you’ve done in your homes!

Blessings from Kim ~ "With Jesus in her heart, and coffee in her cup.” ~

5/31/16

An Organized Refrigerator

Maintaining an organized refrigerator hasn’t always been my strong suit. Think about it, how many times are you in and out of your fridge each day? For us, I would guess at least 10, making it that much more difficult to keep it in order. I recently did a complete overhaul of refrigerator and it was also the perfect opportunity to pull everything out and give all the shelves and drawers a thorough scrub down. All in all, it took about 45 minutes. For such an easy task, it has made a giant impact! This is what it looked like just a few weeks ago.

I have tried and failed at organizing the refrigerator in the past, but I have a good feeling that the results will actually stick this time around. In fact, I even labeled everything, which means I’m committed to keeping it this way.

Before I show you what it looks like today, I wanted to share my motivations in taking on this project. My husband and I are trying to be extra cautious about our spending lately, and an organized refrigerator prevents us from overbuying because we can clearly see what we have. It also helps to combat food waste. I can’t tell you how many times I have thrown out hundreds of dollars worth of food because it went bad before we could use it. I always felt so guilty when tossing it out, but I’m happy to report that we haven’t had to throw out a single item yet! Since all of our leftovers are now kept in one location, we have been eating out less and are making a conscious effort to use what we have. Another positive result that I wasn’t expecting, is that I find myself reaching for healthier options when I get hungry rather than grabbing whatever is convenient out of the pantry. I have been taking the time to prep fruit and veggies when I get home from the grocery store, and can easily grab a serving of carrots rather than the oatmeal cream pies that my pregnancy cravings made me buy!

After living with our newly organize refrigerator for a few weeks, here is how it’s looking today.

I keep all of our bulk produce (items I plan on using for recipes or excess leftover from my snack prep) in one drawer, and breads in the other since we never use all of it before the expiration date.

Keeping fruits and veggies out of the produce bin and placing them in plain sight has made the biggest impact on our day-to-day life. Before doing this, it seemed liked they would always get lost in the mess or I would simply forget we had them.

Like I mentioned above, I also took the time to label everything so that I’m more inclined to keep it this way. The general categories I have are: meal prep, fruit, veggies, eggs, deli, lunch, beverages, bulk veggies, bread, leftovers, and meat. I keep condiments, milk, creamer, and butter in the door bins. It is suggested that you avoid storing milk in the door because it is the warmest spot in your refrigerator, but we have been doing it for years, and have never had a problem.

Call me crazy, but I want to do a happy dance every time I open the doors. It’s a shame that all this hard work is behind closed doors, because it is currently the most organized space in our house. I’ll just make it a point to casually open the refrigerator every time we have guests so I can show it off and in turn, they don’t think I’m a complete slob!

Hi! I'm Kristin from The Orderly Home. I love all things organization and I'm a sucker for pretty storage solutions and anything that makes life easier for me and my family. A little about me: I'm 27, married to my best friend, and mama to a precious little boy. I'm a Texas girl who enjoys cooking and baking, spending time outdoors, and barre workouts. My idea of fun involves an iced coffee, some good music, and a label

4/23/16

Small Toy Storage Solution

Small toy storage wasn’t something that I needed to consider until my son turned one. Now that he is at an age where I’m not too worried about him putting things in his mouth, we have a lot of smaller toy pieces and parts to deal with. The worst offender of all has been puzzles! It is so difficult to keep all of the pieces with the correct puzzle board. I tend to find them scattered throughout the house, usually in the most random places.

I think I have found the perfect solution though! I bought a few mesh laundry bags and they are the just the right size for our puzzle boards. For the larger puzzles, I store the board and the pieces together in a bag.

The puzzle boards that have several small pieces are stored in one of his toy bins, and the pieces are stored separately in small storage containers that I picked up at Target.

My son loves digging through his puzzle bin and choosing a puzzle board to play with. Although, his favorite thing lately has been opening all of the containers and dumping the pieces out…I should have known that he would like the container more than the toy itself!

We have another baby due in November, and I have a feeling our house is about to be overtaken by toys. Do I just go with it, or do I try to contain the chaos!? Feel free to share all of your small toy storage secrets with me!

2/29/16

Glass Containers in the Kitchen

Today I'd like to share a few of my favorite organizations ideas for the kitchen.

A few years ago I started buying glass containers for my fridge and pantry. I found that my pantry items would get a strange smell from some of the plastic storage containers and I feared it seeping into my food also.

This is a picture of the drawer I store my fridge containers in:

These are readily available at Marshall's, Home Goods and TJ Maxx. Pricing is very reasonable, and starts at three or four dollars and up.

When I do my weekly grocery shopping, I try to clean out the fridge before I go. This is a great time to get rid of things that may have expired and wipe your fridge down. Wash your empty containers so they are clean and ready when you bring your groceries in.

Once I bring my groceries in and put away my pantry staples, dairy and etc., I wash my fruits and veggies, cut, chop or dice them up, and put them into my glass containers. This makes my week go so much more smoothly in so many ways! Not only is meal prep easier, a quick salad for lunch takes seconds, a quick stir fry or fresh fruit for your yogurt or oatmeal is all ready for you! Dinner time prep is also greatly reduced. Everything is ready and clean for your side salad or casseroles. And it's easier for everyone to grab healthy snacks throughout the week. If we have leftover meat during the week, I put it in a small container for a fast taco salad at lunch or salad with chicken or what have you. I do feel the shelf life of my fresh produce extends in the glass containers which is an extra bonus.

As you see in the picture, I keep any fresh meats in a glass pan of some sort as well. This way you don't have it leaking or dripping in your fridge, causing food borne bacteria. It's also best to store meat on lower shelves for this reason.

I like to have fresh citrus in a bowl for easy access for snacking or for my water.

I hope these hints will make your week a little easier. It may take extra time on grocery day to get it done, but it will be totally worth it the rest of the week!

Blessings from Kim ~ "With Jesus in her heart and coffee in her cup."

"Hi! I'm Kim ~ Blessed wife of Eric, mom of four and Nonnie to a sweet little grand daughter with another expected in January! I'm a coffee enthusiast, baker, organizer and DIYer. My home style tends to lean towards traditional but, I must say, I can be a bit eclectic. Anything that makes me smile. Surround yourself with your favorite things and be sure you use the good dishes! Always look for extraordinary in what may seem ordinary. ~ Blessings to you and yours!"

1/25/16

Basket Case

Living in a house with only a few closets (and only one on the lower level that is used as a pantry) has caused me to get creative with storage options. Since I can't really tuck much away, I have to display it in a practical and pretty manner. Enter: baskets. I've become a little addicted to baskets and if I find one I like, I tend to grab it since I know I'll be able to use it somewhere in the house. I'm always moving them around and switching one out for another but here is our current basket situation. It's a great way to add texture to a room and keep it nice and orderly. Target and Homegoods always have a great selection and are very affordable.

Kitchen

We just installed this island so I haven't had a chance to buy new baskets for underneath; I pulled this one from upstairs to show what I plan to do. I'm also on the hunt for baskets to hold potatoes and onions in my pantry.

Living Room

I only have one basket in the living room right now so it holds everything from books and magazine to chargers and blankets. Yes, it all fits in there!

Bathroom

Baskets hold toiletries and laundry here. Only having open storage in a bathroom seemed a bit tricky at first but this works great.

Playroom

I need a few more baskets in here but they help to group similar toys together and maintain some order (some).

Bedrooms

Laundry and books are kept neat and tidy in our bedrooms while also adding some color and texture to the rooms.

Happy organizing!

Ashley

"Hello, I'm Ashley from Three Wooden Spoons, a blog featuring my adventures in the kitchen and following our renovation of a 1940's farmhouse in Minnesota. I love to cook and bake, write, explore thrift and antiques stores, drink strong coffee, and dabble in home design. I would describe my style as simple and classic, but also eclectic. I love finding second-hand furniture and home decor, as well as antiques from various eras, and making it all come together for a cohesive interior."