30 Day Organizational Challenge

Laura over at Org Junkie is hosting a 30 day Organizational Challenge. I am going to do our laundry room for the challenge. I have done a lot of organizing in the past few months, but that is one place I haven't yet dared to tackle...but it needs doing, as you can clearly see in the pictures below:





Needless to say, it needs some work. So now, for my plan of attack. The following questions are included in Laura's post on planning your challenge here. :o)


1. What do I want the purpose of my room or area to be?
Well, it's our laundry room, so it's main purpose is laundry (duuuh), but I'd also like to be able to store all our cleaning supplies in there in an organized fashion, and not be embarassed to open the door when we have company!

2. What do I need in or near the room to serve that purpose?
I need our washer and drier (no problem; they're already there...I'm going to clean under them though!), detergent, etc, for laundry, and our other cleaning supplies, plus the mop and broom.

3. What can I remove from the room?
Nothing, really; it's a matter of getting it properly organized. I'm sure I'll throw away some old cleaning stuff we don't and won't use.

4. What problems do I see with the room?
For one, our dogs sleep in there, so the floor has to have their blankets on it, as it's a tile floor and they are old dogs. With those there, it doesn't seem like it will ever look 100% wonderful. Also, shelving space is limited. There is one long shelf to store all supplies on. Also, the wonderfully large sink (as shown in the picture above) is un-wonderfully dirty. I think it's probably stained with paint and other things.

5. What organizational tools might solve those problems?
I'll probably get some storage bins to keep the different types of cleaner organized.

6. What habits need to change in order to solve the organizational problems?
I think I use the room more than my parents, since I do a lot of the chores around here, so they're (probably) my bad habits, for the most part, that keep it messy. One habit I need to change is not just setting the cleaning supplies on top of the drier once I'm done with them, or shoving them on the shelves, wherever they happen to fit.

7. What kind of budget do I have to create the organized room of my dreams?
I don't plan to spend too much, hopefully under $20. All I need to buy are storage bins, so it shouldn't be too pricey.

8. What kind of timeline is necessary to organize this room?
I'm going to do it in under 30 days, since the challenge only lasts that long. My Wednesday chore is organizing, so I will focus my morning cleaning efforts each Wednesday on the laundry room.

9. What is my plan of action?

• Sort through the cleaning supplies on the shelf and drier and see what can be thrown out. Organizing remaining supplies into categories.
• Purchase bins to store each type of supply in, and put them on the shelf.
• Move washer and drier and clean under and behind them.
• Find some way to clean the sink.
• Think of a way to keep it neat, even with the dog stuff

10. Who can help me with this?
I plan to do most of it myself, though my Mom will probably help some, if she wants to. :o) And, hopefully, my Dad will supply the 'funds'...stay-at-home daughters don't make a very high salary these days! *wink*