A laundry room is one of the easiest and most rewarding spaces to make over. It can be as simple as getting a new hamper, or you could put a little extra effort in by slapping some new paint on the walls and adding a new (and inexpensive!) DIY shelving unit. No matter what changes you decide make to your laundry space... the key word you should have in your mind when redoing your laundry room is efficiency. Having an efficient laundry space means being able to move between washing, drying and folding with ease in your day-to-day life. Keep reading to see how Agnes took her laundry room to the next level in just a few short hours! Step 1: Out with the oldThe first steps to any true room makeover is creating a blank canvas. We took the existing wire shelf down, patched the holes in the wall, and painted the whole room a crisp, bright white (it used to be a creamy color). Step 2: Build your laundry room's skeletonAfter the old shelf was out and the walls were blank, we started creating the support for the new counter with 2x4's. We started by securing the 2x4's around the walls and then secured another 2x4 in the middle to create more stable counter that can support the weight of "heavy" things on top if need it. Step 3: Prep your surfacesTo build the counter, we bought a sheet of plywood and cut it down to fit the space. We cut the leftover plywood in half to create the two shelves above the washer and dryer. Next we cleaned and stained the counter and the shelves using the Restor A Finish in the dark walnut color. I did at 3 coats and let it dry for 48 hours. Below, you can see the plywood before and after the 3 coats. Step 4: Install your brackets
Step 5: Double check your workNow that everything is dry and ready to go, we placed everything to see if it needed any adjustments. We were happy with the layout and didn't need to make any adjustments, so we went ahead and installed everything. We added a trim to the front of the counter to give it a more finished look - but that step is totally optional. Next, we added the shelves and secured the bottom of the shelves with a screw so they won't move every time we grab something. Step 6: Organize!Now for the best part! (We think so at least haha). It's finally time to have fun and be creative with your items and how you organize your shelves! We categorized and sorted the items we wanted to store in this space and placed each group into its final home (bins/baskets/box). Step 7: Play around with the layoutNext, we played around with all of the baskets and bins to see which layout would create the most functional and visually pleasing look for our newly made-over space. Since we use it most, we opted to put the laundry detergent into a pretty basket on the counter so it was easy to grab but still looks nice. If you're interested in redoing a space in your home but aren't sure how to get started, reach out to us! COVID-19 may prevent us from being able to come into your home to do the work for you, but we can still help set you up for success in your projects.
We're offering virtual consultations and easy to follow action plans for only $60/space (normally $145/space!) Click one of the buttons below to get started today!
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One of the best habits we've adopted in our adult lives is to clean our kitchens before going to bed for the night. There's just something about cleaning up from the day, going to bed, and then waking up and walking into a clean kitchen in the morning that sets your day off on the right foot! Little did we know, this concept has a whole following on Instagram, with over 7,000 posts added to the hashtag #cleankitchenatnight. With all of the mandatory shelter in place orders due to COVID-19, this is a great opportunity to start this new habit! Below, we're sharing some of the things we do to clean up our kitchens at night. Enjoy! 1. Put leftovers awayThe first thing we do when cleaning our kitchens at night is to put away any leftovers from dinner. Packing up our leftover dinner, not only allows for fast and easy meals tomorrow, but it also saves you money! I can't tell you how much money our families have saved over the years by taking some of last night's dinner to work with us for lunch the next day. 2. Do the dishesAlthough it's tempting to put the dirty dishes in the sink and leave them for the next day (we've all been there), we shouldn't. When food gets left out overnight, bacteria starts to grow on the food, the food dries and sticks to the dishes, and you wake up and walk into a smelly kitchen in the morning - gross. It's totally worth the extra 10 minutes to wash up the dishes and put them away that night. We also like to take a quick second to rinse out our sinks to wash away any crumbs that might have been left over from doing the dishes. If you have a dishwasher, that's even better! Load everything in and set the delay start so it will run while you're asleep. In the morning, everything will be clean and ready to go. Woohoo! 3. Wipe down surfacesNow that all of your left over food is put away and your dishes are done, it's time to wipe down your stove and countertops! With a cleaning solution and cloth, wipe down your surfaces. We opt for using washcloths or hand towels to clean around our home instead of paper towels because they're less wasteful and better for the environment. Agnes uses her own homemade mixture of white vinegar, water, tea tree oil, and grapefruit essential oil to remove any dirt or spilled food. If you don't feel like making your own cleaning solution, Timber highly recommends Better Life products. 4. Prep for the morningSet up for your morning routine, whatever that looks like to you and your family. For Agnes, it means putting out lunch boxes, coffee mugs, and setting up the coffee machine so it's ready for that quick brew in the AM. For Timber it means getting everything she'll need for tomorrow packed into her bag and put by the front door. 5. Clean the floorsThere are few things in this world worse than the feeling of having crumbs stick to the bottom of your bare feet haha. Do a quick sweep to get any crumbs or tiny pet hair tumbleweeds that have accumulated throughout the day. Now that the kitchen is clean and done, you're ready to enjoy the rest of your evening, start your bedtime routine, and have a good night of sleep. Your future self will thank you when you get to enjoy your nice, clean kitchen in the morning. If cleaning your kitchen at night proves to be more difficult than you think (can't find any matching tupperware for your leftovers, have trouble putting away your clean dishes because your cabinets are overflowing, etc), it sounds like your organizational systems could use some updating. Luckily, you've come to the right place for organizing help! We've got your back.
Most of us struggle with getting organized. Why? Because jobs, kids, pets, school functions, hobbies, a social life, in-laws, and you-name-it have us feeling busy, overworked, and tired pretty much all the time. Even if you want to get organized, it hardly feels like there's enough time left in the day to do it! Can you relate? When you find yourself in this mindset, it's important to remember why you want to get organized in the first place. Our favorite reasons to get organized are to save time, money, and your sanity. Let's break it down for you. 1. Being organized saves you time. When you have your belongings organized, you won’t spend time looking for things in piles of stuff. "Where did I put my wallet? Where are the keys? Are they in my purse? Wait... where is my purse? I thought I left it in the entryway. Or was it the kitchen? Maybe the bedroom?? Ahh, I was supposed to leave 10 minutes ago!" Sound familiar? Organizing your house might take some time and effort now, but it will save you sooo much time in the future AND make your life easier. Once everything in your home has a home, you know exactly where everything goes, where to get it, and you won’t waste any more time searching. 2. Being organized saves you money. Have you ever looked for something you know you have for hours, days, or weeks just to get frustrated, buy a replacement, and then find your original item a few days later? Now you have duplicates of the same item (AKA more clutter) and you just wasted money buying something you already own. Imagine how much money you've wasted by doing this exact thing for years...not to mention any unpaid bills or parking tickets that get lost in stacks of paper resulting in late fees. This scenario has happened to every single one of our clients. In our time so far as Professional Organizers, we have found hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars worth of lost or forgotten loose change, gift cards and valuable items during our organizing sessions. 3. Being organized saves your sanity. Imagine waking up, getting ready for work, a fun day out with your kids, a hike with your dog, a PTA meeting, a bike ride, brunch with the girls, dinner with your in-laws - whatever it is that day - and doing it with ease. You aren't stressed out or running 10 minutes late anymore because you know where everything is and you have a peaceful yet productive routine! How much happier do you think you'd be? Can you even imagine being able to do simple tasks around your home without having a million questions running around your mind? The good news is, it doesn't take much to get organized and start saving your time, money, and sanity. You can tackle your whole house by doing a little bit of organizing each day with the #TopShelf2SongChallenge to make an impact on your space and your life. If you have the desire to get organized but still don't feel like you have the time or energy, we are here for you! You are not alone. |
A note from us...When we started Top Shelf Organizers, we had no idea that blogging would become something we had an interest in doing.... but here we are! Thank you for taking the time to visit our Blog. Your support means so much to us! Read More |