Since it’s summer, and I have a teeny-weeny-itty-bitty more time on my hands than usual, I’ve planned some cleaning/organizing projects. One of them is for this space…
Terrible, isn’t it? Ironically, it’s my cleaning closet. Actually this is a weird space, and you probably don’t have one like this in your home, so with the tips I’m sharing, think “Big Picture.” Think about your own storage closets and corners, because the same strategies that I use, are ones you can apply as well…even if you don’t have a replica of this funky, little hole-in-wall.
This space was originally a coat closet beneath our stairs. When our home was being built, my husband had the idea to make this a little office (thus, the counter and the handwritten notes/quotes on the wall). However, he didn’t end up using it much, and it has gradually, over the years, turned into a space that stores cleaning products and a bunch of other miscellaneous items. It looks like the cyclone induced mess that it was because regularly 3-4 people hop in here, grab something he or she needs, and then throws it back in, without much thought to where it actually goes. Then he or she will just pull the curtain (what we have there instead of a door…)back into place and skip merrily away. It had really gotten out of hand, as one can tell.
So, STEP 1, with any small space you are about to tackle, is to…
COMPLETELY EMPTY AND CLEAN THE SPACE.
This didn’t take that long really. As I removed everything, I tried to sort into piles: 1. things that would return to this space 2. things that needed to be put somewhere else 3. things that I wanted far, far away from me, never to be seen again. Then I simply swept the floor, killed the three brown recluse spiders that had made their home among this mess, and dusted the surfaces.
Step 2: PURCHASE AND/OR IMPLEMENT STORAGE HELPS
I bought five of these locker style plastic bins at the Dollar Tree. They now hold extra cleaning supplies, extra candles, cleaning cloths, and my husband’s shoe polishing paraphernalia. With the built-in cubbies and counter in here, it made for a natural, easy way to implement these. If you don’t have this, adding an inexpensive book shelf or standing, stackable plastic bins would be a similar, effective solution.
I also added this cheap, spring mechanism curtain rod to corral my stand-up cleaning tools, like my Swiffer and broom, etc. I also thought I might be able to hang some spray bottles along it, but it was not sturdy enough to hold the weight of more than one. I did find, however, that it was a convenient place to hang damp cloths or an extra pair of plastic gloves.
I already had this wire cart, but it was holding a bunch of junk that I mostly got rid of. It was the perfect fit here to hold extra cleaning supplies (I like to buy in bulk at Costco, if it is a good deal), extra attachments for my vacuum and mop, and the dust pan. Rethink pieces that you may be using somewhere else. Shop your home for creative organizational structures that might be put to better use. With a critical eye, you can probably come up with the perfect storage solution for your own space.
Again, I already had this large plastic tote. It is perfect to store cleaning supplies for easy mobility to any room in the house. In mine I keep a pair of plastic cleaning gloves, various spray cleaners, Windex, a scrubbing brush, dusting cloths, a roll of paper towels, and my dusting wand. This is great for kid helpers too…no running back and forth or excuses for not putting away the cleaning things.
I use this small wire wastebasket for grocery bags, which we use in our small bathroom trash cans. Beside it is stored the large kitchen bags. This way whoever is taking care of the garbage knows exactly where to go for supplies.
Step 3: GET RID OF THE EXCESS
I didn’t take a photo of my dining room/living room, but it was stacked with stuff that had somehow ended up in this tiny space. I threw away a lot of things. I donated a whole large trash bag of hand and full-sized towels and glass containers. The general rule is that if you haven’t used something in over a year, get rid of it…and don’t look back, or you’ll be turned into a pillar of salt, or something like that.
Step 4: STEP BACK AND ASSESS YOUR HANDIWORK. ASK YOURSELF IF THE SPACE IS GOING TO WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
If you find the answer is no, go back a couple of steps and rework some things until you get it right. One of the keys for this space to be functional was that a person needed to be able to actually step inside and move around a bit. This was not an option before.
One of the keys for me was that I had to be able to put my upright vacuum and mop, both rather large, in there. I breathed a mighty sigh of relief when I realized it all worked.
Step 5: MAINTAIN
If you want your space to continue to look like this, you must recruit whomever will be using it to help. Show your spouse and older children how you want things stored. Make labels for your bins. Find a system that works for you and implement it.
Overall, this whole project, start to finish, took about an hour and half. I only spent a total of $5 on the Dollar Tree bins because I already had everything else that I used.
So, no excuses….dust off those skeletons and tidy up your closets!