TGIF! Was it just me or did this short week seem long?!!

I have to admit, the house is looking fantastic!! We’re so close to having everything in it’s place and organized, but I have to admit, I’m starting to lose my motivation. We’ve been going so hard, but when paused to look around and admire the work, well, I got tired. It’s like when you come home from work at the end of the day, you’re going strong: making dinner, doing laundry, sweeping the floor, doing dishes, bathing the kids, etc. but you know you can’t stop until it’s all done because the moment you take 10 minutes to sit down – game over. You’re done for the night. That’s how I think I’m starting to feel. Luckily I’m committed to the Clear the Clutter Challenge which is just what I need to motivate me to finish the last mile of the race. We can do this!

Earlier this week I shared my newly de-cluttered linen closet and as promised I wanted to share a few pics of my newly cleaned-up laundry room.

We have a fairly small laundry room – there’s not a lot of room to maneuver. Here’s the room before…

Now for the after photos…

Here are 5 items that I use to help keep my small space tidy and organized:

(1) SMALL TRASH BIN. I keep a small trash can in the corner so it doesn’t take up much space. It helps to have a place nearby to throw away lint, clothing tags, etc. (how many times do you find yourself pulling the tags off new clothes just as you throw them in the wash?)

(2) DRY ERASE BOARD. I  searched for quite some time for the right dry erase board. I wanted a magnetic board so that I could pin up any garment care instruction tags but it also had to be the right size to fit our space and I didn’t want a traditional white board. I found this one at The Container Store and I absolutely love it! I can leave notes for the hubs so he knows which items cannot go in the dryer. *wink* It also holds the photo of the two women in Morocco that made the rug for our laundry room (wedding gift from my SIL when she was in the Peace Corp.)

(3) BINS FOR SIMILAR ITEMS. As with the linen closet, it’s key to group similar items. I can keep all of my stain removers front and center in one bin – and with two little ones I have A LOT of stains so I’m constantly grabbing for these throughout the day. Having them front in center in one consolidated location is key.

(4) GROCERY BAG HOLDER. We reuse grocery bags for so many things – mainly trash can liners and dirty diapers. Needless to say we go through them so I have a stockpile of bags that need corralling. The over the door bag holder is great for storing the bags without being in the way.

(5) ADD A SHELF. My husband built us an additional shelf right under the cabinets and above the washer/dryer – which I love! I keep the items we reach for often – like the stain removers and our handheld vacuum (if you have little ones make sure you invest in a good handheld vacuum, I think I use it about 3 or 4 times a day to suck up crumb spills!)

For more tidy tips and organizing ideas check out the Clear the Clutter hosts, Kate, Jaclyn, and Keri — and the Clear the Clutter Pinterest page! Maybe you’ll find some inspiration to clear out some clutter in your tiny space this weekend *wink.*

Cheers! ♥