I'm Doing the Happy Dance on My Laundry Room Floor

...just because I finally can!!! Well, not just because I can but also because I'm SOOOO happy that I took the challenge and even showed the world my messy room to motivate me to finally clean and organize the room that I most dreaded in my house. It is now one of the rooms that I most love! Thanks so much for the challenge
Laura (the organizing junkie)...I wouldn't have done it without you!

O.k....well there are some formalities for the contest...some questions to answer and some before and after pictures to show you. I'm so excited....heehee.

Q. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?

A. Taking pictures of my mess and showing them off on my blog was pretty difficult but I overcame it ;o) I was actually pretty paralyzed with the whole thought of this room. It seemed just so overwhelming that I didn't even want to deal with it at all...BUT...I overcame it.

Q. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

A. I enjoy this room so much now that I don't mind being in it. Laundry is done regularily and actually folded and put away RIGHT away. It doesn't have to go up to the kids room's right away as I put the folded clothes in their individual baskets. The kids take their clothes to their rooms and put them in their dressers (which are no longer overflowing thanks to some purging we did) then they gather their dirty clothes and bring them down in their baskets and sort the clothes into the hampers. I was the clothes before the hampers get full and the whole things happens again :o)

Q. What did you do with the "stuff" you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

A. Seven LARGE garbage bags full of clothes went to Big Brothers and Sisters, One went to my friend who assures me she can use what was inside (mostly sheets I didn't need) and Three plus large bags went to the garbage...whew. I feel lighter :o)

Q. What was the biggest lesson you learned from this experience?

A. Labels and routines make life simpler.

Q. Now that you have completed the PROCESS, do you think having and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?

A. I want my whole house to look like my laundry room!!! This will definately make a difference. I need to purge so much more around my house. Having less is SO much better and EASIER to keep clean. This is a lesson I've been trying to learn for a long time. I'm going to take baby steps...first my laundry room, then the rest of my house, then the world...mwahahaha!

O.k. well. Now...the moment I've been waiting for. First of all a very happy me :o)

Before and After Photos:

The view from the doorway...remember...I didn't have a door to close. I still don't but I don't care because this is what it looks like now.........

My floor is even shining :o) Come on inside...it isn't scarey anymore. I promise!

Before by my washer and dryer...yikes!

...and after. Sigh...see why I'm so happy?

A very scarey corner...

...is now clean. My 5 year old seemed surprised that we had a sink in this room. I guess he wasn't brave enough to venture past the mess to find out before.

Another scarey shelving unit.

It looks so much better now! (I'm going to get a new ironing board cover... mine looks pretty yucky. I think I'll sew one and embroider an old fashioned Ironing Day motif near the bottom)

Another view of the topsy-turvy, much-too-full shelving mess!

This has turned into one of my favourite parts of this room :o) I'm going to have to share more photos of this...hope you don't mind. My *almost* 11 year old son told me that when he sees these shelves he just wants to smile! Me too!

I spent about $20.00 and added two more shelves. The empty space is going to hold a "Donations" basket which I'm going to get the next time I go into town. I've already made the tag and I'm looking forward to have a place to put outgrown clothes. The next time Big Brothers and Sisters want to pick anything up I'll be SO ready :o)

Remember my huge collection of "lonely socks"? I vow that will NEVER happen again!!! My laundry is going to be done more regularily and any stray socks will go into this little basket and the mate will be searched for after every load of wash. There's not much room in this little basket so there can never be such a huge amount of lonely socks again...poor little guys. I kind of felt sorry for them missing their mates for SO long. I think they will be happy here until they can be reunited. I think single socks are lonely... this reminds me of a hamburger commercial...LOL.

I finally labeled my hampers! I've been meaning to do this for a long time and I finally did it...yay! I just love the way they look. I've got one for "whites & lights", one for "colours", one for "darks & jeans", and one for "towels". The kids can now sort their dirty clothes and I can put a load on before the hampers get full. Actually all the kids want me to teach them to do the laundry now. I think it's because they think they can keep the loose change they find in the pockets...LOL. Now that my room in clean and organized it'll be easy (and fun) to teach them to do the laundry... no more climbing "Mount Washmore".

Finally, the last "messy" picture that I shared when I first accepted Laura's challenge. See there IS a sink!

And the after shot!

I had to go out into my garden and bring in some sunny flowers...just to add to my happiness :o) I think if I can make my room pretty it'll stay clean longer. What do you think?

Oh...one last thing. You may have noticed an unframed embroidery picture and an empty frame in some of my before pictures. It was something I'd done 20 years ago. It hasn't been framed or hung up for years but I've always saved them. Well, I washed the embroidery and re-framed it and finally hung it on the wall. It says "Home is Where the Heart Is". It makes me happy, too :o)

Thank you SO much to my dear, sweet friend, Donna who came and helped me purge. Wasn't that nice of her? Would you have dared enter my laundry room before? And thanks to my kids for their help and excitement :o) And....to Laura for the challenge. I'm so glad I did this!

Well...that's it. Hopefully I don't have many spelling mistakes because I'm not going to check. I'm afraid I'll loose the whole post and it's taken me an hour to type all of this...HeeHee. Plus I only have 40 minutes to get my entry in for the contest. Wish me luck. Even if I don't win....I think I've already won....grand prize: a great laundry room!

~Marianne