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My pantry serves as our laundry room, storage room, cleaning closet, china hutch and tool shed. It can get a little crazy up in here. There’s lots going on.
We have two huge bookshelves (twice the width you see here) for holding everything, as well as the big filing cabinet, which holds all of our bigger tools.
A while back we installed two pegboard panels above the tool cabinet. I usually say that everything should be put away for a clean, uncluttered look. But sometimes, especially in a small space, things can get buried quickly. Making this pegboard has made my life so much more efficient.
Since the pantry door is usually open I wanted the pegboard wall to be as clean and simple-looking as possible. I thought about painting the pegboard a cool color at first, but I didn’t want it to stick out more than it already does, so I left the white. But I did spray paint all the organizational hardware the same rose gold color.
It’s subtle, but I like the little bit of shine.
I also use about a dozen clear tupperware bins. I bought them at Home Depot for a dollar each.
I have them labeled with these cute chalkboard labels from Martha Stewart’s label line for Avery.
Each bin holds something small and specific, like upholstery staples or tape or wall anchors.
Another thing that helps keep this room running smoothly is my little whiteboard. I jot down things on this board that we’re running out. They’re usually things I wouldn’t remember while making a shopping list (like laundry detergent or light bulbs).
Other things that make the room special to me- the persian rug I bought in Belgium for just a few euros (I think it was only three!) and the pair of porcelain animal hooks I got in Delaware at the Amish flea market. We usually hang aprons from these and the girls adore them.
The pantry is sort of like the command center of our home. It’s been surprisingly good to us these past two years (not that I won’t be excited for a little more space when we move!). I think this room was a great learning experience for me and reminded me how well a space can function when it is well-organized.
So, I’d love to hear about your best organizing tip. What do you do to keep your challenge spaces tidy and running smoothly? Share your tip in the comments section for a chance to win a whopping $500 in gift cards! $250 to Target AND $250 to the Container Store!
Contest ends June 24. Rules can be read in full here. Good luck!
Bins, bins, bins. I have a stash of in overflow in my storage room. I am constantly switching out & reusing them in other spaces. I'm obsessed with them.
We are also big on bins. With three children under five storage has to be accessible to them. Drop zones work well for shoes and coats. W also clean as we go. I wish we had a craft room, but for now I use a huge armoire. Whatever works, right?
Everything must be returned to its place!
We are also big on bins. With three children under five storage has to be accessible to them. Drop zones work well for shoes and coats. W also clean as we go. I wish we had a craft room, but for now I use a huge armoire. Whatever works, right?
We are also big on bins. With three children under five storage has to be accessible to them. Drop zones work well for shoes and coats. W also clean as we go. I wish we had a craft room, but for now I use a huge armoire. Whatever works, right?
have a place for everything and whatever I've designated goes in that bin/basket, always goes there. everyone in the house knows which bin/basket each type of toy, tool, or whatever goes into. it helps us all keep our brains organized and uncluttered.
We have always had a pegboard in our basement to store tools on like in your pantry, just not as pretty. We use a lot of plastic bins and baskets around the house to keep items grouped together. We also use several strategically placed metal shelving units to store outside stuff in the garage, and several in the basement for old paperwork and "the kids are home from college" stuff.
Hmmm. When life gets hairy…with projects and work and general craziness…I keep ONE room pristine and calm…and THAT is where you will find me. Pretending away in the one clean and organized room!
Mighty impressed with your pantry, girl!!
lots of fun boxes, bins, and trays… :)
Well, besides some of the basic baskets, labels, hooks, and shelves, I think keeping things practically placed (as you did with your tools) is very important – and also donating or selling things that you will not use or are not your style (sometimes even those things that have sentimental value)
I'm a big fan of drawer organizers. With limited drawer space in our house, I love for everything to have a place and to stay neat and tidy!
I am inspired by your laundry room/pantry/storage room. When it comes to keeping my little house organized, i believe in hooks for everything, but I have a long way to go.
Storage bins. Lots and lots of storage bins.
Wow! So many comments.
I am a mixed media jewelry artist with a LOT of various supplies of different sizes and shapes that need organizing. I've tried a lot of systems, 'bright ideas', containers, and products over the years, but one thing that's been a constant might be a good tip for anyone struggling to keep smaller items in control: canned food jars. Just peel the labels and wash well, and you've got free containers of various sizes. I just write on them with Sharpies to label if necessary because my storage is fairly unseen, but they can be easily decoupaged or painted with chalkboard paint for style.
Drawers! I always had it stuck in my head that everything heavy or large had to be put on a shelf. Of course drawers are not always an option but I love utilizing their sliding visibility from my pots and pans in the kitchen to the tools in my closet.
Hi, Jenny,
I keep my coupon organizer in my car so that I am never without when shopping. I also make a point of returning my canvas bags to the car as soon as I have emptied them so they are ready for my next grocery run.
Cheers,
PJ
My only strategy for keeping the house tidy with a family of six is to not accumulated so many things. We have two major purging sessions (Jan & Jun)a year and try to have the house picked up every night before bed.
Hi, Jenny,
I keep my coupon organizer in the door pocket of my car so I am never without. Also I return my canvas shopping bags to my car as soon as I put away my groceries so they are available for my next trip.
Cheers,
PJ
I make sure that everything is able to be changed if I need a change in a year… like keeping everything on wheels, lots of whiteboards and chalkboards, and tons of DIY projects!
jfong1130 at yahoo dot com
My best organizing tip is to keep all the clutter to a minimum.
cathycomm@aol.com
Storage baskets- pretty and functional.
Baskets and containers to corral everything! And my label maker, love it!
Storage bins (just like yours) are my BFF's around here! I use them in almost every room for everything from nuts and bolts in the garage to wrapping paper in my spare room.
I use baskets and bins and shelves- anything to keep things off the floor!
I dedicate a day to do all of my major chores. And then each day I always vacuum my tile floors and wipe down my kitchen. I love a clean home!
OMG another blog with a beautiful laundry/storage room. I am starting to feel like such a slacker…I love beautiful things but if you open drawers and doors around there, stuff is gonna fall on you!
Hopefully, some summer sun will give me the energy to organize….
My husband and I live in a small studio apartment, we were fortunately blessed to have a fairly large storage unit where we have put in rolling carts, it nice to just have a giant filing cabinet for storage. We put a lot of shelves on tracks so they could be pulled out for easy access. We also installed peg boards like yours on the back of cabinet doors.
I use lots of baskets around our house. When I need to declutter quickly I throw things in baskets and it instantly makes a room feel tidy. I go through them once a week and sort
Our house is small, but my frugal husband prefers buying in bulk. So to keep the good from overwhelming us inside, I keep only one or two items in the house for quick access … the rest is on metal shelves in the garage. Simple, but effective.
My iPhone is super helpful for cutting down on the number of magazines I have around the house… I can either take a picture if there's an image I want or something to look up later, and a scanner app to scan and email recipes to myself.
I try to go through things several times a year. If I haven't used it it's time to get rid of it.
This is awesome. For my first apartment, this would be perfect!
My best tips are…. get rid of things you do not need. The less you have the easier it is to stay organized. Make it a habit to put things back when your done using them and I will do a little something everytime I walk into a room to help things stay tidy.
I use a clear hanging shoe organizer for my cleaning supplies! Each product has its own pocket ;)
Any type of container is my friend….i use jars, boxes, baskets, suitcases, etc. to toss all sorts of things in!
Hi Jenny!
I keep a woven basket in the main rooms of our apartment where various little items can accumulate throughout the day (or days). Once it's full, my roommate and I sit down and sift through each basket full of all of the things we didn't have time to replace properly and place them in their designated homes!
Like you, I also use clear plastic, labeled pins to store everything from art supplies to toys. Apart from having certain cleaning tasks assigned to certain days I also do weekly (and sometimes monthly) meal planning. Knowing what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner not only makes grocery lists easy to write but eliminates the 5:00 scramble to dig something out of the fridge. It helps make my days run more smoothly and insures healthier meals!
Wow. I have LOVED reading some of these great responses. My only semi-serious advice is to move often. There is nothing like packin to make you evaluate all the stuff you have. Every time we move, I throw out more and more.
My best tip for organizing small spaces is to always apply one golden rule: If you can't see it, you won't use it. I like to keep containers clear so I can see/remember/easily access stored items.
Also LABELS on everything. Like with like. And every few months, go through your bins and make sure you still need everything. Pretty and matching containers also unify a space and keep it from looking uncluttered!
A place for everything and everything in its place. That's the best rule I have ever heard and it works. If I find something that doesn't have a place I really think about wether or not I really need it. Simplifying and reducing the amount of stuff I have really helps.
I am obsessed! I organize and reorganize everything. I find ways to store more items in a prettier way. I am a bit of a hoarder too so this can be a challenge! I need to save all the best essays I wrote in college, the little gifts my sister's given me, every book I've ever considered re-reading!
If you want to be organized, don't aim to be like me. I compensate by my sense of humor.
– Wendy M (cwmullins@mac.com)
My tip is to never get lazy about putting things exactly where they belong. I'm usually good about keeping things organized but a stressful week can lead to things in the wrong places which can lead to junk drawers and messiness galore!
My #1 tip is to pay attention to where things accumulate (mail by the front door or next to the couch) and create storage solutions appropriately. So, having a place to sort mail next to the front door is useless if you always sort it elsewhere in the house. Of course, this applies to anything, not just mail.
It's soo hard if you don't have proper storage space… so EDITING is always top priority!
inalak at msn dot com
I keep clutter down bu regularly purging my children's things into 3 boxes: Donate, keep or throw away. I also take a picture of their artwork and then throw away the original… with 4 kids, paper alone can take over!
I take pictures of my kid's artwork with my digital camera to reduce the amount of paper floating around. My plan is to publish a book of all their art- yearly.
I finally organized my Tiffany blue laundry room last fall with 13 of Martha Stewart's blue fabric bins from Home Depot and actually printed out labels for each. Now I can finally find things, and the room looks so much neater:) What a great giveaway! Thanks. I always love your ideas.
When we downsized from a 700 square foot apartment to a 488 square foot condo, there was practically no room in our front entrance. Since there was absolutely no space for a console table to corral our things, I took an old drawer from a sewing dresser I found at a tiny antiques shop years ago, gave it a herringbone design (inspired by a Design*Sponge DIY) with navy paint and silver and gold gel pens from the dollar store, added gold hooks for keys at the front, and secured it to the wall next to our door. There's just enough room for a mason jar for spare change, a tiny framed collage my husband made, and our mail. Keys hang on the front. Cute and functional!
When we downsized from a 700 square foot apartment to a 488 square foot condo, space was tight. There was absolutely no room for a front entrance console table to corral clutter as we came in the door. So, I took an old sewing machine drawer I'd purchased at a tiny antiques shop years ago, gave it a herringbone treatment (inspired by a Design*Sponge DIY) using dollar store navy paint and gold and silver gel pens, added gold hooks to the front, and secured it to the wall right next to our door. There's just enough space for a mason jar to collect spare change, a tiny collage my husband made, and our mail. Keys hang on the front hooks. Cute and functional!