The Big Reveal

My reveal is not quite as dramatic as on HGTV, but I'm pleased with the result. Feedback from Jeri Dansky and her readers was helpful and I saw my space through fresh eyes via the comments of others and by viewing photos of the space. Open shelving looks like open shelving and everything is on display. Since I'm committed to the shelves and like the look when the space is neat and tidy, I decided to make peace with my laundry room through a combination of clean up and attitude adjustment.

Although I had dreamed of matching white containers lined up on the shelves with lots of empty space around them and a clean catalog look, I learned that I like my striped bins and didn't want to part with them. They work, they're paid for and I think they're cute. Therefore, my "after" is really just a clean up and a hybrid of the comments I received. I accepted that the shelves are open and unless I buy all new matching containers and get rid of my striped bins or screen off the area, it's going to be an eclectic look.

My little, handled bins from the old cabinet did not work on the new shelves so I swapped them out for four white bins that do work and cleaned things up. While working on the shelves, I realized that the shelves needed to be adjusted so that they could accommodate a roll of paper towels. Your utility area isn't really working if you can't store extra paper towels there.

I cleaned up the mess on the floor under the shelves and moved the blue striped crunch can to a high shelf. It's holding reusable grocery bags and another crunch can so it's nice and light and easy to pull down when I need those things. The reusable grocery bags used to hang in my pantry. Since I don't use them very often, this is a better home for them. Also, I think the blue striped crunch can looks nice with the striped bins and even helps the large blue plastic tote relate to the space better. The large blue plastic tote still looks out of scale and out of place but it bothers me a lot less now. In the future, I'll go through its contents again more carefully, purge and consolidate those items in smaller, white containers. Right now, I'm using my time, energy and money in other ways and I'm happy those things have a home and that the large blue tote doesn't scream out at me like it did before.

I went through the extra paper bags stored in the paper bag holder on the left side and recycled some and neatened up the remaining bags. Now that the bags are lined up and not bulging out of the holder, I don't notice them unless I'm reaching for a bag or putting one away.

The room works much better now and looks neat and organized to me.

Now, it's time to tackle the other side of the room!

If I can go through the contents of the white plastic drawers this week and get rid of those things or find new homes for them, I'm going to look for a small table at the Alameda flea market on Sunday.

Getting help for the laundry room

I upgraded to a front-loading washer and dryer a few months ago and replaced a cabinet with doors with open shelving in the process. The end result looks pretty sloppy to me. I never finished the job and was stumped so I asked an organizer/blogger for assistance.

Here's a link to the post on Jeri Dansky's blog:

Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News: Reader Question: Laundry Room Re-do

Jeri had great questions for me that pointed me in the right direction and lots of her organizer friends provided feedback, too. I'm still working on the space this week but it's coming together. Stay tuned!

This is so disturbing.

It makes me want to throw something away.

Oakland woman found under junk pile.

What I'm doing with my next Borders coupon

Organizing works when you know where you're going but don't know how to get there. But sometimes organizing isn't enough. When you're eager to make a change in your life, but you are unsure of your new destination, you need to SHED.

Expert organizer and New York Times bestselling author Julie Morgenstern has developed the four-step SHED plan to help you get unstuck from the defunct, obsolete objects and obligations preventing you from living a richer, more meaningful life. SHED picks up where other organizing processes leave off -- helping you purge the physical and behavioral clutter holding you back so you can finally create real change in your life.

But it's not just about throwing things away! The SHED process is more about what comes before and after you heave the clutter, so that the changes you make really stick in the long term. Learn how to:

Separate the treasures -- What is truly worth hanging on to?

Heave the trash -- What's weighing you down?

Embrace your identity -- Who are you without all your stuff?

Drive yourself forward -- Which direction connects to your genuine self?

Whether you're facing a move, a promotion, an empty nest, a marriage, divorce or retirement, When Organizing Isn't Enough provides a practical, transformative plan for positively managing change in every aspect of your life.

Organizing Reading List

If you desperately want to be organized but have no idea how it happens, I recommend these three books:

It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (the guy from Clean Sweep)

Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's Apartment Therapy.

I know, you don't have time to read a magazine let alone three books. Check them out from the library and just skim them or get the CDs from the library or audible.com. The three books are very complementary and will give you the skills & tools you need.

Try to keep inspired by pictures in magazines or on the web and picture a home like Benita Larsson's (http://chezlarsson.typepad.com/myblog/) and how cool it would be if your place looked like hers. I know that might not be realistic, but it's something I keep in mind while I'm purging. A beautiful, clutter-free home is a great reward for getting rid of crap I never even use.

Edit, edit, edit. Do it once with the easy stuff and then come back a few days later and do it again. Use Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's outbox method but don't let the outbox stay around too long - get the stuff out of your house or put it back where it came from.

This post is great: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/organizing/top-10-organizing-tips-from-chez-larsson-050026

Finally, (I know, this is a super long, preachy post with no pretty pictures) if you want to take it to the next level, read David Allen's Getting Things Done. The time you spend now working on these skills will help you for the rest of your life.