22 Days to Less Mess (Day 1 The Back Entrance)

(Well would you look at that! I figured out how to make a button!)

Here we go! It's Tuesday and day one of my project for this month. Today I tackled the back entrance. Our back entrance is our mudroom AND our laundry room. So....

First off, the coat closet.

It's not big -- especially since it contains the various coats of nine people and don't even get me started on the shoes which are conspicuously absent because I forgot to take a photo before I got all excited about getting things cleaned up.

To make life simpler for the little people, we have four hooks hanging along the left side for their coats, snow pants, etc. On the far right are the six girls' baskets. I loooove baskets. (Wicker ones are prettier, but plastic ones are more affordable -- unless you find them thrifting). On the top left shelf are the three biggest people's baskets. I had this closet specially designed for six people, but it's working well for nine of us too. I know not all of you have this option and if you don't, don't despair, there are plenty of other ways to create extra storage for yourself. In fact, I have a dresser downstairs that is currently housing doll things that I hope to remodel soon to store our off season paraphernalia. An old trunk or suitcase, makes a great storage place too.

I have yet to come up with a brilliant idea for storing hundreds of pairs of shoes. I've limited the closet to the kids' running shoes (during school season), the Engineer's shoes for work and his running shoes, my running shoes, and the girls' rubber boots. There's a couple of pairs of flip flops that float around too as we use them for running between the garage and the house. It's still crazy crowded -- even with the extra bottom shelf for footwear. The mat keeps the mud down as does the plastic shoe mat. Muddy stuff goes on the shoe mat and it gets shaken out or vacuumed on occasion. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I wash the shoe mat, shake out the other mat and then wash the floor in there. It happens, oh maybe once or twice a year :oS. Otherwise I just wash/wipe any exposed floor.

Turn 180 degrees from our coat closet and you have the laundry room. This is where I do great things ;o). I love doing laundry! Ever since the smart meter it's been a little testy to figure out, but most of the time I can still get most of my loads done on Saturday. If I know it's going to be a busy Saturday, I'll start already on Friday night and even finish up on Sunday *gasp*. I do find that the laundry sits in the baskets a little longer these days, but typically it's folded. I tried the whole one load a day thing and it drove me to the brink of insanity. Loads were forgotten in the washer or the dryer, or both, or sat unfolded in the laundry basket for days. It simply doesn't work for me. So suffice it to say, laundry is not an issue for me provided I do it all in one day. What drives me a little mad is that tub. Ugly, yes? Well, I am working on an improvement. I picked up some fabric awhile back at one of our local thrift stores. I knew exactly what I wanted it for, it is just a matter of sewing it up. So I will add that to my list of things to do for the week -- or month.

Remember earlier in the post that I said I like baskets. Look at that! Four more baskets! The one that sorta holds the washer door open (so it doesn't get stinky in there) also holds, yep, you guessed it! Dirty laundry! The three above the cupboards hold various household and seasonal items such as light bulbs and Valentine's Day decorations. The cupboards hold all my cleaning supplies -- with the exception of the bucket, and the broom and dust pan.

So, a rundown of day one:

• empty out, vacuum, and wash out closet.
• shake out mats and vacuum.
• sort baskets and remove any summer accumulation
• wash floors and dirt that has appeared on walls and doors.
• tidy up cupboards.
• take apart and wash lamp
• repot pathetic plants in windowsill (not shown in photos).
• wipe down appliances.
• scrub laundry tub.
• hopefully sew up a curtain for laundry tub.

tip: baskets are great for storage! Stop by Nesting Place for more information on the many uses of baskets!

In the photo of the laundry room, you see a snippet of a frame.

This is it. It was given to us by a family that looked after one of our big girls while we were in the Philippines. I knew immediately where it would go and it hung there for quite a few weeks until I knew what I wanted in it for photos. I'm thrilled with it. Somehow she just knew what would be the perfect welcome home gift for us! I wondered how she figured that out ;o)?

Hope your day is filled with sunshine!