transformation month

Before and After: A Pro Organizer’s Laundry Room Cabinets Get Beautifully Organized for $125

published Sep 22, 2022
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Before: three wooden shelves with laundry products

When it comes to organizing a space in the home, improving its functionality is often the focus. Organized pantries mean that items can be found more easily, leading to less frustration around cooking. Organized closets mean that clothing can be readily available, setting the tone for a smooth start to the day. 

But there’s another aspect of organizing that’s often overlooked but is just as significant: how visually appealing spaces can have an impact on your well-being. Visual appeal isn’t just for living room mantels or gallery walls. Even the most utilitarian spots in the home can bring you joy by looking nice. 

Amy Berryhill, the founder of Spiffy Chicks, a professional organizing company, knows this well. Previously, the cabinets in her laundry room weren’t terribly disorganized, but from an aesthetic perspective, they didn’t suit her. “The ‘before’ was mostly functional but was not visually appealing,” she says. “It was neglected because everything is behind cabinet doors.” 

The cabinets house a mix of things, including supplies for the laundry, their dog, and for gift wrapping. As a professional organizer, Amy knows how beneficial it can be to make “our everyday spaces look good and support our family’s needs.” 

With a dog sitter coming, Amy took this opportunity to organize the cabinets and declutter what wasn’t being used. “I wanted everything to be easy to access, easy to find, and to have a system that anyone coming into our home could understand,” she says. “I use the laundry room every single day so I thought it would be a nice mood lifter to have everything beautifully organized and easy to find inside the cabinets.”

Here’s how she did it, in a couple of hours with $125, in her own words:

Step 1: We took everything out of the cabinets and wiped them down. 

Step 2: We sorted like items together.

Step 3: We measured the space and found organizing products that would fit, make it easy to access what we needed, and also could be repurposed in other areas of the home in case we decided to make a change in the laundry room.

Step 4: We put items into the containers and placed them on the shelves. 

Step 5: We labeled all containers so everyone can find what they need. This also helps with maintenance!”

Amy particularly enjoys that “items that are higher up in the cabinets are on turntables” because it helps her “access items that would otherwise get shoved to the back.” These fridge drawer organizers were used to store laundry supplies and other items.

She shares that the ribbons for gift wrapping are now organized separately in boxes and “sorted by color so I don’t have to dig through boxes to find what I’m looking for.”

If there’s one thing she would have liked to have done (and might do so in the future!), it would have been to consider having a signature gift wrap style so that she doesn’t have to stash so many different kinds of ribbon.

As far as advice, Amy offers her expert opinion: “Don’t purchase containers until you’ve finished the sorting and editing process. This is the same advice I give every client!” 

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This piece is part of Transformation Month, where we’re showing off amazing home makeovers, brilliant tiny tweaks, inspiring before & afters, and so much more. Head on over here to see it all!