Fixing up the laundry room/pantry

 Somehow, the pantry and laundry area of my house is always the messiest. Imagine that. In line with my goals to get the entire house organized during the year of 2014, I decided to tackle this space. The before pictures are, well, embarrassing. And if I'm being honest, I cleaned up quite a bit before taking these before photos. You normally can't see the floor thanks to all the dirty clothes piled up.

 

I went through all the food in the pantry and chucked everything that was expired. The worst I found was baking powder that had expired in 2007...that I had just used last weekend. VOMIT. 

I have shelves organized by type of food, and frequency of use. I got rid of small appliances we never use anymore, and organized what we wanted to keep. I think it looks a LOT better. For me, it's easier to be motivated to plan our meals when I know what foods we have on hand.

We even created a shelf especially for Nolan. All of his foods and snacks are located on the bottom shelf so he is able to pick what he'd like to have.

And this part just makes me happy. I found this sign at the beach and knew I just had to have it.

 

One part of the pantry/laundry area I knew I could spruce up a bit was the laundry sink. It was really nothing special to look at, and I had an idea for something that would be a relatively quick fix.

 

I decided to make a skirt for the sink! I went to Jo-ann Fabrics and got 1.5 yards of fabric with a fun print and 1.5 yards of liner fabric. I sewed the two together right side in and was sure to leave a little part open so I could flip it right side out. (Shown in picture 3 below.) After I finished flipping it right side out, I sewed the little hole shut and ironed on some velcro. Ironing on the velcro worked for the fabric, but I realized I couldn't exactly iron it to the sink. So I decided to try heating the glue up with my hair dryer. Fail. It just didn't stick. So I went to the grocery store and bought some velcro specifically for home applications, and swapped out that one side.

And oh was it worth it! Now, not only does it look less like crap, but we can actually store stuff under the sheet and not have it look so messy!

There are still a few things I'd like to do to this room. Painting, nicer shelving, and replacing/removing the cabinets are just a few of the things on my list. But little by little we'll get there.

Review and Giveaway: Mrs. Meyer's Laundry Detergent

There are some household chores you just despise, and there are some you really don't mind. For me? Laundry is one that I actually don't mind doing. Well...washing and drying, that is. Folding and putting away? Notsomuch. So I was pretty excited when Mrs. Meyer's gave me the opportunity to review their new 68 load laundry detergent.

I first fell in love with Mrs. Meyer's when I tried the countertop spray in lavender. Favorite thing? It leaves the house smelling heavenly. Fitting, then, that Mrs. Meyer's sent the lavender scented Laundry Detergent. (Note: the detergent is also available in the following scents - Bluebell, Lemon Verbena, and Rosemary)

To give you a bit of background on the {almost} dream house, we use a septic tank. The word septic scared us at first, but upon further research, it's really not that big of a deal as long as you maintain it well. Along with maintaining it well, you need to take a closer look at the cleaning products you use. Certain products can disrupt the natural bacteria in the septic tank and really create some serious problems. The awesome news? Mrs. Meyer's products not only smell AMAZING, but they are septic friendly as well!!

Now to the actual review. You literally use 1 tablespoon of detergent for a full load. As I'm filling the washing machine, I'm thinking psssh. No WAY this gets my sheets clean. Seriously, look at how teeny tiny the cap is compared to what you probably use now. They note that the detergent is remarkably concentrated, hence the need for only 1 tablespoon per load.

I poured it in and let my washer do the dirty work. (Har Har.)

Results? I was worried the hubs would over-rule me using the detergent again due to lavender being a bit girly smelling. BUT, our sheets both smelled and felt clean, and the lavender scent wasn't overwhelming at all. I was really quite pleased. Overall, I really like the detergent. It gets the sheets very clean and leaves it with a very fresh scent! I couldn't find a negative at all. :)

I'd LOVE to share this awesome new product with one of you! In order to enter, leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite chore is. Entries accepted through 11:59PM on 8/22/12. I'll select a winner using Random.org on Thursday, August 23rd and then will send you your own bottle of Mrs. Meyer's laundry detergent to try out!

Giveaway Disclaimer: I received a sample of Mrs. Meyers laundry detergent for a review and giveaway on Project Forever Home, but I am not being compensated for writing or obligated to write anything specific. Winners will be selected randomly using Random.org