I know that most, if not all, of you are just like me. You get a metaphorical hard-on when you see a beautifully organized home. And some of the wildest moments of happiness are when you see that stupid, gorgeous closet; all stacked and color-coded. Yea, I know. It’s sexy.
Let’s turn your utility closet into that. Get ready to spend some time with your cleaning supplies and auxiliary houseware.
To The Left, To The Left!
Everything you own, in a box to the left. Take all of that crap out of the closet, right now. I’ll wait.
[…4 hours later…]
Great job. All good organizing projects start with a blank slate. Taking everything out of the closet will let you see your true real estate aka how much room you have to work with. You can also start to picture how you want to set up your new, badass closet 2.0.
Utility closets are weird. They should mainly store all of your cleaning and auxiliary house supplies, but sometimes weird things end up in there. Don’t be surprised if you find things you had been looking for a long time ago.
PUUUUURGE!
Don’t get all crazy on me. I don’t mean go take out that loud, wild neighbor of yours. I mean throw away all of those unused and untouched items that you just found in your closet.
A gadget you swore to your in-laws you would use but never have? Toss it.
A kid’s toy that they outgrew and don’t care about but you spent a lot of money on it? Sell it or donate it.
Things that literally don’t work? Yea, get rid of that shit right now.
Purge things you don’t use at least once a year and things that don’t hold actual sentimental value. It’s a bit frightening at first; getting rid of your stuff. We get so attached to stuff. But it’s absolutely invigorating to let go of the excess in your life. Thank it for its awesome memories and journeys, then lay it at rest in the trash can.
Now that you’ve got it down to the actual items you’ll use and keep, let’s give them a pretty new home.
Shout Out To Mr. Clean!
You didn’t take that vacuum and mop out for nothing. Grab some of those supplies and give your closet a good cleaning. When was the last time you cleaned that closet, anyway? Probably when you moved in. It’s ok, that’s most people’s answer.
But after today, you won’t be most people anymore. You’ll be a part of the elite closet Kings and Queens.
Wipe down the shelves, sweep or vacuum the floors, and even mop them. This is your chance to really make a clean impact. If you have an outlet in your closet, hook it up with a plug-in for an added boost.
When I Group, You Group, We Group!
Now that you’re in the dancing mood, dance on over to that remaining pile of goodies. Let’s figure out how we will set them up in your new closet 2.0:
- Group similarly used items together. Things with long handles like brooms, mops, vacuums can be grouped together. Cleaning sprays. Equipment attachments. Cleaning rags and napkins. First Aid/medical items. I even have an area called “Smell Good” for air fresheners and linen sprays.
- Color coordinate. Want more of an aesthetic vibe in your closet? When grouping your items, put them in ROYGBIV order. (*sigh, I knew that would come in handy one day)
- Size matters. Some things will need to be grouped together based on their size.
Physically put the items together and take a few pictures. Now you can figure out what containers and storage equipment you’ll need. Take measurements of your shelves and closet space. You may also want to measure any oversized items that you plan on putting into a container, so you know if it will fit.
Get The Goods!
Head to your favorite storage section of Target, Walmart, Home Goods, etc and fill your cart. Or fill your virtual cart with some really cool Amazon organization solutions. The goal is to find containers or storage ideas for your grouped items.
- You might want hooks to hang your brooms, mops, and other long handle items.
- Clear containers work great to always be able to see what you have.
- Stands and tiered racks can help you create more space on shelves.
- Stackable containers are great for things that fit neatly in a container.
- Grab some empty multipurpose cleaning bottles that you can use to make your own cleaning spray.
There is no wrong answer. Everyone’s storage designs will be a little different. Do what feels right for you! After buying your items, head back home and put them to use. You can play around with how you want to actually fit the items in your closet.
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Label Label Label!
No utility closet makeover is complete without labels. You can print out your own if you have the right supplies at home. There are also plenty of really beautiful labels to purchase online. I use a mix of labels I found on Amazon and using my label maker.
- Put labels on any DIY cleaning solutions/bottles you have made
- Label the actual shelf and just put the container or items right above it
- Label the containers
Step Back And Be Amazed!
Take a good look at your new beautiful utility closet. Now that is a work of art, congratulations! I’m proud of you. I hope I was able to help you create the utility closet of your dreams. Share pictures of your new organized closet and tag me in them!
The Daily Mama 
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