This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreeYourClutter #CollectiveBias
There are some people who are great at organizing things. If you visit their homes you won’t see a stray toy in sight, and they have a place for everything. Looking at my blog I’m sure you think I am one of those people, but guess what? I’m not. I just hide my clutter when people are looking. Truthfully it isn’t terrible or anything, but there are spaces in my home that I’m not proud of, and at the very top of that list is my laundry room. Over the past few years I have updated almost every room except for that one, and it’s high time I did something about it. So, armed with $200 and an idea, I transformed it into something gorgeous!
Here is the “before” photo so you can see just how different it looks. Like night and day, right? And the best part is that it only took a couple of hours to do. Normally I could do this by myself, but since I was snapping photos of the process I enlisted my husband to help out.
It’s a great space, but it wasn’t used well at all. I had things scattered about, stuffed in, piled on, and the whole space was ugly with a capital U. It could be SO much more, and that is where Rubbermaid Fastrack® comes in! If you haven’t heard of it before, it is an adjustable shelving system that is super strong and works in all kinds of spaces like laundry rooms, mudrooms, a pantry, linen closets, and more. It is completely customizable, and unlike other systems it isn’t permanent in layout, so you can move components around easily without screws if you change your mind.
This system is genius for people like me. With the super easy Rubbermaid® Storage Planner I can make a complete mock-up of my laundry room, and build a completely customized space based on my closet size and storage needs. They also have starter ideas if you need some inspiration!
Once I have a design I like, it will print out both a diagram of my setup and a list of everything I need to complete it. I can take the printout to the store, fill my cart, and then go build it!
Getting back to my own closet remodel, the first thing I did was take everything out and start with a blank slate. Next I thought about colors. I hated the dingy manilla folder color of the walls, so I had to paint over it with something that would make the white of the shelving system pop but also brighten up the space. I chose a pale grey, and the change in color alone was a vast improvement. After the paint dried overnight, I laid out my components in order of installation, and got to work. The first thing we did was mark off the height we wanted our top shelf to be, along with the location of wall studs along that line. We raised the top shelf a good 6 inches from how it was before, so we also had to fill in the holes of the previous shelf screws.
Next, we set up and mounted the Rubbermaid® FastTrack® 80-inch Hang Rail (cut down to 68 inches) along the studs.
The hang rail serves as the base for my entire system, and once this is in the rest is pretty much smooth sailing. After that I placed my upright rails along the hang rail in my desired intervals, then added 16 inch brackets to hold my two shelves. I love how everything pops into place without having to drill holes in the wall!
Next I added my shelves. I have two types here – a Rubbermaid® FastTrack® Tight Mesh Shelf and a Rubbermaid® FastTrack® Wardrobe Shelf for hanging clothes. I also added in a Rubbermaid® FastTrack® White Steel Valet Rod in case I need more hanging space. Lastly, we added in a Rubbermaid® FastTrack® Sliding Wire Basket, which is perfect for storing little extras or even as a place to hold stray clothing items that are waiting to be folded.
After that, all that was left was to fill my shelves!
Gorgeous! I am in love with my laundry space now, and I can store SO much more there after the remodel! If you are planning on a closet, laundry room, mudroom, or pantry redo I would highly suggest the Rubbermaid® HomeFree® (for bedrooms) or FastTrack® (for other types of closets) systems. They come in many different configurations, and you can find everything you need at your local Lowe’s store.
