September: Mudroom, entrances and junk drawers. Embrace the back-to-school spirit (whether or not you have kids) by getting the busiest zones of your house clutter-free this month.Put away stray items in entrances that belong elsewhereAdd extra hooks or shelves if you need them to help corral itemsSort through junk drawers, baskets, trays and any other spots that accumulate random junkInvest in drawer organizers or a wall-mounted organizer to keep small items neatHabit to cultivate: Do an end-of-day tidy-up of the entryway, putting shoes, coats and random items back where they belong.Browse entryway storage and furniture
May: Laundry room, linen closet, cleaning supplies. Cleaning routines are much easier and more pleasant when the supplies you need are neat and orderly. Sheets, towels and other household linens do not last forever — go through them this month and make some space.Recycle worn-out and stained towels, washcloths, sheets and tea towels at a textile recycling center — search for one near you through the Council for Textile RecyclingIf your child has graduated a bed size, donate the old bedding to charityClean under sinks and in any cupboards where cleaning supplies are stored. Get rid of empty containers and products you tried but did not likeHabit to cultivate: Don’t downgrade old towels and sheets to “guest” status. Only keep linens you would personally want to use — get rid of the rest. Your guests deserve better!Find new sheets and other bedding
A black-and-white ceramic tile floor adds pizazz to a new mudroom inside the side entrance. The built-in bench is alder wood stained a dark ebony.How to Install a New Tile Floor | Find black-and-white tiles
In a Mudroom or Back Entry Putting the pantry near, or in, the entryway doesn’t always place it immediately adjacent to the kitchen (depending on your layout), but as a trade-off it adds the convenience of being able to load items directly into storage without having to carry them all the way through the home.If you dream of being able to drop a few grocery bags and put them away right then and there, putting your pantry in the entryway will save you some heavy lifting.Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
In the Laundry RoomA dream laundry room is big and breezy enough to have ample space to work in and alleviate some of the drudgery of washing and folding with a little natural light or fresh air. However, even the most covetable laundry rooms only need so much storage for laundry supplies.Double up on functionality by adding pantry storage. It makes for a good use of space and gives you a great excuse to make your laundry room bigger than the bare minimum.See where to put the laundry room
Laundry room. “She already had the blue washer and dryer, so we got to have a lot of fun with this floor,” Wheelband says. The wood look continues in an artsy way, with blues and grays washing through the porcelain tile planks. With the white Caesarstone countertop over the machines and the cabinets, there is now room to hand-wash, sort, fold, hang and iron, as well as store supplies.Wall paint: White Diamond 2121-6, Benjamin Moore; floor tile: Tasmin Kauri, 8 by 48 inch with Natural (matte) finish, The Tile Store; backsplash tile: white glass subway tile, 2 by 6 inches, The Tile Store; countertop: Organic White 4600, Caesarstone
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