Traditional Traditional, Milwaukee

2. Get the house cleaned up. While many folks will leave the house clean for you, some won’t. Even if they do, you’ll want to clean everything for yourself. You can hire a service to do this, something I heartily recommend if time is tight, or you can do it yourself. If you do it yourself, set up an area with all of the supplies and tools you’ll need to get the job done: buckets, brooms, mops, a vacuum, cleaners for each type of surface etc. Washing down cabinets, counters and plumbing fixtures and cleaning the carpeting etc. will make you feel good about the house. And don’t forget a healthy supply of rubber gloves. No sense ruining that manicure!

Everyone needs a broom closet; here the brooms, mops and cleaning supplies are very efficiently housed in a narrow pullout cabinet. Everything is handy and accessible, much easier to grab than from underneath the sink.

“It is amazing how much and how many different kinds of storage can be packed into a very tall and narrow or shallow space.” — Kathryn PeltierMostly I’m jealous of this pullout cabinet, as my mops and broom are shoved in between the refrigerator and cabinets. But it’s true; there are so many solutions and so many ways to make the most of dead space you may not have even noticed in your kitchen. Full story: Going Up: Vertical Storage Holds More Kitchen Stuff

Design idea: Pullout broom closet.Why: To take advantage of a narrow but deep space in your kitchen. Hardworking details: A space accessible from both sides is handy for stowing a small garbage can or recycling bin. Choose adjustable shelving whenever possible, since this will allow you to get just the right shelf height for what you’re storing. And if you really don’t want to let an inch go to waste, use the inside top of the cabinet to install an old-fashioned pencil sharpener — look closely and you can see one here.Cost: From around $250 plus installation for a basic ready-made pullout cabinet from Ikea; more for a solid wood or custom design.

6. Broom closet. I don’t know why, but the space that houses the cleaning supplies (often a poorly lit closet) always tends to get a little messy. Try to keep things in order by incorporating a pullout especially for them.

4. Narrow but deep. This pullout broom closet takes up relatively little width, but its depth is sufficient to contain a broom, mop, bucket and a host of cleaning bottles. The closet’s kitchen location offers ready access to supplies.

perfection - add to garage coat closet

This is a nice pull-out cleaning supply organizer bec/ it has a full-height area for brooms/mops as well as a

Perfect for storing cleaning supplies, step stool, etc.