Glad Black Bags and Reclaimed Space

written by Dakotapam on April 16, 2012 in life as we know it and reviews with 15 comments

We live in a small house.

Actually, the house is not all that small; our family is quite large. Larger than average, smaller than some.

When we bought our three bedroom home, it was perfect. We had four sons, and we put two per bedroom. We had a very large, finished, walkout basement family room. Off of that room was a laundry room and a nondescript space that has served as a guest room, craft room, and is now organized (sort of) storage.

We loved that basement. We LIVED in that basement. Our main floor living room was pristine. Only adults walked in there. There was no television in there, we had all kinds of room to spread out.

Then, we were blessed with twins. By the time we found out that our one baby was two babies, I was over halfway through my pregnancy and was no longer allowed to go up and down the stairs several times a day. As a matter of fact, I was allowed to go up and down one time. And then, a few weeks later I was placed on modified bed rest.

All of a sudden I was thrust into main floor living…and we’ve been there ever since. That large basement family room has transformed into a bedroom/lounge for the two older boys. And my upstairs has become a clutter of started projects and enriching activities for a set of busy twins.

The girls’ room was filled to the gills, and, quite frankly, a mess. I had to get some of the stuff out of there.

And my laundry room was an embarrassment. I’d hate to even have a plumber in there.

The worst part about living in a small house is when it does not feel cozy, it feels cramped. That is how we were feeling.

So, Friday, I took action.

I turned up the music, rolled up my sleeves and got out the Glad® Black Bags (Black bags are essential for decluttering around children…they can’t see what they are losing!)

I attacked my laundry room with a force that I thought had gone missing! I filled a bag with clothing to donate, finally got rid of all of the cleaning supplies that I hated and got relegated to the laundry room counter, and stored things properly on shelves.It took five 30 gallon Glad® Black Bags, but I accomplished a lot!

I then had space to “reclaim” and I claimed it for the girls!

I figure if I’m going to spend half of my life doing laundry, we should have some fun in there too! So I set up all of the girls Tot School things down there and now we have a dedicated space to work on puzzles and coloring and crafts, and they can have my (nearly) undivided attention (When I’m not folding socks!).

I’m so pleased with this re-claimed space. The floor space that is now occupied by the toddler table used to be where the ever mounting pile of dirty clothes was dumped. The boys have asked me several times already where they could drop off their dirty clothes. I kindly point to the laundry hamper…which has been in the same place since we moved into this house.

As you can see, the girls already love the new space.

I’m not sure that I got rid of anything that was worthy of art, but other people really know how to turn trash into treasure! Glad® has teamed up with artist Jason Mecier, The Picker Sisters, and Keep America Beautiful  to create some up-cycled art out of celebrity trash. You can check it out at the Mess to Masterpiece Art Auction. Trash never looked so good! You can bid on any of the four works of art between today and 4/26/12.

You can reclaim some square footage in your home too! Here are some tips.

• Think outside the floor plan. A laundry room does not seem to be a natural match for a playroom, but the amount of open floor space, coupled with a sink and extra shelving made it a perfect fit!
• Choose furniture pieces that are sturdy and will double as storage. Many ottomans double as a storage chest.
• Go through children’s belongings twice a year. Glad® Black Bags are a good way to cut down on childhood angst. Pass along clothing to others who can use it, and trade toys with friends.
• When purchasing new toys consider how long they will be used for. While I am happy to invest in Lego toys (they take up little space and get used for years) I am less likely to buy many toddler toys other than tried and true classics such as wooden blocks and baby dolls.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Glad Black Bag and received a Glad Black Bag product and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. I was also asked to “pin” one (1) Glad Black Bag Art Auction photo on Pinterest.

 

Chime in! Do you have square footage that you can reclaim? I’d love to hear about your projects and ideas!

tags: decluttering Glad® Balck Bags Keep America Beautiful Life in a small house The Picker Sisters Tot School twins

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