Join me for the third installation of the December Declutter series. This week I attempted a One Room Challenge, deep cleaning one room in our home. Read on to see how I did!

Welcome to Week #3 of the December Declutter challenge. During this month, I am tackling various challenges to help us sort through our household belongings. Our end goal is to bring only those with great value and purpose to our new home, Arrow Hill Cottage.

I have previously taken on a KonMari declutter of our family’s Christmas decorations, and performed a speed declutter – finding 60 items in 60 minutes to either donate or sell. While both of these techniques were effective and freeing, neither provided a radical visual improvement to any one space. The One Room Challenge is different.

 

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE PRINCIPLES

The basic idea behind the One Room Challenge is to, obviously, focus on one room only. Decluttering and cleaning efforts should be concentrated in that space to create an environment that is functional and pleasing to look at. Because the entire room will be sorted through, decluttered and organized, it is also a great time to do a deep cleaning.

 

OUR ROOM CHOICE

Of all the rooms in our rental farmhouse, the mudroom is by far the one that becomes cluttered most often. In actuality, it is a multi purpose space. It is the entrance point into our home, as well as a laundry room. And, because our only bathroom on the main floor is very small and located on the other side of the house, we also use the space to get ready in the morning.

It is a hard working room, to say the least. So it isn’t a huge surprise that it gets cluttered easily.

 

THE CLUTTER PROBLEM (BEFORE)

Keep in mind that we are renting this farmhouse. It was built in the 1920’s and later remodeled in the 1960’s. The style of finishes isn’t what we would have chosen, nor is the layout of the rooms. As renters, we have no ability to change these features. However, we don’t have a great excuse as to why the clutter has gotten so bad, except that we haven’t kept on top of it.

You can see a video tour of what the space looked like before the cleaning, later in this post. First though, I will share a couple of the more difficult aspects I was facing when starting the One Room Challenge.

 

LOW THRESHOLD

The floor in the front entry has been built up over the years with layer upon layer of linoleum, meaning that there is very little threshold. Because of this, there is no way that a welcome mat can be placed in front of the door. This becomes a problem in the winter months when the Midwestern skies open up in all of their snowy glory.

We have, at times, resorted to throwing a few bath towels down so that we don’t immediately slip when walking through the door. Tacky, yes. Functional, kind of. We are looking for a more permanent and eye pleasing solution.

 

LAUNDRY SHELF

Flat spaces seem to be a magnet for clutter. As you can see, our laundry shelf is no exception. While I had Craig add this soon after we moved in, as a place to temporarily set folded clothes, it has become a catchall. It seems that any random knickknack that didn’t have a place anywhere else found a home here.

 

Worse yet, our family’s toothbrushes were also stored here because it is the most convenient and accessible space to brush our teeth.

 

WATCH ME DEEP CLEAN AND DECLUTTER

The room needed a lot of work, and an entire afternoon of focused concentration. Take a look at what it looked like before, and watch me whip it into shape!

 

THE RESULTS (AFTER)

I am absolutely thrilled with the way the room looks now. More importantly, our entire family is happy with the way the space now functions.

 

The entryway rug, pulled away from the door a bit, is a place where we can step while we take off our shoes. It is simple, yet pretty. Goodbye old towels!

 

The drawers were thoroughly decluttered, and then organized with our everyday essentials. An inexpensive cutlery tray was the perfect fit for the top drawer, which now is a clean and safe spot for our toothbrushes. Each family member, besides the girls who do all of their brushing upstairs with help, has their own divided space. The perfect size for a toothbrush, flosser, and personal chap-stick.

 

The second drawer was emptied of the many reusable and disposable plastic bags that it housed. Smaller bins were placed in the drawer, and organized with personal care products.

 

Perhaps the greatest visual improvement is the open shelf. With all of the clutter gone, the vintage clothes wringer and steam iron take center stage. Two houseplants serve to soften the space, as well as camouflage oddly placed outlets. And my antique window adds a bit of charm.

 

The room is bright and clutter free, and I think it seems larger than before!

 

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS CHALLENGE

I have to say that it feels great to have this one room cleaned top to bottom. Even though the rest of the house has a lot of decluttering left to do, this room is like a breath of fresh air. Because it is the first space we enter in our home, the impact is even greater. It now brings a smile to my face rather than anxiety. That’s a great ‘welcome home’ feeling.

 

I do have a few words of advice if you would like to take on the One Room Challenge for yourself.

Depending on the size of the room you take on, this may be an all day or multiple day exercise. In order to achieve a true deep clean, you want to allocate enough time.

Also, know that when items are removed from one room they may make their way into another. In our case, most items that I didn’t want to keep in the space were put into the garbage or a donation bin. But there were a few things that we have yet to decide the fate on. They were moved into another room, for now.

 

I definitely appreciated the finality of this challenge. I could see using the same technique on other rooms in the future, until each has been gone through. The Spruce has some great tips on how to tackle each type of room. Until then, we are going to focus on keeping this one room clutter free and organized, because it feels great!

 

PIN THIS FOR LATER

If you are thinking about taking on your own One Room Challenge, but aren’t quite ready to dive in quite yet, pin this image as a reminder!