I have battled insomnia for most of my adult life. Before starting my Mess to Managed projects, I would usually surf the channels and see what my late night buddies, Jay, Dave and Jimmy were up to! Those guys are great and always there to keep me company until I finally unwind and fall back asleep. As of last night, the guys have had to take a back seat. After a couple of hours of what must have been pretty productive sleep, I awoke at 1:00 am ready to go! "Where did I go" you ask? I'll tell you where I went! Straight to the laundry room where I was met with piles of dirty laundry heaped upon the floor. Who's at fault for the mess on the floor? I could blame my two guys but I did say, "Just throw the dirty stuff on the floor and I'll get to it." Fortunately, I have a separate laundry room with a door. Quick fix....close the door! Can I get an Amen, if you've ever done this?
There's a Double Door-(Face Frame) Base Cabinet beside my washer and dryer. The left side has a utility sink above it and the cabinet measures 21" height x 21" width x 22" deep. The drain pipe from the sink leaves roughly 7-3/4" of clearance to the floor of the cabinet.
The right side opening has nothing in the way of an obstruction. It is a 21" height x 21" width x 22" deep cabinet that housed a plastic tote which was stuffed with old jeans, that I will never squeeze into again (but have held on to all the same), a small throw blanket, a black apron and a few other odds and ends. On top of the tote was patriotic bunting from the July 4th holiday and a table cloth. The doors
were raised panels, but the panels had been busted out long ago. I emptied the cabinets and found the panels on the bottom of the cabinet floors. The panel to the left I managed to repair and insert in the door frame, but the one to the right was damaged beyond being salvageable. My son, who happened to stumble upon me (and scare me out of my skin), suggested removing the door and the hinges-leaving the cabinet completely open. After very brief consideration, we took the door off! The right side is perfect for a
Pull-out Hamper Unit. The
HPRV-1520 S will work for keeping the laundry off the floor and the dog's water bowl more accessible to them. I was actually torn between a
hamper unit and a waste container unit. I could put a pull-out waste container in the same cabinet and store dog food instead. I love my 3 dogs, but also I hate a pile of dirty laundry on the floor! Looks like mama gets a new HPRV-1520 S. Having removed the door, the hamper will have ample air flow, thus eliminating the possibility of developing a musty smell from the soiled laundry. The door to the left is a bit more tricky. The measurements are exactly the same as the right, but that utility sink-drain pipe limits what I can use. I have a couple of options. OPTION 1: I can install
pull out wire basket, a
5WB1-0918-CR, on the right side of the cabinet and that will leave me space to its left for another unit. With a "low profile" height of 7", it works under the pipe. It has full extension slides and installs with 4 screws. Most people use this item in their kitchen for storing pots and pans, but it will also work in other areas of the house. The width of the unit is 8-3/8". That would leave me roughly 12" width for a second item. OPTION 2: I can use
pull out wood drawer, the
4WDB-12 fits instead of the 5wb1 unit. It is 11" wide and would leave me 10" of space for another item next to it. That 10" would allow me to also use a 5WB1-0918 CR beside it. The 4WDB-12 has a height of 5-3/8" so it also fits under the pipe. I really like the Wood Pull-out Drawer. It is well made with dove-tail joints so I know it will hold up for years of continual use. I plan to keep my laundry detergents, bleach and fabric softeners in there so, whatever I choose will get a lot of use. I had left the detergents etc. on the countertop by the sink. It is nice to have them stored out of sight and easily accessible at the same time, plus freeing up the countertop space! I have had my eye on the
Undersink Caddy 544-10 Cfor quite sometime. The width is 11-1/4". It was love at first sight for me. This baby keeps your all of your cleaners in a handy "take along" caddy so you open the door, grab the handle and you are off with everything you need! No running back because you forgot the paper towels or window cleaner. The 544-10 C has a tray at the top for a your roll of paper towels. There is just enough space to the left of the drain pipe where this little gem will store nicely.
What to do?
- The 4WDB-12 and the 544-10 C (Although in my mind, it worked- they could not mount together in my 21" opening.) Again it was that pesky hinge issue. I had hoped to off-mount the 544 and have the front of the slides which were slightly narrower than the 11-1/4" overall width pass through the opening without a hitch. NOTE: You can't fudge the installation! Close, but quoting an old television show Get Smart-"Missed it by that much"-Don Adams as Maxwell Smart.
- The 5WB1-0918 and the 544-10 C fit side by side in the opening, BUT (I wasn't happy with how the handle had to be placed on the Caddy in order for it to fit between the utility sink and the cabinet wall)
- I trashed the original plans and added an OPTION 3! (I'm female-we do that sometimes)
- I decided to use a 5WB1-2122-CR. It is 20-3/8" wide x 22" depth x 7" height. Fill the entire space with one item.
- Relocate the 544-10 C to the space under my sink (that is yet another project in the near future) and return the 4WDB-12.
What have I learned? Don't try to "fudge" an installation. If you have 21" you have 21"! There is no wiggle room. You save yourself the possibility of returning a product. Fortunately for me, I work here. My returns are simple. I don't have to worry about the cost of returning the product. Go by what your measurements are and save the added step of returning a product and also the money for return shipping. I'm not ashamed to say, "I made a boo-boo". But, the project is complete and I'm pretty pleased with the results.
What do you think? Do you have a laundry room that needs re-vamping or have you recently used a Rev-a-Shelf hamper unit to get your mess managed? We'd love to hear your story. Use the comment box below to share your story. We love feedback! I have shown my mess...show me yours!