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Playroom Restoration

Mission: Organization : Episode MSO-406 -- More Projects »

The Murray family uses this playroom frequently, but doesn't really enjoy it because of the clutter and lack of organization.

Michelle and TJ Murray moved into a larger home to accommodate their growing family but did not plan for their playroom/laundry area to become so cluttered. Located just off the garage and measuring a spacious 21.5 by 14 feet, it accommodates the children's toys as well as a large closet for the washer and dryer.

In spite of all that space, the room is an explosion of toys and dirty clothes. New toys keep coming in from doting grandparents and old toys are not moved out to make room for the new, so the mess simply grows. Neither children nor adults are enthusiastic about putting away toys with such limited storage options.

Professional organizer Sean Johnson provides the help the Murrays need to turn the playroom into a beautifully functioning space the whole family can enjoy.

Her approach is to divide the room into zones that will help contain the toys in one area. A trick she uses to keep toys under control is to put away some to bring out at another time of year, so they feel like brand new toys to the children. To keep the laundry under control, she proposes building out the walls of the laundry closet to create a laundry room. Let's see how that turned out: