It's a man's world

I am convinced that our house was designed by a man. But not just any man... a bachelor with a housekeeper.

Exhibit A: There is a vanity in the master bath but no outlet anywhere near it. What's a girl to do? Air dry? Not in this humidity.

Exhibit B: A decent sized laundry room with no space to hang clothes to dry. To make matters worse, our doors have strategically placed molding that make it impossible to use any kind of over-the-door storage device.

{The Problem}

I was finally fed up living in a "man's house," so I went to Container Store - credit card drawn and ready. I was able to get 2 drip dry areas for only $12.96. Here's how I did it...

{Under Cabinet Hooks for Lingerie}

To dry smaller things like swimsuits and lingerie, I installed a mug hanging rack underneath my cabinets. ($5.99 at Container Store) You can also use fish-eye or utility hooks that are made to screw under cabinets or into the ceiling , but I wanted to make as few holes as possible so I chose a rack instead of individual hooks. This rack actually slides forward for easier access.

{Sliding Cup Rack - Container Store}

I also needed a spot to hang clothes but didn't have enough room to install any kind of rod. I found this wall mount "hanger holder" that was narrow enough to fit between my doors. (And only $5.99) It folds up and out of the way when not in use.

{Wall-Mount Hanger Holder - Container Store}

Another problem we had- and I've heard we're not the only ones - was confusing our just-out-of-the-dryer clean clothes with the basket of dirty. So I bought these collapsible mesh bins that hold about one load of laundry each. I don't fall down the stairs trying to carry a too large, too heavy basket and after the clean laundry is put away, they fold up and out of the way. I also made these (husband-friendly) reversible tags to easily distinguish the clean from the dirty.

{Folding Mesh Cubes - Container Store, $9.99}

{Reversible Clean/Dirty Tags - email me for the template}

I also attached one of the Clean/Dirty tags to a suction cup and stuck it to the dishwasher. Now no one has to ask. :)