laundry day

I get so many questions on how to organize laundry rooms…mainly because they are often one of the smallest rooms in the house but they have to function at full capacity nearly every day. So what can you do to contain all the clothes, cleaning products, and “stuff” that ends up in your laundry room? Here are a few tips that might help!

1. Decide What Should Stay: Some items that need to stay in your laundry room are laundry soap, dryer sheets, clothes hamper, hangers, etc. Notice, this list is actually not very long. Think about everything else that is in your laundry room right now and determine if it really should stay.
2. Decide What Should NOT Stay: There are likely many things in your laundry room that should not be there! Bring these items back to their rightful place…or create another home for them somewhere in your house, basement, garage, etc. This will free up a lot more space for items that actually need to be in your laundry room. (See #1)
3. Use Creative Storage Ideas: There are so many useful organizing tools for small spaces…you just need to use your creativity a little! Use the space above the washer and dryer. Install and use shelving or cabinets to hold laundry cleaning supplies such as laundry soap, fabric softener, and stain removers. Use walls space or inside the cabinet doors to tape washing/stain removing instructions. Use the back of the door to hold cleaning supplies or other misc. items that need to find a home.
4. Get a System for Clothes: You don’t even need children to be overwhelmed by the volume of laundry you create each day (believe me!) so what can you do to simplify this process? Something that works for a lot of my clients is to have a laundry hamper for every person in the family. Then each family member is responsible for putting their own dirty clothes in the basket and to bring the basket to you on laundry days. Let them pick out their own hamper/bin/container for dirty clothes and it will turn into a game. If they don’t get you their clothes or put them in their bin, the clothes won’t get washed!

With just a few adjustments, your laundry room can be transformed into a place you actually like to spend time (that might be pushing it a little but you get the picture)!!