Laundry rooms can sometimes become a “catch all” space. A space where everything goes when it doesn’t have an official home. A cluttered laundry room creates even more chaos because it needs to be a functional space for…wait for it…laundry. It’s impossible to keep up with laundry when your space isn’t functional. Clothing and laundry systems are a huge problem for many of our clients. Let’s create an organized laundry room so that you can conquer both your clutter and clothes!
Just like every space we organize, begin by pulling everything out of the laundry room cabinets and drawers. Purge items you no longer need or use. Sort and categorize the items you want to keep. Then, designate a space in the laundry room for these items. Use containers and labels to give everything a place and to keep you and your family accountable for putting items back where they belong.
Still having trouble getting your laundry room under control? Here are some tips to help you out.
Assess your storage
Is your laundry room lacking cabinets or shelf space? Is it just walls and a washer and dryer? Look at your wall space and see how it can be utilized for storage. Does something need to be purchased to house the items you want to keep in the laundry room?
Purge, purge, purge
Laundry rooms can sometimes become a dumping ground for things that don’t have a designated home. Go through everything in your laundry room, purge unwanted or unused items, and relocate items that don’t need to be stored in your laundry room.
Designate a home for each category of items
Maximize your storage and create a designated spot for everything you want to keep in your laundry room. Use bins or baskets to coral smaller items together. Lazy susans are great for keeping cleaning products visible. Divided hampers are necessary for sorting dirty clothes or sorting clothes by family members.
Invest in storage systems and containers
Simple shelves or cabinets can be installed easily into laundry rooms lacking storage. Take measurements of your space and utilize all the wall space possible. Don’t forget the back of the door! An Ela Door system would work great in any small laundry room to house cleaning products or other household necessities.
Catch that wall
Use the walls to hang brooms, mops, and handheld vacuum cleaners. Don’t forget to use the walls for hanging ironing boards, drying racks, and a bar for extra hangers. We love using these easy Command broom hangers.
Use hampers and use them strategically
Do you have a hamper system in place for laundry? Should each member of the house have their own hamper? Do you want one hamper in the bathroom for everyone’s dirty clothes? How are the clean clothes going to be transported back to their designated spots? Think about where the dirty clothes end up on the floor and put a hamper there! Keep it simple.
Create a laundry schedule
Clothes can overtake any household quickly if it’s not kept up with. Create a schedule that works for you and your family. Are you washing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday? Or would you rather knock it all out in one day? You can also schedule by type of washing. Sheets one day, towels the next, kid’s clothes, and then adult’s clothes on another day. Put the kids in charge of their own laundry if you need extra help. Who washes? Who folds? Who’s in charge of putting everything away? Get the entire family involved in keeping up with the clothes. Laundry is a skill that everyone needs to learn including folding and putting it away.
Still don’t have time to keep up with the laundry? Try a laundry service such as Hampr and skip the whole process altogether!