Can you provide some tips for organizing a laundry room? Create a space for every funtion of the laundry room with its supplies. Rolling carts that fit between washers and dires work good. Keep heavy items like detergent containers down lower, in reach. Ironing board storage is important and where you iron.
Laundry is one of those chores that never seems to be complete. Look in almost any house and the scenario will undoubtedly be similar. There is dirty laundry. There is wet laundry waiting to go into the dryer. There is dry laundry waiting to be folded and there is folded laundry just waiting to be put away. In many homes these various stages of laundry can be found strewn throughout the house. One feat in establishing order in the face of chaotic laundry is to organize an effective laundry room.
Professional home and office organizer Lorie Marrero says, "The laundry room is something you need to think through very well before starting to organize, because there are a lot of functions occurring in a very small space."
From sorting soiled laundry to pre-treating stained items, washing clothes, drying them, hanging up those items that cannot go inside a dryer, hand washing items that won't withstand the washing machine, ironing, and folding laundry - lots of activity takes place inside a laundry room. Some laundry rooms double as recycling centers and pet care rooms as well. Make a list of everything you'll be doing in your laundry room before starting to organize the space.
Marrero's favorite item for organizing a laundry room is a rolling cart that fits between the washing machine and the dryer. "There are usually about nine inches of pace between the washer and dryer," she says, "so most people can fit one in. It keeps the detergent down low so it can be reached much easier."
Since laundry detergent is often bought in bulk and boxes or bottles can be very heavy, this is a far more sensible means of storing it. Your back will thank you! This same cart is perfect for storing dryer sheets and pre-treating supplies like stain remover.
A place for hanging laundry is a must in an organized laundry room. Retractable lines work well, as do traditional clotheslines hung between two walls. "I like the pull-out rack found at the Container Store," Marrero says. "When it retracts it becomes very small and tight against the wall."
As funny as it may sound, a small television is a wonderful addition to any organized laundry room. Other considerations are a radio and a phone jack. This allows the maximum amount of laundry work to be accomplished without the temptation of running off upstairs or into another room to watch that show or answer that call. Fewer distractions mean more accomplishments, and in the area of household laundry this is a must.
Laundry is always going to be a part of almost everyone's daily life. There are two simple ways to look at it. One - we can complain and continue in our distracted and disorganized way to attempt to get enough laundry done to wear clean clothes - at least occasionally. Or we can put some thought into the task and organize a functional laundry area, making the job at hand simple, efficient, and nearly effortless.
