Simple Tips To Conquer Organizing Your Laundry Room
Raise your hand if the thought of doing laundry makes your heart race – not out of excitement, but out of anxiety, because your laundry room makes you feel like you’re fighting your way through a dense jungle.
Families are busy, and doing laundry in the midst of hustle and bustle can mean detergent, hampers, and hangers are quickly shoved into whatever laundry room space is available, resulting in a cluttered mish-mash.
Laundry then becomes a dreaded chore, because it frustrates you to spend more time than necessary trying to find the fabric softener while bumping into boxes full of bicycle parts and ski gear. (You’re not sure how they got there).
If this sounds familiar, we’re here to help! A well-organized laundry room can turn the tedious task into a chore you breeze through quickly and easily, because it will save you time trying to find things, you’ll have more storage space and room to actually move around in, and therefore, a lot less stress.
Ready for a laundry-room revamp? Then keep on reading.
Storage is Key
Let’s start with storage + there’s a few options.
Built-In Cabinets
Installing cabinets on the wall over your washer and dryer serves two purposes: They can store detergent, bleach, fabric softener, and stain removers, so they’re within easy reach of where you need to use them, and they keep these products out of kids’ hands + pets’ paws.
Install a rod between two cabinets, and you have a place where you can hang freshly-ironed shirts.
Open Shelving
If wall-installed cabinets aren’t an option, consider a tall, open shelving unit that also has cabinets, usually on the bottom. This kind of piece, that combines open and closed elements, not only offers functionality, but aesthetics, too. You can place smaller storage baskets on the shelves and fill them with hangers, sprays, your iron, steamer, paper towels, and other laundry-room essentials.
A tall shelving unit also uses vertical space, which you can leverage in other ways: an over-the-door hook lets you hang your ironing board on the back of the laundry room’s door. If space is at a premium, over-the-door organizers featuring pockets or wire baskets can also be a great place to store your laundry must-haves.
Wall-Mounted Hooks, Racks + Laundry Room Furniture
Wall-mounted hooks and wall-mounted drying racks also make use of vertical space, and opens up floor space to move around in.
Another solution for small laundry rooms is furniture that pulls double-duty. Consider a bench with built-in baskets, or a wall-mounted pull-out desk with storage that has shelves, as well as a surface where you can sort and fold laundry. A table that has shelves underneath can serve the same purpose.
Decluttering and Categorization
Decluttering Your Laundry Room
If you’re also using your laundry room as a storage room for non-laundry related items, it’s now time to stop, and purge the space of those items. We promise you’ll be glad you did!
Get motivated to declutter the whole room, and identify and keep only what you need to do laundry.
If you create a pile for items you’ll throw away and one for items you’ll donate, we think you’ll finish this process a lot faster.
Categorizing Items In Your Laundry Room
Now that you have your laundry-only items in the laundry room, the next step is to categorize them. Group and store together what you need for washing and drying, for example: detergent, bleach, stain removers, and dryer sheets. You’ll have everything you need for one particular task in one place, which will save you time looking for them.
Labeling Items In Your Laundry Room
Use labels on jars and baskets to find things easily, and help maintain order. In other words, a basket labelled “Ironing supplies” will let everyone in your home know that’s where they can find the iron – and where they can put it back after using it. No more, “Mo-om (or Da-ad), where’s the iron?”
Clear bins or jars are another option. The beauty of these containers is not only can you see right way the category of what’s inside, you’ll be able to tell at a glance when it’s time to replenish them, if necessary.
Design Touches that Elevate Functionality
Folding Space
A horizontal space, such as a large table or countertop, is important for folding and sorting laundry. A surface that’s too small or cramped may leave you folding laundry in a way that promotes creases and wrinkles. (And we all know that folding bedsheets requires lots of space). Allowing yourself enough space will enable you to get the job done more quickly, and done right the first time.
A Well Lit Laundry Room
Good overhead lighting is also important in your laundry room. It will reduce eye strain, make the room more inviting, let you discern that you’re adding fabric softener to your load instead of bleach *wink* + that you’re pairing black socks together, instead of a black one with a gray one.
Decorative Accessories
And just because it’s a laundry room doesn’t mean you can’t decorate it! Decorative touches will make it feel even more welcoming. Stylish pendant lights, wicker baskets on the shelves, or bright + airy paint or a wallcovering can make a big impact on the overall look and feel of the space.
Truthfully, one key to laundry room organizing is to make it a space you want to be in.
Laundry Systems for Success
Finish up your categorization work in your laundry room by creating systems for success.
Designated Dirty Clothes Zone
You can place hampers by the washing machine, if possible. Have one for whites and one for colors, and if you’d like to go an extra step, one that separates dirty clothes by fabric type.
This system ensures success in several ways:
Saves time sorting laundry on laundry day
Prevents whites from mixing with colors, so white shirts won’t come out of the laundry in a shade of pink
Clothes will be washed and dried on the settings they require – no more shrunken wool sweaters
Ironing And Steaming Station
If space allows, consider setting up an ironing and steaming station where your supplies for steaming and smoothing out wrinkles are all in one area. If for whatever reason you don’t have an ironing board, a wall-mounted pull-out desk with storage can serve as your station. All you would need then is an ironing mat to put on the desktop before you start ironing.
And for a touch of whimsy, consider a wall cork board, where you can pin up socks that have lost their mate – because this always seems to happen, right? And who knows, if the mate resurfaces, you might be able to quickly pair it up again!
The Ultimate Benefits of Organizing Your Laundry Room
Once you achieve your goal of creating a well-organized laundry room, you’ll enjoy more storage space, have more room to move around, and confidence in knowing your laundry will come out the right color and size.
You’ll likely also feel better doing laundry in a space you enjoy, because you made it feel inviting, ensured it was well lit and added a few decorative touches.
And you’ll likely feel less stressed because laundry gets done more efficiently, which means you can spend the time you saved fluffing and folding on doing things with those you love instead.
This is not to say you have to tackle your laundry room re-organization project all at once. Start with small changes. They’ll amount to a big impact over time. For example, moving a table from one side of the room to a spot that’s closer to the dryer will enable you to start folding laundry a lot faster.
That’s our rift for today, thanks for tuning in :)
If the prospect of overhauling your laundry space still feels daunting, not to worry. If you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat.
P.S. If you loved this article, then you’re going to really enjoy the 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home.