5 Laundry Room Organization Ideas

The laundry room is the most utilitarian space in the home, and without a clear laundry room organization strategy it can become a clothes pile mess. Here are some simple laundry room organization tips to keep that constant clothes traffic flowing in and out smoothly.

Create A Schedule

Set up a designated laundry day for each type of clothing. For example do the darks on Monday the whites on Wednesday and the delicates on Friday. Make sure every one in the house knows the schedule and establish basic rules. If the clothes are not in the designated laundry basket in the morning they will not be washed. Also, require a pick up time at the end of the day.

Designate A Space For Strays

The missing sock, lost buttons, loose change; any items that fall off or fall out in the laundry room could be placed in a temporary holding basket or drawer. That way, when something comes out of either the wash machine or dryer without a partner it's placed in the designated collection zone. This provides easy retrieval and keeps the work area clean of laundry misfits.

Immediately Fold or Hang

As you pull the clothes out of the dryer, fold or hang them directly onto individual stacks. The temptation to pile clothes for later folding will result in baskets of clothes that are now wrinkled and strewn about the room. Install a retractable clothes line for immediate hang-ability as you work through the dryer items. Once the clothes have been put away you can pull the string back into it's container and kept out of sight until the next time you need it.

Clean Your Storage Space

Don't allow the laundry room closets, drawers and cupboards to become a depository for those unfinished projects. Take everything out of these spaces and view it with a fresh eye. Discard the never used items or cleaning supplies that didn't work. Move the sports equipment or tools to their correct place in the garage and mud room.  If you don't use it, it doesn't belong to some one else or it can't be recycled - throw it away.  The goal is to make functional, organized space to keep the laundry room neat.

Bring In Storage and Organizational Back Up

• Sort laundry using baskets either using a color code system or laundry days of the week - if it's not in there, it won't get washed!
• Space saving drawers can be added by lifting up the washer and dryer and placing them on top of the drawer unit. You will need to find the manufacturers recommended unit fitted to the appliance itself. Talk to the sales representative where you purchased the washer and dryer.
• Hang your iron on the back side of the laundry room door or attach it to the wall for space saving storage.
• Buying bulk laundry detergent is a great way to save money, but those big bulky containers eat up organization and storage space. Break the needed soaps and softeners into smaller sizes by using zip lock bags or Tupperware. Replenish supplies as needed. Keep the larger packaging in the garage or roomier pantry.