Gone are the days when the laundry room was sequestered in the smallest, darkest area of the home. Today’s laundry rooms are spaces designed to invoke an airy, pleasant feeling. And let’s face it – we need that to do this particular chore. But even though they may have improved in appearance and location, they still get dirty, messy, and cluttered.
Whether your laundry room is palatial or a simple closet – the first step is to clean it. Remove everything from any shelves or cabinets and wipe them down. Pull out the washer and dryer and clean underneath. Empty the dryer vent and the lint trap on the washer. If your washing machine smells, use this opportunity to clean it.
Now, stop (take a break, already) look around and consider the following points before you put things back where they were. Organization, after all, is about using space efficiently. Sometimes this means adding some simple tools or products to improve the efficiency of your space.
Countertop
A countertop is key. If you don’t currently have a counter, add one. Not only does it allow you somewhere to put things down beside the top of the washer/dryer, but it can also act as a folding station. And anything with the word “station” in it implies organization. If you don’t have the resources or the time to add a countertop, think about adding some moveable shelves that can be used for folding. This will also increase your storage capacity.
Cabinets
Cabinets keep clutter in check. They provide storage space in an attractive way by hiding their contents. Put your cleaning supplies in the cabinets, making sure to put the things you use the most on the low shelves. As an extra organizer, bring all of the cleaning products in your home into your laundry room.
Baskets or Containers
Baskets can be an attractive way to hold things, especially if you have a small space and things are visible. Even if you have space, they provide organization of smaller items in cabinets.
Hamper
If you can only do one of the things on this list, do this one. Start organizing before you even get to the laundry room by placing a sorting hamper for whites, darks, and delicates in every person’s room that contributes to the laundry pile. This saves on sorting time and space by having the items already in a basket or hamper.
Wall Hooks
Place hooks or hanging racks in areas where you need things to be at the ready, like cleaning products on racks, or having dry cleaning ready on hooks to go out the door. Put up a rack to hang brooms and mops to keep them from falling over (and hitting you in the head)!
Foldable Drying Rack
This handy item can be pulled out when needed. It can also be moved to another area, especially if you have a small space.
Ironing Board
If you haven’t already switched to clothing that does not require ironing, I highly recommend it. But if you do still iron, consider a small ironing board that can hang on the back of a door or fit in a cabinet.
While not considered crucial to organizing your laundry room, using a professional house cleaning service will go a long way to helping you organize your life. The time that is freed up can be spent relaxing, enjoying your family, or doing anything else that you love.