Getting Organized in the Laundry Room

Do you dread doing laundry? Are the piles growing out of control? Putting it off won’t make it go away. Let’s face it – dirty laundry is a fact of life. But doing laundry becomes less of a chore when you have an efficient, pleasing room to do it in. If you want to create a laundry room that not only looks good but also works well, here are some tips to help.

Purge First

Before making any attempt to organize the laundry room, do a thorough purge of old, unused supplies. Toss out misshapen hangers, the box of hardened laundry detergent and all those socks without partners you’ve been saving in hopes of a reunion. Any items that don’t belong in a laundry room can be placed in a ‘move elsewhere’ box for now and distributed to the appropriate room later.

Creating Zones

Consider the various tasks that have to be done and create proper places for these activities. In addition to a washer, dryer and sink, you’ll need an area to sort, air-dry and iron. You’ll also need a convenient storage area for supplies.

Sorting Strategies

• Save time and trouble by keeping a hamper for dirty clothes in each bedroom. Lightweight hampers with handles can be carried to the laundry room easily. Vented hampers let clothes breathe to prevent mildew.

• Use a laundry sorter to divide dirty clothes into three basic groups: whites, darks/colours and delicates/hand washables. Invest in a durable sorter; one with canvas bags that hang from a metal frame will hold up well.

• To avoid the missing sock syndrome and make it easier to distribute clean socks to their rightful owners, give each family member a colour-coded mesh laundry bag for his or her dirty socks. Wash and dry the socks while they’re still in the bag. Then, deposit the bag of clean socks in each person’s laundry basket.

Drying Delicately

To air-dry delicate items, use a retractable clothes line, a folding drying rack, or a shower curtain tension rod hung over the washer and dryer.

Ironing With Ease

If you have a front-loading washer and dryer, install a countertop over the machines for folding clothes. If you want to use it as a handy ironing surface, build the countertop out of MDF, glue some foam on top and cover it with heat-resistant sailcloth. Alternatively, you can install a hinge-top table that hangs from the wall and folds out of the way when not in use; hang the ironing board and iron on an over-the-door hanger to save space.

Following these simple tips will wash away your laundry day blues, making the chore quicker, easier and more pleasant. Once you’ve created an attractive, functional space with easy access to all your supplies, you’ll spend less time doing laundry and more time enjoying life.