Household chores consume a lot of our time and energy, and no chore is more notorious than doing laundry. When you have a large, busy family, it seems that laundry is never caught up. While you can’t always cut back on how much laundry you have, you can do a lot to organize your laundry room to keep from feeling like it is taking over your life. Here are seven great hacks that will simplify all that washing and drying.
Plan for Sorting
The adults in charge of laundry know how loads should be separated, but kids aren’t always aware of how things should be grouped. The result is a lot of time lost digging through hampers or baskets to separate garments according to washing needs. Inevitably, something gets left out of its specialized cycle or, worse yet, gets thrown into the wrong cycle and ends up damaged. Set up containers for each type of load so that you can tell at a glance how each one needs to be handled.
Utilize Wasted Space
Most laundry rooms are very small, so it’s important to make use of as much space as possible. Install shelves in dead-end corners. Use wasted spaces for small baskets to hold special loads. You can purchase pedestal drawers to go under your appliances, creating an extra storage space and easing the strain on your back. Get creative and find something for every space.
Create a Folding Space
Above the washer and dryer is an area that can be put to good use. Make or purchase a countertop to rest on top of the appliances to create a temporary folding area. Set it up to be easy to set up and take down so that it doesn’t interfere with removal of clothes when cycles end. It will be easy to spread out a load at a comfortable height as you work on them. Best of all, you will have to put it away to use the washer and dryer, so it can’t become a clutter space.
Add a Lint Bin
Most dryer fires are caused by a buildup of lint. Most homeowners know they need to clean the screen, but they just forget to do it. Mount a small garbage can on the wall for lint. Its presence will remind you to keep an eye on the filter and provide a handy place to dispose of that lint “blanket”.
Label Storage Spaces
Nothing wastes time as badly as searching for something in space after space. Whether your laundry uses baskets, plastic storage bins, or repurposed containers, labeling will go a long way towards cutting the time it takes to find safety pins, stain removers, lint rollers, and all the other necessities of doing laundry.
Get a Roll-Out Storage Cart
There is always a little space between the washer and dryer, and it often goes to waste. You can purchase a cart that is designed to fit perfectly between the two appliances, creating a helpful place to store dryer sheets, different types of detergent, pretreatment products, and so on. It rolls out for easy access to the lower shelves, and the top shelf remains accessible for the most frequently-used items.
Install an Ironing Board Drawer
Many laundry rooms features a small section of cabinets, typically with a few drawers on top. A great way to get your ironing board out of the way but still keep it handy is to install it in the drawer space. It requires a fairly deep cabinet unit, but for the right setup, it can be a great way to make use of space.
Conclusion
Laundry is typically referred to as a chore, but good organization can turn this familiar labor into a much more efficient process. The more people and activity there is in your house, the more important it becomes to stay on top of your laundry system with a well-organized laundry room.
