If we were all being honest, we would admit that doing laundry is an unpleasant chore. Or tell me, do you get excited about dealing with smelly clothes that not only need to be washed and dried, but also folded and put away? I personally don’t, not even as a professional organizer. So because of the dutiful nature of this task, I believe we naturally see our laundry room as an unimportant space that is merely there to complete a task, and therefore deserves little to no attention.
Well, my beauty-loving eyes weren’t having it. How could I want the rest of my home to be pretty and highly organized while completely overlooking my laundry room? That’s when I realized how unappreciated, basic and tasteless this space was. Nope. I wasn’t going to have that. Not in my home.
So as you can probably imagine, I decided to direct my focus into turning my laundry room into a space that would be beautiful to see, pleasant to be in, and tremendously functional. So here is the ultimate guide to an organized laundry room based on what I learned from working on my own laundry room makeover.
Deciding How in the World You Will be Using Your Laundry Room
You may say “Duh! I use my laundry room for doing laundry!” Well, yes, that’s what I said too, at first. But then as I recently moved to a smaller apartment, my laundry room ended up being the only place my husband could store his clothes. Oh, and it also became the place where I store off-season décor and where I iron clothes. So, don’t get sidetracked by the obvious and be a little more specific.
The first step to an organized laundry room is defining how you will be using the space, realistically. Take a look at the things you already have in there, that may say a lot about how you use this space. Also, think of the activities you may want or need to carry out in this space. Taking both of these things into consideration, will help you define all of the ways you will be using your laundry room.
Let Organization Simplify Laundry
One of the main goals of an organized room is to simplify the tasks you carry out in it. In this case, your goal should be to simplify doing laundry as much as possible. The key to doing this lies in identifying the problems you face when doing laundry and finding solutions to ease these hardships. Solutions may vary according to each person, but here are a few of the clever organizing tips used in my laundry room that will absolutely help you simplify things there.
- Store your laundry essentials as close as possible to your washer and dryer. This will make sure you have what you need right away, instead of having to walk across the room or into another room to reach for the items you need.
- Have a mini trash can or bin handy, especially close to your dryer. This will be extremely useful for disposing of dryer lint or of any trash found in pockets.
- Have a “Lonely Socks” bin. This is a cute and functional way of temporarily storing mismatched pairs of socks until you hopefully find their match.
- Have a “Pocket Treasures” bin. This is a brilliant way to store valuable items you find in pockets. If you do laundry regularly, I am sure you’ve found all sorts of interesting treasures inside pockets, that a few days later tend to be desperately sought after by the owner. So make life easier for everybody and just direct this forgetful owner to the “Pocket Treasures” bin.
Folding Clothes Can Be Made Easy Too!
Folding clothes is where most of us get stuck at. This usually results in piles of wrinkled clothes that leave us stressed out because they are so hard to get to.
In my experience, the smartest thing to do is to tackle folding clothes right away. But believe me, if you want this to become a reality, you need a game plan. That game plan is simple yet powerful, and here it is: Have a folding station inside your laundry room.
Knowing that you have a designated space to fold clothes can be a huge motivator to tackle this task right away. There are multiple options for creating a folding station. Personally, I use a tiered, movable cart as my folding station. The top counter is where I do my folding and I use the cart’s multiple tiers for storage. Other options are placing a counter on top of the washer and dryer, or if the space is small, using a murphy table that can be pulled out of the wall whenever it is needed.
You’ve got options, so don’t hesitate to start using a folding station and break the cycle of piling clothes on top of clothes once and for all.
And Why Not Make Your Laundry Room Pretty???
You have no idea how much your environment affects you. A beautiful space can make you feel relaxed, motivated, and even inspired. So why not make this overlooked room beautiful?
As for me, I can confidently tell you it helps me have a better time while doing laundry. It is still a chore that has to be completed, but somehow carrying it out in a beautiful room makes it more pleasant and enjoyable. So here are a few things you can do to make your laundry room absolutely gorgeous:
- Decide what style and color palette you want in this room. Decorate accordingly and enjoy.
- Decant your laundry supplies into clear containers. This will not only look adorable, but it will keep your items better organized.
- Get a cute, comfy rug. It will help ground the space and your feet will thank you for it.
- Use bins, bins and more bins. This will help the place be more organized as you are able to categorize items into different labeled bins. Finding what you need will be so much easier now!
Don’t underestimate what an esthetically pleasing laundry room can do for you.
Give It A Try, It’s Worth It
Some things we can’t change, but we can choose to make the best of them. Doing laundry is one of those things. We may not be able to change the fact that we have to wash clothes on a regular basis, but we can make the best of it by simplifying this task as much as possible. So let this guide to an organized laundry room inspire you to make the best of this chore. It’s worth it.
Written by: Victoria Gower
Professional Organizer in San Diego, CA
Simply Neat Organizing
Instagram @simplyneatbyvic
Facebook.com/simplyneatbyvic
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