15 Tips to organize your laundry room

Jan 14, 2010 12:32 PM by Molly Cerreta Smith

Posted in Home / Organizing & Cleaning

Less Mess In The Laundry Room

Why wait until spring to do some serious cleaning and organizing? You probably spend a lot of time tackling mountains of dirty clothes in your laundry room, so here are 15 ways to get the area organized. The result: Less time doing laundry and more time having fun with your family!

Woman in laundry room

1. Designate a spot for everything you need for your laundry sessions: Stain remover, detergent, dryer sheets etc.

2. Separate the laundry immediately. Depending on the size of your laundry room, put separate hampers for darks, whites, colors, towels and sheets. Teach everyone in your home where to put what when it has been deemed "dirty." This will eliminate the need to sort everything on laundry day.

3. If you are limited on space, try a slim cart that can squeeze between the washer and dryer that you can pull out when needed.

4. A wall iron is a great option for laundry rooms with more space since it is easily accessible and you can get the ironing done right away.

5. Use a laundry hanger for items that need to be ironed and keep them in the laundry room until they have been ironed or steamed.

6. If you don't have the space for a full iron, some great standing steamer options are available on the market. Consider a portable or handheld one that you can tuck away in a cabinet when not in use.

7. Keep it simple. Stick to the necessities when it comes to getting organized. Make sure only items that are necessary for this room reside here. Your kids' sports gear and that mountain of shoes can go elsewhere.

8. Create an indoor clothesline by installing a hanging rack in the laundry room, then use a drip mat to catch excess water.

9. Place all dry-clean items in a separate basket or hamper.

10. If you have extra shelving, use your laundry room to fold clothes and towels, then place them on shelves organized by room (bathroom, linen closet, kids' rooms etc.) and delegate "putting away" chores to appropriate family members.

11. Once one of the hampers is full, do a load of laundry.

12. Check all pockets before throwing clothes into the washer and store the "findings" in a designated bucket then return those items to their rightful places.

13. Keep a garbage pail in the laundry room for dryer lint, used dryer sheets and trash found in pockets.

14. Remember that the laundry room needs to be cleaned, too! Wipe down the machines once a week and clean the floors as needed, remember to get underneath the machines with the aid of a long, flat dry mop.