Laundry room organization

Put up shelving

If you don't have cabinets above your washer and dryer, put up shelving to keep your essentials organized. Two long shelves is all you need -- the lower one for items you use regularly and the upper one for less commonly used items. However, if you have the space you can put shelves or drawers between your washer and dryer for detergent, stain sticks and other items.

Use bins or baskets

Separate your products and other items into bins or baskets on the shelves. One bin could be for clean rags, another for stain-removal products, a third for sewing supplies, another for things you remove from pockets, etc.

Set up a folding table

The most convenient place to fold your laundry is in your laundry room. If there's no space for a folding table, hang a large shelf with hinges, so it can be folded up against the wall when you aren't using it.

Add a clothing rod

Put up a closet rod in your laundry room (or use a freestanding, rolling garment rack). This way you can take clothes out of the dryer and hang them up immediately to avoid wrinkles.

Use compartmentalized hampers

Buy hampers with separate compartments for whites, darks and delicates for each bedroom in the house. With these compartments, your family can sort their own laundry easily before bringing it to the laundry room.

Hang your iron

Hang up your iron and ironing board on the back side of the laundry room door to save space. If you don't iron clothes at home, this is another place you can hang a flip-down folding table instead.

Buy laundry detergent in bulk

You can save big bucks on laundry detergent by buying it in bulk. However, you don't want those huge, awkward containers in your laundry room. Pour a reasonable amount of detergent into a plastic container and store it within reach of your washing machine. Keep the large box of detergent in your pantry, garage or anywhere else you have more room.

Don't allow it to be a storage room

Family members will tend to use the laundry room as a storage room -- stacking seldom-used items on the shelves and floor. Don't let this happen in your house. Clutter is the main reason that small spaces become unworkable. Teach your family to put things away in their proper place when they aren't using them. If you need extra storage, use your garage, attic or work shed rather than the laundry room.

Big or small, your laundry room should always remain clean and organized. Don't waste your weekend by spending all day doing laundry. Get into the habit of doing one load of laundry each day or every other day, so it doesn't pile up.

More laundry room tips

• Teaching kids to do laundry
• 7 Stubborn stains and how to remove them
• Ways to make laundry fun for the family