You can always count on laundry being there for you like nothing else! It'll be in your bedrooms, on the floor, and piled in baskets...constantly supporting you with its stinky softness.
And it deserves its own space.
Laundry "rooms" come in all shapes and sizes: a large closet for the washer, dryer, and some shelving; a laundry - bathroom combo; or, maybe, an entire room dedicated to sorting, pretreating stains, washing, hang-drying, folding clothes, and storing extra laundry supplies; and sometimes it's a little space in your closet until you can get to the laundromat.
But whatever space you have available for this never-ending chore, it can be made into a functional and, possibly, even an enjoyable space to use.
Read on for some easy ways to show your laundry that you truly appreciate its constant support!
If your laundry space is shared with an entryway or a bathroom it can be very important to keep it all organized so that no one is tripping over clothes and baskets while they're trying to get to the car...or desperately heading for the toilet 💩💩💩 .
For these spaces, the type of laundry organizers (baskets, shelves, hooks) you decide to buy is going to make a vital impact on the space. One of the most important things to keep in mind in these areas is to keep the walkway clear.
Sliding bin frames or slim line shelving can keep dirty and clean clothes separated until you can finish with them AND can keep laundry supplies up and off the top of your machines so you're not constantly moving them around or walking in on a mess of spilled cleaners that fell off the washer during the spin cycle. Using stackable washer/dryer combos can also give you more storage space for customized shelving, cupboards or baskets against the walls to keep those piles and baskets out of your walkways.
If what you have is a closet with doors that shut so you don't have to see the space - maybe by a kitchen, garage, or basement; but separate enough so you don't walk through it - then that's fantastic! Being able to shut the doors on work in progress (a.k.a. "the mess") gives anyone a little more peace of mind. If you don't already have a laundry closet and your machines and baskets are sitting out in the open, consider buying a ready-made closet that will fit your machines and cleaning supplies to keep them out of sight.
Three big things to keep in mind in these areas are:
1 - Hanging space for clothes that can't go through the dryer
2 - Shelves or cabinets to hold detergents, cleaners, or small tools
3 - A flat, open surface to use for folding or placing a basket of clothes in process
If you have an entire room dedicated to doing your laundry ... well, I mean, that's awesome! You should have plenty of space for baskets, shelving, cupboards, drying racks, a folding counter, and housecleaning tools.
The challenge for you is to keep your laundry room from becoming a storage room for the rest of your house! Kitchen appliances, clothing and shoe donations, extra dishes, hardware, and other random things tend to migrate to rooms where we can shut the doors and forget about them. The laundry room can be a great extra storage space! Just be mindful about what's getting stacked up so it doesn't begin to overflow.
If a laundromat or a shared laundry in an apartment or condo is what you have to work with then you'll need to store laundry in your own space in a way that will make it quick and easy to transport when you need to wash it.
If you only have a flight of stairs or a short hallway to your shared laundry then a rolling laundry basket in your closet or bathroom, a laundry-bag-on-a-hook, and a small rolling cart that can be folded away will keep your dirty laundry put away and off the floor.
But if you need to transport your laundry further away by car or bus or walking across an entire campus, then a stronger basket, container, or wagon might come in handy.
Using covered plastic storage bins is a good way to keep the laundry and supplies covered and contained while travelling in a car, van, or bus; especially great after it's clean! And, if you have to walk a long way a collapsible laundry wagon can hold everything you need while you get where you need to go.
When it comes to our often-overflowing closets, how we manage our laundry can make a big difference in the quality of life in our space. A good process and the right tools will keep hallways clear, floors uncluttered, and closets organized by making sure we can do our laundry easily whenever we need to.
WORK HARD - ENJOY YOUR RESULTS!
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