HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR LAUNDRY AREA

Do you want to be able to do your laundry more efficiently!  Who doesn’t!  When you have your laundry area organized according to a laundry routine that works for you, you will never be without clean underwear and uniforms when you need them again!  In this blog and in the video below, I go over 6 concepts to consider so you can organize your laundry room in the most efficient way for you! If you need help organizing or just love organizing videos, don’t forget to click the subscribe button.

Are you ready to get your spaces in order and take control of your financial future? Start here for access to Terry Elisabeth’s Freebie Library!

Organizing this laundry area helped me to accomplish getting the laundry done efficiently no matter how wacky my schedule might be.  Life can hit so hard sometimes.  But your family members still need clean underwear!  And you can’t forget to have clean uniforms!  Click here for my cleaning routines chart which includes laundry routines in a downloadable version for you so that you can find a routine that works for your busy schedule.  Then, you won’t be scrounging around for clean PE uniforms Sunday night ever again.

1. SET UP BINS AND BASKETS SPECIFIC TO YOUR NEEDS

The setup we have here works for daily and weekly laundry routines.  We have our pretty laundry baskets upstairs and these more utilitarian ones in our laundry area because this garage gets super dusty with the landscapers blowing in the dust every week.  I have these bins labeled very specifically which is helpful if you are teaching your kids how to do laundry.  This bin, for used rags, is essential because it allows the rags to dry properly to avoid mold growth being that it is in a much shallower bin than the sorting laundry bins.  Also, having these rags in their own bin prevents any odors or spills on these rags from ruining the rest of your laundry.

2. CREATE CONVENIENT STORAGE FOR SUPPLIES AND DRYING AREAS

We have this rack here rather than shelving above the washer and dryer because, frankly, I’m short!  On the top, we have my homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener conveniently located within easy reach.  We have additional laundry supplies here including laundry bags for delicates and lint removing supplies, clothes pins and dryer sheets.  Because our laundry area is in the garage, we have some car cleaning supplies conveniently located here.

I installed this clothing rack to hang dry blouses and pants.  And this ironing board is conveniently located here on this ironing organizer.

3. CONSIDER YOUR FAMILY’S SPECIFIC NEEDS

Now, to physically set up your laundry area, you will have as many bins as needed for the particular needs of you and your family.  If you are a t-shirt and jeans kind of person or household, you probably won’t need a “delicates” bin.  You can have a “bedding” bin if you switch between bedding sets.  If you or your spouse and kids have hefty work or sports uniforms that are a whole load in themselves, you can have a uniforms bin to, one, keep them separated from the rest of your laundry, especially if they get super dirty, and, two, to allow you to easily grab them and throw them in the washer so that you don’t have to dig through the rest of the laundry when you’re in need of clean uniforms.  If you have a baby, you can have a baby bin.  In that case, I highly suggest my daily laundry routine on my printable as you know how much laundry a baby can create in a single day (baby bibs, burp cloths, and blow-outs … oh my!)

4. CONSIDER YOUR LAYOUT

Your routine and the layout of your home will also determine how you will set up the way that you will collect the laundry when you are ready to put in a load.  Regarding layout, you may have your washer and dryer on the same floor as your bedrooms and so everyone can go ahead and immediately sort their laundry into your sorting bins or make it simple for everyone by having a catch all laundry basket (if you don’t trust them to sort correctly).  Or, you may have your bedrooms on a separate level from your washer and dryer and so you will have laundry baskets in one room or all of the bedrooms depending on your laundry routine.

5. WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY

If there is one designated person who typically does the laundry, you can have your catch-all laundry basket in an area that person designates.  For me, I like to have it all collected in my bedroom so that I can have a visual of the pile in case someone dirties a lot more laundry than expected.  Or, if everyone has baskets in their rooms, you can either ask them to drop off their laundry in your sorting area daily or ask them on laundry day.  You can have your teenagers do their own laundry on a designated day separate from yours.  That’s where the overly specific labels can come in handy so that your kids can sort their laundry and know what temp to wash and dry each type of load.  For putting away clean laundry, these bins per room or person are awesome for helping to save you a little time because you can hand off to your household the responsibility to put items away.

6. WHICH ROUTINE WORKS FOR YOU

For each routine, here are some benefits to each.  If you do a load a day, it can be less overwhelming.  You can put a load (either the largest load or the one you need the most) in the washer in the morning, put it in the dryer (or hang it to dry on “delicates” day) in the afternoon or when you get home, and then you can fold it after dinner and put it away before bed.  With it being only one load, it should all go quickly so that you’re not spending hours folding laundry.

If you do laundry once a week, you can choose a day when the family is typically home like a Saturday morning or Sunday evening and have everyone help with the sorting and take turns putting in or taking out loads.  If your teens do their laundry separately from yours, you can choose Saturday morning to do your laundry while they take Sunday evening.  Or you can do your laundry throughout the week while they take a weekend day or vice versa.

Do you already have an awesome routine that works well for you and your family?  Share in the comments below.

Are you trying to figure out the best routine for you?  Don’t forget to grab my FREE resource so you can try and determine which routine works best for you.

In my next posts, I will show you the most functional folding techniques, how to organize your wardrobe including your clothing and accessories, and how to organize different types of purses!

Be sure to subscribe to my channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss another organizing video.

Happy Organizing!