The laundry room was one of the messiest rooms in the house; it was full of boxes, shoes, cleaning supplies, detergents, baskets, and many other items that did not belong in a laundry room. Organizing it was in my priority list but it seemed like I hit a wall with the laundry room and did not know how to start this organization project until about ten days ago. Target had these pretty colorful baskets on sale for $3 and I got ecstatic; it was my Eureka moment. I went to Target that same day and bought three nice colorful baskets to start organizing my messy laundry room. Now, I do the happy dance every time I enter my laundry room. No more dreading the laundry chore :) .
First and foremost, before you start organizing the laundry, get rid of the clutter. Anything that does not belong in a laundry room should be stored where it belongs. If you have a laundry room/mud room, use a storage bench to keep everything tidy.
- Storing laundry supplies:
I divided everything I had on the shelf into three categories. Cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, and misceleneous (sewing material, extra wash clothes, etc..). After I had everything divided, I put the supplies in a categorized/labeled basket and placed them on the built-in-shelf over the washer and dryer. It makes it easier to do the laundry having all the supplies within arm's reach.
If you don't have a built-in shelf, you can get an over the Washer Storing Shelf or you might opt for smaller baskets if you have cabinets to hold your laundry supplies. An easier way is to put a laundry caddy between your washer and dryer.
The key to organizing the laundry clutter is to keep it concealed.
- Sorting the laundry: Labels, Labels, Labels
I use multiple baskets when sorting the laundry that I labeled using Miscrosoft Excel and self laminating sheets then clipped them to the baskets with clothes pins. You can also purchase sectioned hampers or a laundry sorter and sort them based on washing needs. You can divide them into whites, darks, and hand washing. I also have two extra baskets; one for socks and the other for underwear (yeah, I know, I am just too picky :) )
- Drying the laundry
I have a clothes rod in my laundry room right next to the dryer for hanging clothes that need to be air dried or other clothes that finished drying. It helps to prevent wrinkles. if you don't have one installed in your laundry room and your laundry room lacks space for one, consider a hanging rack or a clothes drying rack
- Storing the iron and the iron board
I put two hooks in the laundry room where I was able to hang my iron board (right on the picture) and placed my iron in the Misceleneous basket. You can also use an over the door Iron Board or a wall mounting Ironing table holder
- Trash bin:
Well, a trash bin is a must in a laundry room. Where else would you place the dryer sheet, lint, and other disposable items? :)
Other Tips:
Print out this stain removal checklist and frame it or laminate it then hang it in your laundry room; preferably above your washing machine, as a guide on how-to-remove-stains when you need it.
Use small bowls for items you find when emptying the pockets.
How I decorated the laundry:
Above the baskets, I used two butterfly placemats that I found at Bed Bath & Beyond for 99 cents. The color matched the baskets so it worked well. For the frames, I had some leftover wrapping paper that I used with white frames and used command Damage-free hanging strips to hang them. I also used a couple of command hooks to hang any extra clothes, slings, etc... Get printable coupons for the command products HERE .
As for the shade, I made it myself, who knew ?! :). I found a nice fabric at Walmart for $5 then used multipurpose spray glue to attach the fabric. After I hanged the curtains, I placed the ribbons (also at Walmart for $3)around the drape shade then tied them into nice bows.
The nice curtain underneath is a shower curtain. I used small command hooks to hang it and a multipurpose spray glue to make it fit. Very useful to hide the mess behind (sorry no picture of the mess :) )
How did I get inspired:
I am not a very creative person, I confess. My creativity sparks once in a lifetime so I always need inspiration. The following are some pictures that had inspired me while organizing and decorating the laundry room.
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