Organize Your Laundry Room, Organize Your Life

The average American household goes through nearly 400 loads of laundry a year, which means your laundry room sees a lot of action. Since the most highly trafficked areas of our homes naturally become the most disorganized, it’s not surprising if the laundry space is looking less than its best. It is, however, fixable with these easy-to-follow tips.

Line up, and liven up, the supplies. Luscious-scented products will take you to your happy place as soon as you uncap the bottle. Keep them—along with your other laundry necessities—lined up on an easy-to-reach shelf, and let your family know exactly where the supplies are, so they can pitch in.

Color-code the hampers. Keep more than one basket in the laundry room and color-code them for darks, whites, colors, and delicates. Having your family sort their dirty clothes from the get-go will make it easier to push laundry through.

Leave room for an ironing station. Wrinkle emergencies happen and when they do, you’ll want everything to be handy. If your room has a door, hang your iron and board from the back of it. Otherwise mount it on the wall and add a small shelf to house a spray bottle or starch.

Get ahead of the mess. It’s easy for the laundry room to become a catchall for shoes and winter accessories like hats, gloves, and scarves. Make sure that these items already have a place in your home so family members aren’t tempted to toss their stuff there and run.