The laundry room (or area if you don’t have a whole room) is a very central part of the home! It is used very often, and must be orderly in order to keep other parts of the home running properly.

Step 1 – Clear out all clothing, clutter, and cleaning supplies so you can start out with a clean area. Wipe down all surfaces. If possible, use a small vacuum or attachment to clean behind and under the appliances (a lot of dust and lint collects in those spots! Lets Go Logo

Step 2 – Put cleaning supplies back in an organized manner. For example, if you have storage cupboards, put items back on shelves according to type of item (put laundry detergents next to stain remover and bleach, etc.) If you don’t have a cupboard or current system for holding supplies, consider putting a shelf on the wall to hold these items (out of reach of children, but at a height that is easy for you to get items).

Step 3 – It is helpful to have places to put clothes in an organized manner, while waiting for there to be enough of a certain type to wash. It prevents clothes from getting all jumbled together or ending up all over the place.

If you have enough space in this area, put three large baskets/laundry hampers with labels: Whites, Lights, & Darks. Also put a container (or bag hung on wall) labeled Dry Cleaning. I use this for holding items that must be dry cleaned (or hand washed), until a later time when there are enough items to launder in a group. I either do a load in the dryer using a product such as Dry-El, or take to a Dry Cleaner if necessary.

Step 4 – Keep a laundry basket on top of (or near) the dryer, so that you will always have one ready to put a load of dry clothes in for carrying to the bedrooms. After emptying the basket, make sure to bring it back to the dryer to be ready for the next load.

Step 5 – If your laundry room area is also where other household items are kept, sort and tidy those items as well. I keep other cleaning supplies in the laundry room cabinets. I sort them according to which room they are used to clean. It can be helpful to have a basket or caddy to put items in for carrying supplies around the house when cleaning (so you don't have to keep coming to the cabinets for various items needed for a room).

Step 6 – Show your family the laundry area. Provide any instructions about how to keep things organized. It would also be a good time to explain your family’s system for getting laundry done(such as your preferences or instructions regarding: bringing dirty clothes to laundry room, sorting, washing, folding, bringing clothes to bedrooms, putting them away, laundry schedule)

Step 7 – Do a load of laundry in your newly organized area!