Home Organization Challenge: Laundry Room

Last year my husband and I made some much needed changes to our laundry room. Since then it has stayed pretty neat and tidy. As a result, most of this past week was about maintenance and refining the way things were organized in the cabinets. I also had to reduce my collection of vases and votives, and limited myself to only what could fit in the designated cabinet. Believe me this was a challenge, but I hope that they will all find a new home via the Value Village where I donated them.

The real treasure for me is my mini collection of milk vases. I am happy that I have a place to safely store them. I have been able to fit them all in this cabinet, with the exception of a few pieces that are on display in the house. I have collected them over the years and was also very happy to receive several from my husband's grandmother.

The laundry room originally had a long open shelf above the washer and dryer and a shorter shelf on the opposite wall. Having overhead cabinets and an under the sink cabinet has been such a wonderful change. Everything can be neatly stored behind closed doors and are out of reach from our youngest (very inquisitive) son. The change has also meant that we now have additional storage space for other household items.

I am now on the hunt for two perhaps even three, matching laundry hampers. I will like to find ones that are not plastic. They must also fit in the laundry room and facilitate the opening of the doors and access to the deck.

Here are a few tips that really help me out a lot.

Tips!

1. Review the expiry date on cleaning products and discard safely
2. Save old towels and use to clean-up spills or make cleaning cloths
3. Store candles and garbage bags in a basket for easy access
4. Keep the space clean and clutter free, which will improve workflow
5. Get family members involved in laundry duties by making it easy to sort items
6. Create a laundry basket for each family member
7. Folding items fresh out of the dryer can reduce the need for some ironing
8. Remember to clean your baskets and hampers on a regular basis
9. Schedule a regular cleaning of your washer and dryer 
10. Make the laundry room a bright and cheerful space that will make doing laundry less drab

I am excited about this coming week. Most of the house is organized and I will like to focus more closely on the closets and other storage areas. I know that most of what is left is items in the "keep" category and I am looking forward to giving everything a home.

Week 9 - Closets

To Do List:

• Empty contents
• Select items that are to be kept
• Discard or donate other items
• Categorize based on rooms
• If possible create a space to store linen in designated rooms and reserve main closet for overflow or bulky items
• Place items in baskets where possible

This week the idea is to refine the way each closet is organized so that it is easy to find items. The goal is to create a home for everything, and organize items so that it is intuitive to the other members of the house.

Do you have any laundry room or closet organization tips that you will like to share?