The Laundry is one of those rooms that have to be under control in order for the rest of your life to run smoothly. It is for this reason that this page is one of the first pages I created when I worked on this website. Please find a list of important items to take into consideration when trying to create a system for your laundry. Also, in the column at the right I have suggested my favorite organizing tools to help you cast away those laundry blues!
Here are some suggestions to get your started:
1- Set aside the time to do your laundry. One of the major reasons why the laundry never seems to get done is the failure to schedule it in our lives. Some try to put a load in every morning. Some set aside an entire day. There is no right or wrong here. Schedule it and it WILL get done. If you are having a hard time with this step, give me a call and I can coach you to discover the best solution for you. Use this helpful handout Timemap to help you decide when you want to do what.
2- Delegate. If you are having a hard time keeping up with the laundry, investigate where you are having difficulties and consider delegating those parts of the process. Are you having trouble getting the laundry to the laundry room? Are you having trouble sorting the laundry? Or is it folding? Maybe, it is getting it back to the bedrooms. Look at how you are doing your laundry now and troubleshoot some solutions.
3- Have the right supplies. Here is a list of items that I believe are very helpful to have in your laundry room. Click here.
4- Set up your laundry to be efficient. Take a look at the process you go through for each load and put your supplies within arm?s reach. Buy containers that fit your space. Just because there is a shelf over the washing machine doesn?t mean it has to be used for the detergent! It may be too high and you find yourself using the dryer top instead. There are many kinds of shelving that can fit your particular circumstance. Some suggestions for containers are listed in the sidebar of this page.
5- Fold where you can finish! Many of us have laundry rooms that are too small and we find ourselves folding on our bed, our couch and sometimes the kitchen table! If the laundry migrates into other rooms of the house it feels like it is taking over. If you can set up a small folding area in your laundry that is ideal. If not, then it is even more important to schedule your laundry so that you can finish folding and put away before it impedes on other activities that take place in the same room you fold. For instance, I remember the days when all too often I had to push the laundry off my bed and onto the floor so I could go to bed. I just didn?t have it in me to fold late at night. Wherever you choose to fold, have your baskets nearby to put your folded clothes into so they can easily be distributed to the right rooms.
