All laundry rooms at one time or another have been guilty
of massive piles of unsorted dirty clothes,
5 piece mesh laundry products strewn about, and a feeling of
disorganization and chaos. When this feeling sets in, it can make tackling an
overrun laundry room an even more difficult chore. But with some work,
creativity and commitment from other family members, this room can become an
organized oasis.
The first step is to develop a routine in your family for
making sure their dirty laundry is delivered to the laundry room on a routine
basis. If you’ve established Wednesday
and Sunday as laundry day in your home, then laundry needs to be delivered to
the laundry room no later than Tuesday and Saturday nights. Each person should be taught to sort laundry
into designated hampers in the laundry room. Younger kids should
be accompanied by a parent or older sibling when the time for this chore comes,
but encouraged and assisted in the sorting process.
Maintain a laundry
basket or bin for each family member.
Once clothes are washed, dried and folded, place them into each basket
and deliver them to their bedrooms.
Older children should be capable of putting laundry into drawers and on
hangers themselves. Younger children
again will probably need assistance, but their independence should be
encouraged.
Make it a habit of keeping on top of the laundry supplies. Make sure there are always plenty of soap,
stain fighter and fabric softener available.
Nothing can be more aggravating than finding no laundry soap available
when you have six loads to be done.
Make sure your laundry
kitchen has a separate and clearly labeled bin for items that need to be
dry cleaned. Make sure that this bin is
emptied as often as needed and that items are delivered and picked up from the
dry cleaners promptly. Have another bin
set aside for items that need to be repaired or that need buttons
replaced. Tackle this bin at least twice
a month so that it does not become overwhelming.
