Kathi,
My laundry room is in the garage and is an unorganized mess. What can I do to take the dread out of doing my laundry?
Tina, Leucadia
Tina,
Your first step is to imagine your laundry area organized. The average American household spends 2-4 hours every week sorting, cleaning, storing and shuffling dirty laundry. Creating a nice workspace will make a big difference for your laundry chores.
When laundry facilities are located in the garage, It’s nice have a rug to separate the laundry area. This helps keep it cleaner and more comfortable while you sort clothes.
If you have room, use rolling carts or bins to sort whites, colors, delicates and heavily soiled items. A countertop or table that is large enough to hold 2-3 baskets of laundry works well for sorting and folding. If possible, make this counter a bit taller than usual. A height of 36-42″ will save your back from needless stress. If you’re short on space for a counter or table, affix a fold-down shelf to the wall.
Keep a drying rack handy. For small spaces, install a spring-loaded clothesline that retracts when not in use. Attach an ironing board hanger to the wall or behind the door or buy a kit to install your ironing board into the wall between studs. These incredible kits are available at your local home improvement store. Items like these will keep the board and the iron out of the way, yet accessible.
Consider your cleaning supplies. Make sure they are at arms reach. Don’t forget the space above your washer and dryer. Decant detergents and fabric softeners from bulk boxes and jugs to smaller, easier-to-handle containers. Store small supplies in labeled boxes or bins. Keep rags, sponges and paper towels on hand to pre-treat stains. Organizing your supplies will make it easy to see when you need to restock.
Once your laundry area is optimized, you will not be as overwhelmed by the state of affairs in the rest of your garage.
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner based in San Diego California.
Please submit your questions to: [email protected].
San Diego Professional Organizer
