I redid my laundry closet this week, and I have to say, I coninue to be amazed by the wonders of simple organizing!!! Now, it is a joy for me to interact with our laundry area. I even had some fun doing extra laundry, which is saying something!
Truthfully, folding laundry is my least favorite chore. Marie Kondo’s passion for folding is where she lost me. I understand the beauty of vertical storage and I definitely fold my clothes, but my goal in doing laundry is to get it done as quickly as humanely possible. That said, just like any environment, laundry areas can benefit from care and attention.
Whether you have a large laundry room, or a tiny closet stuffed with a washer and dryer, these principles apply:
Clean out supplies- I only kept the things we actively use for laundry in our laundry closet. Everything else, I discarded or moved. I follow this principle for all categories… Laundry items live in the laundry space and everything else finds its home with other things in the same category group. It is totally acceptable to include other categories in your laundry area, if you have the capacity.
Spruce up supplies- I removed our powdered laundry detergent from its box and put it in a clear canister instead. Marie Kondo suggests removing unsightly labels and adding ribbons or personalized touches to products. Take this as far as you like.
Choose storage- For our space, I installed three floating shelves, added some new baskets, and used a tension rod to create a place for hangers/drying. Other ideas for laundry storage include- wall, ceiling or door mounted drying racks, pedestal or other drawers, cabinets, hampers, shelving systems, over door racks, and hooks.
Add plants- We have a lovely bright green plant and some dried eucalyptus in our laundry closet. Real, fake, or even dried plants can be a great addition as they provide a feeling of freshness (see,“Positively Planting It”).
Put up art- I used the windowsill in our laundry closet for our delicate family heirloom tea cups and the cake topper from our wedding. I also hung our family crest, a framed photo, and a decorative crystal chain. Even “utility” spaces become cheerful when art is added (see, “Decorating with Fun’ctional Art”).
Hide the work- If your laundry area is in a dual-purpose space, such as a mudroom or bathroom, you may want to try hiding the washer and dryer with a door or curtain. This helps to ease the burdens of looking at unfinished work while you are doing other things. In fact, Feng Shui recommends concealing laundry areas as a way to avoid the exhaustion of never-ending chores (out of sight, out of mind). Or, if you don’t want to separate the spaces, at least keep the laundry area tidy and pleasant to view.
Revamping our laundry closet took less than a day. And now, instead of storing all our laundry products on top of the washer and dryer (see before and after pictures below), we have beautiful and functional open space!
Here’s to having happy hampers!
Love Always,
Meg
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