August is the perfect time to tackle your laundry room zone because:
You are coming out of vacation mode and are now washing and putting away those clothes
You are going into a new school year and have school clothes and sports clothing that need washing
You want your laundry zone to be organized and efficient for the upcoming season
Laundry zones can be large or small and located in many places. Some older homes have the laundry zone in the basement. Some are in a hallway or at the top of the stairs behind folding doors. I’ve seen them right off kitchens or next to the closet of a master bedroom. What you don’t want to see are mounds of clothes that start migrating into other areas.
Keeping up with the laundry becomes less of a chore with a well organized space and a plan for keeping on top of the never-ending influx of dirty clothes. The idea is to keep laundry moving. Only bring to the laundry zone the items you intend to wash right now. Leave everything else in the designated dirty clothes hampers. As soon as clothes are dry, get them back to their “home”. Delegate putting the items away to the family members who own the items. Even young children can sort and put items away. If an item needs repair or ironing, have a designated place to store those items and then schedule a time to do that task. You should not have your Christmas table cloth in the ironing bin in August.
Depending on the size of your laundry zone, you may also use this zone for purposes other than just doing the laundry. If there is room, it makes sense to store your ironing supplies there. My area is large enough to store pet supplies, recycling bins, cleaning supplies, and some large entertainment pieces. What is important is that you have a vision and a plan for how you intend to use your space. Then zone it out accordingly. What you don’t want is something stuck into your laundry zone “just for now”.
During this month, look at everything that is stored in this zone. Keep like things stored together. Toss out anything you no longer need, use, or love. If you have ended up with two bottles of Woolite, consolidate them. Now is the time to pull out your washer and dryer and clean behind them. By the end of the month, your laundry room should be clean and well organized.
Having this zone organized may not make you love to do laundry but it will certainly make it less of a chore.
I offer a Zone Plan teleclass that will walk you through organizing a zone in your house ten months of the year (taking July and December off
To learn more about my Zone Plan click on http://timespaceorg.com/services/.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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