Laundry rooms in the Bay Area have an amazing ability to collect clutter. It seems that not only clothes end up there but also random coats, sporting equipment, and footwear. These piles of belongings can make it difficult to use the room for the purpose it was meant for. There is no reason that you can’t use the same home organization solutions that are so effective in the rest of your Bay Area house.
Make a Folding Space
The easiest way to add more useable space to a laundry room is to put a countertop on top of the washer and drying machines. This gives you a large flat area to fold clothes in piles before transporting to the bedroom closet.
Create Storage Areas
It is nice to have your detergent, bleach, dryer sheets, stain and odor removers, and other products like an iron, extra towels to clean up a leak or spill, cleaning supplies, and appliance instruction manual out of the way. The best way to do this is to install cabinets above and beside the washer/dryer. It can be a good idea to set aside a space in these cupboards for a change jar, a place for single socks, and other odds and ends.
Room to Hang Dry Clothes
Without a plan, clothes are often draped over doors and knobs to dry. If you have the space, install a rod with hangers to use for delicates and workout clothes. An option is to use a collapsible style that would then be tucked to the side when not in use. While it doesn’t work quite as well, you could try putting in a retractable clothesline to deal with this issue. Or use some of the same closet organization solutions you use in other parts in your San Rafael house.
Multiple Laundry Baskets
A good idea is to get custom closet laundry bags and baskets to be used around the home. A set of baskets can be left in the laundry room for use separating the clothes by color, lights and darks, towels, and delicates to make doing laundry even more efficient. When a hamper is full it is time to do a load.
Hang up the Ironing Board
An easy DIY trick is to put up two hooks close together that you can hang your bulky ironing board out of the way.
Make a Pet Zone
The laundry room can be a good place to make a specific pet zone to store beds or pet carriers and hooks for leashes or collars. Plastic mats can be placed in a corner for food and water dishes. Make sure that the pet zone is in an out of the way spot.