Lovely Laundry Rooms

Do you dread visiting your laundry room? Maybe you’d have more fun sorting your whites if the space was more organized! Here are a few tips for making it a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.

• There’s no reason a laundry room has to be dark and dingy. Paint the walls a light, happy color. Make sure to use the maximum-allowed bulb wattage in your light fixtures. Add task lighting, as needed, some inexpensive, framed artwork to the walls, and a clock or timer.
• If you need more storage space, add a couple of rows of shelving above the washer/ dryer. Keep laundry necessities — such as detergent, stain removal pens, fabric softener, an iron, starch, and bleach — within easy reach so you can grab and go. Use baskets and boxes (labeled, of course) to hold not-as-frequently used things such as clothespins, old rags, and your pile of missing-a-mate socks. If you prefer hidden storage, install some inexpensive cabinets (available at any home improvement store) on one wall.
• Drying racks are nice if you enjoy line-drying your clothes. There is even a variety of wall-mounted, fold-out options available that will save floor space.
• To make laundry day easier, instruct your family to place whites in a white basket or hamper and darks in a colored basket. You’ll never have to sort again! If you dry clean frequently, add a separate basket for that, as well.
• Place clean, folded laundry in color-coded or labeled laundry baskets. Have family members retrieve their baskets from the laundry room, or deliver them to their rooms, so they can put away their own stuff. Many hands make light work!

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