Do you hate to do laundry? If so, you're not alone. In fact, washing, folding, and putting away laundry is ranked fifth among dreaded household chores. One reason is probably that the clutter from dirty laundry can be a huge eyesore. Fortunately, you can make laundry day more enjoyable when you know how to better store and organize your dirty clothes. Here are some ideas on making laundry less of a chore by using clever storage and better organization, and how a Murphy door can help in decluttering.
Hidden Hampers
Some people use hidden hampers to get their laundry out of sight. There are hidden hampers that can go in cabinets, dressers, and closets.
Murphy Door
One of the best methods for hiding laundry is by using a Murphy door. This is a secret or hidden door used for a wide range of purposes. When guests walk past a Murphy door, they don't even realize that an entire, invisible closet or hamper is hidden inside. It's a fun, functional solution that will make laundry day more enjoyable and the laundry itself less of an eyesore.
Built-In Hampers
Some hampers can be built into a dressing room or closet. The inserts for these hampers, which include handles, make it easy to pick up and load your laundry bags into a washer. Most built-in hampers provide several compartments for laundry sorting and have removable bags.
Pegboards
Adding a pegboard next to your washer and dryer is another way to organize your supplies. Just think about how easy it is to hang laundry bags on pegs. Also, you can hang your laundry supplies on your pegboard. This eliminates the need for shelves or an entire closet for storage.
Floating Shelves
Installing floating shelves is an effective storage solution, especially if you have a small laundry room. Besides being lighter than cabinets, floating shelves are much easier to keep organized. They're also easy to access. If you want to hide your supplies, use decorated glass jars or baskets.
Laundry Cart on Wheels
The best place to keep a wheeled laundry cart is in your bathroom or bedroom. This makes it easy for tossing dirty linens and clothing into the proper bag. Be sure to label the bags appropriately so that you can separate your whites, darks, lint producers, and delicate items.
Smart Strategies for Pre-Sorting Clothes
If you throw your laundry into your washer without carefully sorting through it, you can damage or totally ruin your garments and other items. Consider how new clothing tends to bleed in a wash and can stain other garments. To prevent this from occurring, wash new, brightly colored items by themselves in cool or cold detergent water. After the first time, you can probably include them with the rest of your dark or colored items.
Whites
To keep your whites staying white, wash them separately from your colored items. It just takes one little red handkerchief that isn't colorfast to give an entire wash a pinkish color. Consider how, usually, non-whites require warmer water temperatures to be properly cleaned.
Bright Colors
Put all your brightly colored garments, such as reds, purples, colorfast pinks, and others, together for a full load. If you’re unsure about some of the red items, wash them separately since bright colors tend to lose their color or fade into lighter-colored garments.
Delicates
Non-colorfast, delicate items should be washed separately and dried naturally rather than in a dryer. For best results, follow the manufacturer's laundry instructions found on a garment's tag.
Lint-Producing Items
Towels and other lint-producing items should be washed separately. You don't want their lint to stick to your other clothing. However, towels can be washed with robes, sheets, and blankets, provided everything in the wash is colorfast.
Tips for Putting Away Your Clean Laundry
Putting away clean laundry can be just as much of a chore and just as time-consuming as sorting and washing your clothes. Here are some suggestions to make laundry day more enjoyable when it comes to this job.
- Besides using your wheeled laundry cart for dirty laundry, your laundry cart-on-wheels can also make putting away your clean laundry both easier and quicker.
- Don't put off folding your clothes for later. Instead, fold them immediately after you've pulled them out of your dryer.
- Organize your closets and drawers. For example, set aside specific areas in your drawers and closet for certain items, as this can make it easier when putting your clean garments away.
- Consider how a Murphy door can be an ideal way to organize your closet, besides provide hidden storage for overly stuffer dresser drawers.
To learn more about the many benefits of a Murphy door and how they can help make laundry day more enjoyable, contact us.
