I hope you were able to start the year off on the right foot! If you missed last week’s post you can read that here. You’ll find a few tips to help you reduce your stress on challenge days. A quick recap is that I’ll be hosting the ultimate purge, clean, and organizing challenge I have been able to think up! It’ll be 18 weeks long and you’ll have a refreshed home as well as some new routines to keep your home tidy and clean regularly, before most people even think about spring cleaning!

Last week we brainstormed how we wanted each room in our house to function and wrote down some goals for each of them. This week we are headed into the laundry room! If the laundry room is an area that might be off-limits or hidden from guests, then this might be quite a feat, however I know that you are more than capable of tackling it! Without further ado, let’s jump right in!

• The VERY FIRST thing you need to do before ANYTHING ELSE is to get caught up on your laundry…and not just DO laundry. You need to wash, dry, fold, and PUT away ALL of your laundry. You won’t be able to complete the rest of the tasks if you are fumbling over your clean, dirty, or not put away laundry.
• Next up is the CLEANING PHASE! You need to clear the room of EVERYTHING but the washer and dryer. You’ll then need to set up 5-6 different piles or have 5-6 different containers OUTSIDE of the laundry room to label as “keep”, “discard”, “donate”, “sell”, and “remove”, and/or “store”. Now, I don’t really agree with the “store” pile, as it usually keeps people holding onto things so much longer than necessary and provides a safety net. The goal of this challenge is to release everything you aren’t actually using, not to store it; however if you ever find yourself getting analysis paralysis because you are stressed about what you can or can’t keep, the “store” pile is an option to keep you moving.
• Next, give the room a good scrub down! Be thorough and clean your washer and dryer as well!
• Now we get to the EDITING! Go through EVERY.SINGLE.LITTLE.THING that you pulled out of the laundry room. Get rid of empty bottles and throw away any trash. Sort everything else into the above piles or containers. Anything that is broken beyond repair needs to go in the trash or be recycled (if able to). Items that you use regularly should go in the “keep” pile. Items you haven’t used in the last 3 months should be sorted into “donate”or “sell”. Only items that you can sell in a reasonable amount of time should go in the “sell” pile. You need to be realistic with the “sell” pile. If you don’t have time to list items or can’t sell the item within a few days posted on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc., then it needs to go into the donate or discard pile. Just because you feel guilty for spending money on something you never used does not mean you have to spend all of your time trying to get your money back. At some point you may have to conduct a cost-time analysis and evaluate the amount of time you spend trying to sell things to get your money back versus cutting your losses and spending your time on more meaningful activities. Lastly, the “remove” pile are items you plan to keep but reside or should reside elsewhere. Only use the “store” pile if you are experiencing overwhelm and analysis paralysis due to not knowing whether to keep or get rid of something.
• Questions to consider while editing:
  • Do you need it?
  • Do you have duplicates?
  • How often do you use it/wear it in a month?
  • What is the worst thing that can happen if you get rid of it?

• Moving on to CATEGORIZING! Zones are the key to form and function. They are physical spaces that you designate for a category of “like” items. In order to create zones we first need to categorize! Categories are highly personalized. While we may all have relatively the same kinds of items in our laundry room, we differ in regards to personal inventory, interests, and goals for the space. Based on the items you are keeping, view trends in items and start creating categories. For example, in my laundry room I have categories for “paper products”, “laundry”, “general cleaning”, “utility”, and “bathroom cleaning”. My laundry room is literally an open closet in my half bath. You may be limited on laundry space or have a whole room designated to laundry. Create categories that fit your family. If you find categories that are better stored elsewhere, move those items into the “remove” pile.
• Now that we’ve categorized the items we are keeping, it’s time to determine where each category will reside. Keep in mind that workflow and space is of utmost importance when determining where your items will reside. A bad workflow is not conducive to creating good habits or routines.
• Now it’s ORGANIZING time! Now that you’ve determined where each category will reside, now is the time to evaluate storage. I used to be against storage containers because I believe it can significantly contribute to a clutter problem, which I believe most people have. You can read the post I wrote awhile ago on why you don’t need storage containers. However, since utlizing containers to create zones, I have changed my mind. If you overflow a zone/container you get the visual reminder that you need to go back and edit. You either have too much stuff and/or it’s disorganized, or you need to reconfigure your space as you didn’t designate enough space to the category initially.
  • Personally I prefer clear containers because they allow you to easily see what you have. Each container, bin, shelf, trivet, etc. that you use needs to be able to contain each category. Because they are clear you will more likely keep it organized and use what you have as your items will be on display. Concealing bins and containers can be a trap for clutter to build up and create a visual barrier to using your items. With that being said I opted mostly for concealing storage containers considering my laundry room is on full display in my powder bath.
  • If you have other baskets, bins, totes, etc. in your home that might work, definitely try those out first. There’s no need to get wrapped up in the prettiest (and expensive) organizers if you can utlize something you already have on hand. You are creating a personalized space that functions for your family, so crates, labels, hangers, dividers, carts, etc. are all suitable options, however I urge you to shop your own home before venturing out to the store. Sometimes storage containers aren’t even necessary to create zones.
• Lastly, assemble your zones! This is your first trial run! As we move throughout this challenge you need to start implementing a ritual for editing and revising your systems. As we move on to other rooms in the house it can be easy to ignore the rooms that have been completed. However, you may not get it right on the first try! Rather than getting frustrated that “nothing seems to work”, encourage others in your household to help you put things back properly. If you notice bins overflowing or that a system is not working it’s ok to assess why a system isn’t working and tweak and revise as you go to prevent further and potentialy larger issues from arising later on! By scheduling a few minutes a day to pick up stray items or do a sweep of a room you can make adjustments to your system and prevent clutter from becoming overwhelming. For example we have designated laundry days to help us keep track of laundry. We do laundry Sunday and Thursday (there’s only two of us!). Sheets and blankets are washed on Saturdays.
• Finally, dump the “discard” pile. Anything in the “remove” pile should be redistributed to the correct rooms or area. Sell anything you wanted to sell. If it doesn’t sell by next week’s challenge it needs to go in the “discard” or “donate” pile. Anything that you may have potentially put into “storage” needs to be labeled with a date 1 month from now and stored. Whatever you don’t remove from the box in the next month needs to be discarded, donated, or sold (with the exception of seasonal gear you routinely rotate out).

Tips

1. If at any point you get overwhelmed and want to give up…walk away from the challenge and go do something fun and entertaining for awhile! If you have years of clutter then it might get overwhelming. That’s why each room is a week long! Just chip away at it a little bit at a time. It’s always good to step away and come back with fresh eyes and renewed energy!
2. Limited space is not an excuse for why you are not organized. If you think space is the issue, you have a clutter problem, not an organizing problem. You can always browse pinterest or instagram for small, space-saving organization ideas that you may not be able to envision for yourself. You always have more space than you realize!

Next week we tackle the mudroom or drop zone! Let me know how you do this week with the laundry room!