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Do you have the laundry blues? Little things can help save you time and maximize space in your laundry room. Here are 4 organizing ideas to use in the laundry room to help save time.

In our home I was responsible for the family laundry until my daughters were about 12 years old. I remember when my first daughter (of five) told me she was going to start doing her own laundry. I was surprised and I thought that wouldn't last long, but it did. The reason I had been taken off laundry duty was because I ruined things. Okay so I did shrink a shirt or a sweater here and there and once I even got bleach on a shirt that was not meant to be bleached. I did feel bad and I didn't do it on purpose. But let's face it I was happy I had less laundry to do. In my defense I only did it a couple of times and it was always by accident.

We can spend a lot of time in the laundry room and often the room is tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, bathroom, hallway or basement, not offering much room. Organizing for small spaces can be a challenge, but with a little ingenuity and thought there are things that can be done to maximize space and help save you time. As a busy woman I am big on time management. There are other things I can de doing rather than laundry.

Here are four organizing ideas to use in the laundry room to help save time.

•Keep everything within easy reach that we use in the laundry room. Place the soap in a place where you don't have to reach and stretch for it. And don't have it too low where you are always bending to get to it.

•Store the products used like fabric softener, bleach, all fabric bleach, stain sticks and other stain removers according to how often you use them. Place the ones used most often up front.

•For the small items, store them in a basket, plastic bin or even in a shoe box. I don't personally care for using a shoe box because it is not as convenient to see what is in it. By using a basket everything stays contained and it can be pulled out to get the item needed.

•Have a rack, a knob, or a clothes line that clothes can be hung on when they shouldn't go in the dryer. I have a small pipe that runs along the ceiling that works just fine in my laundry room. As a professional organizer I love the challenge of figuring out what we can use to same time and how to organize small spaces using what is already in the home. Convenience in the laundry room doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

Shelving units and cabinets can be built into even the smallest spaces on walls or between appliances. Adjustable, plastic-coated wire shelving can be used three ways: to store cleaning products, laundry baskets or irons, to hold hangers or hooks and to dry delicates.

Make the laundry room a happy place to be. If it is in a basement with no windows paint it a happy color or your favorite color, hang pictures or posters in the room. Make it an inviting room to be in. If there isn't a table or counter to fold cloths, use the washer and dryer as the table. This also encourages putting the clothes away where they belong and not leaving them in the room.

Place baskets in the room, one for each family member and put their laundry in their basket so they can easily take it to their room. This saves both time and frustration. As the children get older put their clothes in their basket for them to fold and put away.

Convenience is the key to save time and frustration in the laundry room. Everyone in the family can help with this task; start the two year old child helping with the laundry by finding matching socks. Laundry doesn't have to be a chore for one person in the household; it can be a shared responsibility in the family.

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