Most Aussies spend a year of their lives doing laundry, here are five simple organisation hacks to reduce that
We all have to do laundry at some point, and if you add all that time up it means we spend a year of our lives or 400 days cleaning and drying our clothes.
Professional organiser Anita Birges wants to help us cut that time down and make doing the laundry less stressful with her top tips for a more functional space.
She shared her five favourite laundry organisation hacks with Today Extra and transformed a disorganised laundry in the process.
Watch the video above.
Sorting station
After clearing out the laundry, Birges kicked off her makeover by adding three laundry baskets with wheels into the space.
Then she designated each of the baskets for either lights, darks or towels to help sort laundry as you're taking it out of the hamper.
Sort your coloured and white washing quickly and easily. Nine
"It's really important to have this set up properly because especially when you have kids and family they have an allocated place to put their dirty washing," she said.
"What you'll need are three laundry baskets on wheels. I got these ones from Howard's Storage World and they work a dream because you can actually wheel them up to your washing machine – it makes the whole process much easier."
READ MORE: The Brisbane brand changing the game for size-inclusive activewear
Easy access to laundry supplies
Birges' next tip was to make your laundry products, like detergent and stain remover easier to access.
To do this she removed the rectangular container holding all the bottles and sprays and replaced it with a lazy Susan turntable.
"They work a dream because it brings everything from the back of the cupboard to the front so you don't lose anything."
READ MORE: 10 tips and tricks to stop black clothes from fading in the wash
Lazy Susan's are a favourite organising tool. Nine
Indoor clothes airer
A great way to make use of dead space is to install a rod between your cabinetry and wall to create an indoor clothes airer.
This way you don't need to worry about a dryer or having somewhere to put wet washing when it rains.
An indoor clothes airer is also great for those delicate items that need drying in the shade.
By installing a rod you can make drying clothes much easier. Nine
Make use of bench space
To be able to fold clothes neatly and efficiently you'll need clear bench space, which is why getting your products organised in the cupboard is so useful.
A clear bench also means you can use a tabletop ironing board like Joseph Joseph's pocket folding ironing board. The beauty of these types of ironing boards is you don't have to find somewhere to store a big bulky ironing board.
READ MORE: Five simple hacks to remove creases and wrinkles without an iron
Distribution station
Putting away the clean clothes of every family member is a time-consuming and frustrating task.
So Birges suggested adding a distribution station to your laundry cupboard with a basket for each person in the house, then it's up to each member of the family to put their own clothes away.
The baskets Birges used in the cupboard she transformed were each labelled with a name, so everyone knows whose basket is theirs.
This type of basket, the White Magic laundry basket with legs, also has a really handy feature that turns them into a basket on legs with the push of a button. That means less bending to take items in and out of the basket.
Now laundry duties can be shared by everyone. Nine
Clean your washing machine
But there's no point having an organised laundry if your washing machine smells musty.
A bonus tip that will save you a whole lot of time and effort later is to clean your washing machine.
This will prevent mould growing in the detergent dispenser, drum and door seal. It will also help prevent your clean clothes coming out smelly and reduce product build-up in the machine, which can also effect your clothes.
"You need to be doing it every three months," Birges said.
READ MORE: How I finally got rid of soap scrud from my washing machine
She started her washing machine clean by tackling the detergent dispenser using a dishwand, which has a handle you can fill with dishwashing liquid.
Then Birges added a store bought washing machine cleaner which you pour in and then follow the instructions on the back of the packet.
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