The one thing that turns a chaotic laundry into a well-organised space

9honey Living’s The Wash Up: Your 30-day spring cleaning guide is a month-long series aimed at making your annual house clean easier with hacks and expert advice.
The laundry cupboard and shelves can be what makes your washing experience a quick and easy one or a big pain.
If you’re in the latter group with cleaning products falling out of the cupboard every time you open it and a stain remover you can never seem to find, you are in the right place.
With a declutter and some smart organisation systems, your laundry supplies can go from out of control to organised.
READ MORE: How to clean your washing machine for cleaner clothes
As with any decluttering process you’ll need to remove each item and assess whether it should be kept or thrown out.
In the laundry, one important thing to consider is whether cleaning products have expired (yes, many cleaning products do have an expiry date on them), are broken, have never been used or you don’t like them.
Any cleaning products you’re getting rid of are best disposed of at your local council’s chemical clean out. These are usually held once or twice a year and are advertised on each council’s site and social media accounts, so put your cleaning products aside until you can drop them off for free at these events.
Once the shelves are empty, use a multipurpose spray and cloth to wipe them down and remove any dust, grime and detergent residue.
Like the pantry and wardrobe, you need a system that works for you. So think about what products you use most and place those on the shelf that’s easiest to reach.
In my laundry cupboard I regularly use the laundry detergent and vinegar as well as disinfectant and toilet cleaner for the toilet next to the laundry. So I have the laundry supplies on one side of the bottom shelf and other cleaning products on the right side.
Thinking about how you use the laundry will help you decide where the best spot for your supplies is. You might even decide that general cleaning products make more sense under the kitchen sink, or that the stain remover should go in the bathroom near the laundry hamper to use as soon as you take off your stained clothes saving you precious space.
If you decant every laundry product consider whether that’s helpful or just another thing to add to your to-do list. Some products might make sense to decant, such as washing soda as it usually comes in a plastic bag packaging but anything that comes in a bottle, box or container can just easily sit on the shelf.
READ MORE: The best ways to keep your laundry organised
To make things even easier there are plenty of handy storage units and gadgets out there that make the most of even the smallest spaces.
One product I’m keen to get to reorganise my laundry cupboard is a lazy Susan turntable that’s big enough to fit the laundry detergent, vinegar, washing soda, bicarb soda, oxygen bleach and stain remover on it.
Kmart has a large 50cm clear turntable on clearance for $12 and a 28.8cm clear turntable for $7.50 which should do the trick. Just make sure you measure your space before heading to the shops to select a turntable for your shelf.
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Storage boxes for different categories of products such as general cleaning also help make things easier to find when you need them.
For those who find it hard to reach their shelves, storage units with handles or on wheels so you can easily pull them forward really help.
And don’t forget about using the magnetic power of your washing machine to add extra storage with magnetic products. Kmart has a few of these including a basket, a caddy and a laundry station, which for $25 has a basket, four hooks, a cloth roll holder and a shelf.
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