Shelving - if you don’t have sufficient cupboard space, install a shelf somewhere above or close to your washing machine to store laundry detergent, etc. on so it’s easy to access and out of reach if you have small children.
Laundry sorter - use one to separate your colours, e.g. one for dark, one for light & one for bright colours like reds/pinks. You can buy them with three compartments or if you prefer just get several single ones either the same colour & label them or get different colours to make it easier for everyone to know which colour clothes to throw into which basket.
Set laundry days - do your laundry on a set day of the week (or days for those with families) as that way you don’t feel like you are always doing laundry and it’s more efficient to do several loads in one day then one every day.
Laundry baskets - get at least two baskets (or more if you have several children) so you have at least one for dry clothes to bring in & one for wet clothes to hang out (ever been out to the line with a wet load only to realise you haven’t brought in the last load?). Having several also means you can put the kids in separate baskets and give to them to put away (in a perfect world!)
Portable clothes line - if you have small children use your main line for adult clothes and a portable one for kids’ clothes – that way you aren’t taking up the bigger line with tiny items and you don’t need to sort after you’ve brought it all in. Plus as long as it’s in a non windy spot you don’t even need to peg items. Even if you don’t have kids these portable lines/airers are handy for things like socks and underwear as well as for hanging clothes indoors and you can fold them away when not in use.
Socks - when you hang out your socks to dry, peg them beside each other on the line as that way when it comes time to bring the washing in you already have a pair ready to put together straight off the line rather than trying to sort them out later.
Ironing - use a space saving ironing option such as an over the door ironing board & iron holder or the kind that fold out of the wall or cupboard so they are out of your way when not in use. Better yet, don’t buy clothes that need ironing! However, if you wear suits/work shirts to work, iron five on a Sunday ready to go for the week so you don’t have to iron every day. Also means you don’t have to think about what to wear each day!
Linen - store different types and sizes of linen where it’s used, e.g. single sheets in kids bedrooms, king size sheets in master bedrooms, towels and face washers in bathrooms or close to them, tea towels in kitchen, etc. That way you aren’t wasting time looking for right sized sheets, pillow cases to match, etc. when it comes time to make the beds.
Cleaning products - put all your cleaning products in a caddy so you can go from room to room with everything you need to do the housework, e.g. paper towels, chux, duster, surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, mould remover, toilet cleaner, etc. Or if you only use one cleaner for everything buy several bottles of it and store one in each area, e.g. kitchen, bathroom, etc.
Cleaning equipment - use a wall mounted storage rack for your brooms and mops, etc. You can even get ones that retract if you only have a corner or narrow space to store them.
Keep floors and benchtops clear - store as much as possible off the floor and as little as possible on vanity tops and bench tops or put things like toiletries in baskets as this will make cleaning them much easier as you don’t have to move everything out of the way one by one first.
