Not everyone has a big room in their home dedicated to doing laundry. Those of us in condos and apartments might have a washing machine in a closet, or we regularly schlep our dirty clothes to a laundry facility. So how do you love your laundry when you’re living in a small space?

Organizer and designer Tinka Markham Piper of Solve My Space has some thoughts…

Create a portable laundry kit. Don’t have much space to store products? Pick a cute bin or carryall and tuck all your laundry gear in there. Don’t include any other cleaning supplies in the kit: Tinka recommends “individuating the task” to make it feel easier. Store it under the sink in the bathroom or in a closet. And if doing laundry involves a trek, using a backpack leaves your hands free to carry clothes. 

Use multitasking products. When you’re in tight quarters, having less stuff to store is always a plus. Instead of having separate products for wools, delicates, baby clothes, and hand-washing and machine washing, pick one that does it all – like Soak. 

Think small. Don’t let that warehouse-sized detergent eat up valuable space. Buy smaller containers or decant from a big bottle (then stow that bottle in your locker or share it with a friend). 

Hand-wash more often. If you’ve got a sink and some Soak, you can do laundry – without having to leave home. 

Use a hamper or basket that’s easy to carry. Whether it’s a drawstring bag you sling over your shoulder or a curved basket that fits comfortably against your hip, having the right carry-all (just like Phil!) can make things a lot easier. If you need to save space between laundry days, try a collapsible basket.

Wash your clothes less often. One way to make laundry easier is to have less of it! Do those jeans really need a wash after two wears? If they pass the smell check and aren’t visibly dirty, we say hold off. Tinka says we all over wash our clothes anyway – so unless it’s undies or sweaty workout gear, it’s probably okay to wear a few times.

Don’t love doing laundry? Read this Soak School post on making it less of a chore – and more of a pleasure.

For more tips from Tinka – and other awesome ideas to help you take care of your worthiest washables – explore Soak School!

About Tinka
Tinka Markham Piper is the founder of Solve My Space. A self-described “chaos counsellor,” she’s part organizer, part designer, part life coach – and fully committed to transforming spaces to help transform lives. She also has a home advice column and you can find her on Instagram at @solvemyspace