Laundry Room Command Center

I love command centers. I think they are the easiest way to run a home. But not everyone has the extra space to set one up in their kitchen or mudroom. If that is you, no worries, I have a different idea of where you can put a family hub in your home. A Laundry Room Command Center is a great option especially if you have one on your main floor. If you have not yet set up a command center in your home I hope the ideas I have for you today will encourage you to get started.

When it comes to organization, every family is different. But there’s one thing that all families need: a central place to stay on top of things. That’s where a family command center comes in.

A family command center (sometimes called a family hub) is a designated space in your home where everyone can easily find important information fast. This might include things like a family calendar, a list of upcoming events, sports schedules, contact information, and more.

Creating a family command center is a great way to keep your family organized. And what better place to put it than in your laundry room? Laundry rooms are usually centrally located in homes, which makes them the perfect spot for a command center. Plus, they’re usually already equipped with things like a bulletin board or whiteboard – perfect for setting up your family hub.

Setting up a Laundry Room Command Center

If you’re thinking about setting up a family command center in your laundry room, here’s your step-by-step checklist to help make this project much easier to get done.

Step #1. What to Include

Before you can decide what to have you first need to know what you hope to keep organized with your home hub. There is no limit to what you can have in your command center.

Here are a few ideas:

• Dates – A large wall calendar
• Schedules – Clipboards
• Notes – Corkboard or dry erase board
• Misc papers – A binder
• Budgeting – Portable file tote
• Outgoing mail – Wall basket
• Take out menus, flyers, or coupons – Wall fill holder
• Car keys, sunglasses, dog leashes – Wall organizer

Step #2. Location

The trick to a command center working is to put it in an open area. This could be a bare wall, the outside of a set of cabinets, or even the back of your laundry room door.

If you are short on space you can also incorporate part of your laundry room countertop if you have one available. This ia great place to put a basket, a few binders, and a caddy for office supplies.

Step #3. Layout

Once you have your area chosen it’s time to lay things out.

The main purpose of a command center is to streamline your family’s schedule which means a large calendar that your entire family can add to and refer to is the number one item to have.

I suggest using your calendar as your centerpiece and then adding additional areas around the outside.

You can then use command hooks to hold clipboards. I love clipboards and they work great to hold schedules, chore charts, shopping lists, and even to-do lists.

Next is an area for notes and reminders. A small corkboard or dry-erase board on one side will work great for this.

If you are using a bit of the counter you can put a few binders there to hold papers that tend to get lost in a busy home.

Command Center Binders

• Household papers
• Meal planning/recipes
• Bill paying/budgeting
• Shopping lists, coupons, flyers

Step #4. Streamline

If you want your command center to work efficiently you will need to customize it so it works for your family. This might mean giving each family member a specific color. Once you do you can then begin using labeled folders, colored-coded sticky notes, or colored tape to designate everyone’s clipboard.

If you have young children you can use pictures instead of words so they too can be a part of your organizing setup.

Step #5. Update routinely

Like any area in a busy home, even a command center can get cluttered and messy. To help at the start of each month spend a bit of time changing each area out.

• Put out a new calendar for the month.
• Write in any dated events using colored pencils if necessary.
• Put out a fresh shopping list.
• Remove any notes that are outdated.
• Restock your mail supplies.
• Toss and trash or junk mail.
• Wipe down any surfaces.
• Restock office supplies and sharpen any pencils.

Once done, have a quick family meeting giving over any events that everyone may need to be made aware of.

6. Use it.

One of the biggest downfalls of a new setup is when we forget to continue using it. This means, in the beginning at least, you may need to remind yourself that your command center is there. To help, make a habit of going over your calendar for the week in your command center area so you can familiarize yourself with your family’s activities.

You may also want to have a weekly quick family meeting to go over all dates together so you know rides, preparation, babysitting, and other things are discussed and finalized.

7. Laundry

Don’t forget to incorporate the room you are in to keep things even more efficient. Add a section to your command center that lists out the steps for washing clothes, drying them, and pressing them if needed.

I just love family command centers because I feel they can eliminate so many headaches that come with a large and busy family.

• Keep papers altogether so you are never wasting time looking for things.
• Save money with bills always being paid on time.
• Keep track of who needs to be where and when.
• Make running errands easier with an accurate list.
• Finally, keep your home neater with a family that helps keep it neat and put away.

If you have wished you had room for a home hub and thought you were out of luck, I hope I was able to change your mind today. By setting up a laundry room command center you too can streamline the running of an efficient home.