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What do you picture when someone says 'laundry'?  Is it piles of dirty clothes, sock singles lost to some undisclosed dimension, a moldy smell and lost hours?  Or is it shrugging on a warm shirt straight from the dryer, lemon scent and the zen of folding: a little pocket of peace and quiet on a hectic, cold day?

People who fit into the latter category aren't from Stepford.  Chances are, they've made the deliberate choice to craft a laundry room the way they design other rooms in their house: for their comfort, convenience, and in the case of the laundry room, for utility and ease of use. 

Often a key component to creating a harmonious space is to minimize clutter.  Check out these three tips for creating a clutterless, clean, and welcoming workspace!

Incorporate Drying Racks

Drying delicates can create a lot of clutter!  Where do you put the stand-up drying rack?  Where to put it when you've folded it away? 

Solve that problem in a snap by making fold-away drying racks part of your interior design straightaway.  You can easily purchase or create cabinet-style drying racks like these:

The bars swing down for ease of use, but when you release them, they snap upright to keep your drying clothes out of the way.  Centsational Style shows you how to make your own here. 

Alternately,  you can incorporate rails on which to hang your clothing from hangers right in the laundry room, for things that are best dried while hanging, or just to store clothing that's clean and ready to wear. These rails are best incorporated under cabinets or a ledge that may not be in use.

Even small spaces can make use of this trick.  Try creating a  hanging bar, made simply from two thick, leather straps and a copper rod (or metal rod of your choosing).  It looks incredibly upscale but would cost very little to make. Just fix two, 3-4 inch leather straps to a ledge or underneath weight-baring cabinets, then slide the rod through.

If you're feeling crafty, you might also consider making an old ladder into a drying rack for a farmhouse feel.

Keep Your Laundry Basket Space in Mind

Keep laundry baskets out of the way by creating drawers or shelving space for them.  If you're staging a house, buy baskets that fit so that these drawers' purpose is clear to potential buyers -- and so no one has to hunt for the right-sized baskets later on.

You can also create a laundry basket holder of your own from freestanding shelving units if you don't have built-in drawers or have trouble finding a fitting that will work for your space.

Feeling crafty? Here's a great article on how to create a do-it-yourself mobile laundry basket holder.

Keep Your Ironing Board Out of the Way

Your ironing board can take up a lot of space if you keep it set up, and it can be a challenge to yank it forward out of a nook or wrestle it down from a high spot if you keep it folded. 

Consider hanging it up on coat hooks.  Be sure to hang it so that the cloth of the board (where you'd grip it to lift) is at shoulder height, making it easy to set down and hook back up.

You can make one of these from scratch using these instructions from The Inspired Hive, but you can just as easily purchase one and unscrew any extraneous hooks before hanging it.

Employ these space-saving tactics and your laundry room will be a calm, peaceful, and orderly oasis!

Although you'd like to eliminate as much clutter as possible before you sell your house, doing so may seem like a long, arduous task. Fortunately, you don't have to be a home organization expert to remove clutter from your house quickly and effortlessly.

Now, let's take a look at three creative ways to help home sellers eliminate clutter instantly.

1. Develop a daily declutter schedule

Believe it or not, it doesn't take long to declutter a home, regardless of the size of your house. With a declutter schedule at your disposal, you can set small and large decluttering goals and make daily progress toward a clutter-free house.

Even spending five minutes a day decluttering your house can make a world of difference. Over the course of a week or month, you'll start to notice lots of free space fills your residence – something that homebuyers are sure to appreciate.

Also, don't forget to stick to your declutter schedule as closely as possible. And if you miss a day along the way, there's no need to worry, as you can always try to make up for lost time the following day.

2. Give away one item each day

If you have excess items, why not offer them to family members, friends and others who may be able to use them?

Ultimately, if you strive to give away one item daily, you can declutter your home and help family members, friends and others at the same time.

Giving away items is a quick, simple way to declutter. Meanwhile, offering these items to others enables you to do a good deed, as you'll be able to provide something useful to someone who wants it at no charge.

3. Start with a single trash bag

Fill up a single trash bag with clutter and see what happens – you'll be glad you did.

After you fill a trash bag, you'll likely find that you have many options.

This trash bag may be donated to a charitable organization, one that could use the excess items. Or, you may decide the trash bag items could be sold at a yard sale or listed online for a profit. On the other hand, if you find the trash bag items are damaged and no longer usable, you may choose to dispose of the trash bag altogether.

A gradual approach to decluttering is key, particularly for home sellers who want to alleviate stress as they prepare their residences for the real estate market. With this approach, home sellers can boost their chances of remaining calm, cool and collected as they eliminate clutter.

Lastly, if you need additional assistance with decluttering, your real estate agent may be able to lend a helping hand. This housing market professional can put you in touch with local junk removal companies that can help you eliminate clutter without delay.

Take care of clutter today, and by doing so, a home seller can move one step closer to getting the best price for his or her residence.