Overwhelmed by clothing care chaos? First there’s the washing, then the drying, then the dreaded step of folding and putting away. Laundry can often feel like a never-ending chore – especially when you’re in a house full of active people! It’s time to flip your laundry and clothes storage on its head and consider the family closet.

What is a family closet?

The family closet is a shared area that stores clothing for all household members. It can be as simple as moving the entire family’s dressers into the same room, or as elaborate as custom-built-ins with a nearby washer-dryer. The key is that all the family’s clothing is located in one confined area, rather than spread across the house in various bedrooms.

Confine the clothing chaos

Traditional laundry set-ups involve clothing stored in multiple areas around the house. This requires significant movement from room to room to collect the dirty articles of clothing and then to transport them to a centralized laundry area, only to return the laundry to the multiple locations again later. 

The family closet eliminates extra movement from room to room and centralizes all the family’s clothing in one area. Putting away clothing is a breeze, because it’s all within arm’s reach. The logic is similar to keeping all food and food preparation items in the kitchen. Why not keep all laundry in one centralized closet? 

Less clutter, more clarity

Switching clothing for the seasons or sizing up kids’ clothing can be quite the ordeal. Even these bigger seasonal clothing chores are made easier by the family closet. If you have the space, off-season clothing can be stored away in the same vicinity as the on-season clothing currently in use. Handing down one kid’s clothes to the next sibling is as simple as moving them to the next drawer. 

Gone are the days of piles of clothes all over the bathroom floor and outfits strewn across bedrooms. With a family closet, everyone can get dressed and undressed in the same area (at different times!) so that all clothes, dirty or clean, stay in one area of the home. You may also find that once all the clothing is gathered in one space, inventorying the clothing needs of your family members becomes much clearer and more manageable. You might even be motivated to substantially pare down your family’s clothing stash!

Empower kids with simple habits

For smaller children, a family closet can help build habits of independence when it comes to dressing for the day or changing for bedtime. Especially with toddlers and preschoolers, the step of getting dressed is simplified, and potential distractions are removed by being in an area used exclusively for dressing. They can practice putting their clean clothing away right next to you as you model putting your own clothes away.

Ideal for large families or small spaces

Because the family closet frees up bedroom space, it is the ideal solution for smaller homes or large families. Instead of spreading out clothing storage across the house, you can relocate the dressers to a designated area – and maybe fit that second bunk bed where a dresser used to be!

Potential downsides

Overhauling your laundry system is a big undertaking, so it’s important to be aware of a few obstacles that might arise. With a family closet set up, there is a potential for decreased privacy since all the clothing is centralized rather than in the individual bedrooms. If it does not work logistically for your family to get dressed in the same area, this can be remedied with a side area (similar to a fitting room in a store) where the individual can dress and undress. Additionally, family members can wear robes after undressing and then return to the family closet to get dressed after bathing.

If laundry has been a constant struggle, the family closet could be the hack you’ve been waiting for! Your family closet could be a small, hard-to-use bedroom, a large walk-in closet, or even shelving around your basement washer/dryer. Finding a system that works for your family will simplify your efforts and finally end the laundry chaos cycle.