Ditch The Dreaded Laundry Chair For This Easy & Affordable Solution

You know the scenario: You spend ages picking out the most beautiful, comfy lounge chair for the corner of your bedroom, only to have it constantly draped in articles of clothing, completely hidden and unusable. 

Yes, the dreaded laundry chair. We've all been there, even if the chair was more of a stool, bench ... or, let's be honest, floor. Somehow there inevitably becomes a spot where clothes worn only once or for a couple hours tend to gather — a designated parking space for items somewhere in the perilous middleground between clean and ready for the wash. By simply tossing them onto your chair, these items are constantly visible, easy to access, and physically separated from the other absolutely clean or dirty clothes in your closet, so the practice is understandable. However, the result is a cluttered, unattractive mess of wrinkled clothes and a non-functional lounge chair.

So how do you successfully break out of this laundry chair cycle? The key is to replace the chair habit with an easy organization system that serves the same purpose. To be successful, it has to be effortless to toss clothes on (no hangers or fuss), easy to see, and independent of other clothing. The great news is that the solution is not only super simple but affordable to boot: a basic peg rail. By creating a row of peg hooks along a wall of your closet, you can hang and organize your in-between clothing up off the floor, while also freeing up your bedroom chair to be used once again.

The humble peg rail works as an ideal organization solution to use in place of tossing items on your bedroom chair for several reasons. First, the basic design allows you to easily and quickly hang clothes without a thought, which is key to subbing in for the simplicity of the laundry chair toss. Next, because the hooks bring the clothing up off of the surface they were draped on, not only does it look less cluttered, but it actually gives the clothing better airflow, preventing wrinkles and the stale smell of piled clothes that cannot breathe. Lastly, the single row of hooks also helps prevent the overlapping of clothing, again improving airflow but also ensuring you can see all items clearly. After all, if you can't see what you have in your in-between pile, it defeats the purpose of having a quick holding area to begin with, so the pegs are perfect for keeping clothing visible.

The ideal location for your peg rail would be on a wall within a closet, perhaps mounted above your laundry hamper or just inside (or mounted on the back of) the door for quick access. For renters that want to organize their laundry chair items but do not want to put holes in the wall, there are many fully removable over-the-door peg rails that would work just as well on the back of the closet door. Alternatively, you could choose a discreet corner of your bedroom to mount the peg rail if needed.

Basic peg rails can be premade (Target, for instance, has an inexpensive five-hook model) in which case they simply mount on the wall with screws. All done! However, the beauty of this simple organizational concept is that really any hook system will do. So, if the Shaker pegs don't fit your aesthetic, look for hooks that are more your style. Try a series of sleek, clean floating metal hooks for a streamlined contemporary look, an ornate antique brass decorative hook rail for a vintage traditional vibe, or a peg with a unique knob at the end — like an inlaid crystal or decorative glass — for a quirky, one-of-a-kind eclectic aesthetic.

Alternatively, for a more custom, seamless look, consider making an easy DIY peg rail perfectly tailored to your space. Begin by purchasing a 1x4 wood board (such as poplar or pine), cutting it to size for the area in which you would like to create the built-in rail, and securing it to the wall studs as the backer for the pegs. Measuring and marking each peg location, pre-drill a hole in each spot. Use pegs with screw-in bases to twist into each hole to finish the job, creating a custom, integrated, and seamless organization system to thoughtfully relocate clothes previously banished to the laundry chair. No matter the type of peg, hook, or rail you decide to go with, adding a hook system for organizing those in-between clothes will allow you to reclaim your bedroom chair for lounging and relaxing.