Here's some advice from Whirlpool home economists that can help you organize your laundry area to make doing the laundry easier and faster. Being close allows you to hear the cycles and switch clothes from the washer to the dryer without running up and down stairs.
Family members can help by dropping their laundry into the appropriate containers.
Work out your best schedule for doing the laundry. If clothes need to be transported, save yourself the burden of carrying the laundry by using a rolling cart or basket. If the laundry room is located on a lower level of your home, consider a clothes chute to eliminate carrying baskets of soiled clothing down the stairs.