If you feel like you’re buried under an avalanche of laundry each week, you’re not alone! Most moms I know dread doing laundry, and I can’t say it’s my favorite. But, I have reduced the time I spend doing laundry by about half over the last couple years by figuring out a system and routine using some of the ideas below. So if you’re ready to simplify your laundry system, read on or watch the video!
Laundry Secret #1: Pair Down
Pairing down is the single best time-saver when it comes to laundry. It sounds counterintuitive – if you have fewer clothes, won’t you have to wash them more often? Maybe – but you’ll have a lot less to fold! When my boys have an endless supply of shirts to pull from, the laundry tends to just pile up higher and higher. The same goes for towels – since there’s more available, we use more, and then we have to wash more, dry more, and fold more.
Now my boys have enough clothes for a week, with a small buffer. I have a seasonal capsule wardrobe of 30-40 items to pull from. We have four white towels for adults and guests, and four kids’ towels – two per kid.
Most washing machines have settings for small and medium loads, so don’t worry about wasting water and energy.
Decluttering my wardrobe, my kids’ clothes, and the towels has cut my laundry time in half! Especially when paired with the next secret:
Laundry Secret #2: Sort Less
I was raised to sort dirty laundry into Reds and Pinks, Whites, Darks, Greens & Browns, Oranges and Yellows, Delicates, and Towels.
Then I went to college and washed all my laundry together in as few loads as possible 🙂
Turns out, detailed color sorting isn’t all that necessary! Now I sort into three categories: Lights, Darks, and Towels. Bras and delicate items go in mesh bags and into either lights or darks. Sometimes I will do a load of just the kids’ clothes, all together with no sorting, if they have a lot more laundry than Brian and I do.
With the water temp set to warm or cold, I’ve never had an issue with colors bleeding. Now of course, if you have a brand new item that’s super saturated, you should test it before throwing it in. But in general, I bet you could streamline some categories and not even notice the difference!
Secret #3: Fold Less
I KonMari fold (I know, I’m THAT person :)) But since our clothes are pretty pared down, this isn’t that bad of a chore for me personally. But if this is a sticking point in your routine, here’s some ideas:
- Switch from a dresser to storage cubes. This could work especially well for kids who like to pull everything out anyway. Label the cubes clearly so they can put their laundry away and dress themselves. You could also use this for your own workout clothes, pajamas, socks or underwear – stuff you don’t have to worry about getting wrinkled.
- Make sure everyone’s room has a laundry hamper. Also put a laundry hamper in the kitchen for towels, dish cloths, and cleaning cloths.
- Designate a laundry basket for each room: one for the boys’ room, one for the girls’, etc. Then sort clothes straight from the dryer into those baskets and drop them off in each room. From there, either have your kids fold them and put them away, live out of the basket, or put the clothes away in the cube.
Which of these tips will you incorporate to your routine?!
Related Links:
- Save your seat in my online course – From Clutter to Clarity! Registration opens in just a few weeks!
- Mesh laundry bags in different sizes
- 5 Mindset Shifts You Must Make to Stay Decluttered
