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| My laundry room - conveniently located, but not very big - hence the need for space-saving solutions that make use of the room's height, like expanding/flip-down clothes drying racks and a holder for the central vac. |
Build a Better Laundry Routine
I don’t know where I would be without my good friend the washing machine. In terms of convenience, my washer probably ranks higher on my list than any other home appliance. Conveniently located right on the first floor of my home, this handy appliance gets a lot of action. With towels, sheets, sports uniforms and dance clothes to wash in addition to regular everyday clothing, I do about six to eight loads of laundry in any given week. That's not going to change any time soon, however I think I can make my routine more efficient with these ideas.
- Purge unnecessary clothing. If you have a disorganized individual in the house (maybe, ahem, it’s a 9-year-old girl), weed their wardrobe down to make the wearing of three outfits a day less tempting. Certain wardrobe essentials, such as jeans and pajamas, can be worn for more than one day before washing. But if this particular individual has a giant stack of pajamas and hand-me-down jeans from her cousin, she is just as likely to toss on a new set of pjs every night. I have washed entire loads that appear to be all pajamas. No more!
- Do a load of wash each day. I know we are all working our butts off doing laundry on the weekend when energy costs are lower but, come on, it’s the weekend people! If you throw a load in each day (and dry it and put it away too!), you won’t feel like you’re doing laundry duty at the prison every weekend.
- Do a separate load for each person. Putting the clothes away is even worse than washing them, right? If you wash each person’s clothes separately and put them in individually coloured laundry baskets (my daughter’s is pink, for example), you won’t have to spend time sorting.
- Establish a laundry day for each person in the house. And write in on a calendar. Take a moment to think about the right day for each person. For example, if my son has basketball on Monday and soccer on Tuesday, I’ll make sure his laundry day is after Tuesday, but before Monday, so his uniforms are washed and ready when needed.
- If you have older kids (and/or a cooperative partner) maybe each person’s laundry day can be their actual laundry day, where they in fact wash their own clothes. That’s something I want to work on with my 12-year-old. Spreading the jobs around is my new goal this year!
No doubt us modern peeps are lucky in the grand scheme of things, using modern appliances in the home. (My mom can tell you horror stories about relatives and neighbours getting crucial parts caught in those wringer washing machines!) But we are also super busy, probably over-scheduled and certainly more obsessed with cleanliness. Hence our constant quest for more organization and efficiency.
How do you handle your laundry routine? Any tips?
Great tips :) I now wash whenever I have enough for a load, which is pretty much daily or every two days. My laundry is pretty small without a bench for folding (and boy am I looking forward to a laundry renovation!). I'm also determined to get the kids to help out more and fold properly, instead of balling things up! I never iron because we wear mostly casual clothes or I hang things so that they don't crease so that's one huge weight off my shoulders :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest tip, and one I struggle with most of the time, is not to procrastinate when it comes to folding the washing. Yep, I say that knowing there's a huge load of clean washing sitting on my bed waiting to be folded... I'm trying to just get it done there and then, as soon as it's dry. I'm hoping to form a habit of immediately folding :) I've been following the FlyLady babysteps these past two months and my goodness what a difference-- "a load a day keeps CHAOS away" where CHAOS is Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Ha! She offered a tip the other day about using the timer settings on your washer and/or dryer if you have them, like putting the washing on really early in the morning so it finishes when you wake up, then you immediately hang it/put it in the dryer. I never thought of that, I don't even know if my washing machine has a timer...
I have nowhere to fold too, and that makes the process more difficult. And I definitely share your tendency to procrastinate on the folding! We have like 5 baskets sitting up in the bedrooms sometimes, full of clean clothes. I totally get the CHAOS thing too. I feel like people can't drop by most of the time. My washer does have a timer, but I don't use it. I really should. The only thing is the dryer - I won't put it on when we are sleeping or out of the house, because of dryer fires.
DeleteInteresting Post! Love the little Picture with the true saying :D
ReplyDeletexoxo
My sister gave me the sign, because of all the laundry I do. I used to have cloth diapers to wash too and then I wouldn't even want to count the number of loads per week! :)
DeleteLove the tips! I am a weekend laundress myself, but I do everyone's loads individually! If the kids need something clean, they are responsible for doing their own during the week-- but I don't mind doing...bulk laundry?... on Saturday, especially now that we have a clothesline!
ReplyDeleteOh a clothesline, in the mountains. How lovely. We don't have a line, and if I leave clothes outside over a rack they don't smell good. Not sure what the problem is around here.
DeleteOh laundry is my nemesis. My husband does more than I'd like to admit, and it's far from a routine... I should certainly incorporate some of these tips :)
ReplyDeleteThat's great that your husband does laundry. I'm certain you are quite busy enough with your little ones! :)
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