Laundry Tips- What lives together Dries Together

Yes, it's never ending... it's boring, it's all over the floor- it's what you wear and it needs constant attention.  Here's how I deal with laundry.... pick and choose which ideas may work for your lifestyle.  Laundry snobs turn your head and cover your ears because this is the lazy women's guide to staying on top of your dirty laundry.

• I do laundry on Sundays.  Sometimes I slip in a load during the week... but I find that on Sunday's my family is just hanging out and it's easier to ask for folding + put away help when you plop a load in front of the remote control!  I also LOVE that I'm NOT doing laundry EVERY day!
• One kid/room at a time.  I'm really lazy... my son's clothes tend to be all darks so his entire load... white socks and all go in the same load.  Now he's a wearing a larger size so he's up to 2 loads... one jeans, one everything else.  My daughter's clothes can all mix it up and my hubby and I... well I do separate our darks + whites and by texture: t-shirts in one load, jeans in another etc.
• What lives together, dries together.  This is my secret tactic for saving time and space!  When you pull the item out of the dryer- fold it and sort it.  Of course this requires you clear all the crap off the top of your machines... do that before you even hunker down to do laundry.  You'll have fewer piles because you're not sorting for 4 people- just one kid/room at a time. 
• A little accountability.  Here are my self accountability secret steps for keeping laundry from taking over my bed, couch, floor, life.  You've got to put it away immediately.  After folding and sorting, place clean piles in basket. Before you return them to their home base....add next load to the dryer then run the water for the next load. NOW you have to beat the clock!  Dash to put away the clean clothes and make it back in time to add dirty clothes before the swishing sounds begin... you can do it.... just don't get distracted by all the other crap you need to tackle as you wind your way from the laundry room to the closet.

And so the laundry saga continues, week in and week out!

A few more tidbits to satisfy you perfectionista's:

• I typically do linen's on Friday's... since that's the day I change the sheets. 
• I don't fold underwear....as long it's clean that's just fine with me.
• My black socks all match, my children wear white socks in 1 or 2 styles.  This really saves on sorting time.

Questions?  Comments?  Your fabulous little tidbits?  Do Share.....

Comments

[Brandie Kajino]

Great post! I'm loving beating the running water, but doesn't work so well with a front loader. I take the stuff out of the dryer, into a basket, then load the washed clothes into the dryer, put the next load into the dryer, and I'm off to fold. I sort and fold all the clothes on my bed, and put them away right when I'm done. Otherwise my husband will just push them to the side when he crawls into bed... hee hee hee... Honestly, though, I make it a rule cause I know otherwise they'll just multiply and grow, like a fungus. ;)
Happy laundry!
(P.S. I also love Mrs. Meyers' Geranium fabric softener, and yes I know it's $9/bottle, and I don't care! I use it for linens, and let me tell you, once you climb into a bed of Geranium-scented sheets, you'll never go back!)

[Stephanie Vozza]

Oh, the Geranium-scented products are wonderful!!!! We spent the Fourth of July weekend at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and everything is geranium scented -- sheets, shampoos, soaps, etc. I use the ironing spray (makes the job less dreadful).

[Cathy]

Great tips!
Thanks.

[April]

Thanks for the tips. Laundry is definitely the biggest struggle I have right now. If you can't get laundry under control, EVERYTHING else seems to suffer too. It doesn't help that my laundry room is also where the furnace and hot water heater and the diaper pail are.....but at least I have a w/d in home and dont' have to go to the laundromat!

[Lori]

I am drowningin a sea of laundry. To combat this, I literally do 1 load every day. Before I even walk into my house when I get home from work I start a load. It is theonly way I have found to keep it managed. BTW, laundry sucks.

[Barbara]

Accountability - put it away before the next load and don't look at any other chores on th way - really hit home for me. I posted this to my blog because I think one of the biggest problems I have is in not completing one project before starting the next. Example: putting clean socks away, but first tidy all socks, but first empty drawer completely so they can be tidied .... you get the picture. Just complete the one chore - put all clean socks in the drawer... then next rainy Saturday if you're looking for something to do...

[ringworm treatment]

cool thanks for the useful tips I will now do the laundry will not be the usual routine lol, greetings