Ahhhh Laundry . . . What’s not to love? Well, if you’re anti-clutter like me, this isn’t my favorite sight:
Not only is my floor covered in dirty clothes, but I can’t even open my closet door to get to the clean ones. The solution? 
Hmmm . . . piling everything back onto the overloaded laundry basket does give me the ability to get into my closet, but it still doesn’t look the best.
Can you relate to my dilemma? Even with the convenience of the modern washing machine, I seem to always be playing catch-up when it comes to keeping my family clothed. It turns out newly washed clothes have a funny habit of getting dirty again! While I don’t mind doing laundry, it definitely has a way of taking over my life at times. And as much as I love the smell of freshly cleaned clothes, there are other things I would rather spend my time and energy on. Are you ready for my solution?
Laundry Simplified
Let’s be honest, if you have a washing machine there really isn’t a lot you can do to completely revolutionize the way you do your laundry. In this case, I have found that simplifying involves asking for help . . . help from those that create the mess in the first place. Yep! This is one of those times I put my kids to work, not in a “slave labor” kind of way, but, hopefully, in a way that will help them grow up to be responsible, contributing members of society. Here’s how we tackle this problem at my house:
Step 1: Pre-Sort!
Rather than having one community laundry basket, I’ve created a sorting station in my laundry room closet. Really, this can be done anywhere in the house, but having it in the laundry room definitely makes things convenient. When it’s time to change clothes, and dirty ones are ready for the wash, each person sorts their own clothes into the correct bin in the laundry room. I have five bins: Towels, Darks, Colors, Delicates, and Whites. I’ve labeled each of the bins, so there is no confusion as to where things go.
Step 2: A Load a Day Keeps the Laundry Monster at Bay
With the laundry pre-sorted, it’s pretty easy to just throw a load in the machine at the beginning of each day. My two older kids take turns being in charge of the laundry a week at a time. Once they’re up and ready for the day, they start the day’s laundry. Usually, the washing machine has finished it’s job by the time they are ready to go to school, so they can move the clothes to the dryer on the way out the door. Depending on the day, I will sometimes sort the clothes once they are dry. Often, though, the clothes are still in the dryer when the kids get home from school. By this time, they’re ready to be folded and put away, but that’s Step 3:
Our Laundry Schedule:
Monday: Towels
Tuesday: Darks
Wednesday: Colors
Thursday: Delicates
Friday: Whites
I’ve written out instructions for each day, including the water temperature, which wash cycle to run, and dryer settings. These are posted on the washing machine, allowing anyone to be able to complete this task independently.
Step 3: Sorting and Folding
Yes, I know that the most time-consuming part of any load of laundry comes after the clothes have been washed and dried. At our house, everyone is responsible for his/her own folding. Whoever is in charge of the laundry, simply pulls clothes out of the dryer and sorts them into a pile for each person. Before going to bed, each person is responsible to take care of his/her own pile.
So . . . does this system really work? YES!!!! Spreading the workload among a few people takes this sometimes overwhelming task and turns it into something manageable. By including the kiddos in the process, they learn the value of work and also learn to appreciate the work that goes into keeping their clothes clean. I’ll be honest, there are times that we slack off a bit and end up with a mountain to deal with at the end of the week, but when we stick to the plan, laundry becomes a non-issue. This means I have more time to dedicate to the things that bring joy into my life!
