Well, now the laundry blues are no more and if you have been trying to find your winning laundry stride, here’s the answer: once a week. That’s it! Believe me, it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. I have a large family and the clothes do pile high when all brought down from the rooms for me to wash. But I would rather tackle my laundry on one day, then every day of the week! I hated being a slave to my laundry and no amount of discipline did it for me. I just didn’t want it on my plate every day. So I concocted a plan and I’ve never looked back.
Every room should have its own laundry basket to harness dirty clothes throughout the week (and should have enough clothes and undergarments and towels to last a week). This keeps your laundry room clean until it’s time to do the laundry. Unannounced company is welcome without rushing to shut your mess of a laundry room. Simply pick one day out of the week that you can devote to your home and your laundry. It changes for me with the seasons. Summer time I tackle during a week day, the colder months I tackle it on a weekend.
My older kids are responsible for their own laundry and they do it from beginning to end on a different day. (They only have 2 loads). And when my laundry day arrives, younger children bring me their laundry and are also responsible for putting it away that same day.
Remember that getting the clothes washed is only half the battle! Ensuring they all get put away has always been my problem. So now that the laundry has my full attention, I fold as they come out of the dryer, put into piles according to bedroom, put in their laundry basket, and give to my children. And don’t forget your room! Resist the temptation to pile high your clothes on your bed and walk away (I’m speaking out of experience here). Don’t get into the trap of only going half way. Get them put away right away. A little discipline is all you need and you’ll be singing “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” the rest of the week.
No more laundry blues with this tip! I hope this inspires you to be one step ahead of yourself with a plan that helps keep you running a smooth, organized, household.
Me too don’t have a good relationship with the laundry, that’s why it ended up in laundry shop. But I’d love to try your planner Jenny.
Cassy,
The Planner Perfect, planner, will keep you one organized mama! You can check out all the details to the planner, how it’s set-up, and how it will organize you and your home at my site.
NIce to meet you!
Jenny
When you are doing your laundry all on one day, how many loads does it turn out to be? I love the idea, but anyone with a septic tank should not follow this advice. Combined with showers, use of the dishwasher, and flushing the toilet, doing more than 3 loads (actually the recommended amount is 2 loads, but most systems can handle 3 )of laundry in one day is too much for the leaching fields of a septic system to handle properly. Fixing septic systems/leaching fields is VERY expensive. Your post should make people aware of this.
I’m glad you brought it up. Now women can be aware:)
I would have had no idea. I just wanted to give women a little tip on doing their laundry.
Thanks for the comment
Jenny
Planner Perfect
I also do my laundry so and it works perfectly 🙂
I have found the worst part of laundry was the sorting. I purchased a 3 section compartment. hamper. my laundry, washed in cold goes in one section, whites that are washed with bleach, in the middle, my husband’s clothing that is washed in warm. I also use an old rubbermaid hamper for bath towels.
what a great idea…on my laundry day, usually I devote a large space in my home for sorting (like my dining room) but love the idea of even having laundry baskets devoted when sorting, like your sorting bins, so it makes for quick pick-up and take to the laundry room. 🙂
I always have a pile of laundry that never seems to get sorted or put away, and I always have a hamper full of laundry to do! I think my laundry problems are: We only have one laundry basket — so that means everyone’s laundry gets thrown in together, and socks, etc., tend to get separated. It also means that there’s lots of sorting to do at the end! I should have separate baskets for my kids and for myself, so our clothes won’t get mixed up. Also, I like the idea of giving the kids their own baskets to put away! Will have to try that.
I think individual baskets will definitely solve your laundry blue problems!! Keep me posted…
I have been doing laundry once a week for many years now. My kids 9 & 10 and husband know that mom does laundry on Monday’s during the summer and Wednesday’s during school and if you want to wear something specific they have to plan. I don’t like doing laundry but love only having to do it once a week. Sheets and towels are sometimes on a different day pending on how the day goes
I do have a septic system and I normally for do 4-5 loads on my laundry and have never had any overload problems. I do have a front load washer which uses much less water that traditional top load washers. 4 washes on my washing machine equal 1 wash from a traditional top load washer.
I finally got my laundry organized and our lives are so much easier! I do laundry twice a week, simply because we are space challenged. I fold laundry as I take it out of the dryer and it gets put away and hung in the closets immediately. Nothing feels better than finally sitting down at night knowing that laundry is done…at least until everyone takes a shower and changes clothes! 🙂
Yep! I, too, am a “once a week laundry” kind of gal. When trying to do it throughout the week, I’d rush home, throw a load in, get busy with dinner, homework, kitchen clean-up etc. and forget about the washer. Before I knew it, it was the next day and I was having to rewash to get the funky smell out of the clothes. Everyone in our home knows that Saturday is laundry day and to have everything down the chute by then. My daughter sorts (and does her own laundry by choice), I wash & dry, my son carries the baskets of dry laundry upstairs where I can sit and catch up on TV while I fold. The kids each have a half of a clothes basket, my husband and I share one, and I have one for towels. The other 2 are used for shuttling laundry back upstairs from the washer/dryer. Once it’s all folded, each person is responsible for hanging up or putting away their own items. I put towels away and the baskets go back downstairs until next week. It helps that we have 2 washers and 2 dryers…we had a set and bought a house that came with a set, so we hooked ’em all up. I LOVE being able to do 2 loads at a time, as our family of 4 usually has 8-10 loads/week.
Totally how my mom did laundry growing up WITH 9 KIDS (and she did all of our laundry, kids didn’t do any) I think a big thing is expectations, if you do laundry every day, kids know thy can request it of you and they will. One thing she did was have sorting baskets for dirty laundry. We knew which basket to put whites, darks, and towels in, then it was less work for her.
I just found this on Pinterest and thought..Hmmm I know how to get it done: in one day! So I came over and was all giddy that someone else does the laundry like me! – in one day! I tried following the popular approach of 1 load a day…but nope, it wasn’t for me lol can’t wait to dig through your site 🙂
Awesome, thanks for coming over and looking around Marlene! 🙂
I tackled my laundry mess this week too! Having things organised and separated, rather than just in giant piles, will be such a big help. And yes, I try whisk everything straight back upstairs to the correct closet as soon as possible too, but I’d still like to add a small rail over the dryer so I can hang things up as I’m working through the ironing pile. But I think I’ve made good progress thus far: http://thepathbetweenthestars.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/morecleaningthanusuallygoesoninthelaundryroom/
I too always have the best results when I fold the laundry DIRECTLY OUT OF THE DRYER. 🙂
I have always done laundry once a week, to my husband’s dismay. I have a 4 compartment laundry sorter, towels/jeans, darks, lights and whites. Also have a heavy-duty, on wheels, hanging rack since I’m stuck in a corner in the garage…boo! My husband added an extra hanging bar above the original hanging bar to hang all the hangers! It saves space to hang clothes! I fold and put away immediately, however, I put away 1 persons stuff at each new load, after folding and starting a new load. While in that person’s room, I take that 20-30 mins to clean that room! So usually, by the time laundry is done, all bedrooms & bathrooms have been cleaned, dusted, vacuumed & mopped. I usually can get the living room and kitchen done within “laundry” time. It’s a busy 3-3 1/2 hours but it’s only once a week!