10 Tips for Easier Laundry

Laundry is not complicated . . . or doesn’t have to be.

I’m all about simplifying – or at least I’ve been forced to be this way (and am trying to be!).

By nature I’m a perfectionist – but having a non-perfectionist hubby and 5 kids has taught me how to just “let go” of many things in life that really are not all that important when you stop to think about it. I’ll still be alive and happy without some things.

With that being said, here are a few suggestions to simplify and de-complicate (yes – that’s a new made up word!) your laundry routine . . .

1. Think before you buy

I try not to buy anything that has to be specially cleaned (ie – handwashed, dry-cleaned, etc) or tediously ironed. I know there are people who might have to – but we don’t (thankfully!).

So the first step in laundry management is actually in the store when you are purchasing clothes. Don’t even try them on until after you have checked the tag for washing/cleaning instructions – because otherwise you might fall in love with it and then you will be torn as to what to do . . . “I really want it . . . but it’s dry clean only . . . or it wrinkles when I sit down.”

Girl – that will add up in cost, time, energy, hassles . . . Don’t do it! Check the clothing BEFORE you try it on! Squeeze a small section of it to see how easily it wrinkles too. Unless you LOVE ironing or spending money on dry cleaning – don’t buy it!

2. Divide before washing

Divide your darks and lights, or darks, lights and whites to prevent colors from bleeding onto the whites. I have a 3 way divided hamper in my bathroom – so as we get undressed, we separate it right then.

Separate out your towels from your clothes (they leave too many fuzzy pills on some of your clothes if you wash and dry them together).

OR – another method my friend uses – only do 1 person’s laundry at a time (putting them all together in the machine) – so you don’t have to sort afterward. (I don’t like this as I don’t want the colors to bleed onto the whites – but if you use cold water, that’s not as much of an issue.)

3. Have a system/schedule

Have a system/schedule for doing laundry – so it doesn’t stress you out the rest of the week.

I do mine on Wednesday and Saturdays as that fits my personality and lifestyle better. Some people prefer to do a load every morning before they walk out the door, put it in the dryer when they come home, and fold and put it away before bed. Or, put it in the washer before bed, into the dryer in the morning, and put away in the afternoon/evening. Repeat.

I have a friend who has only one family laundry basket in a central location that everyone puts their laundry in. She doesn’t have to go all over to gather several baskets each morning. This doesn’t work for our big family with 2 levels to our house. And again – it’s also not my personality. I would HATE to do laundry every day. I was always a “crammer” – doing my term papers and projects all at one time (usually last minute). As a nurse, I liked working 3 -12 hour shifts, instead of every day, 9-5. So – for me and my personality – twice a week is fine (once a week would be great – but our laundry baskets would be overflowing with 7 people in the house!). Find what works for you!

4. Use one setting

I never change the settings on my machines (I don’t even know why I got a machine with so many settings?! Too many to ever really use!) In the washer I always use cold water. It saves money (not having to use the hot water from the water heater) and prevents colors from bleeding. It also saves me from the accidental mess if I put my darks but forgot to change the water from hot to cold (which I’ve done before).

As for the dryer – again, I don’t change the settings – as I make sure to buy clothes that can all be dried the same way.

Use the same detergent (because, again – the clothes you bought don’t require anything fancy – right?!), and keep it simple!

Think simple! Keep your supplies easily accessible without having to walk away from your machines – ie. just above on a shelf or in a cabinet (though, I like shelves better as you don’t have the additional step of opening up the cabinet), on a cart beside the washer, etc.

5. Have a convenient area for air-drying items

Install a pole/rack (or you can use wire shelving as I do) where you can hang some hangers or lay out those items you don’t want going into the dryer. If you have space for a table, rack, or larger low shelf for laying out sweaters, etc – do it. It needs to be right above or within arms reach of your washer and dryer, so you don’t have to walk back and forth and waste time.

We have a small closet laundry area in the kitchen, and I just hang plastic hangers on the white wire shelves above our machines. I lay sweaters on top of the dryer sometimes as well (the heat coming out of the dryer helps it to dry quicker). It’s much better than my previous method of laying wet shirts all around the dining room! 🙂

6. & 7. Have several laundry baskets – and don’t fold other people’s laundry!

Have SEVERAL laundry baskets to put clean laundry in – possibly even 1 per person – or 1 per group of people or bedroom.

The reason . . . DON’T fold other people’s laundry! STOP IT! (obviously, if you have little ones – less than 3 or 4 years old, you’ll have to fold theirs.)

After years of sitting down at the end of laundry day to fold everyone’s clothes while I watched my favorite tv show (I wouldn’t fold them throughout the day – but just set the baskets in the living room for later) – and then finding those clothes thrown on the floor or crammed into drawers later by my kids – I decided we needed a change!

So now – laundry is simple! I either handle it one of 2 ways (depending on how generous I’m feeling).

I put the basket in the living room and say “Everyone – come get your laundry!” They have to pull their own out and put it away. Or . . .
I have empty baskets, and I divide it up myself – and then yell “Everyone – come get your laundry!”.

I have a basket for each bedroom (so 2 girls share a room, 2 boys share a room, 1 son has his own, and then mine and my hubby’s). I don’t fold (anyone else’s except my own . . . Ok . . .sometimes I fold my hubby’s!), I don’t “undo” the inside-out socks or even match them up (“what?!” {shock}). I just pull and toss! 🙂 Easy and quick!

Despite what others might think . . . It really IS ok to teach the other members of your family to fold and put away their own laundry! 🙂 AND – little kids love to pull and toss (though you may have to teach them which laundry goes where at first. But you’ll be amazed at how quickly they learn! My 7 year old knows more about which clothes belong to each person than my husband!)

8. Don’t iron

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.” – Erma Bombeck

I don’t iron! Yep – I don’t.

Ok . . . I rarely iron.

I don’t enjoy it.

Some people do {more power to ya!}. If you have the time to do it and you love it – think of it as your hobby! 🙂

When pulling things out of the dryer – set aside those items that would normally need to be ironed and immediately hang them up! There are a few items that I have (because I bought them before I became more picky about what types of clothing I bought) that do get wrinkled and I have to iron. 🙁 So, I may have to iron 1-2 things every 3 months or so – but only occasionally. 🙂

That means – I don’t iron:

bedsheets or pillowcases (I have a friend who does)
jeans (yes – I have another friend who does – why? I don’t know!)
or even my husbands work shirts. *gasp!* Yes – I know – he goes to work without them ironed. But you know what? I learned long ago that if I didn’t iron them, he wouldn’t either and he would still wear them to work. If HE didn’t care. I taught myself to not care! 🙂 And seriously – if you hang them up right away – they are fine (maybe not crisp – but they don’t stay crisp for long anyways once you are wearing them). Plus – he’s still getting paid just the same as the guy next to him who pays to have his shirts dry-cleaned every week. So – technically – we are bringing home more money by not ironing (and using more electricity) or dry-cleaning things! 🙂

*Some of you or your husbands might have a more high-profile job that does require crisp clothes and precise ironing. If so – obviously this step cannot be avoided for you. But think of ways to decrease the amount of ironing or the time it takes . . . or pay to have it done if you can afford it.

9. Wear less clothes

No, I’m not suggesting we should be nudists! I mean – don’t change clothes as often.

Teach/ask your kids – Is that shirt REALLY dirty after wearing it for 2 hours? Does it stink? Are there stains?

As Americans – we change our clothes way too often and call them “dirty”. Simplify. Extend the time you wear something (unless it stinks or really is dirty. Be practical!).

10. Teach your family to help!

Maybe this should be near the beginning . . . but, as I said before in #7 – yes, you can (and should) teach your family (kids . . . and spouse!) to help! They definitely can learn to do their own laundry! But Moms – you will have to learn to be OK if they mess it up occasionally. It’s theirs, and they need to learn how to take care of it anyways!

So what can they learn?

To do their own laundry. By age 7 they should be able to do this. I saw one woman on Oprah whose 7-year-old Down Syndrome son could do his own laundry and make his own lunch. We tend to do too much for our kids (because at the time it’s just easier) instead of teaching them how to do it. I fall into that trap as well! (and yes – currently, I’m still washing and drying everyone’s clothes. But that may change in the near future!)
To wear less clothes (see #9)
To not put clean clothes into the dirty laundry just because it was on the floor! – UGH! One of my sons ALWAYS has double the amount of clothes in his basket – because he’ll pick up his room and just put all the clothes in there – clean or dirty! We’re working on him!
To actually put their dirty clothes in the hamper/basket – this goes for hubby/spouse too. If it’s not in the hamper, it doesn’t get washed! Don’t you go picking it up Mom!
Separate, fold and put away -even your toddlers can help with this fun “game”!
Match their own socks – make it easier by buying different kinds of socks for each kid (for my boys, whose feet are all almost the same size, one has a red stripe on the toes, another has blue words, and one has neither), or use a sharpie to write their initials on the toes. My youngest always loved matching up everyone’s socks when she was in preschool, and my 2nd youngest loved pulling them right-side out. Two great helpers there!
IRON! {yay!} – obviously, don’t let your little ones use the hot iron. I’m thinking hubby/spouse and older kids here. 🙂
And much more!