I love to ask my friends on Facebook how they do things like laundry. It’s one of those things that no one seems to be able to say, “yes, it’s easy to keep up!” Those are the times I want to hear what other people do so that I may be able to pick up a gem or two to use on my own. Low and behold, it became a long thread. I took so many nuggets away from that thread, but here are the two that absolutely changed how I do laundry for a big family.
- Do it by family member or category every day. Thank you, Laine, this is brilliant! I was mixing everyone’s laundry together and just didn’t really have a system down. Doing it this way makes so much more sense. I am able to go to one person’s room with the fresh load of laundry and put it all away at once. It keeps me from feeling like I am running all over the place. I got each family member their own hamper, one hamper for towels, and one hamper for sheets. I am very strict about the hampers: the hamper is allowed to contain ONLY their clothing. Everyone knows “their day” so they can plan around me. It also gives me time in that child’s room. I am teaching them how to fold and put it away with me. It’s also the time that I am able to do a quick “check-in” on their room (ie, do they need new socks, who stuffed a cup under their bed, etc.) It’s been a life changer!
I keep the schedule posted in our pantry so I don’t forget.
2. Program your washing machine in advance!! Y’all, this is something I cannot believe I did not already do. Thank you, Guenn! This tip is amazing! So, for example, on Monday night I will go and get Shep’s laundry since his is washed on Tuesdays. I put it in the washer and program it to run early the next morning (I honestly didn’t even know my washer DID THAT!) Then when I go downstairs in the morning, all I have to do is put his load in the dryer. I don’t separate too many things in each load, but if I do I will throw those in the washer at that time. I wake up feeling like someone else did it for me.
No matter how it is done, I feel like it makes me feel in the most control if I have a system in place. This way, when you get behind (let’s face it, life happens) you are able to easily figure out how to catch up quickly.
Thanks for posting this! I’m drowning in laundry and just discovered the timer on the washer as well to set the night before! Game changer! I’m trying to start doing each kid’s laundry separately too rather than all together and struggling…do you have different color laundry baskets for each person? How are you keeping them separate?
Right?!? I never knew that function existed! I don’t separate unless it clearly needs to be separated by color. Like, the hot pink shirt Georgia has is not going near anything else. But it seems like once I broke it down by person, most things were ok together in a warm or cold cycle. I’m pretty sure my husband’s is the highest maintenance load! Ha!