Throughout high school and college, I worked at a dry cleaners. I learned a lot from working there and to this day, I can say it was one of the most fun jobs I have ever had.
Oddly enough, working at the dry cleaners made me enjoy doing the laundry and respect the process of getting those loads done. Remember that first baby load you washed while you were still pregnant and nesting? I know that I spent so much time and care folding those cute little onesies, but then it wasn’t long before I was throwing those same onesies, unfolded, into the closest drawer.
Then I had another kid, and all of sudden, somehow, my laundry load tripled in size and frequency. Staying on top of laundry can turn into an exhausting, never-ending heap on my bedroom floor.
I truly may never be on top of the laundry mountain, but living in a tiny apartment has forced me to at least climb the mountain on a daily basis!
Here are a few things that have helped me conquer my ever-growing mound of laundry.
Buy less clothes.
OK, so this may seem like a no brainer. But, the truth of the matter is, when you have less clothes, you have less laundry. Sure, you may have to wash those clothes more often but that is OK because there are less of them. I am all about having two pairs of everything, other than underwear of course. My son doesn’t need more than two pairs of khaki shorts; he doesn’t need more than two pairs of jeans; he is 4! So buy less and enjoy less laundry.
Do laundry throughout the week.
I always try to start my day with one load, when needed. I do not believe in having a laundry day. First of all, who has the time for that? I do not want to dedicate one day to doing four to five loads of laundry. I would rather do one a day and know that I can successfully finish that one load. So, I wake up and turn on my coffee, gather the clothes and start the load. I always try to do it first thing in the morning, so by the time I am loading the kids in the van, I have already switched the load to the dryer.
Separate your loads.
I try my hardest to separate me and my spouse’s loads from the kids. This makes it easier for me to put away and easier for me to remember what I need to wash. The kids share a hamper in the bathroom, so I dump all of their clothes together, knowing that it is a kid load. My husband wears the same thing to work every day, and luckily he has enough undershirts to last him throughout the week. Unfortunately, most days I wear two outfits due to running or working out. No one wants to see me in those sweaty clothes, trust me. So, it is relatively easy for us to fill up a few loads throughout the week even with separating the items.
Use white towels.
My genius aunt taught me this little trick. She gifted us a set of towels as a “thank you” gift for hosting her for a week . She told me she loves white towels because she washes them all together, throws in some bleach and they are done. Well, after a few weeks of living this lifestyle, I was hooked. It is so easy to save the towels and do one towel load a week with bleach and then rest easy knowing they are clean. Honestly, best tip ever.
Don’t start something you can’t finish.
Have a busy day ahead of you? Going to be gone for most of the day? Don’t start a load. You are setting yourself up for failure. When you throw that load in the washer, have every intention on drying and folding that load within the same day. This can be a benefit of hanging your clothes to dry, as well. I know with my laundry, I will have a few hours to spare since my clothes will need some time to dry and bonus points for getting that beachy air dry smell!
Use your helpers.
I may be bit too picky to let my son fold his own laundry, but I love having him put his laundry away into the drawers or to match his own socks. He also loves matching daddy’s socks, and since they are all the same color, it makes it pretty easy to succeed!
The one thing I love about laundry is that there may be days where I feel like I got nothing done, but more often than not, I at least did one load of laundry. While laundry can be a daunting and less than thrilling chore, I hope these few tips will help you to do those loads with grace!
