Time
Saving Laundry Tips
By Carrie Lauth
Mom, are you spending way too much time sorting, washing, and
folding laundry?
Here are some quick easy tips to help get you out of the laundry room!
1 - Sort Less
With the exception of whites that need to be bleached, brand new dark or red
items that bleed or delicates, you may not need to sort laundry as much as you
think.
Most high quality clothing doesn't bleed. And there is no crime in washing
towels with other laundry unless it will get linty (like microfiber cleaning
cloths).
You might want to sort laundry by what room it will end up in. I throw my
boy's laundry all in together and despite what home economics gurus might tell
you, I haven't noticed any bad effects! This method simplifies things because
each load goes to the same place. Instead of walking around the house delivering
laundry to each room, you save energy and time.
2 - Instead of folding...
Hang kid's shirts in their closet and simply lay small items flat in their
drawers.
I use those cheap shoebox size plastic organizers in the boy's closet and
throw unsorted clean socks in one, undies in another, pjs in another. Each child
has his own containers so there's no confusion.
It's much simpler than spending time folding underwear and matching socks.
They can find their own sock mates!
3 - Use Your Tools
Put one laundry basket in each room where dirty laundry is discarded
(usually one per bathroom or bedroom). Buy some of those zippered mesh bags at
the dollar store and throw one in each.
4 - Teach your kids and husband
Ask your husband and kids to put laundry in the hamper instead of dropping
it on the floor, and to bring their hamper to the laundry area when you're ready
to wash. Don't scold or nag, use natural consequences. When someone needs that
favorite pair of Buzz Lightyear pjs or boxers, they will quickly learn that if
it doesn't make it to the hamper, it doesn't get washed!
Train them too to put their dirty socks in the mesh bag. Even if they're too
young to do so, put all dirty socks in the bag and throw the entire thing in the
washer. They come out clean and the washer doesn't eat the baby's socks.
Enlist your kid's help when it comes to folding laundry.
A 2 year old can put dirty laundry in the hamper and throw clean clothes in
the dryer when you hand it to them, a 3 year old can fold washcloths, and an
older child can deliver clean folded laundry to their room and even hang items.
5 - Forget Perfection
When I was a kid we had "play clothes" and "school clothes". The nicer
things were what you wore to school and out of the house, and you changed into
your play clothes (usually items that had a defect or weren't as nice as
going-out clothes - as soon as you got home.
Using this method means that the nicer items don't wear out as quickly, and
they may not need to be washed after every wearing. An item that is worn once
(unless it's socks or undies - doesn't necessarily need to be washed.
And you may decide that it's not worth spending time removing stains on play
clothes, thus saving you more time and money.
Also, try using Oxi-Clean or another non-toxic whitener instead of bleach on
your whites. Since it can also be used on colors, it won't be the end of the
world if a stray colored item gets in your bleach load.
I hope these tips help rescue you from laundry room shackles!
©
Carrie Lauth
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