Laundry.  I think it’s pretty safe to assume we all hate it. Just when you think you’ve caught up,  another load has appeared out of thin air. What’s a mom to do?  Turn to Google in hopes of finding life changing laundry tips?  You could, or you could keep reading this post to see how I keep our mountain of laundry to a minimum.

Tried and Failed

Having 4 kids means I’ve become a bit of a laundry whiz.  I’ve tried a lot of things, and I’ve found many methods that sound great, but they don’t work for us. I tried doing all our laundry on one day, but I couldn’t deal with watching the laundry pile up all week.   Then there was the folding.  Don’t get me started on folding multiple loads of laundry.  UGH!

After lots of trial and error, I have found what works for me!

10 Simple Laundry Tips to Save Your Sanity

1.  No Laundry Hampers in the Bedrooms or Bathrooms

Dirty laundry lives in the laundry room.  It’s easier to wash laundry when it’s conveniently located.  Besides, do you really want to run around emptying several different laundry baskets?  I don’t.  I do enough running around.

2.  Wash a Load EVERY Day

First thing in the morning, I put a load of laundry on. If you have a large family, it will give you time to do a second load should you need to.  But what if _____?  There are no buts.  One load. Every day.

3.  Set the Timer

Since I wash a load of laundry every morning, I started loading my machine at night and setting the delay start. Added bonus that I saved time in the morning!

4.  Set Days for Linen and Towels

Clothes get washed daily, but 2 days a week there are extra loads of laundry.  On Saturday, we change and wash the bed linens.  Sundays and Wednesdays are when we swap out and wash towels.

5.  Keep Sorting to a Minimum

I wash most things on cold, so I only sort our laundry into three piles:  clothes, linens, and towels.  If the whites are particularly dirty, they get sorted out and a good bleach and hot wash.

6.  Make Less Laundry

How?  By wearing it more than once.  No, I’m not saying run around in dirty clothes, but if your kids are like mine they create a lot of extra laundry.  My oldest uses the laundry as her dumping ground.  If she doesn’t feel like hanging her clothes, or her drawers are messy, she’ll put stuff in the laundry.  If she tried something on, she’ll toss it in the laundry when she takes it off.  The toddlers like to put anything lying around in the laundry.  Then there are pajamas.  Putting pajamas on a clean body and sleeping for a few hours doesn’t make it dirty in my books.  Pajamas are okay for another night.

7.  Enlist Help

Kids are capable of helping.  My toddlers love to help do laundry.  They help separate, put clothes in the machine, and help fold.   They also put away their own clothes (with assistance of course).  My oldest hangs laundry on the line and brings it in.  She also folds and puts away her own laundry.   [clickToTweet tweet=”Want to do less laundry? Make less laundry!” quote=”Want to do less laundry? Make less laundry!”]

8.  Do It All at Once

Wash, dry, fold, and put it away all at once.  Don’t pile it up to fold later.  Do it now.  It will seriously take 5 minutes.  Remember, there’s only one load.

9.  Start With an Empty Basket

Going out of town for the weekend?  Have your laundry done before you leave.  You’ll only have what you bring back to wash.  An empty basket is less stressful.

10.  Don’t Use Work as an Excuse

Yes, working outside the home means you have to make some adjustments, but it’s still doable Set the timer to have the clothes finish about the time you get home.  Toss them in the dryer and fold after dinner.  No timer?  Have the clothes loaded in the washer and hit start as soon as you get home.  Put them in the dryer as soon as they finish and fold before going to bed.

What are you waiting for?  Start making your life easier by using these laundry tips as part of your daily routine!