Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Tackle the Laundry
Beginning this week, I'm just going to be giving you a short project to tackle each Monday instead of multiple projects. This will keep things simpler for me and hopefully encourage more of you to participate each week if it's just a simple project.For today's Making Your Home a Haven project, we're going to be tackling the laundry. This is an area I seem to constantly fall behind in and hope that eventually I'll come up with a system which works well for us (maybe delegating it to one of the girls when they get older?!). In the mean time, I just keep plugging away at it and try to stay on top of it enough so that we always at least home some clean clothes in our drawers and closets to wear.
I'm challenging myself to strip and wash all the sheets and re-make the beds today. In addition, my goal is to wash, dry, and put away at least four loads of laundry. Then I should be completely caught up and ready to start out the week ahead in the laundry department! I'll post my progress later today, Lord-willing.
By the way, if anyone here has great suggestions or ideas for a small family with young children to keep on top of laundry, I'm all ears. And if you've written about your laundry method on your blog, please share your link below, too. Any and all help and ideas are much-appreciated as this is by far one of my greatest homemaking struggles.
Edit: Thia asked in the comments section what my greatest struggle was with laundry. It's this: folding and putting away the laundry. I seem to have no problem running loads through--I usually run through at least one to two loads on weekdays when I'm home. My problem is getting something done with the clean laundry once it's washed and dried. Which usually means, gulp, that we have at least 1-4 loads of clean laundry sitting in a pile in our bedroom. I start folding it and then someone needs something and I get distracted. And then the day passes and it never gets finished. So then I run more laundry the next day and add to the pile. I determine to fold it and start and get distracted again.
I know for some of you who have no problem with getting laundry done, this probably seems very bizarre that I can struggle so much with keeping on top of the laundry. I don't know what my problem is either. I'm usually very organized and on top of things but laundry is my big downfall. Anyone else struggled with getting laundry folded and put away and have a great solution or idea for me?
----------------
Want to join me in the challenge? If so, set a goal for how much time you want to spend on laundry or how many loads of laundry you want to finish today. And then get busy! Report your progress on your blog and leave your link below. Have a great laundry tip or fool-proof laundry system? We'd also love for you to share about it on your blog and leave your link below. You are also free to just tell us about it in the comments section. Let's all encourage one another to bless our families with clean and folded clothes in their closets and drawers!
Labels: Making Your Home a Haven
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:00 AM
90 Comments:
I have found that I have to do the laundry every three to four days to keep up with it. It helps that I have a small house so nowhere to hide it! It adds up quickly with two kids, dh and me and dh's work clothes (he is a roofer so his clothes must be washed separately from the rest of ours! I wash towels and sheets in between my regular laundry days so it generally ends up that I am doing some form of laundry daily. That is the only way I can keep up with it. My mom suggested the above method for me when I had kids, it is one she used successfully when we were little. One thing I never allowed anyone else to do for me is my laundry...I enjoy the whole process.
Laundry isn't a struggle for me but other areas are. The thing that has gotten hard for me is walking to the laundry room several times a day/week when I'm super tired due to pregnancy. For one load it can be up to 4 trips back and forth! It's also frustrating that I can rarely do laundry on weekends due to the washer being in high demand and often when I do laundry I end up switching other people's loads to the dryer and having to wait on them to get my own stuff done. Apartment living!
If I had a washer/dryer of my own in my own house here is what I would do to stay on top of it:
*When I run through my morning routine, start the laundry and the bread machine first thing in the morning.
*Set a timer or mentally remind yourself to throw it into the dryer at mid-morning snack or when the bread machine goes off.
*Pull dresses or wrinkle-ables out right away and hang. I hate ironing and avoid it as much as possible!
*Fold the rest whenever you have a chance throughout the day and put away immediately! This is the hardest thing for me:putting it away! To make it easier, I have clothing tubs for the kids. My goal is to transition ALL of our family's clothes into pretty large baskets or tubs instead of dressers. Faster and simpler!
*One load a day is MUCH, MUCH easier than spending a whole day doing 4-7 loads. I used to use this system and it was just exausting on that one laundry day!
*Get Kathrynne to help! Because I have a sock and undie bin on the shelves in my daughter's closet, she knows it is her chore to collect all of her undies and socks as I'm folding laundry and go stick them in the appropriate bins. She loves to do Daddy's socks and undies too and sticks them in the right dresser drawer. Because we use a rubbermaid tub for a lot of her clothes she can carry stacks of her clothes to that as well, saving me time and teaching her about helping out!
*I hang all of my daughter's dresses and shirts and some of my sons' shirts and outfits. This seems faster than folding and allows me to see more variety when picking out their clothes in the morning.
Hope some of these ideas help!
I do laundry on Mondays and Thursdays. I start sorting it right after I get up in the morning, so I get an early start. Then I do my other daily household things between folding and changing loads etc. This has worked well for me because I know these are my laundry days, no negotiating, lol! Besides I am way too much of an organizing freak to have laundry every day or to just do it whenever, it would just drive me nuts. And that is probably a good thing now that I think about it.
Hi Crystal,
I too have struggled with the laundry issue! At one point, I was adding a child to the family each year, and so that was really difficult, especially when they were all three years and under. Our laundry was always a mountain unto itself! But this year, my youngest turned 3 and the others are 5 and 6, and I finally feel that I have a better handle on things. Plus, the biggest children help out by hanging and putting away their own clothes.
One key for me has been to designate certain days that I do laundry and days that I don't. That gives me permission not to do it on busier days when I am out of the house or on Sunday. This has helped me immensely since I don't love laundry. But then on the days when I do laundry, I HAVE to do it to stay caught up.
Having a day for adult laundry and children's laundry has also helped. Somehow, it keeps things less cluttered in my mind and in the laundry basket. I got that suggestion from a blogging friend. I keep two separate baskets in each bathroom. One each for darks and lights in the kids bath and one each in ours. That helps a ton as well.
So, my schedule goes like this:
Monday - adult laundry
Tuesday - errands --no laundry
Wednesday - kids laundry
Thursday - towels or other laundry
Friday - Bible study -- no laundry
Saturday - Sheets
Sunday - Sabbath -- no laundry
Now, last week, my back went out on Monday night. And I was flat on my back all week! So, I was getting a little worried about getting behind with the laundry. Luckily, I live by my mom and she helped me out with the children's laundry.
Hope this novel ;) helps! I enjoy your blog.
Personally, I have found the "laundry day" method to be easiest for me. I collect all the weeks laundry in a big bag, and then on Monday or Tuesday, I commit to getting it all washed. Anything that doesn't get wrinkled I throw back into the basket as soon as it's dry, and when it's all done, I haul it upstairs and watch a movie early the next morning while I fold it. :)
I have to do at least a load a day to keep up, but even then we fall behind. Why do kids go through so many outfits a day!? My son is pretty clean but my daughter is always covered in something. My biggest problem is washing/drying and then not folding and putting away. We end up with mounds of clean laundry on the beds...which makes sleeping interesting LOL! I will definately be tackling our laundry today. Can't wait to hear some suggestions on getting it all under control!
We are a family of 6 so laundry is never ending. Our oldest boys, 10 year old twins, do one load a week each, so that helps keep up with it. I do 2-3 loads, depending on towels and sheets, each Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Seems to be a good system. I have only tried this system this school year and so far I have been very pleased with the results. No more piled up laundry. The boys also have to fold any load that comes up from the basement so that keeps up with the folding. Every child is to put away his/her own laundry. I hope this helps. I think spreading it out over the week helps keep the piles from getting too big. But babies do go through quite a bit of clothing, don't they!! Blessings to you and your family, Pamela (from Oregon)
Laundry is definitely an area I struggle with. I like to do a load everyday, but that doesn't happen as often as I would like. So, today I am going to change three of the beds in our home. My husband is sick in the fourth, so I think I will leave him be. :-) I will wash all the sheets, and I will tackle the rest of the laundry in the laundry room. I don't know how many loads that will be, but getting caught up is my goal.
What has worked for me in a small house and with small children is simply: one load a day. It goes in the washer the night before (it's part of my night time routine...), in the dryer first thing in the morning. Then I fold mid-morning, usually with children to help or at least right by me, and then put away together right away. If for some reason, we can't put the load away right away, it is my goal to do it before the children go to bed. It's a matter of discipline. If a load isn't put away, I don't start another one. That makes me have to put it away because we usually need that next load to be washed.
I sometimes can get a 2nd load in in one day, but I often don't pressure myself to do it, because knowing one load is done for the day is really freeing the rest of the day. That keeps me caught up pretty well.
Definitely start small and make the amount doable!
Best wishes,
Christy W.
The best thing I ever did was to take my little kid's clothes out of their room. I have plastic drawers near the dryer for their clothes. Since they seemed to need a change of clothes so often and their rooms are upstairs, it's much easier to change them near the washer. This not only cuts down on steps for me, but it saves on stains and on clothes torn out of dressers all over their room. It's been the best!
I posted about it here http://monica-shineagain.blogspot.com/2007/09/large-family-laundry-room.html
I wrote about my system and made a photo of a great space saver that my husband made on my blog. It is too long to post here so please go to my blog.
southernseven.blogspot.com
I do laundry as I'm working around the house during the day. It's usually switched in between doing something else. I usually have to do laundry a couple times a week, and I'll try to get as much done each day as possible. I'll put a load in and then I'll do a couple of jobs and come back switch it over.
As I'm folding I do a little bit of organizing by putting socks/undies on the bottom of the basket, Jim's clothes altogether, my clothes altogether, the babies clothes, and towels altogether, etc. That makes the worst part-putting it all away-a little easier for me. My problem is not getting the laundry done, it's getting it all put away. Sometimes it all ends up sitting in the laundry baskets clean and folded for days at a time :)
I do 1-3 loads of laundry a day, and have a schedule for which loads I do which day:
Monday - kid laundry (3 kids 3yo and under, so this is generally 2-3 loads)
Tuesday - adult darks (we separate dark/light into separate hampers in our closet when getting undressed)
Wednesday - all towels and kitchen laundry
Thursday - adult lights
Friday - all sheets
I try to keep it moving in the morning, then fold during the afternoon naptime.
Crystal - I don't like doing laundry much but I have found that for me doing some laundry every day - Mon. - Sat. is good! We are a family of 3. My little guy is only 1 so he can't help too much yet! I find that if I just make it a goal to wash 1 load (either diapers, lights, darks, reds, towels, etc.) and then make it a goal to get just that one load put away by the end of the day the laundry doesn't usually pile up too much! This may be controversial in the world of laundry but I also have cut out doing whites on their own. No one is looking at our whites to see how bright they are anyways! If they get dingy I will throw in some bleach with them on their own to brighten them. It cuts out one load per week for me when I just toss them in with the rest of the light clothes. Hope that helps!
I've tried several different 'ideas'; however, what works for me right now is to do it the same way my Mom did it when I was growing up -- one day per week. I've tried doing it a little bit every day, but for my personality, I work better with only having one 'main' goal each day, rather than several small goals. So, I now do laundry every Monday and this includes all our sheets. Once in awhile, I'll have to do a small load some other time, but it really just works and helps me feel like I'm starting off the week on a 'clean note'. :) Plus, our laundry area is in our main floor 1/2 bath, behind doors, so I prefer to only have that area 'a mess' once a week. :)
Debi
I also do my laundry on Mondays and Thursdays.
During the winter, we seem to go through more clothing, so I've found it helpful to do at least one load on Saturdays as well.
But generally speaking, I do it on mondays and Thursdays, and like someone else already said on here, that seems to work for me because I know it's my laundry day. I rearrange any other chores around the house to fit on other days and try my best to stick to that schedule.
I only do one load a day everyday of the week (washed and put away!)and then on Mondays I do everything that didn't get done on my one load days, including sheets-usually maybe 4-5 loads.
I love knowing I am done with laundry for the day pretty early in the morning, when my one load is done. There is usually some still left, but it doesn't hang over my head because I have a plan to get it done.
I do it a different way if we have been sick or on vacation or for some reason have fallen behind. Then I take 6 laundry baskets-one for each member of the family plus one for linens. I just wash as much as I can in a day and fold it into each person's basket and when someone's os full it gets put away.
I tried doing the fold into a specific basket for each person with just my one load a day method, but found we were running out of clothes before a basket was full enough to put away.
I do laundry every three days, no excuses. I change our sheets every 5 days or so. I keep laundry baskets in our closets, one for darks and one for lights. Then all I need to do is tote the one downstairs I'm going to wash first!
I love, love washing clothes (putting them in, adding the soap, etc.) but HATE folding and putting away. Wish that part could be automated somehow. :0)
http://www.avclub.us/megret
OK - I was the queen of I can not stand laundry until last year. My problem with it was that I like to make a list and cross things off the list. With two small children in my house laundry is never done. It can not be crossed off the list. IT IS ALWAYS ON THE LIST!! I guess I found that more frustrating that actually doing the laundry.
I think that for me I needed to change my attitude about laundry. With a new attitude I have managed to keep up with it. My mantra around here is that if I am home, I need to be doing laundry. We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old so it is easier now that we do not have a little baby with spit up and diaper leaks. I usually do a load a day and there are some days that I can actually take a day off :).
For me I found it easier to do a load every day than to have marathon sessions. This is just what worked for me.
Here was my yesterday so that you can tell how I fit laundry into a busy day. I put a load of colors in before church. Came home made lunch, put the colored load in the dryer. While that was drying the kids were napping and I did my shopping lists, cut coupons etc. Then we went and visited family and did not get back until 8:30 pm. After kids got in bed, started a load of whites and folded colored load. Put whites in dryer before bed.
Today folded whites in morning and put all clothes away. Today no laundry because there is not enough of one type to do. Tonight after all the bathing will probably throw a load of towels in.
I gave such a detailed example because this is an area that I really struggled with but now I am not having a problem with. Yes there are still times that I fall behind but I set the time and have marathon day and keep rebooting that machine and get caught up. It actually feels good to stay on top of it AND it really helps because 4 year old has several outfits that she loves wearing OVER AND OVER!
I posted about our laundry over at my site. My question for Crystal would be, what do you think is your biggest "laundry block/problem?" Is it mountains of clean stuff to fold and put away? Is it forgetting clothes in the washer/dryer? Etc. Then it might be easier to brainstorm with you.
We are a large family and I do laundry about 8:00 pm-usually 2 loads a day. When load is done I put into dryer and start the other load. When that is done I transfer the laundry already in dryer to basket and put the other load into the dryer. I leave it there now until morning. Then in the morning first thing it is folded and put away. This way it seems to take the drudgery out of this daily chore. Splitting it up definetly helps!
:-( We don't have a dryer, so our max is two loads a day, and maybe (if we're lucky) a third to dry overnight. And we only have one set of sheets, so they'd have to be dry before we go to bed tonight.
But that limitation really does help me keep on top of laundry. I can't fall behind, or it takes a week or two to catch up! I have to do a load or two every day, and if I keep to that schedule, I can usually afford a Sunday off.
(We use cloth diapers - on BOTH kids, so that's a LOT of laundry, by the way. :-))
One thing that has helped with keeping laundry down with my 2 girls is I fold their outfits together and put them away. Just the skirt and shirt, or jumper and shirt. I am trying to go over to all one piece dresses to make it even simpler to fold and put away. Then I don't have to send them back to change out of mismatched clothes (which of course end up in the laundry rather than their dresser!)
I can't do this with my son as he usually has to change either his pants or shirt because he gets dirty during the day and if I had his clothes put into outfits it would cause me more laundry!
I blogged about my laundry system here:
http://ourtaylorann.blogspot.com/2008/02/making-your-home-haven-monday-211.html
When I had all littles(3 in 3.5 yrs), I did laundry first thing each morning and switched over at dinner time. Folding was more of a challenge, usually I could get that done after the kids went to bed. Now the kids do the laundry, and I only have to fold my and DH's clothes and do the diapers.
We try to dry clothes on racks (in the winter) and on a line (in the summer). Since this takes longer than popping everything in the dryer, I try to do one load of laundry every day. Sheets go in the dryer in the winter due to lack of space and towels always go in the dryer. My kids (6 and 3) help to hang small clothing items like socks and underwear. And they fold towels (the 3 year old does all the hand towels, washcloths and kitchen towels) and sometimes help sort socks.
By doing a load of laundry everyday, it just takes a few minutes of time each day. We fold and sort as things come off the drying racks/clothes line and then immediately put away.
This works so much better for us then when we used to dry everything in the dryer. Back then, we would get piles of laundry build up, then baskets and baskets that we would have to sort fold and put away. It sometimes felt overwhelming!
It is fun to read everyone's "dirty" laundry (lol). We have a family of six. My dc are 9, 6, 3, and 10 months. The two oldest help with the laundry. They know how to start the washer and dryer. They also know how to sort the clothes (including the 3 year old, she liked learning her colors by sorting laundry with me). I have a hamper that is divided into three compartments and then I have a basket for towels. The bigs kids bring the laundry from upstairs hamper to the downstairs laundry room hamper (with three compartments) each day. They sort it. I am in charge of starting and rebooting the laundry. It is a part of my morning routine. It is really fast because the laundry is already sorted and ready to go into the washer. Of course, the kids help me start or reboot when I ask. They are each in charge of putting away their own clothes. The 9yr old puts away 10 month olds. The 6 yr helps the 3 yr, mainly with things that go in the closet. I do mine and hubby's. We do a little each day and then we take one day and do all the extras like bedding. When the kids were smaller, I did it the same way, only I did more of the work. By teaching them, I'm working myself out of a job ;).
Amanda T
My laundry strategy is to try to do at least one load a day, preferably early in the day. If I put it off, it turns into an overwhelming task. Since I tend to do other things on the weekend, I try to do several loads on Monday to get the week off to a good start.
I find if I stay ahead of this task it feels like it runs itself, but if I get behind it's such a pain. I try to remember that to motivate myself to stick with it!
I find, not that I do this all the time, that starting a load of laundry each morning helps keep up with things. If it is part of my morning routine, it may actually get done. If you find one morning that there just isn't enough laundry to do a load, simply wipe down the laundry area and move on to the next thing. :) This helps with not having tons to fold in one day too! :)
I am still working outside the home, so I have double duty and need to use every minute of my day wisely. When I get up in the morning, I pour myself a cup of coffee and put a load of laundry in the washer, take a load out of the dryer. Then I start my morning routine upstairs. By the time I am showered, dressed and ready for the day, the laundry is ready for the dryer and I am off to work. I use a spray bottle of1/4 fabric softner and the rest with water to spray any clothes that need to be hung up and had to sit in the dryer over night or during the day. It works great and the laudry seems to do itself on a daily basis. This gives me more time at night and during the weekends to be with my family.
~Michelle
I have to work hard to stay on top of our laundry with three young boys and a hubby who dresses up for work but my diligence pays off. Most evenings only the clothing that was wore that day is in my laundry hamper.
After the laundry, though, is the IRONING! I used to get discouraged looking at a huge stack of dress clothes and uniforms that needed to be ironed but I have something that works for me.
I pray for my beloved family when I am ironing for them. In fact, specifically I pray that they will be covered with the full armour of God. When I am ironing the body of the garment, I pray that they will put on the breastplate of righteousness and while I iron their pants, I pray that they will have their waists girded in truth. This has encouraged me in my daily walk with God and blesses me while I serve my family.
A few tips that might help:
Do a load every day (but follow through with washing, drying, folding & putting the load away). I find when it piles up I am discouraged to even begin with it (piles are overwhelming to look at!) Also, doing a load a day is helpful so when there are family illnesses or distractions, things won't get behind as badly as when you do it only once or twice a week, for example.
Lessen the amount of clothes everyone has. More clothes, more laundry. Children have the cutest clothes, but they really don't need as much as we think.
I remember FlyLady has something about this on her site - about reducing the wardrobe and what is helpful to have for both adults and children.
Lastly, don't beat yourself up about it - God knows you are doing your best. You are really doing a lot each day. :)
I prefer the once-a-week method of doing laundry. It may take a few hours, but I'm always so happy when it's done!
Because I hang most of my clothes out to dry, this also means my drying rack isn't permanently on display for more than 24 hours. :-)
Crystal,
I still don't enjoy laundry, but I have worked out a routine that helps make it more of a normal part of the day and not so dreaded. First, I have a three bin sorter in my laundry room, so I don't have to sort laundry when I am ready to start a load, I just do whatever load(s) are the biggest. Second, I don't try to do all the laundry at one time. I do two or three loads a day. Thirdly, I have a small square basket for each of my four children. I fold their clothes and put them in their baskets and they put them up. (I help the three yo.) I also have a big, foldable basket for mine and my dh's. I have a hanging bar in the laundry room and hang pants, shirts, etc. . . as I take them out of the dryer. These are the things that work well for me. However, the struggles I have are in being sure that it all gets put up and doing sheets. I only iron once in a while, which is not too good, but better than never.
Sincerely,
Melinda
I'm a mom of 4 children, ages 6 down to 7 months. I have two main tips for laundry:
1) Reduce the amount of laundry you create.
2) Reduce the number of loads by not sorting into lots of different categories. And do a load any time you have enough to fill the washer.
I'm often surprised when I read online about how many loads of laundry does. This is much like grocery spending. It's not wrong to do more loads, but you certainly can do less. Excluding cloth diapers, I do 4 or 5 loads of laundry a week. Here's how often we wash various items:
*Sheets- once every other week
*Towels- 2 washclothes, 4 hand towels, and 2 bath towels per week (my dh showers 3x a week, the kids and I 2x. We keep the same towel in use for all of us until after the children's mass bath night)
*Children's clothing- Our children wear their clothes at least 2 days, with the exception of underwear and socks. Jammies or nightgowns are worn 4 nights. Exceptions are made for babies and little toddlers.
*My clothes- My skirts get worn 4 days, and my tops are usually worn 2 days. Nightgowns are worn at least 4 nights.
*DH clothes- My dh wears his dress pants 3 days, but gets a new shirt every day. His pjs are worn 3 nights.
And I don't sort my laundry, with the exception of cloth diapers. Everything gets washed together. Something new that might bleed (i.e. red), I handwash a few times with very hot water. And then that's that. Since I have no sorting to worry about, I just wash a load anytime I have a washer-full.
HTH,
Heather
There is always time for us to do the things we really want to do or really need to do. Sometimes the choice might be "do I blog" or do I put away the laundry?" There is nothing "mystical" about getting laundry under control - it's all about prioritizing your time.
I find that the more I put off laundry or put off putting it away - the more the place looks messy and I feel less like doing it.
I recently wrote down in my procedures book that laundry will happen 2x per week (we have 2 kids that go through a lot of clothes - especially in the summer)...Mon morning and Fri morning. The goal is to get it all put away before dh gets home. What a mess to come home to if there is laundry strewn about...
Knowing that there are specific days dedicated to laundry means I can get started first thing in the morning and plan my day around getting it done.
In the summer I may do laundry 3x a week b/c damp clothes sitting in a warm laundry room could get mildewy or smelly - so that may change.
My dd is 8 now and she has been helping me w/folding laundry and putting it away. Ds that is 5 has just begun helping with that chore.
Hi Crystal,
I've never commented before but I love your blog and have learned alot from you!
I'm another person who does laundry on Mondays and Thursdays and it works well for me. I have three children three and under and I've found since the new baby that sometimes I do have to do a load on a Saturday or something like that, but for the most part two days works for me.
I'm blessed with a large washer/dryer so I normally have to do three loads... whites, darks and lights. I add the sheets and towels on Thursday. I do one load in the morning, then switch before lunch, then before naptime and then after nap. Then I bring the whole huge pile of laundry and fold it on the couch or somewhere where I can have it all spread out and then I pile everyone's laundry up and put it in the basket and put it away. Sometimes the laundry doesn't get folded until the evening if the late afternoon gets too crazy and there are times it doesn't get folded at all until the next morning. But it's nice that everything is clean and ready to be folded and put away. Tuesday is my ironing day, but that normally spreads throughout the week as my husband wears dress clothes every day, so I rarely see the bottom of the ironing pile. :)
One thing that has helped me with sorting clothes is I bought a hamper from Target that has three sections in it and we've been teaching the children to put their dirty clothes in there each night in the right place, then I don't have as much sorting when it comes time to wash.
Thanks for your blog!
~Susan
I forgot to mention something else that helps...having 2 or 3 (or however many you need) smallish laundry baskets to divide the clothes into piles as soon as they come out of the dryer...one for the kids' clothes, one for socks, cloths, towels that need to be folded or put together etc.
This only takes a few extra minutes and you can put away one basket at a time when you have a free moment.
Also with the sorting mostly done - the job doesn't seem so overwhelming.
Clothes that go in the closet can be hung on hangers as soon as they come out of the dryer too - cuts down on ironing.
Crystal:
Here is how I've conquered my problem of clean laundry stacked in the bedroom (I tended to fold all mine and then USED to keep 3-4 stacked, folded loads around the perimeter of my room awaiting put-away! Ugh!)
I purpose, each day, to only start laundry I can finish. That may seem silly! Here is how it works: I run one load through the washer, dryer, fold it and put it away BEFORE PUTTING another load in the washer! I think many of us believe that this method wastes time...because that washer and dryer should always be running simultaneously! However, if you are only focusing on one load at a time, you tend to get it immediately out of the washer, quickly out of the dryer, hang needed items, and put away the small load QUICKLY. If I can't FINISH another load, I don't even START IT! I only do one-two loads per day, but I do them start to finish. Do you know how soothing it has been to my family NOT to trip over piles of laundry or move them off the bed to sleep?
Since I have begun my start to finish method, my laundry is caught up and has ceased to be the burden it once was...
Lastly, the final straw occurred one Saturday when I had about 8-10 folded loads awaiting put away! Egad! Here's how I tackled it...I purposed to spend my entire Saturday getting the laundry DONE. When a load came out of the dryer (can you believe there was more to do?) I put it away immediately, "plus some." That way, I broke the "put away" chore into several more manageable chunks of time. Can you see that my least favorite part of laundry was the "put away?" :)Soon the laundry was caught up and I decided those days were over!
My new method may be less efficient, but to me it is a way of focusing on one thing at a time (something I think women struggle with, because we are taught to mega-task) and having the satisfaction of finishing a job at the end of the day.
Hope this helps!
Crystal, I have sepcific days to do laundry...Monday and Thursday. As I take each load out of the dryer, I fold each piece asap and make piles for each person (5 of us). Then the 3 kids carry theirs to their room and put it away asap. I put away mine and hubbies. I put our pile on my bed, it has to get put up before we turn down the covers and get into bed. My kids are old enough to do their own laundry, but we generally put everything together and share the job. Today is the first day I have been able to use my clothes line this year. The warm breezes here in Miss. are drying my clothes quite well. I have also put towel bars on the back of everyones bedroom door. They hang up their bath towel after their showers and use the same towel for the week. We wash all the towels on Monday with the regular loads, now we don't have tons of towels to wash...just 5. I know this may not work with little ones but it could be an option for you.
Donna J
To keep on top of the folding I fold each load as it comes out of the dryer (or off the line in the summer, our winters are not conducive to line drying it is 7 degrees out right now!) I also have each child put their clothes away as soon as they are folded (they are 3 and 6 and are more than capable of putting their clothes away!) My dd (3) also helps to fold small stuff underware, towels, washclothes, etc) she does this while ds (6) unloads the dishwasher and clean the bathroom.
I've got 4 littles, plus mu husband and myself, and I know I need to run at least a load, usually 2, of laundry daily to stay on top of things. I also fall short of the folding and putting away part, but lately I've been getting alot better. Method is simple. Set my timer for 15 minutes and fold fold fold. I do that throughout the day so by the end of the day everything is folded and then delegated to the older two to put their stuff away, then I put away everything else. It's a work in progress lol.
I have found that breaking it up into smaller loads works best for me. Then each small load gets a specific day that it gets done. For example...
I do whites on Mondays, darks on Tuesdays, towels on Thursday, etc.
I usually put a load in first thing in the morning and when it is done drying I put it on my bed. Then, when the hubby is giving the baby a bath before bed, I fold and put it all away. Putting it on the bed forces me to get it done before I can go to sleep. The smaller loads make this more manageable.
We generate a ton of laundry in a week (how come this is so?!?!) and this is the system that I have found works best for our family.
Hope you find something the helps you tackle you pile! :)
I desperately need a laundry schedule I am a "close the laundry room door and pretend it isn't there until everyone is out of clean clothes" kind of girl. I did fine until Mary was born but now it seems like I always have something better to do.
I am really enjoying this series...it keeps me motivated to tackle one "big" task each week rather than trying to do everything on my list.
Erin
Wow...last time I was here, there were like 6 comments, now there are 42! Laundry is definitly an issue for many of us, and anyone who does have it together knows that it isn't a permanent thing...kids come and go, dh's change jobs, we move...all things that change the laundry dynamic.
As for the folding/putting away. I use my dinning room table. One, it keeps the folded piles out of little hands who want to unfold. Two, it needs to be done before anything else can be done on that table. Three, it keeps the table cleared off too. Everyone gets their own pile, then I put one pile away at a time. If someone has a bigger house with two floors, they might put one floor's worth in the basket, put it away, then go back for the rest.
This is a great topic - I'm looking forward to reading the others' comments and posts for ideas to streamline my process even further. I've shared a few of my own ideas, gleaned from years in retail clothing stores, over on my blog, so I pulled the posts together into one small list of links. Hope it is of service somehow!
My suggestions may have been said already, but here they are (I have two boys--ages 4 and 2):
Monday--mine and dh's laundry (2-3 loads)
Tuesday--the kids laundry (2 loads)
Wednesday--towels, sheets, etc.
*I try to have it all done no later than Thursday.
*Also, I start a load at night if possible, so it's ready to dry in the morning.
*If I can't fold the load that's in the dryer at that moment, I keep it in the dryer--a little incentive to get it done, because I don't want to keep wet things in the washer for very long.
*Fold laundry at night after kids have gone to bed while watching tv or talking to dh. They're ready to put away in the morning.
I skimmed to see if this was mentioned ... if it was and I missed it, I'm sorry. But I realized when my children were younger that I really couldn't do laundry every day. It's because you can't come up with enough of each kind of clothing to make a load with a small family. So, when they were little, (and I had only two) I just did all my clothing laundry on ONE day. And that made it easier to get it put away. I did sheets/towels on another day. First thing in the morning. And at the time, I purposed to have only one set per bed ... so it had to go back on right away.
Now that I have more children and they're bigger, I do have to do laundry every day. And what you described is always happening to me ... the piles stay there to put away because there's always another load coming. If I could fix THAT, I'd be so happy!
Wow! So many comments already. I also do the old-fashioned "laundry on Monday." Occasionally, I have to do another load or two on Friday or Saturday. I'm in the middle of it now.
The hard part for me is getting it all folded and put away. And then I'd like to also be able to do the other parts of the old-fashioned schedule...mending, ironing, cleaning the house, etc. Ah, well, some day. Maybe when I get to heaven. :)
Your challenge is great...but if I participate, I'll have to do so on Tuesdays, as I read your postings after the fact (I live in Europe).
How I'd love to have laundry done in a day! But, unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. I've recently made it a goal to have my laundry done at the begining of the week (preferably by Tues.). Why?
Well, for us, each load of laundry takes 2.5 hours to run. Yes, you read that right. But the laundry doesn't come out dripping wet when it's finished spinning. We don't have a dryer, so we hang clothes on a drying rack. This is unfortunately at the end of our bed, so it doesn't make for a romantic touch, but it works. Clothes take about a day (sometimes 2) to dry, and I can usually get 2 loads of laundry on 1 rack.
I'm also resolved to add ironing into my routine more often. Before I married, my grandmother gave me the advice to pray for my husband while ironing. She's done that for many years! And, I must admit that it does help!
Another thought to remember, Crystal. Moms at home are cleaning up messes literally all day long with little ones. This is a never-ending job that comes with the territory.
I am sure that being at home adds a bit more to the laundry in general - more dirty baby/toddler clothes, more washcloths & towels.
I think having more laundry is partly due to the stage of life your littles are in. It will definitely get better later - as the children get older & you can teach them to help more in this area. Sending a hug!
I'd love to know how to get on top of the laundry too! But with me it's more of a procrastination and laziness problem.
I like to get all the laundry done in one day - but it never happens. It's my husband's dream to have all the laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away ALL IN ONE DAY.
I usually like to do it (the folding and putting away) in the evenings while watching a video. That way I'm not bored with the laundry folding and I'm being productive while doing something I enjoy (watching TV).
My mum keeps videos and DVDs for her to watch when she does the ironing - and she irons EVERYTHING (including undergarments). I don't have any kids yet, but I listen to a little bit of an audio book when I'm folding laundry. Neither help interruptions (which, as there are no littlies in either case, there aren't many) but it does help make you want to do the laundry!
I follow Flylady's advice- A load a day keeps the chaos away! I don't always do a load every single day since it just my husband and I, but I check the basket every day to see if there is enough for a load. If there is, I do one. It helps keep laundry from becoming a huge, unmanageable pile.
I have taken all the laundry to the laundromat once or twice even though I have a washer and dryer at home *just to get it all done at once.* Not a fabulous option, but sometimes being able to use three washers at once and getting it done helps so much.
I wash sheets and towels every Monday.
With three kids under four, we also have a huge amount of laundry. Here's what we do: I have one of those three bin sorter things in our laundry room everyone (including the 4 and 2 year old but not the baby, of course) puts their laundry in the appropriate bin. When a bin is full I do a load of laundry which usually means at least one load a day and more on Monday since I don't do any on Sunday. I like this method because I always know how much laundry I have to do. Towels I do usually twice a week and sheets once. The folding and putting away is my least favorite part as well, but I never take clothes out of the dryer and put them somewhere else - I stand at the dryer and fold as I pull them out and then put everyones in his pile on top of the dryer. This may mean I don't always run as many loads a day, but if I don't do it this way then I'll have a huge laundry pile of clean clothes. At the end of the day everyone comes and gets whatever clothes are his off the dryer and puts them away. Even my 2 year old carries her clothes to her room and helps put them up. The 4 year old does it all on his own. This is how I (attempt) to get the laundry done.
I do a different category every day:
Kids on Monday
Lights on Tuesday
Darks on Wednesday
Dish towels on Thursday or Friday (and usually one other day of the week)
Special loads (blankets, Dryel loads, husband's washable suit) on Friday as needed
I have my kids help fold and put away at the end of Monday (they are 5 and 3).
The rest of the days I try to have it folded and put away before dinner. This happens while the kids are doing school. I like this because I rarely have to do laundry on weekends. If something comes up on one of the laundry days and I can't do my usual, I just bump everything back a day.
Getting the clean laundry put away is the challenge in our house as well. I don't know that I have great advice, as I still struggle fitting this into my daily routine, but one thing that helps us is having the family tackle it together in the evening if it is still left over. Pushing bedtime 15 minutes later to empty a few laundry baskets is well worth it to me!
I shied away from this after FlyLady's advice, but now I see so much benefit in working together when needed. (We will most likely be doing this tonight). If my husband doesn't have any work to wrap up he will join us, otherwise my older two (10 and 8) and myself will fold and the younger three (2,4,6)will help shuttle the stuff to where it belongs. I pile their clothes together with a row for each child and even the 2 year old can get his things where they belong.
Another idea that helps my two little ones is to sort their clothes by outfits instead of shirts separate from pants/skirts. They can choose their own clothes to wear more easily and they just keep 5-6 outfits in their drawer at a time. This helps both putting laundry away and getting dressed.
I don't keep to a schedule as such as far as my laundry goes but this method seems to be working well for me.
I simply do a load of laundry whenever there is enough to fill the machine (for us, 2 adults and 5 children including one in cloth diapers, that is at least once every day). Sometimes the machine is full at night - so I put the wash on right away, then it is ready for me the next morning and I feel "ahead". Sometimes I do a load in the afternoon and hang it out - it won't dry before night so I leave it out overnight and bring it in the next day.
Here in New Zealand we hang our washing outside to dry 90% of the time (this saves a lot of electricity too). I hang my sheets/towels/large items on the clothes line and all the little items get pegged onto a clothes rack/clothes horse on our porch (actually two of them).
My 3 year old likes to help me hang things as she can reach the bottom rails of the drying rack.
I have an outdoor plastic table on our porch also which I put the washing basket onto so I don't have to bend down.
Here is the key to keeping on top of clean laundry - FOLD the laundry as you take it off the line and place it into the washing basket. When you come inside you will arrive with a basket of clean folded laundry that just needs to be sorted into piles (this usually happens on my bed) and carried to the appropriate drawers.
Sheets and towels go straight back onto the beds and bathroom rails.
I will not be going back to my previous method of dump clean clothes in washing basket - dump out washing basket onto the couch - add more piles later in the week - move the pile to the bedroom when we have visitors - move the pile back - finally spend an evening folding laundry!!!
If you are using a dryer to dry your laundry put the clean washing in the laundry basket, bring it to the kitchen table and fold it immediately (each time a load comes out of the dryer). It only takes about 5 minutes to fold each basketful. Add to the piles of clean folded clothes each time another load comes out - when all washing is done put the piles away.
When I had two little children I didn't wash every day. I think I washed every 2-3 days and then one day a week I did the sheets and towels.
Louise
I struggle with the same thing, Crystal. The thing I found worked best for me was listening to some teaching on my mp3 player or watching a Tivo'd show while I folded and put away the day's laundry after the kids were in bed. Now that I'm expecting #5 (yes, I'm the one with the baby the same age as Kaitlynn!) that's not working for me anymore b/c I'm too tired. I'm looking forward to reading any suggestions anyone has.
I try to take the laundry out of the dryer as soon as it is dry and hang up the shirts (etc) because that decreases the amount of ironing later. (AND I try not to buy 100% cotton or make sure fabrics are wrinkle free before buying them.)
I have also found that setting a timer for 10 or 15 minutes helps me to focus on getting jobs done rather than getting distracted. I, too, am easily distracted (and not just from folding laundry)! But the pressure of doing things in 10-15 minute increments is amazing. You'd never believe how much you can accomplish in just that short amount of time, whether folding laundry, dusting, or cleaning the kitchen. Try it sometime.
The easiest thing for me to do is separate it by family member. I wash it, dry it, fold it and put it away. It's easy because it all go to the same place.
Laundry has always been a struggle for me. There are days when I'm on top of it for so many days in a row and others I just don't want to mess with it. Thankfully I have a husband that helps me out (mostly during our school year). My kids help too some.
I've enjoyed reading your blog. It's encouraging.
God bless you.
Jenelle
It is put into 3 bags( bleached, light, and dark) in the bathrrom as soon as it is taken off. when the bads are stuffed they are watched, during the winter the jeens are taken out of the dark bag a nd get their own load. the shetts also get their own load. Asa one laod is done in the washer it goes in the dryer and the next load goes into the washer. when the laod is doen it is dumped onto the bed. while the loads are running other housework is done and ten when all teh laods are doen and you're done w/ all the other work, you get to relax while watching TV and folding. hang dress shirts and blouses up as soon as they come out of the dryer and onyl iron on Saturday nights - do all of work shirts for week. iron again if need later in week. watch TV while ironing : )
Laundry is on my top ten or I don't like to do them....but we all know we have to....my 18 and 16 yr do there own which leaves me Hubby, 9 and 7 yr and myself.....I don't sort colors....unless it's new stuff reds and blues.... i fold at night after kids are in bed ....but sometimes during school i will fold..... I didn't see this blog till 6:42 pm.... so I will wash sheets tomorrow....very good idea
I have started trying to do one load a day. We bought a laundry sorter, and this works great for me, because I just take the pile that is the largest (darks, lights or mediums) and do that. Doing one load makes it so easy to get it washed, dried, folded (I try and fold when things are still warm to prevent and wrinkles) and AWAY (the part I struggle most with). On days where I am caught up with clothes I do towels or dishtowels/cloths or sheets. We have two sets of sheets for each bed so that I don't have to get them done the same day. I certainly don't have it all figured out, but doing it every day has been the most help to me.
Crystal, I too struggled with this SO much! My laundry was a huge, wrinkled heap in my bedroom most days. I read something (on your blog?) written by a commentor a few weeks ago that made all the difference: "FINISH one load before doing the next"--something like that.
I realized that I was always trying to finish ALL the laundry before putting it away. Now, instead, I fold the laundry on small table in the laundry area, and then immediately put it away. Sometimes I DO run a couple of loads and fold them on the table, but I make sure I put what I've done away before I go to bed (the laundry area is actually in my walk-in closet--weird, huh?).
I also do a little laundry nearly every day. That's what works for me, otherwise it's overwhelming.
Phebe
P.S. Your girls are SO cute!! I wish we were close enough for a playdate--your two are just about the same ages as my younger two. Aren't they so cute that you just want to kiss their fat cheeks all day? I love it!
Oh, I thought of something else! It has helped me IMMENSELY that my laundry area is on the same level as the bedrooms. I don't think the put-it-away-right-away method would work very well if I had to tote the laundry all the way up from a basement. You may want to keep that in mind when you look for a house to buy in a few years.
Phebe
I have the EXACT same problem you do. I can get everything washed, but getting it folded and put away...well it hardly happens before we wear the clothes. And I have a huge pile of carefully laid out clothes in my closet that need to be hung. I cannot wait until my sons are old enough to do their own laundry, then I'll only have to worry about washing for 2! (or actually, for any younger kids we have too...)
I just try to do one load every night before bed and put it away right away. I let the dirty laundry pile up but I never let the clean laundry pile up. God Bless.
My problem is dirty dishes. Dirty laundry is no problem. I just hate washing dishes- just the thought of dirty dishwater grosses me out! Want to swap? LOL!
I had to smile when you said you had trouble getting your laundry folded. Why, I'm a single girl living at home responsible for my own laundry and I still struggle with getting it folded. As busy as I am with work and college courses from home, laundry just doesn't have the same priority ranking as some of the other things I do. I've been trying to keep on top of it, but it was good to read your blog too. Your definitely not the only one. :)
Priscilla
someone may have suggested this. I finally solved my laundry folding issue. I take the laundry upstairs and fold and hang clothes on hangers in the bathroom while I supervise my boys baths. I'm thinking of putting one of those fold down ironing boards on the back of the bathroom drawer. The boys are contained and busy and I get everything hung on a hanger and folded. Once they get out and get their PJs on we put away the laundry. The 5-year-old can put his own away. I do at least two loads a day so it is not an overwhelming amount to put away. When I first get up and when I go to bed. The folding while bathing has been a lifesaver.
Caroline
I am totally with you on the laundry folding. I really HATE to fold laundry. It is so time consuming. We are a family of 7, so we have a lot of laundry. I have a schedule that I follow. First, I have my "morning chores", which is just to start a load of laundry and load and start the dishwasher first thing after breakfast. My 3 yos is in charge of gathering everyones laundry and my 5 yod is in charge of sorting the laundry. I bought 2 sorting bins that have 3 compartments each at Target. They have been a lifesaver! Then I just try to have a load going all the time (which rarely happens, but I try). I do always start a load before I leave the house. That way it is ready to be switched again when I get home. As far as the folding goes I do it all myself. The kids just aren't very good at it, bless their hearts they try. I'm just picky and so is dad. I have made it a point to fold laundry while they are napping. Otherwise it doesn't get done. Once they get up I just hollar "laundry" through the house and everyone comes and gets their laundry. Even my 3yos can put away his own laundry all by himself. He doesn't always get the shirts hung up great, but he's getting better.
Hope some of this helps!
My simple solution? Hubby does it! Seriously, its what he wants to do to help out around the house, so I let him have at it (even if it means a sometimes too small sweater). He does laundry by doing it all on one day (during the weekend) and I help out with the folding and putting away.
My suggestion?...do a load first thing in the morning, & last thing at night (of course, there will likely be loads in between). Fold any chance you get. If you want sitting down time, like to watch something on TV, etc. make yourself fold laundry while doing so. After our third child, I really felt as though this was all I was doing: folding laundry! But my two older kids folded diapers & carried the stack into the bathroom for me, paired up socks, smoothed out Daddy's hankies, & so forth. Things do get easier!
blessings,
Brenda
I have 4 kids ages 6, 5, almost 4, and almost 1. Since around the age of 3 my kids have been able to sort their laundry. I sort the clothes on the floor of our laundry room. Along the wall I have a "color chart". I place strips of construction paper