The Simplest Way To Do Laundry
Laundry is something we all have in common. Unless you live in a nudist community, you have laundry. And even then surely they have towels and linens!
A few weeks ago the heating element of my dryer broke. I went from a dryer that worked great for one load and by the next load there was no heat. We were able to get a repair within the week, but due to being out of town for 3 days that week I had quite a bit of laundry to do on Saturday. With all of my sheets, towels, and clothing, I think I had about 8 loads to do. It was a very full day of doing laundry and I hated it. It reminded me of why I love the way I do laundry.
Laundry has never been a favorite chore of mine. However, for 7 years I did not have my own washer and dryer. (We traveled for ministry.) So the day my washer and dryer arrived at my house, our first house, I was literally in tears. I promised to never complain about laundry again. That Saturday that I had a full week’s worth of laundry to do was an exercise in not complaining for sure!
Tip 1: Wash at least one load a day.
This keeps my laundry completed at all times. I almost never need something that is in the laundry because I do laundry so often.
The cycle I do is: Day 1- clothes, Day 2- towels, Day 3- clothes, Day 4- towels, Day 5-whites and repeat over and over. Occasionally my whites load (I do this separately because I use bleach) is super small and just quickly do it at the end of the day.
Don’t go to bed with laundry not folded and put away. This task will take less than 10 minutes if you do it daily. I do not consider my laundry task complete until the clothing is hung up and put in drawers or the towels are placed on the shelves. If you keep this habit up, you will thank yourself later! I promise!
Tip 2: Start the night before.
I even start earlier than that. Let’s say that I’m washing towels today. I move the towels to the dryer and now the washer is empty again. At this point I will begin loading in the washing machine what the next day’s load is. As part of my evening routine I take a quick look around the house and grab all laundry for that load and put it in the washer. This means that first thing in the morning the washer is already loaded and all I have to do is add detergent and start the load. I can put the load into the dryer before the kids are even awake.
Tip 3: I put “laundry” on my to do list.
I work from home 99% of the time. I add the word laundry to my list so that I will remember to move the load over and then fold it. This helps me remember to get it done quickly and get it out of the way. This might seem silly, but it has worked for me for years!
Tip 4: Separate by family member.
I do not do this while I am actually washing the clothes, I do this as I am folding laundry. I grab 2 baskets and dump the clothes on my bed. As I fold the laundry for myself and my husband I will toss my son’s clothing in one basket and my daughter’s in another. My son is a teen and folds all of his own laundry. My daughter is learning to fold. Some days I take her basket to her room and fold her clothes immediately while she is at school. Some days I have her help me fold and put them away.
Tip 5: If you get behind, take the weekend to catch up.
Part of my weekend routine (you can find more about that HERE) is to make sure my laundry is caught up. The ensures that I start the week with only one load to go on Monday!
I know there are many ways to go about your laundry routine, but this is what that has worked for me for the past several years. I am so thankful for only one load a day to fold and now that this is a habit, it keeps life simple and gives me that desirable margin.