Laundry Hack
Don’t you just love that feeling of being “caught up” on laundry? Everyone’s laundry baskets are empty, clothes are folded, hung and put away, the laundry room floor is spotless and the dryer doesn’t need to be refreshed because the clothes have sat damp in there for a week. I personally have NO idea what this feels like… but hopefully some of you have enjoyed this brief feeling of contempt.
Coming up with a strategic plan to continually be caught up on laundry is a goal of mine this summer. As a teacher-mom of two, who is constantly on the go during the school year, it seems nearly impossible to fold and put away clothes every weekend for my family of four. On top of meal prepping, lesson planning, and all other duties for the upcoming week.
*Similar laundry Sign linked here
•Instagram Vs. Reality•
What I would like my laundry room to look like versus what it looks like most days when I close the door and pretend it’s not there. There’s usually a heap of clean clothes on the floor and the washer and dryer seem to never stop running. My energy is nonexistent when I look at that pile. I can’t necessarily say “I don’t have the time” to do laundry, but I can without a doubt say “I don’t have the energy.” Working long days, making dinner, and all other motherly duties leaves me exhausted and disinterested in household tasks during the week. You can absolutely forget toilet cleaning and vacuuming.
When the weekend hits, I am throwing in numerous loads [causing the heap on the floor] that I will fold if it’s not a busy weekend. But if it’s busy weekend… forget it! That stuff wont be touched until the following weekend. Yup, I’m organized but not perfect.
Okay, here it is… THE moment you’ve been reading for… THE HACK! It’s absolutely nothing super special and I don’t actually believe I’m the first and only person to think of this, but I’m going to share it with you anyway…
HACK: Make sure everyone in your household has their own laundry basket in their room. [Easy so far} Then make sure they’re only putting their clothes and etc. in their basket, always. When one person’s basket is full you only wash their clothes at that moment. It could be Wednesday or it could be Friday. Just wash it, dry it, fold it and put it away. If all baskets are full at the same time, just prioritize and do that person’s load first.
I have came up with this idea because I was getting extremely overwhelmed with the need to sort a large pile of clean clothes into four separate piles before I could even fold or put away. This would happen because I would take clothes from everyone’s basket [Stella & Scarlett shared a basket at the time] and throw them all into the washer at once. I felt I was accomplishing more at the time, but that disappeared when the clothes were dry and needed to be sorted.
I am obsessed with our baskets! Found them all at TJ Maxx & Homegoods on separate occasions. The girls also love having their own baskets.
Scarlett is a really good helper. She loves to fold her own clothes and put them away for me. Stella, on the other hand, is still a work in progress… hehe.
Here are some items I made sure to have in our laundry room:
Stain removal: Fels-Naptha laundry soap bar
Hooks to hang bras, sports bras, jackets, etc. *linked something similar to mine here
Glamorous Wash Diva laundry detergent. Just add a small cap full to your load and it will smell amazing!!
It’s a simple hack that has been such a life saver for the last few weeks. I’m not feeling overwhelmed and we’re totally surviving not having our clothes washed every few days.
I wish you the best of luck with your laundry!
XO
Sarah