I was recently chatting with one of my friends. She was complaining about how much she hated doing laundry. (I am right there with you!) The one thing she hated the most was that it was a never ending chore. I feel that way about dusting and washing dishes. As soon as I finish, more dirty dishes or dust appears.
Here are some tips for how to keep laundry under control:
- Wear clothing more than once. This is great for jeans and shirts that are made from a thicker material. Lighter fabrics tend to show wear very quickly, even if they aren’t very dirty. I wear items a few times, when I can. If I get sweaty, of course it has to be washed.
- Don’t buy clothes that require special cycles. This sounds easier than it sounds. I love all the cute tops from Banana Republic and JCrew. I swear, it seems like they all need a gentle cycle. My gentle cycle takes 45 minutes to run, even with just a couple of garments. I can cut down on time hanging by the washing machine by not even buying these types of garments.
- Wear fewer colors. Wearing fewer colors limits the number of types of cycles you have to do each week. I wear primarily light colored clothes. My husband primarily wears dark colored clothes. In order for this to work, he and I will need to coordinate a bit better.
- Wash more large loads of laundry and fewer small loads. This helps to cut down on the number of wash cycles needed each week and is actually a more energy-efficient option. Just be careful to not overload your washer. Otherwise, your clothes won’t come out clean.
- Move the clothes to the dryer as soon as the wash ends. One of the biggest laundry time wastes is washing clothes, forgetting they are in the washer, and having to wash them again. I set a timer on my phone and only start a load of laundry when I can get to it timely.
- Do just a little laundry every day. Every task feels easier when you break it down into smaller elements. Doing a little laundry every day also keeps the pile from getting too large. I like to break my laundry by day as follows:
- Monday – Sheets
- Tuesday – Whites
- Wednesday – Lights
- Thursday – Darks
- Friday – Sheets
- Saturday – Towels (separate from whites because I don’t use fabric softener)
- Sunday – Delicates as needed
Yes, I wash sheets twice a week. We have two sets of white sheets for our master bedroom. I wash one set and put the second on the bed. It is an easy routine in order to have the hotel bed experience at home. If you have been thinking about it, I highly recommend it.
What is something you do that helps to keep your laundry under control?
