Things to Do...
Have you ever hiked up a mountain?
I’ll admit, it isn't my favorite activity, but when I get to the summit there is a sense of accomplishment like no other.
At the beginning of summer vacation I looked around my laundry room and I noticed something.
It was like the Mount Everest of dirty laundry in there.
The end of the school year had gotten too busy even for me…the gal who doesn't schedule much of anything.
So I hiked up this mountain and finished all of the laundry before we packed for Disney. That was not fun and after that hike I was definitely in need of a vacation.
When we got home, with the laundry mostly clean because we had a washer and dryer at our rental, I made a few miner adjustments to not get behind on the laundry again.
And I haven’t.
All summer long the laundry baskets were empty.
It was an accomplishment of great proportions around here.
Want to know the secret that has changed my life, as far as chores go?
Do one load of laundry from start to finish everyday.
I know what you are thinking...
“I can’t mix my colors with my whites."
{Disclaimer...if your colors are new, don't mix them with whites. No one wants pink undies.}
{Disclaimer...if your colors are new, don't mix them with whites. No one wants pink undies.}
"Towels need to be done separately.”
Listen, if you can get passed that way of thinking, then you too can change your life.
There are 4 of us in the house, 3 of which are dirty, stinky boys. We have a lot of laundry.
So I am OK with mixing towels with the clothes. There hasn't been any fuzz. And I do throw whites in with the colors.
If I have a sweater or shirt that needs to be washed on delicate, I'll just do 2 loads that night.
The key to success is to develop the routine that will work for you.
First, make sure all the laundry is completely finished....climb Everest.
Before dinner, put a load in the washer.
Before dinner, put a load in the washer.
After dinner, move that load to the dryer.
If some of the clothes need to hang to dry, just put them away with tomorrow's load.
While the kids are in the bath or when you are watching your favorite TV show {Glee, anyone?} fold and put away the laundry.
One load to wash, fold, and put away is so much easier than staring up at the Mount Everest of dirty laundry.
I have things to do and, hooray, laundry isn't one of them anymore.
aaah, mount laundry!! This was a much need post. Thanks for the inspiration to get it done!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Heather! You can do it. It only took a week to get it organized. Now I can keep going easily.
DeleteGreat tips! I need to climb that mountain!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon! If I can do it...you can do it!
DeleteGreat tips! I mix everything...I'm crazy that way. I found it definitely makes life easier. :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad there is someone else out there who's with me! It truly has been a game changer for me!
DeleteThe only thing I would add is that when we have a new, colored item- clothes or towel,I let it sit in a sink of water overnight so the excess dye leaks out into the sink, sometimes I even do that twice before washing a new item, then I wash the new item with something dark, like jeans, so if a bit of dye leaks it won't be noticable.And thanks for helping us conquer our mountains of laundry!!:)
ReplyDeleteWe have 5 kids, 4 of whom are teens, so they sren't playing in dirt( or on a playground), but our challenge is that we're Orthodox Jews and don't do laundry during the Sabbath, sundown Fri to sundown Sat. IHAVE to keep up with it the rest of the week for that reason!
That is a great tip! I have never thought to do that. When I have something new to wash, I do wash with like colors. And to keep something new from shrinking I will air dry it after the first 3 washes so the dryer doesn't do a number on it. But then again I air dry a lot of my clothes. I am tall and can't stand it when my pants are even the slightest bit short! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThis is EXACTLY the advice I would give!! It saves my life as a cloth diaper mommy to do one load per day. Amen!
ReplyDeleteLindi @ www.lovecreatecelebrate.com
That is awesome! I am so glad that I am not alone with this idea. And I am still doing laundry this way {for the most part}. There are some weeks I get a little behind, but truly....laundry is pretty easy these days.
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