Love it or leave it, washing clothing and household linens is a necessary chore. Many get the job done by “doing a load a day” or “keeping the washer going.” Laundry, I believe, is one of the most challenging tasks because of its intermittent stopping and starting points. Throw in other work, schedules, and extracurriculars, and I often face a persistent pile of dirty laundry that seems to grow larger by the minute. And if I’m candid, I’d much rather talk or write about a smart laundry hack and tip than actually complete the chore of laundry from start to finish. But that mountain of laundry does persist, and if you have multiple family members, you know that it can exponentially increase if not tended to.
- Jean Prominski is a Certified Professional Home Organizer and Owner of Sparkle Home Organizing.
“Keep the laundry process as simple as possible,” offers Jean Prominski, Certified Professional Home Organizer and Owner of Sparkle Home Organizing.
As a mom of two busy boys, I’ve learned a few tricks for keeping the laundry going, and I checked in with a professional organizer for her best tips for surmounting that interminable laundry pile.
Keep It Simple
Doing laundry can be a simple process if you allow it. “Clothes should go from the hamper to the washing machine, then to the dryer, and then back into the room they belong in,” explains Prominski. Even though there are pausing points while the laundry is in the machine or dryer, the job is easier to accomplish if you think about it in terms of easy steps vs. a considerable chore. “Rather than taking the clean hamper somewhere else to fold it all and then redistribute it, fold and put things away directly out of the hamper,” she says. This way, the clean clothing or items go straight from the clean hamper to the drawer or closet vs. sitting in a neatly folded pile in the laundry room for days on end, which I admit has happened to me. The point is to skip some steps in the process if it makes more sense.
Give Everyone A Laundry Basket
Recently, I made sure every person in my household had a dedicated laundry basket for their clothing. This way, when a family member’s basket is full—yep, you guessed it—that person can (should) take notice and begin the laundering process. Personal laundry baskets also helps family members’ avoid mixing of clothing and items and subsequent sorting of clothes after they’re washed. Simply fill the washer with one basket of clothes that’s full and run a load. Additionally, having an assigned day that each member of the household washes their own clothing might streamline the process.
Wash Clothes Separately
Prominski recommends that everyone in the house wash their clothes separately. She encourages teaching kids to do their personal laundry, a lifelong chore they’ll be able to take to college and beyond. “When kids feel empowered to do their own laundry, it will make them feel capable and accomplished,” she explains. It might take a little bit of teaching (and patience) initially, but doing laundry is an easy chore for older children to complete on their own and younger children to assist with.
Don’t Expect Perfection
Sometimes, the need for perfection bogs down the process. “Don’t be a perfectionist or too fussy about your folds unless you love doing it, and it doesn’t cause procrastination,” she says. A well-appointed laundry room with all the suitable space and decor is appealing. But Prominski warns to be sure if it works for you. “As lovely as the idea of a folding station is, if taking the clothes to this area is just an extra step that doesn’t provide any benefit, and clothes kind of accumulate there, it’s probably not worth it,” she explains. Better yet, take the clothing to the room it belongs in as soon as it comes out of the dryer to save time. Then, fold or hang the clothing, and put it away in its place.
Consider Not Sorting
As tempting as it can be to feel the need to sort all the dark laundry from the light before you wash a load, this is a step that you might skip depending on the material. “I know this is kind of crazy, but I very rarely sort my laundry, I throw most everything in together, and I’ll almost always dry it all together too,” explains Prominski. Sure there may be items that can’t be washed together depending on their material, but she explains that she’s less likely to procrastinate because the process has been simplified.
Keep A Clean Clothes Hamper
All too often, we end up wearing clothing that does not become dirty enough for laundering. Or we change clothing and end up with a pile of clean clothing. There is a simple remedy for this mess of clean clothes. “Keep a clean clothes hamper,” Prominski suggests. It’s much better to place them in a separate hamper rather than toss them on a piece of furniture or the floor. “If you don’t have the time or energy to put the clothes away where they belong, this helps to avoid clothes getting mixed up and having to do extra loads of laundry for clothes that were clean in the first place,” she explains.
Implement A Process
For many, folding the laundry and putting it away is the biggest challenge and the step that takes the most time. “Figure out where the bottleneck in the laundry process is,” says Prominski. If you’re able to pinpoint where the breakdown is, you can better implement a process to alleviate the issue. “If you have too many clothes that need special care, try to wear more easy-care items or if you’re a parent who is doing it all, recruit the kids and task them with this important life skill,” she explains. Don’t get caught up if they don’t do it your way, or what you consider the right way, just encourage and lay the groundwork for everyone to learn and do their part.
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