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As a systemized person I basically analyze and have a “system” for everything I do. From Grocery Shopping, Menu Planning and even the way I do laundry. Nobody likes doing it but it must be done. I’m sharing my easy laundry system for getting ALL your laundry done in two days before lunch.
Now, I realize the way I do things may not work exactly the same for you. Maybe you don’t work from home or you’ve got more kids than I do. I get that. The idea is just to share what’s working here and maybe you’ll find an idea that you can make work for you.
Laundry System – 2 Days a Week
Around here, I do laundry two days a week- Tuesday & Wednesday. I used to do laundry on the weekends but who really wants to do that? Most of us would rather be outside, relaxing or find ourselves running around to soccer games and birthday parties instead. So I get my laundry done during the week. Trying to do it all in one day is just too much. I break it down into 2 1/2 loads a day. The infographic below illustrates how I get it all done in just two days. And yes, I am the person that works from home and throws a load of laundry on while they work. It’s one of the perks of working from home! It takes about 2 minutes to move one load from the washer to the dryer and put another load in the wash and doesn’t hurt my productivity one bit.
1st Load- Kid’s Sheets & Towels
Start the first load as soon as you get up (or when the kids get up). Starting first thing in the morning helps you get the laundry done so much faster. After I work-out I change out the loads. Then after I shower and get ready the loads are ready to be changed out again. Most of it gets done before I even start work! Use a large wicker laundry basket to move the loads from the washer to dryer and dryer to bed.
First, start with kid’s sheets & towels. My son’s towels and sheets happen to be similar colors so it works out. Wash the sheets first so you can make the bed and set the clean clothes on top. Wash sheets and towels on warm with liquid detergent, a 1/2 cup of borax and fabric softener. Borax prevents the towels from having that mildewy smell. Dry sheets and towels on warm.
Load 2- Kid’s Clothes
If you checked out my post on Kid’s Closet Organization you’ll remember that I suggest keeping a rolling laundry hamper in your kid’s closet. It makes it so easy to just roll the dirty clothes into the laundry room. My son knows what day his laundry gets done and that if he wants his clothes and socks (he’s the worst about leaving socks strewn about the house) washed he MUST have it all in the hamper.
I usually wash all his clothes together (including whites, unless there is something special I want to set aside and wash with our whites) on warm with liquid detergent. Dry kid’s clothes on warm. Since they grow out of them so fast I don’t think drying them on low is necessary, unless you plan on reusing for younger siblings.
After your kid’s clothes are dry fold them and put them on the bed to be put away. Check out How I Organize Kid’s Clothes in this post and more of my son’s Sports Themed Bedroom here. Give our son the opportunity to earn a commission for putting away his clothes. If he doesn’t have it done by bedtime I save 50 cents!
Load 3- Towels & Greys
Since our towels are creme colored I wash them with grey items. Wash towels & greys on warm with liquid detergent, fabric softener and a 1/2 cup of Borax which prevents that mildewy smell towels sometimes get. You’ll notice that I don’t put the towels away until the next morning. The reason: I LOVE wrapping up in a warm, fresh from the dryer towel! Dry the towels on warm on Tuesday and then tumble them again for a bit in the morning before you shower. A warm towel is especially nice in the winter.
If you checked out my post on Closet Organization you know I keep a rolling hamper in the master closet. I’ve started hanging a bottle of stain remover on it so we can treat stains as we put our clothes in the hamper.
Load 4 – Sheets & Whites
In the morning when you wake up put your sheets into the wash first thing. Since our sheets are white I also wash our whites, with liquid detergent and fabric softener. Dry the whites on warm.
Load 5- Darks
The darks are probably the toughest load for me. They usually contain most of the clothes that need special treatment like line-drying or turning inside out. Wash darks on cold with liquid detergent. I’ve learned not to use fabric softener since it can leave dark spots on the clothes.
The dark clothes that can be dried get dried on the low heat or casual setting. Use the top of your washer and dryer to lay out the items that need to line or lay flat to dry. I have big plans to redo my laundry room. I’d like to remove the pedestals, put a counter top across the top of the washer and dryer and add some hanging space. I like to lay my shorts flat to dry so they don’t curl up at the bottom, especially the ones with cuffs.
These stackable drying racks are great to put lay flat to dry items on, like this Stitch Fix top from my 10th Fix.
Putting it All Away
As each load comes out of the dryer, fold it, stack it up by type (work out shorts, undies, socks) and then put them away all at the same time. Lay the clothes that will go on hangers over the laundry hamper. Then roll the hanging clothes into the closet to be hung up all at the same time. You can check out how I Clean Out and Organize our Closet in these posts.
I’ve created an easy to follow how to do laundry chart for those who are taking on the chore for the 1st time.
What are your laundry secrets for getting this dirty chore done? Share in the comments section below.