What To Do About All That Laundry

Laundry. So much laundry. Like I tell my kids all the time, it’s almost like their socks have babies every time they put them in the hampers. With each member of our family going to school or work, working out or playing a sport, and putting something cozy on each day, that adds up to a LOT of laundry. And let’s not forget the pajamas, the towels, the sheets, and the dishrags. I mean, c’mon!

I have a system that I really like when it comes to laundry. I know that everyone has a process that works for them, and every family has different needs. If that’s the case for you, carry on, Warriors. However, if you feel like you’re a hostage to your family’s laundry and need a way out, consider this process.

I only do laundry once a week. Yes, I know, seems impossible to even imagine, but trust me on this one. 

To really enjoy and benefit from this process, and the time that it will free up in your week, you need to do one thing. And that, my friends, is to LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS. Your laundry will not appear perfectly brand new, wholly unwrinkled, or without an occasional blemish (ask Justin), but, remember, we are talking about consolidating what could be an entire week’s mental and physical energy of work into ONE DAY.

Allison Gagnon- Choicelunch.com

The second thing you need to do to begin this practice is to make sure that each person in your family has enough clothes, jerseys, uniforms, socks, and underwear to cover each day of the week. If they don’t, get some more. Buy a backup set if you can. This will help the process, and allow you the space to compartmentalize the laundry duties to only one day a week with enough clothing to go around.

Mondays are laundry days for me, but that day is as arbitrary as any other. I’m not a huge fan of Mondays in general, so I figure I might as well add in one of my less favorite chores for that day since it’s already a lost cause. On Monday morning, you’ll start by gathering all of the laundry in your home, and taking it to your laundry area. If you want to really do things my way, don’t worry about color sorting. I know, that’s total craziness, but who has time for that kind of thing, anyway.  I can tell you from experience, and from the experience of a few members of my tribe, that your laundry will NOT suffer too tremendously if you do not color sort. Let it go!

Throw in one load to wash. Move to dryer. Throw in another load to wash. Move to dryer.  Repeat. Keep this process going until all the laundry is done. I do keep one stash of “delicates,” and always do that load last, before hanging dry. Put all the laundry in a huge pile in your living room, on your bed, on your couch, or close to any place where you’ll want to fold it later. My kids are well-accustomed to the massive mountain of clothes in our family room each Monday.

At the end of the day, when all of the laundry is done, I fold each piece, making a stack for each person in our family. This includes ALL of their laundry for the week, and usually takes up considerable floor space. I then have each family member retrieve their hamper, and we try to work together to put it all away in their drawers and organizers for the week (see post on “A Clothes Organization System that Works”). Wham bam, thank you, ma’am.

Allison Gagnon- Choicelunch.com

I don’t do laundry again until the next Monday, and my kids know that. If they need something in particular cleaned, they know it has to be in their hampers by Monday. Justin knows this as well.  (He’s still skeptical of subjecting his work clothes and golf shirts to my process and has taken to setting aside the majority of his laundry and doing it himself, but I’m totally fine with that. Less laundry for me!) I do make exceptions for sports jerseys, when the kids have a quick turnaround with multiple games in one week, but it’s super easy to throw in one load that only contains sporting uniforms.

We all know that doing laundry is just a fact of life. But it doesn’t have to be a never-ending story. If you are able, give yourself a breather from the madness by allotting one day a week for this chore, and move on. You can thank me later.

 

Hello There!

My name is Allison! Nurturer Of 4 Remarkable Littles / Married To My Own Modern Day Prince Charming / California Born And Raised / Adventure Seeker / Nature Enthusiast / Memory Maker / Food / Wine / Fashion / Sleep

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