Tips for Daily Laundry Management

A Post by Bridgette

As I sit down to write this post, I remembered the load of laundry I started yesterday morning. It’s still sitting in the washer- wet. Oops! It’s probably stinky by now… maybe I’m not the right person to write this post? Or, maybe it’s something we all struggle with.

 My sister made a comment the other day that stuck with me. She said “I wish my laundry would do itself!” While I completely agreed, I also wondered: how could we make this laundry struggle a little easier?

Laundry is one of those unique chores that is never truly completed, like dishes for example. Even when you’re “caught up” there’s still dishes created by the next meal, or dirty laundry from the clothes you and your family are wearing. These tasks are never-ending, and to stay on top of them we must establish a battle plan.

Laundry Day

In “Home Management Plain and Simple” Kim wrote an entire chapter devoted to “Laundry Day.” She includes tips on how you can tame the laundry monster and stay on top of that never-ending laundry pile. Scheduling a weekly Laundry Day is your first step towards laundry management, this is the day when you do the tasks that take extra time or focus:

• Clean/organize the laundry area
• Declutter and put things away
• Do the maximum amount of laundry you can manage
• Ironing
• Mending
• Washing sheets/blankets or other unusual laundry

Laundry Management on the Daily

Having a set laundry day is a good start to laundry management, however to truly manage the ever-growing laundry pile we must employ a daily routine of management techniques.

One of Kim’s suggestions is to set a daily laundry goal. I remember as a child when there were 11 of us under one roof, our laundry goal was “four by four.” It didn’t always happen, but we tried to have 4 loads of laundry done by 4 o’clock. In my home now, I deal with a much smaller amount of laundry. My goal is to do 1 or 2 loads every-other day. To set an effective goal, take into account the amount of dirty laundry being produced in your home. Then tailor your daily laundry goal to manage the amount on laundry in your home.

A few daily habits to help you stay on top of laundry management include:

• Gather dirty laundry from around the house daily- keeping the laundry in a central location will help you know how much laundry actually needs done. By doing this you won’t be surprised by the pile of laundry your family members have been unintentionally hoarding, and suddenly find yourself “behind” on laundry again.

• Do at least 1 load of laundry start to finish, daily. Or complete your personal daily laundry goal.

• Set a timer when you start a load to remind you when to switch over the loads.

• Train your children/family members to help with laundry. Older children may be assigned laundry as a daily chore.

• Challenge your children to match up all the socks while racing a timer.

• Hold a family “folding party” and listen to an audiobook while folding clean laundry.

By setting a daily laundry goal and taking steps towards laundry management on a daily basis, your laundry pile no longer becomes a “laundry monster” but a manageable task. By enlisting help from your family members and delegating tasks, you are no longer in a one-on-one battle with the giant pile of dirty laundry. It becomes a team effort, “many hands make light work.”

You’ve Got This!

Laundry doesn’t have to be an “oops the pile is bigger than me again” task. If you take these steps and make them a daily routine. It will become second nature to you, and you’ll forget the days when laundry management was even an issue. You’ve got this, now let’s manage our laundry!

For even more tips on laundry or home management, check out “Home Management Plain and Simple.” This book has been an excellent resource in my personal home management journey. Any time I am overwhelmed or don’t know what/where to start next, this book has the answer. From an attitude adjustment, to a simple “start here, and do that.” This book is a must read for any mom or homemaker.

Also, check out the free resource library for more great home management resources!