An Efficient Laundry System
Sometimes it is a system that bogs us down and I wanted to take a bit to go over the laundry system that works the best for my family and hopefully tweak your system to be easier on you and your family with some different ideas.

I usually tell my kids and husband that it is laundry day and they need to bring it to the laundry room (hallway in front of the laundry room) and sort it.


Sort Into 3 Piles
We sort into 3 main groups: Darks, Lights, and Reds (orange, pink, purple included). I figure if any of those colors bleed into each other in the red group that you won’t be able to tell.
I’ll add a Color Catcher or Shout Color Catcher if we have something new that might bleed in any load (they really do work and I haven’t had any issues when I add them).
My kids have been in charge of bringing their laundry down and sorting since they were about 3 years old. They are also in charge of bringing the bathroom and kitchen towels and replacing them.

Wrap up the Piles
Then I wrap up those piles in a large towel or shirt so it doesn’t look messy as laundry awaits going into the washer. We can still walk through that space then too.

Dealing with the Dry Clothes
I know this is where many people get stuck and say they don’t have time for this step. I did laundry for people as a job when my kids were little and this is what worked for me.
When the dryer beeps, I get it all out right away. I lay everything flat that needs hung and fold the rest right away. We hang all shirts and pants except workout shirts, under shirts, and pjs.
My kids clothes I stack by person in categories of shirts and bottoms (pants, shorts, and skirts). I leave them inside out or tangled if that’s how they came out of the wash. My kids are in charge of making them right side out and hanging shirts and folding pants and shorts. They put away a category at a time at night until it is all done.


Folding and Matching
I do match my own socks and my husband has all black socks so I don’t match them. The kids match their own socks.
I fold undershirts, workout shirts, and pjs in a quick way and don’t care if they are perfect. We don’t fold underwear at all so it just gets placed in the drawer as-is.
Sheets don’t get folded since we just put them right back on the beds and we don’t wash them weekly either. Towels only get folded if we are putting them away. If they are getting rehung, they aren’t folded.

Kids Responsibilities
My kids each need to fold and put away any towels and washcloths that need folded and put away. They each are in charge of half the stack.
They have until the end of laundry day to take care of their clothes so they can do it throughout the day as loads come out or once it is all done.
They can do laundry if needed so I can ask them to move it from washer to dryer or take it out if I need help.

Too Many Rules
Most of my clients that have issues with laundry piling up are the ones with too many rules and categories. Try to combine a couple categories and make your plan easier. So if you have “darks” and “darks delicate” try to just put the delicates in a laundry bag and wash all of it together in a dark load.
If you must hang all clothes coming out of the washer, have all hangers ready in the laundry room and hang them right away to dry. Try to eliminate things that don’t actually need to be hung to dry like jeans or cotton items and let them go into the dryer.
Don’t fold what doesn’t need folded like underwear or athletic shorts unless that helps you.
Stains
What I’ve learned with stains is that they are more likely to come out if you get to them right away. So if my kids come home from school with something on their clothes, I have them take it off right then and work on it with Dawn and let it soak in a dish pan until I do a load of wash. OxiClean does a great job when I soak stained items overnight or for a couple days.
Swimsuits and Towels
After we swim, we put all swimsuits and towels in a load right when we get home and include any swim shoes used. If we need to add to the load, I’ll grab some things out of a laundry basket to make a full load. This makes the swimsuits last longer since the chlorine wasn’t left to dry in them.
Make a Change
I hope there is at least one change that you can make to lessen your laundry burden and change it into a system that really works well for your family.
Are you ready to get your space or schedule organized? Let me know how I can help you get to a more Peaceful Place.
