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Guess what day it is?! It’s Laundry Day! I know you are probably thinking – every day is laundry day in my house! And, if you’re like me, it probably isn’t very high on your list of favorite things to do either. These four laundry tips will make it easier – and maybe more fun, too!
Get Help
All too often I hear stories from women with husbands and children who leave their clothing on the floor with the expectation that the wife is going to pick it up, place it in the laundry basket, and then wash it. The rule in our family is that everyone is responsible for putting their dirty clothing in the laundry basket. If it is on the floor, it does not get washed.
In our upstairs bathroom, we have a basket where we place our dirty clothing at the end of the day. We all do this; even The Boy. By having your children pick up after themselves, you’re teaching them responsibility and setting them up to live on their own one day.
Sort the Laundry
In our family, I sort by whites, lights, darks, towels and jeans, and sheets. That is easily 5 to 6 loads per week for our family of three. If you have space, presort the laundry ahead of time. Our laundry room is located on the main floor of our home away from the bedrooms, so I asked The Texan to build a laundry sorter which holds three baskets. We put our towels and sheets in two of the baskets, reserving the third for laundry day organizing. You may want to use a laundry sorter and organize by lights, darks, and towels.
Pair Your Socks
How do socks go missing? Is there really a dryer monster that is eating them? I don’t know the answer to either of the questions, but I do know that you can stop the cycle. When you’re sorting the laundry, pair the socks. Do NOT put socks into the washer without their mate. If only one sock is there, put it back in the dirty laundry. Eventually, the mate will turn up. Save yourself the headache.
Use a Detergent Pac
While it doesn’t seem like it takes a long time to measure and pour your laundry detergent, over time, those seconds add up to minutes; and minutes to hours. That’s time that you could be spending with your kids. Keeping busy mom’s in mind, each Tide Pod or Gain Fling will clean a single load of laundry. Just pop one in and go! Tide Pods and Gain Flings dissolve quickly in both top-load and front-load washing machines. No more pouring, no more spilling.
What are your favorite laundry tips that save you time?
I am doing laundry right now and any tips you can give me to save time.. I am all ears. I haven’t tried a detergent pack yet, but I am willing to try anything to cut down laundry time.
I think we spend far too much time working harder, not smarter. Getting everyone to pitch in with the laundry saved my sanity. I’m looking forward to the days when my son can carry his basket upstairs to his room!
I’m big on laundry detergent packs, in fact- I just ran out and had to use liquid detergent as back up. Not happy. I love the tip you gave about the socks. I never thought to pair them together in the dirty laundry. That’s actually a pretty great idea!
The packs are so convenient! I love using them as well – such a time saver.
I’d try a Gain fling. Gain has some pretty delicious boost pellets out there right now too (my favorite new boost pellet scent). Thanks for the tips, esp. regarding socks. We have a basket full of mismatched ones. 🙂
I always loved the scents of gain. I will have to go back to them and I like the idea of getting tips to cut my time in half. thank you of sharing
I pair my socks and STILL end up losing some of them. I honestly don’t know how it happens, but it’s great advice.
No kidding?! I have a strict “two in the washing machine, two into the dryer” policy. I hate wasting my time looking for missing socks! A friend of mine buys all blue socks for one kid, all red for another – maybe giving each family member a sock color would be good for your family? If one goes missing, it won’t be that noticeable!
I like the detergent pacs because it prevents you from adding too much detergent at once. There’s just enough!
In my house, that is very helpful when my husband does the laundry!
I do one load of laundry per day so Saturday doesn’t roll around and then all I can do is load after load of laundry 🙂
That’s smart Kristen! I do our laundry on Monday and Saturday, typically!
I’m all about making life easier so the packs seem perfect for me! I hate to think about it, but today is my laundry day too!
The detergent packs make laundry so much more simple!
Doing laundry is my least favorite thing in the world. Anything that will make it easier is welcomed
I love your sock idea. I need to try that because there is a big pile of unmatched socks on my bed as I type!
We have the same rule in my family. If you want your clothe’s washed, you must put them in the laundry bins or baskets. I do not go around and pick up clothes off the floor. I’m not a maid or a slave and my time is valuable too. I don’t mind doing the wash, its one chore I never complain about but picking up after people who are old enough to know how to use the baskets is not my job.
We just moved 3000 miles and my husband thought I was crazy because I packed my Tide Pods in the car to travel with us. It came in handy when we needed to do laundry along the way. My son has sensitive skin and I have to be careful what I use – Tide gets things clean and keeps his skin happy! I discovered when I started running and purchased socks that had the toes in them, our monster loved right foot socks, lol. We still laugh that all the right socks disappeared.
Love your story about the Right-Foot Sock Monster! The detergent packs are so convenient, great idea taking them on your road trip!
My favorite laundry tip is to do my laundry every day. Never get behind and then I won’t be overwhelmed with the task. I try to fold it as soon as it is dry also just so I don’t have to worry about it.
I’m better at folding the towels as soon as they are dry than clothing. Towels seem to be so much easier to stay on top of!
One way I save a TON of time doing laundry is that I don’t pair socks. My girls wear mismatches socks all the time. 🙂 I also don’t fold my older kids clothes. That’s their job!!
Great post!! Thanks so much!
Great idea having your older kids take care of their clothing. My son is 4.5 – he puts his clothes away, but I still fold them for him. I wish my son would wear mismatched socks – he refuses! Everything has to coordinate!
I always do one load of laundry on the weekends and I make the kids clean up after themselves and put their clothes in the bin. We make it a family affair. Thanks for the tips!
What great tips! My favorite is to pair your socks BEFORE washing! Brilliant! I can’t wait to try out these laundry detergents!
I hate laundry!Great tips! I need to utilize a few myself.
I finally broke down last month and purchased some Tide Pods. I am so glad that I did. It is allowing my 8 year old to help out with the laundry more and I know that I can trust her to not over/under measure! I love the new Pod concept!
I bought these a few weeks ago and love them so far. I love the smell of gain!
I really like the tide pods. They smell amazing and keep my laundry clean.
LOL, its laundry day for me today and I use Tide Pods also. I love the convenience! I have to say I have my whole family trained in placing their clothing in the laundry bins. Hey us moms have a lot to do as it is and if they think I’m going to pick up their clothing and wash them…noooo way!! LOL!
I had not heard of these but anything that makes my life easier is perfect by me! Can’t wait to try them out!
Having the kids help with gathering their clothes is a big thing around my house. Saves me time and little bit of anger while they’re at it. My daughter has started to really enjoy doing her own laundry. These packs would make it a lot easier instead of measuring out the detergent and spilling it everywhere!
I dont have a routine for the laundry. lol I guess I should because then I would feel less stressed!
Laundry is the one chore that I completely dislike. Anything to make it easier makes me happy!
All tips are appreciated and I know that the pods are great for laundry too. I’m not a fan of hanging out in the laundry room but I love doing the wash… Funny eh?
I love the idea of the flings! I need to check those out. Anything to save me time! Speaking of, I have to do laundry tonight!
I definitely need to use some of these tips because I’m always trying to catch up on doing laundry.
Just in time: tomorrow is laundry day! Thank you for the tips!
I do the pairing of socks after the fact, and if when they come out and I can’t find a match I just put them in a big plastic bag and then every once in a while I will grab that bag and go through it while I watch TV or something.
Love these tips! I just redecorated my laundry room so now I need to keep it clean and not let the clothes pile up again! Thanks for the tips!!
Every tip in this area is greatly welcomed!
Love the new Gain scents!