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Ugh…laundry! Luckily, using these laundry hacks makes the job simple… so you can get on to more fun things. (Anything else.)

Remember that one time when you found the bottom of your laundry hamper??

It was an amazing hour, wasn’t it?

(I mean, ewww.  Now you know that you should probably clean the hamper, too.  But hey…empty hamper!!)

You probably even convinced yourself that from now on, things would be different.

Never again will you let that laundry get the best of you.

No, sir!

hahaha

It’s funny how our brains work, isn’t it?

Because of course the laundry piled up again.

Like my friend always says…the laundry is never done (unless the whole family was naked while you finished up the last load).

I’m not here to sell you some magical system that means you’ll never have to deal with laundry again.

Just to tell you that you can make it a whole lot easier on yourself.

Top Laundry Hacks from a Mom Who Knows

Mama, you’ve been overdoing it all these years.  Here’s how to take it easy on yourself.

These simple laundry hacks are perfect for busy moms or anyone who hates laundry chores! Get organizing ideas with tips for saving money when you clean clothes and find the right storage for them. DIY detergent for cleaning clothes.

Do You Hate Sorting?

People seem to be divided into two categories: the sorters and the non-sorters.

Sorters have their own way of dividing clothing into various loads.  It ranges from the simple (separating white clothes from colors) to the super organized (sorted by color, material type, and specific washing instructions).

Non-sorters….well, that’s pretty self-explanatory.

For some, the question of sorting is not negotiable.

If the thought of throwing a load of random clothing into the wash makes you squeamish, this tip is not for you.  

Jump down to the next section below.  No worries.

On the other hand, if you resist doing the laundry because sorting clothes is too hard, ask yourself:  Just how important it is to sort?

Yes, it’s true that many clothes will be cleaner and better taken care of in the long run if they are sorted.  But when you’re busy keeping up with young children, that might not be a priority right now.

Clothing washed in a random pile will still come out clean.  It may not sparkle, but if you’re alright with not looking like Tinkerbell, that’s probably ok.

ClotheslineHate forgetting it in the washer or dryer?

Do you find yourself rewashing the same load 3 times before you manage to get it into the dryer?  You need a method that will help you remember (and keep the mildew monsters away).

I like to start a load in the wash the night before.   If you can, set the timer on my machine to go off an hour or two before you wake up.  

Then just throw it in the dryer in the morning.

You could also try setting a timer for yourself in a way that’s more likely to catch your attention than the sound of the washer kicking off.  Try an alarm on your phone or use the one on your oven.

If you don’t like to use a timer, try to associate “laundry time” with a naturally occurring part of your day.  For example, before you eat lunch, you always change over the laundry.

Hate folding?

Find the space.  

My “laundry room” is an ugly portion of our unfinished basement.  So I don’t have a great place for folding.

Instead, I use my bed as a folding area.  It’s big enough to hold piles for each member of the family.  

I also sometimes use the couch so I can watch TV while doing this job.

Don’t fold. 

(Gasp!)

Hang with me, now.  😉

In the days when I used cloth diapers, I would carefully fold them and stack them with every wash.  

It wasn’t long before I noticed that it took me a long time to fold diapers that would just be used again that very same day.  

Throwing them into a pretty basket, unfolded, worked out just fine.  (And saved a ton of time!)

I also never fold underwear (who cares if they’re wrinkled??).

While I hang up what I can in our tiny 1950s style closets, I hate to hang clothes about as much as I hate to fold them.

Enlist help.  

When the stack of clean clothes spills over the sides of my oversized laundry basket, I usually dump it all out on a clean floor and ask the family to join me in a folding party.  

Oh, they aren’t fooled by the word “party” anymore… but they get more efficient at it every time!

Hate putting it away?

I rarely put away anyone’s laundry except for my own.  

And if you fold laundry on your bed while standing next to your dresser or closet, it’s super easy to put away your own clothes as you fold!

The rest of the family is perfectly capable of putting away their own clothing.  Kids as young as 2 can put away their own clothes (with help).

Every once in a while, go through the kids’ dresser drawers and clear out clothes they never wear, don’t fit, are stained, etc.  That makes putting things away easier.

Do the kids put clothes away like I would?  Never.

Do they get clothes inside closed dresser drawers?  Sometimes.

Do I have to regularly redirect them on this task?  You bet.

Basically, my choices are to do it all myself and feel a little crazy, or let them do it and feel a little crazy.  I prefer to deal with the latter.

How do you get them to put their own clothes away?  A great method is to put their clothing pile on their chair at the supper table.  Food is an amazing motivator for my crew.

More often, we ask them to grab their pile of clothes from our bed as part of their nightly routine.

Bonus Laundry Tips and Tricks

Get everyone on board.

Those kids that create so much laundry?  They are capable of helping with it!

If you’ve made peace with not sorting, then let your older children do a basket of their own laundry from start to finish.  They will require supervision at first, but over time they’ll get the hang of it.

Motherhood is supposed to be (in part) about working ourselves out of a job!

Young kids can fold and put away their own clothing.  Ours start those jobs at the age of 2.  (Clearly the 2 year old needs more help than the older kids!)

Dealing with cold weather accessories

Piles of wet gloves, hats, and scarves make me nuts!  This year I finally came up with an awesome solution that I wish I had discovered years ago.

Organize winter accessories, Winter accessories storageThis is actually a sock hanger, but it works really well for winter purposes, too!  We’ve been using it for years.  

It’s easy enough for small hands to use, and has held up extremely well so far.  

I’m really happy with it, especially considering that it costs less than $10!

 

 

 

 

Make your own detergent

I still haven’t tried making my own detergent yet, although I understand that it’s a great way to save some money!  If you’d like to try it, here’s a recipe for a liquid detergent to try from Southern Mom Loves.

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If you’re thinking of adding some essential oils to your homemade detergent, here’s a great resource from Ann’s Entitled Life to match your needs with the proper oil type.

Thanks to these tips, I hate laundry just a little less.

Sometimes I see the bottom of the hamper these days.  But if I don’t…that’s one less mess I have to look at.  😉

I’m always saving great household tips on Pinterest, so follow me and keep up with the best ideas as I find them!

Visit Medium Sized Family’s profile on Pinterest.

 

What’s your favorite laundry tip or trick?  I know we’d all love to learn from you, so be sure to leave a comment.

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These tips will help you keep up with laundry (finally!)