Just call me the Laundry Queen because with 8 children the laundry NEVER stops! On average I do about 3 – 5 loads a day which is not only time consuming but takes up a lot of energy (and trust me I have heard the complaints from the hubby department when the bills come in!) Try these tips and tricks to help get past the never ending loads of laundry and on to the other important things that you need to do!
Assign each child a specific laundry day: Because I have so many monkeys children, I pair them up in three’s and the twins go with me. This gives me three days of children’s clothes plus mine and then a fourth day for towels and sheets and the hubby’s clothes when he is here. I make sure to assign the days during the week so that I don’t have to do it over the weekend. Most important I make sure that I am stocked up on ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent. There is nothing worse than realizing you haven’t enough detergent!
Get the kiddies involved! On the assigned laundry days all the children are required to bring their own laundry down before 8:30am. If they don’t, they then have the option of doing their own laundry or wearing dirty clothes until their next assigned day. (Beware – some children may like the dirty clothes option!)
Don’t hang around! Take clothes out of the dryer right away to avoid ironing – better yet don’t buy any clothes that need to be ironed.
Delegate tasks: Why not let your “King” (aka the hubby or partner) take over in the sheets and towels department? He won’t have difficulty ruining them (I hope) and it will give him the opportunity to take a good look at your current washing machine and he might just realize that a new appliance is needed! Lucky for us busy mama’s ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent is not only designed to save energy but is compatible with any washing machine.
Sort them out! Even the youngest of kiddies can help sort out the darks, colours, and whites and once the laundry is done, and they can pair up all the mixed matched socks that inevitably come out of the machine.
Fold away! In our house laundry is folded and put directly away – no folded clothes remain in baskets otherwise the basket becomes their permanent home! Some of my kiddies just stuff their clothes in their drawers or throw them on the floor (or under the bed), so for them I don’t bother folding. Actually I should thank them for freeing up a few more hours for me.
Until next time,
Chantelmomof8crazymonkeys
Do you have any laundry tips that would help make this chore less tedious. Comment below to win a 6 month supply of ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent…FREE!
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Just tag surfing my way around to see how things go in the neighborhood. I like how you seem to be having Fun.. That’s great!.. You made me laugh n smile.. Now what should I do?…
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Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
It’s fairly demanding to find posts like these since there is absolutely not much description made available on the web. Thanks.
Awesome, that’s definitely what I was hunting for! You just saved me alot of searching around
I do laundry first thing in the mornings while I get ready for work. Hubby puts it in the dryer and loads the machine again if needed. Whoever comes home first for lunch takes it out, and reloads the dryer, ….etcIt’s called teamwork!
We are a family of 5. My husband, son, twin daughters, and myself. My husband is in charge of all the boy laundry. I am in charge of the girl laundry.
I wear all my pants twice, unless they are noticeably dirty. And towels get used 3 times ( Day one to dry my body, Day 2 to dry my hair, Day 3 to step out of the tub on). It helps cut down on the laundry.
I always let the washer fill up with water b4 I put in clothing; the extra water gets clothes a little cleaner.
I “review” the clothes that need to be washed daily otherwise the kids think that if the wind blew on their jeans, they should be washed. This cuts down on the quantity of laundry needed to be done.
Get your husband to do it:)
If you have stains on your clothing, be sure to scrub them with a stain remover before washing.
I have everyone in the family deliver their dirty clothes to the laundry room and pic up and put away the clean ones every day
In Ontario, with the Time Of Day usage for hydro, laundry has now been delegated to after 7pm (to save on hydro). With that said, 2 very active kids in school, karate, hockey, and a husband who works in a warehouse (who also plays hockey) = laundry, laundry, laundry.
I get the kids to bring down the clothes every morning. We have 4 bins in the laundry room – 1 for kids pants and shirts; 1 for kids undergarment (I swear we have a sock monster because I am always loosing them); 1 for hubbies work clothes and hockey; and 1 for mine and hubbies regular wear. I also have a towels, sheets bin upstairs that hubby brings down every week.
When they are done, everyone takes a basket and puts them away.
I try to fold the laundry fresh out of the dryer, so it has less wrinkles, and can be put straight away
I hang everything to dry then the pressure is not there to put it away immediately
I wash the whole basket for each kid. All colors together in the cold water. Nobody’s clothes get mixed up!
I buy 90% of my clothes from Valuevillage and other resale shops. The way I make my hand-me-down clothes last, when I launder them often, is to buy VERY carefully. I always look for high-end or good-value labels, and if you’re willing to take the time to shop this way, like me you can find great clothes by designers and design houses. You can find White Stag rain coats, Alfred Sung items and others. Buy quality clothes, and they last a LOT longer in the wash.
I keep a clothes hamper in every bedroom as well as the bathroom so I don’t have to pick up anything off the floor. I will do & fold the laundry myself, but it’s up to the rest of the family to put it all where it belongs Saves me time and I avoid the worst part of the job!!
I have a rule, if it is not in the hamper it does not go downstairs to get washed, this has cut down on me picking up lots of clothes around or near the hamper on the floor or otherwise! Saves time!
I make sure that the clothes I am washing are dirty, that way I am no rewashing clean or nearly clean clothes. This has cut down my laundry.
Soak Stained clothes or tough white socks overnight in detergent and coold water. They will be so much easier to get clean the next day
Use less detergent then recommended. It works just a good.
Don’t pack the washing machine full; the machine does a better job when it is 3/4 full maximu.
I’d should test with you here. Which isn’t something I often do! I enjoy studying a put up that may make folks think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!
I do my washing later in the evening, pretreat all the stains, use cold water as much as possible, and hang a lot of it to dry overnight. For the stuff coming out of the dryer, I remove it immediately and fold or hang it up to avoid having to iron anything. (Haven’t had to touch my iron in YEARS! It’s great… :o)
I have a supply of hangers ready in my laundry room to hang shirts as they come out of the washing machine, This way they require less ironing
Pre-treat the stains with your laundry detergent and scrub gently to try to remove most of the stains out before putting the item with your regular laundry load.
I hang up blouses and shirts as soon as I take them from dryer- no ironing needed.
I Soak my clothing in cold water and wash them in the washer with dish washing liquid works amazing stains!
I have three hampers for family to separate laundry: white, colors and towels. It does help with sorting.
Before I leave for work most mornings, all the towels and dirty clothes are picked up and and put in the washing machine… that way – it’s ready to go when I get home and I don’t have to see dirty laundry hanging around …
We get out kids to help out as much as they can. We carry the laundry down stairs and back up when it is done, but the kids load the machine with their own laundry and put it in the dryer when it is done, they also hang up any clothes that can drip dry. When the dryer is done they unload it and wait for us to carry it upstairs where they fold the clothes and put them away….not to bad for a 7 and 5 year old, we start them doing their own when they turn 4
Dont let the laundry pile up for days at a time,try to keep it down to a one hamper maximum! lol
I pretreat big stains so they are easier to wash. laundry is a big process in my house. 6 people, 4 kids, 2 dogs etc. It gets to being sometimes 3 loads a day. I keep a laundry hamper in the laundry room so at least hubby and the kids can throw their laundry in there. one less step for me 🙂
Never do partial loads — you are just wasting time — and money — by not maximizing the laundry loads.
I have two strong magnets which I attach around one of the wings of my washing machine oscillator. It serves two purposes. It changes the polarity of the water, making it easier to penetrate the fibres of fabric, for better cleaning. The magnet also attracts metallic objects I may have missed when searching through pockets, such as pens, coins, earrings, safety pins, paper clips, small nails and the like.
Don’t wash hardly worn clothes – if I wear a dress for less than one day and its still clean I just hang it up near an open window to air
Get the kiddies involved!
I pre treat all my clothing stains before I wash in cold water. Avoid drying clothes that have stains- that will set the stain and then it is difficult to remove.
I don’t over-launder either, and if I (or another family member) only wears an item for one hour or a short period of time, it goes back in the drawer or closet for another use first.
Do your laundry daily so that it doesn’t get to be a big job
Don’t let stains set. Pretreat before laundering. Wash in cold or cool water to keep colours from fading.
I get help from my family to do the laundry, this makes it faster.
I have a “triple” laundry hamper down near my washer/dryer. Right away I separate my whites, mediums, darks. When time to do laundry, no separating, just throw in the machine!
If I use a powdered detergent, I disolve it in hot water just to be sure that it doesn’t get on my clothes.
My husband will start the laundry and I finish it. It doesn’t seem so daunting if you only have to fold and put away the clothes. Even my 2 year old joins in and helps load the washer, front loading machines are the best. He knows which buttons to push to start the machine too! Never too early to start doing laundry:)
Invest in a laundry hamper that has separate sections to sort your laundry. On wash day it will be so much easier as your clothes will already be sorted into whites, brights and dark clothing.
We do laundry once a week and make it a team effort. We make sure that nothing sits in the dryer after it goes off and put everything where it needs to go right away. This avoids having to iron anything…which I am not a big fan of. My kids put their laundry where it needs to go, hubby puts his own away and I do mine. It makes it so much less painful in the long run for me
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
Turn all the inside-out clothes back to outside-in before you wash so you can fold them faster when they come out of the wash/dryer
I tell the kids if your socks are inside out, I am not washing them. If you don’t put your laundry in the baskets it also does not get washed. My time is valuable and I don’t want to spend it in the laundry room.
I find laundry baskets heavy and awkward to carry down the stairs so I have a large cloth bag that I toss everything into, trown it over my shoulder and carry it down. Or else when my hands are already full, I can just toss the bag down.
I have teenagers now, so they go through too many clothes, including work wear (fast food joints) but I try to only do wash every second day, about 2 loads at a time. I love that the cold water arm and hammer can be used even in HE washers!
I don’t fold/ hang up the kid’s clothes, they have a spot where I dump theirs and they have to go and find their socks, etc, or it just sits there until they run out! I still fold towels and my husband’s and my stuff.
Use some salt in each load it softens the water
I watch tv while I fold clothes and then I get the kids to help me put it away. Also I don’t fold my husbands clothes that is his job with 3 kids and the household stuff I have way to much to fold already.
Get enough clothes to last two weeks so you have time to wash during the weekend without worrying about Monday morning.
Every child is responsible for some aspect of the laundry process with one sorting, one folding and one putting it away.
Wash the whites with bleach first and then the dark clothes immediately after so that leftover diluted bleach can be used with the colours to clean them even more.
Hang your clothes as often as you can and have someone else remove them afterwards.
My son puts away his own laundry,although i do catch him putting it back in the dirty laundry from time to time…errr!
I absolutely love my front load machines and the delay was is awesome. If it so too late to run load I delay it for morning so it starts without having to remember to do it. And I hate putting laundry away, and will only fold it while watching tv, a habit from how we did things as a kid. So i get my husband to fold lots too and put away.
I only wash in cold water, and actually use a laundromat lol
SInce our kidlets were small, we have a basket in the laundry room for socks – I don’t take the time to match them & roll them & put them in drawers – when they will all reappear again in no time flat. This has created some hilarity at times as people in the family (who shall remain nameless) take pride in wearing odd socks under boots etc. However we know they are all clean & that it saves a huge amount of time 🙂 Great for busy families
We all pitch in with the laundry. When the hamper is full, it is taken to the laundry room. I usually sort to prevent mistakes, but then my family helps to fold and put laundry away.
i do laundry after 7pm when its cheaper and when ever posible hag it on the cloths line to dry nice and fresh and cheap
Shelbys – that is great that the kiddies help out and do their own laundry! I believe in helping them achieve independence:) Thanks for entering!
My kids started to do their own laundry when they were 7 and 10. They learnt very quickly and I often moved things from washer to dryer if they started clothers just before bedtime or folded for them, but basically they were in charge.
well i don’t have many tips that haven’t been mentioned! however i do use jeans more than once if it’s warm out i go commando.
i also don’t was h my kids jammys every night !
hope this enters me into the contest…
I try to stay on top of it. If the hampers get too full I become anxious. I prefer to be organized. To cut down on water, electricity etc. I have become more aware of what is going in the hamper. Wet towels don’t necessarily need to washed but hung up and dried. Now that is a hard one…getting the children to hang up their wet towels. Everyone has towels with hangers and a hook of their own in the bathroom. That makes it easier to stay organized and it helps us to help the environment in our own small way.
I wait until I have a full load of wash before I run the washing machine. I don’t overload the machine, but I like it to be full to save on electricity. With the smart meters coming out, I am not sure how much of a saving it will be.
I get the hubby to help hehe he does the heavy lifting from the basement for me that makes things easier for me!
I used Nellie’s Dryer Balls. No need for anti static sheets and they are good for about two years. They are also not harsh on clothes and money saving.
Buy a tide bar. 🙂
Ever since my teenage son and hubby broke the washing machine and flooded the ground floor, only I do the laundry now. I don’t look at it as a chore but rather a chance to get a little exercise and be confident my machine will be working the next time I need to use it. Although they really want to use the washer, I don’t let them even touch it, but they do put their laundry away! I always use Arm and Hammer liquid and the cold tap water setting so I don’t need to sort them, makes it very easy!
Delegate tasks and get everyone involved…love it!
I hate when shirts are inside out. I spend a few moments ahead of time making sure they are not.
I also have a simple rule. If it’s not in the laundry hamper, don’t expect it to be washed. Harsh, but effective.
Sort ahead of time!!! 🙂
I recently purchased a 3 bag laundry sorter. Not only does it save time as everything is pre-sorted, but I only put a load on when one of the bags is full, thus eliminating partial loads and saving money!
We have a laundry chute from the 2nd floor bathroom right into the laundry room, which REALLY helps. I sort laundry mid-week into my 3 bin organizer, and again on laundry day. I usually don’t hang around while the laundry is going, I do all of my other cleaning in between. I do all of my laundry on one day- usually 4-10 loads!
Wow some great tips! I dont find doing the laundry too worrysome but my biggest tip is to fold all clothes or hang up right out of the dryer, do not let them sit there, as they will get wrinkled and need a re-heat to get the wrinkles out. Total waste of energy costs.
Make laundry a game for everyone and rotate the chores!
I get the kids to help, it sometimes makes things messy, but it helps and teaches them good lessons for the future.
I don’t mind doing laundry for my family of 7, sometimes. I tend to save it until all the kids are in bed then watch my favorite recorded show to make it somewhat pleasurable.
I have an 8 and 6 year old and they both have laundry baskets in their rooms; if they want clean clothes they take their laundry to the laundry room, sort it by color and let me know that they have done it. When it’s all clean and dry, I iron, they sort socks etc and then they get to put it all away. Laundry took longer the first couple of weeks but now it works like clockwork. They love the way the washing smells after its been through the wash and how soft their towels are.
I invested in a large capacity, front load washer that uses way less detergent and water and I cut dryer sheets into thirds and only use 1/3 of a sheet per dryer load.
Hi I have several tips for doing laundry. I never wait for one day in particular to do all my laundry. I dont let it build up I wash when the basket is full. Also I have seperate bins for laundry as they remove their clothes. (One whites, one darks , and one colors). My final tips are to save energy is that I always wash in cold water and I always hang the clothes on the outdoor line if possible.
I avoid using a dryer. I put in half a cup of vinegar to my load of laundry into the washer, cleans better and also helps with lint. Saves me more than just a bit of money!
My tip for laundry is to always turn your clothes inside out before putting them into the washer – it really helps to keep the damage done to clothes over time at bay. Easy thing to do and it really will keep your clothes looking new longer.
I work in a hospital…and the best way to treat blood stain is peroxide, it works great even on old blood stain!!!
I use cold water for washing all my clothes and finds it keeps the colors brighter than using warm or hot cycles.
I do the wash after the kids have gone to bed. Then I put in the dryer and go to sleep. That way I know I have at least 12 hours until there is more.
I only do my laundry over the weekends when it’s non-peak rates. Good thing there’s only 3 of us. Love to hang them out on the line in Summer. The best part is I don’t do any ironing. Just wash, hang, dry & wear.
I do a load every night, sometime 2. with little ones running around it never ends.
I hate doing laundry, it is by far my least favorite chore. My 11 year old daughter is responsible for doing her own laundry and my hubby does his own as well. I do mine and my son’s as he is still a toddler. My best time saving tip is that when I do the kids clothes, as I am folding them I sort them into shirts, pants, jammies, etc but I also have a no longer fit pile. Once everything is folder the clothes get put away and the no longer fits stack goes directly into boxes of outgrown clothes. This helps keep the clothes organized and no one is trying to dress in clothes that no longer fit. Some weeks it seems my “doesn’t fit” pile is bigger than the others haha!
Thanks, the shower rod is such a good idea! I just had my basement finished, so I can install one in the laudry room!
My laundry tip is….have your husband do it. Jokes…but really, What i do is make sure that the clothes are actually dirty. My daughter has a habit of changing a half a dozen times a day and what she puts in the laundry basket is still clean and unworn. I do two loads of her laundry during the week, and my our laundry on Sunday!
I put T-shirts and shirts right onto hangers and put these on a bar over the laundry sink. When they are dry, they go straight into the closet.
I only do a load of sorted laundry when it will fill the whole machine. Less water, less energy, and less detergent used in the long run.
My tip that helps me…is to do a load every day instead of being overwhelmed all at once at the end of the week. I also have special days of the week for certain items, Saturday is bed sheets and blankets and Sunday is all towels. I do the same thing for Monthly items, last day of every month I wash Shower curtains, bed cover, ect.
In our house laundry is a shared chore.
Because our grown daughter lives with us she does it half the time, and my wife does the other half.
I have my kids go through their laundry first, taking all the debris out of their pockets and turning everything right-side out. This saves time on folding on the other end.
I don’t sort my laundry anymore – I use cold water and don’t have a problem with coclors running. My boys are responsible for putting away their own clen laundry and I’ve taken the hampers out of our bedrooms and put them all in the laundry room – now I don’t have to haul the full hampers to the laundry room.
Make the children help at an early age. Folding, bringing clothes to the laundry room, put away their own clothes and eventually washing their own clothes. A life skill and they will understand how hard mommy works and they will be more mindful and respectful
I have teenagers so it seems they love to change clothes 3 times a day so the laundry is a bit heavy but I always wash after 7pm at night when hydro rates are less and always always use cold water.
I always fill my washer with water and detergent first before I add the clothes to make sure the detergent is well blended.
My 12 yr old does her own laundry and my 4 and 3 yr old help collect laundry and put it in the laundry bins every day. My husband also does equal laundry to myself so we all pitch in and do our part! 🙂
On Laundry day My husband carries down the laundry and sorts it for Me. Darks and Whites. My Teenage Son is mostly doing His own now which helps big time.
I have three kids… 7 year old boy, twin 5 year old girls. Plus a husband, lol
I do the girls laundry one day- I don’t sort their whites from dark’s, it all goes together.
I do my sons another day- which he helps with. I put the soap in and he trows it in, I help him to put it in the dryer and then I fold it.
My husband and I have three basket system in our room. We sort the colours, white’s and dark’s as we take them off.
Towels and sheets are done every other week. All there laundry gets folded and baskets taken to their room. I put it away as we are doing baths and bedtime routine.
let your kids wear the same clothes unless they get stained. it’s not like kids have stinky sweat. less laundry = happy mommy.
For those dreaded greasy spots on cotton clothing, rub a little dish soap on them and let them sit for a bit. It’s the only thing that gets them out the first time
I do my laundry after 7 pm, that is when the price of hydro goes down where we live. There is larger loads done with my heavy duty washer and I try to air dry as much as possible, as well as using coldwater washing. I have so many stairs in my house that I like to do as few trips up and down as possible.
My daughter is a teenager now, so she has to definetely help with our laundry…..she wears as much as I do if not more, so her help is beneficial!
The little mesh bags from the dollar store are great to throw in socks straight off the feet. No more socks lost to laundry never-never land!
My kids go to a school where the dress code calls for white tops – yikes!! So when they come home with stained white shirts – everything from grass stains, juice stains, I don’t know what you call them stains – I have to pretreat and rub the detergent into the stain right before it goes into the wash. I find this decreases the stain right away, by at least 50-70%. The machine does the rest and usually comes out quite clean. For the more stubborn stains (or at least the ones I didn’t catch) a rewash is necessary with of course a pretreat with the laundry detergent.
Everyone in the house is responsible to sort the colours from the whites. Extra baskets are provided to do this. Also for stains we keep a spray bottle filled with
Sunlight dilluted and spray the stains before it goes into the basket. Sunlight is a good stain fighter as well as a Washer.
Being a mom of three boys (ages 6, 3 and 1 yrs) we go through five loads of laundry a week. In order to stay on top of everything, I designate certain TV shows just for folding laundry. My PVR is chock-full of light and fluffy viewing (e.g. Glee, 2 Broke Girls, Up All Night, etc.) that doesn’t need my full attention (unlike a show like Criminal Minds). I need only glance up now and then from folding the laundry and not miss anything crucial in the storylines.
When you take of your clothes,immediately decide if it is dirty or not,if dirty,throw it in the hamper right away,dont throw it on the floor and leave it,and if its not dirty,hang it up!
I keep a bottle of stain remover next to the laundry hamper and the kids are to spray their stains before putting their clothes in the hamper. I don’t always know where their stains are and don’t have time to inspect each piece of laundry before throwing it in the machine.
Here’s my best laundry tip; don’t worry about doing it every day! Make one day a week laundry day (if you can) and then do four or five loads one after the other. It’s a bit of a job, but you can relax for the rest of the week when you’re done!
To cut back on the amount of laundry I have to do, especially in the winter, I imposed a rule that every sweatshirt, sweater, pullover or thick material tops are to be worn at least 3 times before throwing it in the laundry, with the exception if the item gets stained or dirty. To ensure freshness of wear, I ask that a T-shirt be worn underneath the thick item of clothing so that the T-shirts could be changed daily, and my load is a bunch of T-shirts rather than thick pullpvers. As for pants, jeans, sweatpants, the 3 day rule also applies. The loads have been cut back about a third. I wash the colours in cold water, and the whites are washed in hot.
Try to do a load of laundry each day so that it is not so overwhelming.
to save energy I rarely use the dryer, and hang most items on a clothing rack. it extends the life of your clothes as well!
I don’t have to do laundry. My retired hubby does it. He can do it anytime day or night. Yeah, I have it good.
WOW! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SUCH GREAT TIPS! THERE ARE SOME THINGS HERE THAT I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT! I WAS GOING TO RESPOND TO EVERYONE’S COMMENTS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I LIKE TO DO BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY TO KEEP UP WITH…. ….PLEASE KEEP THE TIPS COMING AND GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!
When an item gets a grease stain I pre-scrub with a little shampoo and so far the grease stain washes away in the laundry.
I do a load a laundry a night so I am not spending one of my days off consumed by laundry. I also do my laundry in cold water and begin the load at 9pm so it is cheaper. My kids switch the laundry over to the dryer and they put away their own clothes. It is a family project.
I sort the night before then I’m ready to go in the morning!
I also wash in cold and never sort my laundry with the exception of new items that haven’t been washed before and might run.
When I am folding my clean laundry, I seperate the clothes into piles, of what belongs to whom. Then they are all responsible in putting their clothes away, plus a big one – I insist that my 22 year old son who lives at home – brings his laundry to the laundry room, if he wants it washed!
I have 3 hampers, one for each, black and colors and whites. and 2 days a week I do laundry. I always do it on the same days that way they know to put clothes in to have them washed. I also tell them that if the clothes has a stain on them to tie the clothes in a knot and then I can put stain remover on it.
I make sure all washing is sorted into colors and whites in each room, so all I have to do is pick up the appropriate bags from each room to do a wash.
LAUDRY SEEMS TO NEVER END
I only end up doing laundry every week and a half to two weeks (my kids have lots of clothes, sigh). That way I can make super large loads (I have a front load washer that can handle it) and usually get away with about five. Then that is my chore for the day, I attack it and get it done.
For having a really clean, fresh and successful laundry day first you need a good and effective washing machine and laundry detergent and ARM & HAMMER is one of them.
I add baking soda to remove odors from gym clothes.
Slightly scrub perspiration stains with vinegar before washing
We built our house, and my husband installed a pre-made cabinet, and laid some black granite tile for a countertop. I love my new cabinet, and it’s an ideal place to fold laundry and stack clothes.
I have a marathon laundry day and get it all done for the week.
I share the chore with a family member.
Make a weekly schedule for your laundry to ensure that it gets done.
I make sure bath towels get hung up after baths and showers, so they can dry out between uses and not get that mildew smell. By doing this, I only have to wash bath towels once a week; saves money and saves time doing laundry too.
What a great tip! I never knew about Baby powder – thanks! I am trying it:)
Yes time is of the essence when it comes to stains – typically in this house I don’t find the stain until way after it has happened because my kiddies don’t feel the need to inform me lol
I too buy only white or black socks but somehow I still manage to get a basket full of socks with no partner – I think it is a conspiracy really.
It’s great to have a picky husband because then they do things the way they want and we get out of doing it – love it!
That is a great idea! I love hanging the clothes in the spring and summer outside.
I dream of the day when I have to wait for enough laundry sigh…………..
I totally agree – a freshly washed bed is Heavenly! Unfortunately by the time my head hit sthe pillow about 8 little monkeys have jumped all over the bed:)
You sound so awesome! I love your tip on hanging the entire outfit on a hanger for the next day – thanks!:)
Racheal I love the no folding! I may install some shelving and lay my kiddies clothes flat as well!
Thanks!
I have 4 kids and do about 1-2 loads a day. I make sure that the kids only put their dirty clothes in the laundry, and I only wash sheets every other week.
we have two bars in our laundry room where we hang most of the laundry. It saves on the laudry cost. I also tell my kids that if they don’t bring their laundy to the laundry room I won’t wash it
If I announce to the children it’s time to do laundry – they bolt lol. Glad your family is willing to help out:)
Lisaski – I do the washing at night as well
Having the kiddies carry their own laundry baskets is great for mama’s body:)
I learned this laundry tip from a mom of 5 who had laundry down to a science. She would wash a load and then dry for only 10 minutes in the dryer to get the stiffness out. Then she would hang everything on hangers. She had hangers for all items of clothes. Large hangers, small hangers, hangers with clips. Then she would hang all the items on a bar that was installed in her laundry room so that they could air-dry. After they were dry, all the hangers were grabbed and brought upstairs and placed in the correct closet. No more folding except for socks and underwear!
wash your bras and any other delicates in a salad spinner, is better for the clothes than wringing them out. Of course I don’t use the one I use for salads, I bought another for laundry @ thrift store. Garage sales another thrifty source.
I take the clothes out of the dryer as soon as it stops. I just lay them flat on top of the dryer so they don’t get wrinkled. A lot of the time that pile never gets folded and just stays on top of the dryer and we just go thru the pile when we’re looking for something to wear. I know, lazy right!! I do fold whatever’s left over the next time I do laundry.
I do all my laundry on the weekend and if it isn’t dirty, it doesn’t get washed!
Each child has his/her own laundry hamper and they carry it to laundry room when half full. It helps a lot.
I agree with using cold water to wash laundry which will save money. There is also another way to save money which is to do the laundry at certain times of the day. Our Hydro company charges different rates for different times of the day and on different days of the week. As of November 1st, the cheapest time to do laundry is betwen 9pm and 7am or on the weekends and holidays. I try to ensure that I do the bulk of my laundry during these times. Even though it is inconvenient, it saves quite a bit of money in the long run and saving money is very important to me.
I have a shower bar hanging across my laundry room with hangers on it where I hang clothes straight out of the washer. I use my dryer less and save energy.
i always have a radio close-by, so folding, stain removing, lint retrieval, is made more fun with good tunes!
I have a laundry tip to get out grease stains in clothes not yet washed or previously washed but didn’t come clean.
Baby Powder: Sprinkle a liberal amount of baby powder on the grease spot(s) and work in well with your nails or an old toothbrush. Also, apply the powder to the underside of the stain as well to get maximum grease absorbsion. After working in well, brush off excess and check if stain has gone. If still a bit visible, repeat steps until stains disappear. This works well on cotton t-shirts, golf shirts and even on silk ties. I find it to be a miracle worker. Hope this will help you too.
With any stain, I find time is of the essence. With something like a few drops of blood I immediately run cold water over it and gently rub until the blood is just a trace. Then with a stain treatment I just pop it in a cold water wash a voila… no more stain.
Love the laundry tips! We went cold years ago because the hot water hook up never seemed to work anyway. I’m glad to see trusted brands offering cold water formulas…My best laundry tip: I started doing this before I had children because I hate matching up and sorting socks. Buy one colour/style of socks per family member (works well with my little tribe of 3). Each persons socks get washed and tossed into their own basket or drawer-no matching required.
I do the laundry and my husband fold and mostly puts it away. He doesn’t like the way I fold so that works for me!
I try to buy clothes that air dry.
I wait until I have enough laundry to do a load of each. White, colored, and dark.
I got a sorter for the laundry-whites and darks. I love how clean things smell and getting in a freshly washed bed is heavenly to me!
I do laundry every 2 weeks, we have a lot of clothes. When I do it, I get a book or watch tv, or better yet, do my dance routines and stay in the basement. Sometimes I make myself a nice cup of tea, relax and wait for the dryer to finish. It takes me some time but I have fun, it’s not a chore this way.
Some other times I iron while I do the rest of the laundry. I DO believe that some clothes look much better ironed. I put on hangers mostly the t-shirts to wear at home, the rest I like to iron.
I have two daughters who like to be “stylish”, so I teach them “shortcuts” to have the perfect outfit.
If you have a lot of scarves, like me, you can buy a pants hanger from Dollarama with 3 rods covered in some black foam I think, so you have a lot of space for scarves, and they don’t slide off. Keep one in each closet and you will always find them. The same for long necklaces that get tangled in the jewelery box.
If you have clothes that you wear layered, put them together on the hanger, scarves, necklace and other accesories too, so early in the morning you don’t have to think about matching.
I love to use hangers for t-shirts and blouses, instead of folding and putting them on a shelf or in the drawers.
Organize the closet in: long sleeves, short sleeves, sweaters and hoodies, pants, skirts and lastly, near the wall special occasion clothes. When the season changes, you only have to move the hangers from back in the middle. Clothes that are worn all year long (jeans, jogging pants, leggings), intimates (undies, bras, socks, tanks), PJs, stay in the drawers or on shelves.
I taught my daughters to always keep the p.j. they are currently using in the night stand drawer, and always put dirty clothes away in the morning.
I bought in Ikea drawer organizers (fabric and zipper on the bottom, one pack has 4 boxes in 3 different sizes) for everybody, so also smaller items stay together, you don’t have panties and socks mixed.
Another tip would be to use liquid dishwasher detergent for the oil spots on the clothes in case you don’t have any special spray. Cheaper, faster and doesn’t ruin the colors.
I purchased a 3 bag sorter and it has really helped. I sort the clothes as I go and it makes it go a lot faster – no sorting.
I have a friend who doesn’t fold laundry. She gets her kids to sort their clothes out of the dryer, then put them flat on their shelves. It’s easier for them to pick out what they want to wear and she gets a break.
I do laundry with my family so we can at least get it done quickly.
Yes, the neverending laundry…………my best tip is to try and get a load in every night and folded/put away in the morning. I’m a stay-at-home mom so my biggest thing is washing in cold and saving every penny. Washing at night is the best money-saving option.
I always have my teens carry their laundry baskets down to the laundry room to save wear and tear on my back.
Keeping up with the laundry is a must or it will get away on you. I take the clothes out of the dryer as soon as they are dry and either hang or fold. No time for wrinkles to set in and most items do not need to be ironed.
Since I am a granny and don’t do kid’s clothes all that much but if do, my front loader washing machine does all the tricks that I need to keep all kinds of soiled clothes nicely clean. And yes Arm and Hammer HE does help it out for me to use only cold water! I would say, it’s well worth to save up by bits to get one of the modern efficient front loader washing machines! It also saves water and hydro bills.
I try and hang my laundry on the clothesline whenever possible, clothes smell great, saves me an extra couple trips to the basement and saves lots of hydro
I find it too exhausting to tackle a whole week’s worth of laundry on one day, so my tip that helps me is to do a couple of loads throughout the week instead of being overwhelmed all at once.
Everyone (DH included) has to bring their dirty laundry down each day to the main floor laundry and throw it in the sectional hamper (one for whites, one for colours, one for darks) so that as soon as I have a load I can throw it in.
I wash in cold water but I still like to sort my laundry – colours is generlly just the kids, darks my DH’s work clothes and jeans etc (work clothes sometimes very dirty) and then whites of course that I might have to add stain remover in (kids & whites don’t mix LOL).
Now that my kids are a bit bigger (not spilling babies) I can recycle more of their clothes, so less goes straight into the dirty pile. I feel like there’s less to do, now that we’re long past the crawling-all-over-the-floor stage.
And I always wash in cold water – I should try Arm & Hammer, maybe!
i love jade! my little celine dion keeps throwing her ‘costume changes’ in the dirty laundry. i’m going to try your trick!
my tip has already been taken, tho’…take the flattish stuff out of the dryer right away otherwise the wrinkles will take up more of your time as you iron.
Here’s my timesaver… I DON’T sort my laundry! With the cold-water detergents, colours don’t run.
I also have an Ikea trofast tower storage unit that holds 5 bins (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30171123/). I bought 10 of the bins, 2 for each member of the family. One is used as the hamper in the room and the other is in the laundry room in the storage tower. Clean laundry out of the dryer is sorted by family member into the bins in the tower (usually folded, but sometimes not if I’m in a rush). When the bin in the bedroom is full, it is taken down to the laundry room and dumped right into the washing machine. The person then takes their bin of clean clothes from the tower into their rooms to be put away and places their empty bin into the storage tower. I start the washer whenever there’s a full load (every 1-2 days). I’ve made it sound much more complicated than it actually is. 🙂
I tell my girls that if they put clean clothes in the dirty laundry basket, then they have to fold the entire load once it’s washed. It’s helped alot!
-Jade
I have 2 little ones one that goes thought quite a few shirts (onsie) in a day.I put a load on after the kids are put in bed. If there is time and I feel like it I’ll put it in the dryer that night fold it and do this every two days .Or I will wait till morning, throw in another load and put the previous nights laundry in the dryer that way Im not waiting for a load to wash in the morning My husband says he will help me with the laundry my response I love doing my laundry it is actually not a chore to me, I take pride in my laundry..6 months of arm and hammer cold water would be a blessing
I use to put my kid in clean jammies every night – what the hell was I thinking…this has stopped. Also I scan the clothes and from now on only really dirty ones go in teh wash…not just wear and automatically wash…I have to remember he’s not a spilling baby anymore! I use Arm and hammer…love.