Friday, April 30, 2010

Project Organization : Laundry

Who here loves doing laundry?!

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

I wouldn't say I hate it, but I don't like it either. And I'm yet to find a way to tackle this tedious job that works for me.
now if I had this laundry room.... the story would be completely different!

The biggest problem is that I usually forget I'm doing the laundry and get caught up in other household chores and then a day or two later I'll remember that load of whites in the drier. Or I'll start wondering what happened to that green shirt and then I'll find it at the bottom of the hamper.

I used to leave one day of the week for laundrering. That didn't work.
I started saving two days... that didn't work either.


Now I do one load a day. One SMALL load a day. So far, it's been working well. I don't get overwhelmed by the huge pile of clothes that will have to be folded after, I don't forget that I'm doing it and it keeps the hamper relatively empty.

Still I know some people have amazing laundry systems like this one


Either way it's a daunting taks and anyone who actually enjoys doing this has my eternal respect. But for us mortals who do dread this, here are some more helpful tips I've found.


  • Toss items that need dry cleaning into a special basket or bag as soon as you take it off. This way, when you are ready to go to the cleaners you can just grab them, rather than having to hunt for them in all the dirty laundry (ugh!)
  • Make a habit of always keeping a spare of laundry detergent, dryer sheets and whatever else you use regularly. That way you never have to drop everything and run to the store to complete your laundry (or use that as a reason to not complete the laundry...)
  • Put Away the Clean Clothes in a Flash!
  • Keep hangers and a folding hanging rack near the dryer. Save steps by putting hanging items directly on hangers rather than folding and toting them first. As you fold clean laundry, place items in baskets by person to simplify the process of putting it all away. Get everyone in on the act. Even small children can help put away some of their own clothes -- socks, underwear, etc. Older kids can put it all away. If you share the burden, it's not so overwhelming.
  • We know it's hard, but go through your drawers and closets and purge things that are never worn. Putting laundry away is much faster and more pleasant if you don't have to struggle to cram the clothes into an overstuffed space.
  • Set a side a small drawer or basket for socks that have lost their mate in the wash. Sooner or later the other sock will turn up and the pair can be put away with all the others.  
  • Consider sprucing up and organizing the laundry area. A clean and well-organized space makes any task more enjoyable. 
  • Schedule set laundry days and stick to them. It's amazing how much more you can get done when you have a schedule.

And in the meanwhile... what is your secret to tackling the laundry monster?!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I don;t have any secrets ;)
I just try my best to be consistent and fold the laundry right after.( if I don't do that it does take me days afterwards).
But one thing I like to do is (and there nothing to do with being organized)wash the bath towels late in the day, and them hang them on my "varalzinho portatil?" haha (can't find the right word) in my bedroom to dry during the night. I love the smell and the much needed humidity (I live in the DRY Rexburg City) it brings.

Aline Carson said...

I also try to do a little bit of laudry everyday and it turns out it's not just a little bit, it's always a lot. We go through so many clothes it's amazing. I do have a big ziplock bag with socks without their pair and always end up finding the other one afterward. I don't mind doing laudry that much anymore because I think I've given up the laziness and I just do it. I was pretty much forced to be pretty good at it here in Brazil because if you leave clothes in the washer for a few hours (not a day or two) it will stink. And if you wait a few minutes (not a few hours) to take the clothes out of the dryer, it will come out super wrinckled. And as soon as one load is done washing I'm ready to start another load so now I rarely forget. My biggest problem though is putting my clothes away. I'm somewhat good with the kids' clothes but since we have a good space in our laudry room to fold clothes I just leave them there. And it stays there for days...Sometimes weeks even. I hate putting clothes away!!! And I hate folding socks and underwear.

Liesl said...

hahahahahaha, laundry secrets, I don't have any.....just like the rest of you I try and do a little everyday but there is just so much to do!!!! Lately it has been easier to remember to do because the kids have been riding their bikes in the garage, where the laundry machines are. I have been having them come get me when they are done with the cycle and then I have them get the clothes and put them in the dryer for me (my midget slave :)

My biggest issue is the folding part, especially my clothes! I tend to just leave them in a basket by my bed and they stay there until I've worn them and they are in the dirty basket again. I need to do better at putting them away. And I'm with Aline, socks and underwear is the worst!!!!! I admit to getting annoyed with all of them and laying on my bed and throwing them in the sealing fan and watching them fly everywhere, lol.