Lighten the Laundry Load
26 Jun 2017
Lighten the Laundry Load
Are piles and piles of laundry loading you down? Here are a few quick tips to help you lighten up your laundry routine, so you’re not overwhelmed with piles of clean, wait, maybe dirty (who knows?!) laundry!
Get your laundry on a schedule.
Are you someone who waits and waits to do laundry until your only clean piece of clothing is a pair old, ripped gym shorts? Or, maybe you’re wearing a bathing suit bottom right now because you are out of clean underwear. J If this is you, then it’s time to make a date with your dirty clothes. Depending on the size of your family, pick the day(s) of the week that make most sense – when you’re home a bit more or have fewer obligations on your plate – and schedule your laundry! If you stick to the plan (even if the hamper isn’t over-flowing), you’ll feel like you’re on top of your piles and you’ll never run out of what you need! You can also get yourself into a regular laundry routine, such as this: clothes go in the washer at night and into the dryer in the morning, then you fold and put away when you get home from work.
Organize before you start.
Using separate hampers of bins for different types of laundry is an easy way to get a load done without having to dig through to find like-items. If you have space, use a three-bin sorter, or try stackable baskets. If you live alone and don’t wear a lot of white, you can probably get away with just throwing everything into one load…on cold.
Get a great drying rack.
Struggling with a cheap folding rack or worse, not having a rack at all, can make drying delicate items a daunting process. If you have the space, you can go with a traditional folding rack on the floor, or a closet rod to hang clothes. Or, if space is tight, a wall-mounted rack, or a tiered towel rod, may be your best bet. If you have the space, then you can combine hampers and the drying rack in one, with this three-bin laundry center.
Put it all away!
One of the main reasons it feels like the laundry is never done is that some of us don’t leave time to see the task all the way through, folding and putting everything away! You’ll actually feel like you accomplished something if you make sure to fold and put your laundry away before the end of the day. Here’s my folding method: I dump out my clean laundry onto my (made) bed and do a quick sort by type (socks, shirts, pants, etc.). Then I use the bed as a folding surface. It’s the right height, so I am not uncomfortable bending over, and it forces me to fold and put everything away before I go to bed. It also helps to have organized drawers that are not overflowing, so your clean, folded laundry can fit right in there.
Fabulous folding.
Want to take your folding to the next level? Mari Kondo has perfected the art of folding and it works! If you fold like this, you can fit more in your drawer and see all of your clothes. This means you won’t make a mess digging around to find something stacked in the drawer. Check out this guide to learn how to fold like a professional organizer! http://goop.com/the-illustrated-guide-to-the-kondo-mari-method/
So if your laundry is weighing you down, lighten the load with these quick changes!
