Of course summer means sunshine, pool days, extra outdoor playtime and heat – but this is the first year I’ve realized it also means SO MUCH MORE LAUNDRY! Between morning walks, speech therapy, swim lessons, afternoon playtime, jammies and unforeseen wardrobe changes, we’re going through 3-4 outfits a day.
I’ve never enjoyed laundry, but I’ve recently realized some new habits that have made it not so unbearable.
Here are 8 ways to lighten the laundry load and get you back to enjoying all the fun things summer has to offer.
1. Decorate your laundry room
If you have to work, you might as well enjoy the view! A lively pale “haint” blue, functional yet pretty shelves and copper baskets brighten up an otherwise dull space in our home. I also hung one of my very first “real” paintings and a fun iron sign to add some personality to the space.
2. 2 days a week
I owe this one to my mother-in-law. The first time Matthew took me home, I learned that his mom does a quick load of laundry every day. At first I was flabbergasted – who has time to do laundry every day?!? Then I realized… the more often you do it, the less you have to do and therefore the less time it takes! Mondays and Thursdays have become laundry days and I’m amazed at how much this has lightened the load! Instead of being inundated with 3-4 loads on a day, I now have 2 loads that are a breeze to get through! And as a bonus of doing laundry more often – you realize you don’t need as many clothes, creating extra space in those closets and drawers.
3. Sort how it makes sense… to you
Undergarments… Whites…. Darks… Colors… Towels… If I sorted this way, our machine would never have a break! A few years ago I said “no” to the traditional sorting methods. I now sort according to convenience: can I dry it all the way or does it need to hang dry? Y’all. I NEVER remembered to stop the dryer and pull out the pieces that needed to hang dry. And if I did remember to stop it, I always forgot something. Hello, lots of misfit clothes. Now I wash everything together according to how we dry it. It’s so much easier for me. But don’t get me wrong – my favorite white jeans always get a special load and I’ll never throw a new colored piece in with anything light! Like all good rules, there are exceptions 🙂
4. Let the littles help
This one was has been the biggest gamechanger. I’m dreaming up another post entitled “How to take back your nap time” and this is step numero uno. Instead of squeezing all of your chores into the times that your kiddos aren’t around – pull them into your daily routine. As soon as I learned Emery could and would help with the laundry, we made it part of our Monday and Thursday morning routine. He lovvvvves to push the buttons, help me transfer from the washer to dryer, and dryer to basket. Of course I’m still pulling the weight, but it puts good habits in place early. He’s watching my every move and is learning that household chores are everyone’s responsibility. The best part? I don’t have to sacrifice my time during his nap doing things that I know we can accomplish together.
5. Combine parts of your day
We can keep each activity and responsibility in our day as a separate thread that gets accomplished on its own time – or we can weave our threads together. I have found that weaving parts of our day together not only creates more enjoyment in the less preferred activities, but also helps knock off the to-do list faster. As I shared in number 4, Emery helps me with the laundry process. We also turn this time into speech therapy, counting practice and color recognition. It doesn’t require any extra supplies or materials, we just talk it out! A few examples are accentuating the direction words “put it IN the dryer,” counting (up to 10) how many pieces we move, and asking him to take certain colors out of the dryer. This carries over to every household chore – unloading the dishwasher, sorting silverware, cleaning up the toy room, watering the flowers, etc. These basics lessons are so important and so easy to work into your regularly scheduled activities!
6. Make folding fun.
Y’all. Last week I was excited to fold the clothes on Thursday. Yes. Seriously. Why? Because I knew it meant I got to watch the rerun of Southern Charm while I folded. Sure it took a few minutes longer, but I considered it “me” time and not a chore. What can you do to make folding fun? Use that set aside time to call friend, watch the next episode of a show or listen to a podcast. There might be a mindset shift in your future too!
7. Put away as you fold
I don’t always practice this one, but maybe it will work for you. Instead of folding your clothes in another room, then loading into a basket that may sit on the floor a few days… open your drawers and put away your pieces as you fold. I’m always amazed how it really does save a bit of time!
8. Repurpose dryer sheets as dusters
Did you know dryer sheets make really great dusters? I learned by accident, but wow they really do! Since you always end up with one or two used dryer sheets in your basket, you might as well repurpose before throwing away. Instead of setting aside additional time to dust, I just do a quick swipe every time I put the laundry away. Our bedrooms stay a bit cleaner, and if I find an extra sheet – another room in the house gets a quick fix.
So there you have it. Laundry (or any household chore) doesn’t have to be a dreaded part of your day. With a little intentionality, you’ll lighten your load and have more time for the other things that bring you joy.
As with every blog and how-to list on the internet and beyond – discover what works best for YOU. The point isn’t to follow another person’s formula and cross your fingers for success. The point is to look deep in the parts of your day that “ain’t so great”, and determine ways to make them more efficient and {gasp} fun. While I could leave you a list of 100 steps, only you can determine which ones fit your personality and family.
What are you best tips for preventing laundry mountain from toppling?
