For most people, doing laundry is a dreaded chore. If you are tired of your dirty laundry piling up and your washer and dryer groaning under a heavy load, then here are some tips to help you tackle the laundry piles.
Though not all the ideas may sound appealing, use your personal preference.
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Switch your socks to light grey
This idea came to me when my then preteen was totally into the new craze of wearing pairs of socks that were purposely made in two different colors with fun prints and designs but were made to match.
We went from white socks to non-matching socks, and it didn’t matter what sock I put together; all of them created a pair. My white clothes pile reduced, but then my daughter outgrew the colored mismatched sock phase.
And so I made the switch to no longer having white socks instead, we opted for grey socks.
With grey socks, they could be washed with any color. They matched any outfit. They didn’t show dirt as quickly.
This trick alone reduced at least one load of laundry.
Wash socks in a mesh bag
Laundry mesh bags are amazing little laundry helpers. But let me tell you if you hate matching socks you are gonna love this laundry trick.
You can do this trick in a few different ways. You create a system that ensures you never lose a sock and no longer spend hours trying to match them.
But in general, start using a mesh bag to keep all your socks together before you toss them in the wash.
Idea number one is have one mesh bag for each person
Idea number two is have a few mesh bags hanging from the general laundry baskets.
Edit your sorting system to make laundry faster
Many times we just toss our laundry into the wash and try to get the task done without forgetting to switch the wet load into the dryer and having to re-wash it again the next day.
But one of the things you can do is analyze your sorting system. Is it creating fewer loads or more loads? Are you having to spend more time sorting after the load is done.?
Think about creating additional laundry baskets for family members or maybe change the location of the basket.
Use baskets that are color-coded or maybe a basket system inside your laundry room where everyone knows where to get their clean clothes from.
There is no wrong or right way to create a laundry sorting system. Only to find the one that saves the most amount of time for your family.
Reduce your sets
How many sets of bed sheets and laundry sheets do you have? Maybe you grew up with the idea that you are supposed to have a certain amount or the opposite, you aren’t retiring old ones. Or perhaps you love decorating your home with towels and sheets.
Regardless of the reason scaling back on the amount of bedsheets and towels you own will dramatically reduce the piles of laundry you do. Decluttering is a must!
Personally, I keep two sets of everything. And only one set of extras for my guest.
You can even go down to just one set, but I wouldn’t recommend it. This would force you to wash your sheets and towels if you struggle with them.
But having a simple rotation of one set in use and the other clean is a total game-changer.
Use towels more than once
This one can be hard, and it’s a personal preference for some. But in my community, people told me they use a fresh towel each day. That is a huge pile of towels by the end of the week.
So if you can mentally get over the fact that a towel can be used more than once, you will significantly minimize the loads of laundry you are doing.
Here is another benefit: washing them less often reduces wear and tear on your agitator.
I learned that from my repairman.
You see, towels are made of absorbent material, which means they become heavy in the machine and put a lot of stress on the washer.
Make all bath towels the same colors or similar colors
So let’s continue on with our bathtowels and even washcloths and so forth. Basically, if you have various colors of towels for each bathroom or area in your home. You might be creating more loads than necessary.
You could choose a neutral color for all the towels or maybe one solid dark color so that you can wash them with each other or even other garments if need be.
Don’t Separate Lights and Darks (Except Whites)
I have fond memories of doing laundry with my grandmother and using the rolling pin machine to ring out the clothes.
Washing machines have come a long way from that. We now have HE energy-efficient machines that adjust water levels for us and can even detect how dirty your clothes are.
That’s right, you have to read this article. New technology detects the dirt on our clothes.
But honestly, it has decreased the number of loads we have to do, from agitation that’s less abrasive to being able to wash clothes in cold water with detergent.
One of the things I do is I no longer separate lighter colors and dark colors.
So it just becomes a load of “colors”. You may wonder what color clothes go with beige colors. It depends I usually do dark beige with darker colors and light greys with white. But you have to be careful you don’t accidentally bleach your height clothes.
Avoid buying clothes that bleed
Have you ever seen those dark pairs of jeans that will leave your hands a little blue or maybe a color spot from where you were sitting? Those are the types of clothes that we need to avoid.
Bright red garments are also a huge culprit.
Any clothing that is saturated with dye can truly ruin an entire load of laundry, but then they also costs you more time and care. Typically, they will come with warning labels to pre-wash. They were then followed with more labels saying to wash separately.
Having to wash these types of clothing separately is a hassle and more loads to the already tall piles we have. Who needs that?!
Avoid Buying Special Wash and Special Dry Clothing
When shopping for clothing you should try to avoid buying those items that require special care. Or that need you to take them to the dry cleaners. If you are super busy or a mom with littles. Anding any clothing outside the normal wash and dry increases the chances of more piles. And more time dedicated to one of the top chores people hate.
Also, the cost associated with dry cleaning only is something to also consider.
Avoid Buying Clothing That Requires Ironing
Do you have a separate load for clothing that you try to avoid wrinkles in or don’t mix well when washed with other items? If you are having to separate even more piles for wrinkle-free loads.
Just buy items that say they are wrinkle-free and wash them with everything else. Again personal preference and also based on the type of clothing you like to wear so this may be a trigger for some if you are big on certain types of clothing and brands.
Utilize other ideas. But for those that are really seeking efficiency over piles. This might be the way to go.
Wear an apron when doing things around the house
Dusting and cleaning can leave all kinds of messes on your clothing. Be sure to wear an apron while cleaning to avoid getting your clothes dirty. I also recommend one while cooking.
I never was an apron-wearing person but after baking enough and cooking enough over the years I slowly became an apron-wearing person. I was tired of fighting to get grease stains out or food coloring.
And then there was cleaning I would get all kinds of first stains and that didn’t make me happy either. So save your clothes by finding a cute apron that is your style.
Shop only twice a year
The average home has anywhere from $150-$350 in clothes they don’t even wear.
That’s only a part of the problem though we have too many clothes. Whether you do or not if you are drowning in the laundry you need to try these laundry hacks.
As a mom, I typically only shop twice a year for clothing for my kids. And my kids are tall kids because my husband is 6ft 8″ and they take after him. On rare occasions, I will have to buy maybe a few items but what seems to work for us is Spring shopping which includes mostly shopping for Summer clothes and Fall shopping which includes shopping for winter clothes.
I only shop for clothes when my kids need them not when I see sales or what’s popular. This may be an unpopular opinion for some but I don’t believe clothes shopping should be done often.
This also pertains to me too. Since I no longer work in the corporate world I only wear leggings most days and jeans on rare occasions. But even when I do wear jeans I will wear them at least twice.
Create a capsule wardrobe for you and your kids
Leggings are one of the best things ever invented because they can be dressed up or dressed down. Boys’ clothes are also pretty basic.
So what I learned over the years was that if I could buy clothes that could be used in multiple situations then that was a great piece to add.
But adopting a capsule wardrobe is so beneficial to have fewer clothes and overall meaningless piles. You may have more loads more often but they will be smaller.
Not to mention the mental load of trying to remember all the clothing you own and which kid owns what. It really has multiple impacts on your life.
Teach kids about not mixing clean clothes with dirty ones and reducing piles on the floor by picking clothes out beforehand
If your kids pull things out of drawers and closets, it can be hard to determine what is clean and dirty. A trick is to have the kids pick out their clothing items before school or other activities each day.
Another idea is to use a hanging clothes organizer, pick out the week’s clothes, and label them by day.
You could also use a bin sorting system and color code them.
So those ideas will help the kiddos reduce the mixing of clothes. But kiddos tend to leave their clothes on the floor as soon as they take them off. Make things easier by having a routine of where you dress and undress and making sure there is a laundry basket nearby.
Rewear clothing
I can bet there are a few items in your closet that can be worn more than once. Such as hoodies, sweaters, and P.J’s. There are also times when you have only worn an item of clothing for a short period of time. Or maybe you have an office job that requires you to sit. At most your pants went from chair to chair.
This happens a lot in our family with our church clothes.
Either way asking yourself if an item is truly dirty before you toss it in the basket can help minimize the laundry loads.
Aim to Wear One Outfit Per Day
Do you have a habit of wearing more than one outfit a day? You may be inadvertently adding more piles than necessary. Try to aim for one outfit per day.
This can be a difficult one for kiddos as they love to express their style and will wanna wear different clothes or often get dirty faster than most adults.
An idea I do when I am out with my kids is to wear outdoor gear during play. Rain boots even on days when it isn’t raining but the ground is wet or still damp.
I love these outer shells from mountain warehouse.
Use the refresh option on clothing
I love this feature on my dryer. It creates a steam option inside which can get out wrinkles and refresh your clothing for you. Think like the sweater you wore around the campfire that isn’t dirty but smells like the campfire. This feature will get the smell out and freshen up the sweater so you can wear it again.
Below is a video of a Samsung dryer but check your dryer for your specific options.
Create a regular laundry routine that you can stick too
This is something that I talk all about systems and routines. They can make or break you. I live and thrive on my laundry system. If you don’t have a laundry system be sure to start a new one ASAP.
Your laundry system should be tailored to you and work around your schedule. But the key part is to make it consistent. This means once a week at least you should be doing laundry. And if possible more than once a week with smaller loads.
I hope you are able to take so ideas and put them to great use and that you can ease the burden of the dreaded laundry. I would love to know what ideas resinated with you the most and what has helped. Join my emailist and shoot me an email to let me know.