Comments on: Getting Started: Beating The Laundry Monster

By: Juliet

Juliet — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:49:41 +0000

I used to do laundry when the pile got out of hand and we ran out of clean socks. I just did a huge marathon load like that, and I never want to do another one, ever again! My new plan is to use the portable washer in my bathroom and hang everything to dry in the mornings, even on days I have to work (this may not work, as the washer requires a significant amount of supervision to complete a cycle). Unfortunately, this will result in only about half a regular load getting done each day. Before bed I will put away the clothes on the drying racks and put more clothes in the washer (but not start it). This way I can avoid dragging my laundry to and from the car or up and down the stairs and down half a hallway. And save my quarters too. I'm hoping that this will keep me on top of the laundry enough to not have to drag the entire fabric content of the apartment in and out every month.

By: saverchic

saverchic — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:50:10 +0000

I am so glad I've found this website. I'm trying to learn how to take care of my house on my own, and I need all the help I can get!

I've been trying to do one load of laundry a day. That way, there's not that much stuff to put away, which is the part I hate the most. Thanks for all of the good ideas!

By: cd rates

cd rates — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:47:32 +0000

ugh, laundry is the worst. It's even worse when your dryer is broken like mine is

By: Tara

Tara — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:40:12 +0000

I’m still determining what my strategy will be in the new house, but your advice to use those color catchers might very well change my life. Seriously. I have my 1st color catchered load chugging away right now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:20:02 +0000

I bring each laundry basket down to the basement. I sort (warm/cold/jeans/whites) into large fabric laundry containers. After I put the first wash in, I set the timer on my oven for 30 minutes. Once it beeps, I go down to the basement, take the load out of the wash and into the dryer. Back upstairs, I set the timer for an hour. Once it goes off, down to the basement I go. I get the clothes out of the dryer and onto the sorting table; then put the next batch of wet clothes into the dryer. I fold and sort the first load; then fill up the washer with the third load. I keep this up until all clothes are washed and dried. Setting the timer keeps me from forgetting that I am doing laundry; also, I have found that by keeping the dryer going cuts down on “cold time” and my clothes dry faster by the end of the process.
When it’s spring/summer, I adjust my process by skipping the dryer and head out to the clothes line. All the wet clothes are on the line by noon; by 6 or 7 I am out there taking the dry clothes down. I find it is easier to take our 3 laundry baskets outside, and fold and sort into the correct basket as I go.

By: Mom of three

Mom of three — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:43:23 +0000

At our house each person has a day. I try to make sure they get in, do their laundry and get out in that 24 hour period. It’s hard, to get them to get it out of the laundry room.

We have hampers that keep it in in their rooms. They sort it in the laundry room. They wash colored clothes, towels, and sheets (every other week). They leave whites and I do one load of those a week.
We hang everything, including shorts and that helps to get rid of stuff.

THe secret is to make sure the person of the day stays on top of it and gets there stuff down and running even if they have to be away from home.

Sunday: Mine and Dad’s sheets,
Monday: My clothes
Tuesday:#3 clothes
Wednesday: #2 clothes
Thursday: #1 clothes
Friday: Dad’s clothes
Saturday: rugs, curtains, dog beds, etc.

By: Judith

Judith — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:15:58 +0000

When our 4 kids were at home, I did at least 2 loads a day ….. and the struggle was always folding them right away. How I hated it when 2 or 3 or 4 loads piled up on the couch to be folded!
I’ve learned to fold as soon as they come out of the dryer. THe big difference for me was buying a table for the laundry room on which I can sort and fold. Plus laundry baskets for each person, to carry clean clothes upstairs.
But just recently, when 2 adult kids were still with us and I was doing laundry for everyone plus the 19 year old who is in college, I rebelled. I called a family meeting in the kitchen and told everyone, including my husband: I expect you all to do your own laundry. I wil do my own and the towels, sheets, etc……. but your clothes are your responsibility.
FREEDOM! After 26 years of being the family laundress, with only occasional help (the kids and I would have sock and underwear folding parties in front of the TV when they were young) ……… no more. Yippee! Now it’s a breeze.
Don’t give up hope, sisters …….. your day will come!

By: ThatBobbieGirl

ThatBobbieGirl — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:51:49 +0000

not much strategerie here – i just try to do at least one load a day. Priority goes to DH’s clothes. He has only 2 pairs of pants right now (until I get the third one repaired) so I just have to make sure he’s got clean pants.

My biggest stumbling block is actually putting things away before they’re needed. Yell at me some more, please, Ivy. I’ll get it eventually.

By: gracie

gracie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:36:31 +0000

i woke up one morning and my arms were killing me it took me a a few minutes to figure out why — i had used a saws-all to cut a hole in the floor under my bathroom sink/cabinet for a laundry chute — the piles of laundry in the bathroom were now a childs chore to open the door and dump the cloths down the hole into a pile next to the washing machine — it worked out perfectly!!

Like Arctic Gypsy i have baskets that the cloths are sorted into after they are washed and if you need clean cloths you know where yours are go get them yourself oh yeah and while you are at it (this is for the older children — do your own laundry

the older children also are each assigned a day where one of their jobs is to do their own laundry, my youngest child helps me with the rest of the laundry as she learns how to do it, and when she is about 7 or 8 she will take over doing her own laundry — i don’t bother with teaching them about bleach yet — maybe when they are teenagers

I find folding cloths comes easier if i’m taking them off a laundry line then from the dryer

all clean socks are placed in a tub between the washer and dryer unsorted / unmatched — socks are just to irritating to deal with — it’s an ADD thing

i’ve also found that if i run a cycle in the morning and a cycle at night i can keep up on laundry — a cycle being sort what’s in the dryer, put the load from the washer to the dryer and turn it on, start a new load in the washer

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:24:43 +0000

I’m usually pretty good about keeping up with laundry – mainly because I don’t have enough clothes to let it go too long…

I also sort by type of clothes, not color, and use those color catchers – I love those things.

I’m a 2-3 loads twice a week girl. When I’m working during the school year I’d do laundry on my days off (I work MWF). Now that it’s summer I haven’t figured out my laundry schedule and it’s killing me!

One thing I recently started doing is sorting the laundry upstairs before taking it to the basement. It’s hard for me to run downstairs to sort with my two sons – so I sort the laundry in the upstairs hallway – and carry down one load at a time – and then take the other loads down also. This sounds confusing, but it’s easier than bringing the boys downstairs while I carry all that laundry down.

But one thing that I always do – on the days I’m doing laundry – I start the first load right when I wake up and am usually done by lunchtime – so that gives me naptime to fold, sort, and put away.