Laundry Made Easier With These Five Tips

By Bonnie Owens on March 18th, 2010

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Have you ever heard the saying, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes”?  Well, for moms you can swap that out for laundry and dishes. They are both inevitable and constant.  So whenever I hear about anything that might make either of these things faster, easier or more efficient; my interest is piqued.  Here are some helpful tips to make your laundry experience more pleasant, and maybe even a little shorter.

1. Make Laundry Part Of Your Routine. Throw a load in whenever you happen to walk past the washer.  Switch it to the dryer the next time you are in the area.  And then fold it all when you get a chance to sit down and watch your favorite Tivo-ed TV show.
2. Divide And Conquer. Delegate your loads to different days of the week.  You can follow a schedule similar to linens and towels on Monday, dark clothes on Tuesday, and lights on Friday.  Or you can wash a different person’s clothes each day.  A nice bonus to scheduling what to wash when is that you don’t have to think about laundry on the other days of the week.
3. Make It A Family Chore. I know that your five year-old can’t work the washer, but he can sort colors from whites.  Buy sectioned hampers for each bedroom in the house and have everyone divide their clothes accordingly.  Slightly older kids (of reading age) can take their laundry prep chores a step further.   Post a friendly list of reminders on their hamper such as turn clothes right side out, check your pockets and leave stained items out so that I can pre-treat them.
4. Choose The Right Setting. For the washer, consider using shorter cycles.  The light setting is significantly quicker and is optimal for clothes that have been worn just once or twice and aren’t stained.  For the dryer, wash a load, immediately toss it in the dryer, and repeat.  Once the machine is warmed up, subsequent loads will dry faster.  Start with lightweight clothing and end with heavier items, like towels, which won’t be damaged by the heat that builds up in a hot dryer drum.  Also, don’t over- or underload the dryer.  Try to fill it up about halfway for maximum efficiency.
5. Fold It Right The First Time. When folding clothes, consider the space where you’ll be putting them.  If your drawers are long, fold clothes into rectangles to take advantage of that.  If they’re short, fold clothes in squares so they don’t get scrunched up.  Take this into consideration for your linens and towels and the shelf space you have for them as well.