Laundry Nightmare

Some changes I have made to my laundry process that have helped me:
1) Doing one person's laundry at a time--no mixing different people's laundry, because it means more sorting time
2) Doing all the towels together, once a week
3) Finding a closet storage system that works for the kids, and for the parents (some kids don't do drawers well, some don't do hangers well, so I have adapted their closets)
4) Everyone gets a different brand or style of socks--never buy the same socks in different sizes!
5) Hampers with wheels and pull handles from OSH
6) Delegate!
7) I won't spend a lot of time and money trying to get stains out, so if they care about their clothes they should not eat in a sloppy, messy way. If I wash it twice and the stain stays in, I will throw the clothing away. (dark clothing helps)

S.,
Fold as you go, don't leave the dryer without folding them, then walk away. My hubby brings a basket to the dryer, and folds one thing at a time as he pulls them out. Otherwise he forgets.
W. M

I fold laundry right after I take it out of the dryer(no exceptions), as I am not a huge fan of wrinkles or ironing. I fold it and put it in the basket. I do not removed another load of laundry from the dryer until the clothes that is in the basket is put away (no exceptions). This forces me to put all laundry away, especially when it's time to add another load to the dryer (I have left clothes in the dryer for 3 or 4 days, then just touch up with a bit of heat). I have 2 laundry baskets so the most laundry that isn't put away is two loads at a time. If I don't have time to fold (or just don't feel like), it does NOT come out of the dryer. I sometimes take one or two things out and leave the rest in there. With this system I've never had an issue with laundry not being put away. I do about 7-8 loads of laundry a week (a couple of loads every other day).

Hi S.,

Yes......laundry can be a nightmare! But, unfortunately, it IS necessary :O)

A few things that have helped me try to "stay on top of it" are this:

* EVERY morning (or night before), I gather 2 loads from each room. I "dig through" and find everything for my 2 loads. One load goes in FIRST thing in the morning before we even eat breakfast. The idea is for that load to be put in the dryer before leaving the house, and for the 2nd load to be in the washer immediately following (leaving 0 loads of laundry on the floor). As soon as I come home, I pass by my dryer and turn it on for 5 minutes, grab lunch, then fold/hang immediately, and load the dryer with my 2nd load for when I return later. This guarantee's me 2 loads daily. Then my kids come and get their own laundry pile and hangers, and are responsible for putting them away in their own rooms. Yes, the pile usually ends up on the floor, but it IS their room.....

* I added a Laundry Hook over my dryer to hang shirts, blouses, or pants as they come out of the dryer. I have TONS of hangers to keep this routine going.

* Because I have the largest closet, I have the Master Laundry Sorter :O) Whenever I think about it, I go through the kids hampers, and put their dirty clothes in my seperater which is color-coordinated and eaiser to gather quickly for my daily laundry.

* Towels, When I do towels I grab ALL from one of my bathrooms and use it as a load, maybe throwing in a few dish towels, too. When this load is done, it doesn't get folded, because it goes back hanging in the bathroom where I got it from.

* I do 2 loads EVERY day (usually) leaving me time for other loads (bedding) or chores on the weekend.

S., this routine works pretty well for me. Everyone's life is different, and needs to have their own routine that works for them. I hope something I do in my home, can work in your home to at least get you started on a successfull routine :O)

~N. :O)

Greetings S.: Having 5 children growing up and being very busy we had to have a survival course in laundry. Let me share some of the things that we still do today and are now being passed on to the ones that have married/ gone off to school.
We set rules sumple and doable.
1. if you want to watch tv check the dryer 1st and fold clothers while you are watching tv. also check the washer to see of somethng needs moved over to dryer.
2. on our children's 8th birthday-- they all got the same gift-- a pop up tent & their own lantern (we are big campers) and they were introduced to MR. WASHER & MRS. DRYER. From the age of 8 they were taught with much assistance from myself or daddy how to sort their clothes, and to wash and dry things themselves-- even how to use the clothes line(used it when camping and I have 2 children that rather hang their clothes than dryer). I still helped and even did it if someone was ill or on over loadbut mostly them. Yes there will be the pink load from time to time but oxy clean helps with that. My daughter in laws often thank me for teir husbands doing their own wash to this day as well as ironing. My son in law had never seen anyone iron because his mom sent it out. So making tv time not just a brain dead time but useful time can either get things done or cut down on viewing. Parenthood is an adventure like none other and is never dull. Good Luck,Nana G
ps... my son just came in and wanted me to add a thought from him. He said that he and his siblings learned really fast to get rid of the clothes you really son't wear anyway so that you have a limited amount to wash and be responsible for. But when mom was doing it, it just didn't matter if you picked up the clean that never got put away and stuck it in the laundry cuz she did it again. not something ya want to do to yourself!

I have the same problem. I have found a few things that help but nothing that completely solves the problem.

1. Hang up as many items as you can. I hang all of my and my daughters pants, shirts (yes, even t-shirts), and dresses as well as my husbands shirts (ditto the t-shirts).

2. Sort clean clothes into small folding sections such as individual household members and then types of items. That way I have little piles to deal with instead of one big one.

3. I NEVER fold socks or underwear. I just have a small laundry basket for each member of the family and sort them into the baskets and then keep the baskets in the closet or the bedroom. If anyone wants thier underwear or socks folded, they can do it themselves.

4. I NEVER fold my bathtowels. I have a hook-rack in each bathroom and hang them up by the tag or a small hole in the corner of the towel. They always end up back on the hook or in the hamper after bathing and it actually looks decorative if you have pretty towels. If you don't, put the rack behind the door so it is hidden most of the time.

5. Turn clothes right side out when you are putting them in the dryer and button/snap/zip all pants before you dry them. It makes folding faster.

6. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Fold/Sort/Hang for 15 minutes and then take a break and do something you want to for 15 minutes and a reward. Then do another 15 minutes. You would be surprised at how much you can get done in 15 minutes.

I have an incontinent disabled daughter so I do laundry A LOT and these things have saved me many times.

T.

Why do clothes need to be folded? I think that's a hangover from when clothes had to be ironed. All you really need to do now is sort 'em into piles, and stuff 'em in the drawers. Unless you're expecting the housekeeping police...

I only sort the laundry after I've done it all, once every couple days, and I make one pile for each kid, and the kids put them away in the proper drawers (most of the time!).

I feel the same way about making beds. What on earth would you want to make a bed for? You're just gonna mess it up again in a few hours! Hey, this is the 21st century! I feel like I have much more important, and more interesting, things to do than clean the house.

I'm not sure what you fold and what you don't but this helped me. I use to match socks and fold underwear. Now, they get thrown in a drawer in a designated area. Surprisingly, this has relieved a lot of the hatred I had for laundry and makes it go much more quickly.
Best of luck,
C.

Nobody has mentioned the husbands so far... :-) Every couple days, my husband and I fold a couple baskets of laundry together while we watch a movie on DVD in the evening (we don't have TV). We get the folding done within the first 15-20 min and then enjoy the rest of the movie without laundry. The next day, he helps me with putting the piles of folded laundry into the closets. The kids put away their socks and underwear. We also like to play games (who is done first - adults or kids?).

Someone mentioned getting the kids into the game.. I sooo agree! There is a terrific book out there "Life skills for kids - Equipping your child for the real word" by Christine Field. I found it very useful but skipped her religious ideas that sometimes were too much for me. But her ideas regarding chores and having the kids help with a lot of stuff at a young age are wonderful ("if a teenager or young adult that goes to college is not able to start a load of laundry or cook a couple healthy meals or is not able to repair a clogged toilet or sink etc. they will make very poor roommates and very poor husbands ":-) I also agree with the main message of the book that the family, household and home is the first place to teach kids values and how to manage life, not only with laundry, cooking, gardening etc. but with a lot of other things too. The earlier you let the kids help and make it a routine, the less work the parents have - and the more time the parents have to play or read with the kids, that is how we teach it to them (my kids are 6 years old). They can do the math - why should I make three beds if it costs less time if everyone makes one bed? Not always easy, but worth trying.
Good luck!

I Think we can all feel your pain. I am exactly the same way- good about getting the clothes clean- but horrible about putting them away. What I do to keep it managable is this: When I have been slacking for awhile and the clean clothes are piling up again, I sort clothes into 4 baskets, one for each family member. As I go I always pull out underwear and socks, since I can put those away quickly. This way, well at least the clothes are sorted to where you can find things. Then I try to dress the family out of the baskets at least! Eventually, I find my way to putting them all away. If I can turn on a good tv show and fold everything, it makes it easier to put them away in just a couple of minutes. Good Luck! ;)

Hi S.,
Well, you hit a nerve! We ALL hate laundry! And yes, it's never ending! I have 4 kids (the oldest is 8 and the youngest is 16 months)....plus a husband. We used to have a spare bedroom, and I was good about washing and drying the clothes, but I would let them all piled up on the bed in the spare bedroom. What a mess! We moved and now we don't have a spare bedroom. Our washer and dryer are in an alcove in the hallway right next to the master bedroom. I determined right then to keep up on the laundry. I do at least 1 load a day or 2 loads every other day to keep it from getting overwhelming. When they come out of the dryer, I put them on MY bed so I can't avoid them or put it off for weeks. I try to fold them as they come out of the dryer before they get extra wrinkley, but I wait to put them away until all the loads are done so I'm not making several trips into every room of the house putting laundry away multiple times. My 8 year old and my husband put their own clothes away and I do the rest. I do put the socks together, because otherwise my kids would never be able to find a match! But the underwear I don't bother folding. Everything else I do fold, but only very simply...like the kids' shirts I just fold in half. I, too, watch something on TV to make it seem to go by a little faster. Unfortunately, in the end it boils down to mind over matter. It has to be done so I just dig in and do it. But if you do a load or two every day or two, it's manageable and not overwhelming. And once I put it on my bed, I know I've got to get it done or they will end up in the middle of the floor so we can sleep that night, and I don't want that, either! As for myself, I keep praying for someone to invent a magic wand! Good luck, and know we all feel your pain!

I HATE folding laundry! So, I've started putting it on my bed so I have to get it folded before bedtime. If I've managed to let a mountain of it pile up I have my son put laundry baskets at the bottom of the stairs and I throw the clothes down the stairs - he tries to catch them and piles them in the baskets - we put on a funny movie and fild the clothes in front of the TV. When hubby gets home he gets to carry the baskets upstairs to the bedrooms. (I'm pregnant) My son thinks this game is hilarious.

Hi!
Laundry...I have a couple of ideas.
Get 4 laundry baskets that can go in a hallway. Dont get the super size ones, get the medium ones.
1 for towels (for the entire family), 1 for whites, 1 for darks, and 1 for colors that are for the kids. You and your hubby get 3. (whites, darks, and colors)Those stay in your room or closets. As baskets get more full, you can combine the adults and kids to make 1 load. When its time to put away, everbody has a little in the load (usually) so putting away goes quick.

When the clothes are finished drying, don't fold them: "lay them flat". That's what we call it. Just get the clothes out of the dryer and lay them flat in the basket, less wrinkles. If some need to be hung, keep the hangers by the dryer so you can hang them right away (easy to put away too). Also, you can sort by each person as you are doing it: Daddy, Mommy, then each kid. It goes quick.

Also, buy atleast 2 "dryer balls". They cut drying time by atleast half the time, prevent static, etc ( I just found them last week). They are round balls with little rubber spikes on them. $12.99 for 2. Less time to think about the task, quicker loads, cheaper, etc.

I have a teenager, 6 year old, and 3 year old. My teenager has done her own laundry since the 6th grade. But the 6 and 3 year old put away the clothes with me. Sometimes we make it a game and time ourselves. Quickest one wins...or if we all do it under a certain time...we all get a treat. Bonus points if one helps the other, etc....

Make it easier for you, maybe even something you can enjoy. The kids will pick up on that, you'll save money, save time, and the task won't seem as big.
Good luck!

Well, a bachelor friend of mine has a solution for this - he has two big cardboard boxes in his room - one for clean and one for dirty. LOL If, however, you are too civilized for this I find dumping it all on the floor then sitting down and quickly sorting it into piles based on where it goes then folding/putting it away makes it go faster.

I agree with Heather, folding the laundry while watching Judge Judy makes the task fast (you don't even realize you are doing it). I pour out my basket of fresh, warm clothes on to the couch. Have a pile of hangers ready. Hang as many things as you can, I hang all my and my husbands tshirts--hanging is so much easier and less time consuming than folding. You can't live with the clothes lying on the couch that's why it's the best place to do the deed. Any little piles of PJs and such for the kids can either be put away by the kids or you just swiftly do it yourself. Putting away the laundry is really "mind over matter", I've always hated it too, but when you actually accomplish it you feel good that it's over. Wash a load when you have enough, don't wait until you have a giant load that resembles a monster-----that's when you begin to hate it. You will like it better if you wash smaller, easier to manage loads that fold and get put up quickly. And socks, don't pair them, just put them in the persons drawer they belong to. It's best to always buy the same style of socks, that way they all pair up easily and you don't have to search for the matcher.

I put a shower rod up in my laundry room and bring my hangers in so when the dryer is done I can go straight to hanging and that leaves less folding. I have a 2 story house so it works well. I agree, laundry sucks. Maybe win the lottery and hire someone (I know not too helpful). Good luck :)

Hello,

For some reason laundry has always been the one chore I seem to feel in control of.

For me, the difference has always been folding and sorting the clothes as I take them out of the dryer. I have laundry baskets by the dryer and just fold the clothes and put each kids' clothes in their own basket. Then I have the kids take their own clothes to their room and put them away.

It only takes a few extra minutes while you're unloading the dryer, but it's the difference between getting behind and just having the laundry DONE!

Good luck!

We have an old armoire in the garage and we just hang everything. Then it gets transfered to closet when we have time or we just get clothes out of the garage. Baby laundry gets folded.

You can get a basic hanger stand from catalogs.

Laundry never dies!
-C.

Check out flylady.net.

Her solution for "Mount Washmore" is do one load every day, start to finish. She also recommends using a timer for tasks that you don't like, since you can do anything for 15 minutes. Just sit in front of the TV with a basket of clothes and set your timer. Before you know it you'll be done and you'll be surprised at how much time is left on the timer!

This woman came up on my other "mommy" site. sounds like it might be right up your alley.
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I don't like letting it stack up either, S., but I have found that in order to keep my own sanity it is better to wait for the weekend. If I have plans or am tired Saturday, then I do it on Sunday. The job we do is tough. 40+ hours of work and then all the responsibilities at home. There is enough to do when you get home in the evening with the kids dinner, kitchen cleanup, baths, washing clothes & dishes, etc. Give yourself permission to hold off on the folding for the weekend. Once in a while you will need to dig something out of the clean clothes pile, but at least they are clean.

The key to success here is to start having your children responsible for folding the laundry. Children as young as 5 or 6 can be taught how to fold clothes and hang clothes on hangers. It takes some time on the initial training, maybe two hours overall over a few days, but it is SOOOOO worth it, and such a good payback on the initial time investment. Just think how much time you will save in the long run.

When my kids start whining about it I remind them that We all have to pull our share. I dont wear their clothes, but I wash them for them! The least they can do is put them away.(or would they like to wash them themselves also?)
I explain I cook meals but they eat them. They use the dishes but I clean them. They mess the rooms but i pick them up. ..And I dont complain. This family is a team and a team all pitches in to work together for the good of all. No one should pull more than others, but everyone his fair share.
Hopefully your kids are old enough to do it!

Like other moms have said I don't know how old your kids are. But we have a family friend who has 10 kids...Yes that's right 10 kids (imagine the laundry with that..perspective huh?) Anyway since their eldest was 3 they have been doing their "own" laundry from start to finish. With the youngest ones she premeasures the detergent & obviously helps w/ sorting. For the younger ones there were color coded baskets and she put a label on the outside w/ hot or cold so they could remember what temperature each load needed to be washed at. And also labled the washer w/ red or cold lettering so they knew what way to turn the knob. And that was the extent of her doing the kids laundry. They put everything in the washer dryer & has them fold when they are done. Each kid has their own laundry day. If they didn't get their loads done....too bad, then they have to bargain with their other siblings to see if they could sneak in a load. I was shocked and said it can't possibly work. Surprisingly all the kids show up dressed in non wrinkled clothes so somethings gotta work....

On a personal note as a kid at the age of 5 it was my chore to fold the laundry. I hated it and still do this day. But now being a SAHM I can see why my working parents needed the help. The only incentive for me to follow through on this chore was....My parents always let me keep whatever $$ was found in the dryer. No matter how much. I often found 20 bills (who knows if that was done intentionally) I would have to say as I got older my parents got better at checking their pockets.

As a wife and mother now I am horrible at doing laundry but like other moms have stated I've resorted to making sure I at least wash 1 load a day and when its done drying it goes on the bed. Otherwise it just sits on our recliner for a couple of days. Since being pregnant its been sitting more than being put away. But I have an excuse to have the hubby help carry out the laundry, so I am starting to be a lil bit more motivate. I absolutely do not fold socks. I have a tall laundry basket and they go straight there. My husband & I have a joke that when he puts the dishes in the dishwasher will be the day I will match and fold his socks. I haven't heard a complaint yet, but then again I'm still loading his dishes. This is fine for the summer, but eventually I'll have to start matching my son's socks. I wear whatever socks are the same color. I really don't care at this point....Although when the basket gets full I do sit down and match them and then have my 20 month old son try to "make a basket" and throw it back in the laundry basket. I don't put them away, but they are at least matched..

Keep us updated on what solution works for you.

Good lUck

Hi S., I am not sure how old your kids are, but get them involved. Have them fold towels, or even their own clothes. My sister has piles of unfolded clothes near the laundry room and the kids have to pick out what they want to wear. The problem with that is they get their dirty clothes thrown in the clean piles. What I do, is when I watch tv at night, I fold them and have the kids come and get their piles. It doesn't take that long. My sister does what you suggested. Socks are a whole other story. good luck

I fold or hang anything that shouldn't be all wrinkled when you put it on as I take it out of the dryer. Socks, underwear and towels I guess you can just leave for later. Or just get it over with, you won't have to think about later. I try to do things I hate the most first, get it over with and off your mind. I do a load as soon as my basket is full. This way your favorite cloths are almost always clean. Hope you figure out what works good for you. N.

When I was young with 3 kids, I did laundry once a week (BIG MISTAKE) they never got folded before the next laundry. Made me most miserable- psychologically!

I am wiser now: Do laundry more often, a little at a time- when folded- seems more like accomplishments!

Divide the load so that they are easier to return once dried/folded, e.g. adults vs. babies, towels, socks (kids can help sort and fold), room by room, person by person, etc.

Fold laundry at the dryer OR at least sort them there and take them out to fold in front of the TV, or at family time while kids play (kids can participate if they can) multi-task!

It is easier when the kids are older. Hang in there!

You don't say how old the kids are but if 5 or older you could start teaching them how to fold their own then have a basket for each person in the house and everyne can fold their own and put them away.

Nothing makes the constant workload lessen. Can you have a friend's teenage niece/daughter come over to help twice a week for two hours at a time? I did that over the summer and that helped me out (and her as I paid her $10/hr). That was the best help I had! Hope you can do that. Otherwise it's a constant struggle to keep up with. I try to do little batches every day so I don't get overwhelmed.

Its the hardest thing to keep up with. And i never seem to be around when the clothes are done drying. SSOOO, I give myself this one luxery...one corner of the room is the "clean" corner. All clothes get dumped there. once or twice a week i try to fold everything there. i put all the wrinkled clothes into one basket and when i KNOW i will be able to fold\hang them i put them back into the dryer for a few minutes. My husband and kids know if they need more socks or undies where to go looking for them. if anyone complains, even my husband, then they immediatley get to fold and put away ALL the clothes in that corner. good luck. ...after reading the other responses i like the idea of if you are going to watch tv you are going to fold clothes.

Hi S., Just wanted to let you know you are not alone, I have the exact same problem! It is so frustrating, I call my laundry mount-launder.
Good luck.

I try to do one complete load of laundry per day. That way it doesn't get piled up.

laundry is my weekend ritual. i have the 7 year old folding and putting away her own clothes. the 3 year old can also help put folded things away. i too will leave a load in the dryer, but it has gotten easier when i have my 2 helpers.

Maybe you could check into the price of taking some of the clothes to the laundry and having them do the work for you and then you could just do things like towels, sheets, etc. I don't think the cost is that much.

I know I hate folding clothes but between my huaband & I we get it done. I have often thought about laundry service for work clothes though.

well, it looks like we all hate it
well those of us responding
i'm with you i put it in the wash, dry it and it piles up.
i put it on the bed and then have to fold it before i can get into bed
the only problem with this one is if my husband goes to bed before i do. he puts it back in the basket.
good luck

Socks, underwear, pajamas and casual t-shirts get separated and put in bins. Target has a toy bin that fits nicely in a closet and keeps the clothing easily accessible.

http://www.target.com/Storage-Organizer-Natural/dp/B000W9...