Simplify Your Laundry Routine

39 comments

1. Sharon

   28/07/2010

   Wow…such great tips.
   I’m always overwhelmed with laundry but I think your suggestions will help me get back on track.

   I LOVE your website and will be returning often.

   Thanks for sharing your organization wisdom with all of us!

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   Andrea Reply:
   July 28th, 2010 at 2:13 pm

   Thanks Sharon!
   So many seem to be overwhelmed with laundry…it just piles up so quickly. These tips seem to help a lot of my clients so hopefully they’ll work for you too!

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2. Lauren

   28/02/2011

   THANK YOU for giving me public permission to cram all those colors into one load. I have been a closet multi-color-washing-mama for years, and now I have the courage to stand next to you and admit it! Now, I won’t wash a new red shirt in with all my lights… I wash dark items once by themselves first before throwing them all together… but that’s the end of my strategy.

   Thank you for making me feel normal!

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   Andrea Reply:
   February 28th, 2011 at 4:21 pm

   Oh you’re welcome Lauren!
   Laundry has always been one area where I’m all about “getting it done” as quick as possible.

   I usually wash the darks at least once by themselves too…but I don’t buy expensive clothing so if something gets ruined, I’ll just use it for a rag!

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3. Terry Elisabeth

   01/03/2011

   I love hearing that you don’t have to separate the colors. However, if I want my white t-shirt to saty really white, I have to keep those kinds of white from any other color.
   My trick is to put vinegar in the water to make colors stick and I use my old essential oils to disinfect/deodorize clothes.

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 8:53 am

   Yes, sometimes we keep our “nice” whites separate from dark clothing, but if it’s just towels and rags, I don’t care.

   I use vinegar too — which does seem to help, but I haven’t tried essential oils yet…

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4. Tiffany @ No Ordinary Homestead

   01/03/2011

   Great tips!
   I can’t imagine not separating darks from lights –but it’s not such a chore since I only do laundry once a week for adults and once for or daughter. Don’t the whites end up dingy?

   Everything else comes as it needs to be cleaned so I really don#t stress about laundry. It’s the folding that tends to be the issue now. Even when I tell myself to just fold it in the evening on the couch, I still tend to put it off.

   Use vinegar all the time and natural detergents — but have been playing with the idea of making my own detergent for a long while now. Just have to get up my nerve and order the materials already

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 8:51 am

   We almost always mix darks and lights together — just to keep it easy. Of course, if I get a new pair of dark jeans or other very dark clothing, I’ll probably wash it with only darks one or two times…just to be safe.

   Lately, I’ve even been washing our whites in with the colors {as an experiment} and they come out looking just fine. You might just have to try it sometime!!

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5. oh amanda

   01/03/2011

   Yes! I have finally stopped sorting! I mean, really, what’s the point when you buy a shirt for $5 at Target?!

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 8:48 am

   Amen — our clothes are not expensive and most everything is cotton. So when they pass their prime…they turn into rags!

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6. Antoinette

   01/03/2011

   Have absolutely LOVED the vinegar tip for reducing static cling and our clothes don’t smell any different. I’m also thinking that it will save my dryer because the lint catcher won’t get the waxy buildup from all those dryer sheets.

   I also use a fraction of the soap “recommended” and wash everything in hot water – again most of our clothes are cotton or cotton/poly so no “sensitive” fabrics…we also buy most of our clothes from thrift stores so everything is nicely pre-shrunk .

   For grease stains (toddler wipes peanut butter all over his shirts and pants), Dawn liquid dish soap is FABULOUS. Just slather it on and then toss it in with a regular batch of wash. It even works well if you don’t happen to catch the mess the first time through the wash and bake-it-in dryer .

   I still use Shout as my go-to stain remover but am toying with the idea of making my own (got a “recipe” from a lady here at work).

   P.S. haven’t sorted for years (other than toddler’s clothes, teen’s clothes, our clothes, our underwear, socks/towels) and LOVE the freedom. Hmmm – I guess that could be a tip – usually one load of wash per room/person that way I’m not traipsing all over the house delivering to multiple rooms every time I do a batch.

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 7:04 pm

   Yay…so glad the vinegar tip worked for you too! And I love your tip for sorting laundry based on person. That must make quick work of putting everything away.

   Thanks for sharing!

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7. Jennifer

   01/03/2011

   I just stopped sorting about a month ago and feel like a free woman! Thanks for the tips. You have a great site! I’ve been inspired to buckle down on some of my organizational projects I’ve been putting off. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 7:08 pm

   Wow…thanks so much Jennifer!

   Glad to hear you’re making progress towards a simple, more organized life…that’s always my goal too!

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8. Kim

   01/03/2011

   Haven’t sorted for years. Once in awhile I’ll do a load of bleached white tops. My laundry tip is this, only own two laundry baskets, one for dirty, one for clean. Then you’ll never have loads and loads of laundry laying around. My teens all do their own laundry, they have since they were about 8, or I’ll barter with them (cuz I like folding) and I’ll get them to do one of my chores and I’ll do their laundry.

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9. Miranda

   01/03/2011

   Great tips!
   I only sort into two categories: our clothes and our daughter’s clothes since I wash hers in dye and fragrance free detergent. I have a separate basket for her clothes so that it isn’t a huge pain to sort.

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   Andrea Reply:
   March 1st, 2011 at 7:14 pm

   Sounds like a good system! Someone else mentioned they sort by person too — I’ll have to remember that tip!

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10. Betsy (Eco-novice)

    01/03/2011

    I agree with and do lots of these, including: no ironing, same baskets, have kids help, wear clothes more than once, and de-clutter your closet, but I absolutely disagree with #6. I do laundry as seldom as possible. Besides cloth diapers (which I was twice a week), I only do my laundry about once every 2 weeks. Then I do it ALL at once, all full loads. But I sort, cause I like my delicates on delicate and my disgusting cleaning rags by themselves.

    My sister, with 6 kids, has a laundry day once a week. She starts with the lightest clothes, fills up a load, and then just continues on using the lightest of the stuff left until she has another full load and so on. So she only sorts that one day while washing. AND her kids start doing their own laundry around age 8.

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11. LisaE

    01/03/2011

    Between my 4 kids (3 teens and a preteen) and my husband and I, socks were always going missing…there’s a dark hole somewhere for socks, I just know it! I decided to buy each person a mesh lingerie bag, and everyone’s dirty socks go in their own bag; I just throw the bag in the washer then the dryer, and everyone’s socks stay put! AND – no more sorting socks!! It’s working well for us – hope it helps someone else, too.

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    Andrea Reply:
    March 1st, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    Oh my word Lisa…that is possibly one of the BEST laundry tips ever! Who doesn’t struggle with lost or mismatched socks?

    Your mesh bags are genius! Thanks for sharing

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12. Suzanne

    02/03/2011

    I have found that doing a load of laundry first thing Saturday morning that doesn’t take folding, like my son’s bedding, or his clothes which are small and can sit in the basket for a bit, so I can at least start on laundry, even if I’m sleepy and don’t want to hang things up yet.

    I also use mesh bags for bras. I don’t handwash or do delicate, but they are more protected in a regular load that way.

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13. Rebecca

    02/03/2011

    LOL! I *never* sort my laundry, which {for some inexplicable reason} really freaks my husband out. {I think his mother must have been a compulsive sorter, or something.}

    I loved all your points … the only thing I would disagree with is #6 {Do a little each day}. For about two years I lived in an apartment with no laundry facilities, which got me in the habit of doing laundry just once a week. Now that I have a washer and dryer again, I have been trying to stick that that schedule. It actually is less stressful for me that way – instead of feeling pressure to wash {and then dry, fold, and put away} a load every day or two, I can get it all done with at once and not have to think about it again for another week.

    Thanks for all you do! I really enjoy your site and look forward to reading your posts each day.

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    Andrea Reply:
    March 2nd, 2011 at 11:13 am

    Thanks Rebecca,
    Yes, I suppose the “one load per day” is someone controversial — but because of my business schedule, I’m often not home on Saturdays {or for extended periods of time during the day} so if I can do one load per day, it really helps me out.
    Plus, I have lots of working moms who read this blog and they might only be able to get one load done after dinner each night — which is better than nothing!

    p.s. your mother-in-law comment just cracks me up!

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14. Joules

    02/03/2011

    Vinegar and safety pins? Huh, wha? Sounds just crazy enough to work, I am all over this:)

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15. Carrie

    04/03/2011

    I’ve been working on potty training recently and I discovered how much easier it is to stay on top of the laundry if you do a little bit every day. I used to think it was best to have a big laundry day once a week…but that was not fun!!

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    Andrea Reply:
    March 4th, 2011 at 11:11 am

    I used to do all our laundry on the same day too…but then I got really busy and didn’t have an entire day to do laundry anymore. That’s when I switched to one load a day {or more} and it’s working great for us. Glad to hear I’m not the only one too busy to do laundry!!

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17. Kymberly

    15/03/2011

    Mine are the same as yours – and it’s always such an epiphany to others.

    I’m still evangelizing “Don’t sort!” to the skeptical masses.

    Other than brand new items which wisely need a test wash first, I don’t sort. At all. With the same fine results you have.

    Will def try the vinegar as I have a son allergic to the scent/dye in fabric softener.

    My additional tip: stop sorting socks. I’m frugal but for the men in my house, we periodically dump all the old worn socks and replace with a couple packs of brand new athletic socks. Feels so ritzy but it’s like $12.

    When all the socks match – there is no “matching” socks.

    Some families go so far as to have one big sock basket. I can’t go there (yet) but it’s intriguing.

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    Andrea Reply:
    March 15th, 2011 at 9:29 pm

    ha…you make me laugh Kymberly. Glad to hear you’re another organized laundry woman! And yes, I do get a lot of questions about my “no sorting” policy.

    Thanks for the sock tips and let me know how you like the vinegar

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18. honour

    15/04/2011

    dump socks in a mesh lingerie bag to end ‘orphan’ socks. Buy socks by the dozen, all the same; no matching needed.

    take empty hangers along with dirty clothes basket to machine. Hang as much as possible as quickly as possible from the dryer; ends the need to iron. Anything that seems to wrinkled to wear, spry with a bit of spray starch and ‘finger’ press.

    Everyone over 8 y/o takes their own clothes from laundry room to their closet/dresser. Serious penalty meted out for those who dump clean, not worn clothes, into laundry, rather than re-hung, when the teen changes his mind!

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    Andrea Reply:
    April 18th, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Thanks for all your great tips — sounds like you have things down to a science!

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19. Helen

    03/05/2011

    My family goes through a lot of clothes from school uniforms, work clothes to casual homes clothes. Since we live in damp coastal town I found that the clothes in the laundry basket will get musty fast so I had to design a system that everything is washed and dried within 24-36 hours. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays I do all of the whites which happens to include my bed linens, the kitchen towels and and most bath towels. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I wash the colors and darks and the bathroom mats. Sundays I usually only wash the wet wash cloths and bath towels so they are not sitting getting musty.

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    Andrea Reply:
    May 3rd, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    sounds like you have a pretty good system that works well for you and your family. That’s crazy that your clothing gets musty — I’ve never heard of that before! It must be REALLY humid where you live!

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20. Marcie

    01/08/2011

    I hate laundry. In college I would reward myself with a vending machine treat while I did it! Now I have 7 kids and am required to TRY to be organized. I put a curtain rod up that spans the washer and dryer. I keep all empty hangers there. EVERYTHING gets hung up except underwear, socks, and pajamas. I ALWAYS do whites together because I can’t imagine them getting clean enough in cold water! I use different hangers for different people so putting them away is easy (unless my husband “helps”)! Because I hate doing laundry, I usually do it all on the weekend when I have more help, but during the school year, when things are calmer I like to do a few loads during the week.

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21. Jessica

    10/10/2011

    I too like to keep laundry stream lined and organized. That’s why I have set up baskets in our rooms. My favorite system is the laundry baskets in our master closet. We have three tall baskets all labeled “darks, colors and whites.” When our clothes are dirty throw them in the basket and when it’s full it’s a perfect load. We have all white towels, wash clothes, and dish rags to make a full load of whites since I like to bleach them. My daughter has one tall hamper in her room since all her clothes are the same colors. I end up doing 4 loads a week, and 5 every other week when I wash the sheets. I also hang dry our clothes, laundry gets done much faster and everything is put away at one time. It also forces me to empty the washer and move it to the line.

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23. Kamila

    05/02/2012

    This is what I did. I have a 2 and a 4yo. I set two baskets into the hallway closet and put a picture of a white cat over the white basket and a picture of blue train over the blue basket. My kids are taught as soon as they take their dirty, filthy, muddy clothes of to take them to the blue train basket. All white/light stuff goes to the kitty basket. The pictures are just visual cues so my little daughter can sort them more successfully. So far it’s going well.

    Also, I live in a very dry part of Colorado and the static in the entire house is very high. I was several times a week, do it about an 1.5 hrs before going to bed. Hang my laundry on a rack before going to bed, clothes are super dry in the morning. I’ll take them the rack first thing in the morning and put away the rack. House is humidified and my laundry is done before breakfast. In the super dry summer, I do laundry once a week and can do as many as 3 loads per day, drying on the line outside is almost instantaneous and it smells wonderful.

    Hope this will help someone! Thanks for your great post.

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24. Cammie

    12/03/2012

    Here is my tip for those of us who still like to sort but don’t want it to take all day every day. Have your kids (yes even the little ones!) bring laundry hampers to a central location once a day. Sort right then in to the nice hampers that have multiple areas that stay in the laundry area and call it a day. Whatever compartment/color fills up first gets washed that day. I do the 1 load a day for sure! With 5 people in our family it’s a must! We sort like this: Blacks, Lights, Jeans, Colors, Pinks/Reds (two girls so there ya go!), Towels. Lets you do 1 load a day Mon-Sat. Sunday is our day of rest. No laundry! YAY!

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25. Becky

    12/03/2012

    I do most of those except I do separate my whites. Not sure f it was the water or
    Something but I found they would get a little dingy if I waned them with everything else. So I wash them separately and then every once in a while add a little bleach. Works wonderfully for our stuff

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