An Update:
Before I share with you an amazing way to cut laundry time down to about an hour per week, I have to explain my recent absence. I had some major issues with my blog! For starters I had changed my email address quite a while ago and thought I had updated it in all the right places on blogger. Nope. My domain name ended up expiring without me being notified and you couldn't come here! I felt like my arm had been cut off!
It took a week of emailing up the chain at Google to get the problem sorted out. I was so relieved but a week later when I was at my mom's house, my mom tried to pull up my blog to show my aunt something and got redirected. I thought that it must have been just on her computer but when I got home and tried to access my blog on my IPad, I too got redirected. I could have cried!
It has taken weeks of research and help from friends to rectify what appeared to be a blogjacking, but I'm so thankful to be back!
A Disclaimer:
Despite the frustration it has also been a good time of reflection. I don't ever want my blog to be my identity. I also don't want it to be a way for me to show off my talents or anything I have. My goal is to share ideas for your home and your family that make things more organized, easier, and saves money. We all want a 'homey home' that reflects who we are and gives our family a place of safety and security. I hope you find ideas for that here! Thank you for following along, and sharing this journey with me!
What you really came for:
Of all of the home chore responsibilities, the one that by far takes the longest is laundry! It seriously takes me hours each week to wash, dry, fold and put away laundry for my family of 6. I spend time every day doing this! As much as I love my family, and feel its a God given privilege to serve them this way, I'm all for a short cut!
After a particularly frustrating weekend where I even stayed home from church to fold the 12 load mountain in my living room, I knew things had to change! I started doing research online and found some great ideas. I incorporated several of them to totally streamline the laundry process and literally cut HOURS out of my weekly laundry doing schedule! I feel like a new woman!
Let me first say that this system is not perfect yet but it is loads better {no pun intended!} This may not be the system for you but hopefully it will give you ideas for how you can streamline your own laundry process.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts you need to know that my kids are 5, 8, 9, & 11.
You also have to give up any idea of perfection. It took me a while, but I've finally arrived! And I try to buy mostly wash and wear clothing. We do iron on Sunday before church just what we are wearing for that day. {Oh, and my amazing hubby irons his own clothes each morning before work}.
Here's what we do:
Each kiddo has their own laundry basket and are responsible to bring their load down to the laundry room when its full, or when I ask.
I wash and dry their clothes.
As they come out of the dryer I take about 3 minutes per load to inside any out that need it and sort back into their baskets.
After 5-7 mixed loads their baskets are usually full {about once a week} and I have them take their own basket, "fold" it and put their clothes in their drawers. This is where I had to relax. I was finding that even after I had folded their clothing neatly it all became a jumbled mess after a day or two in their drawers. They know what item goes in what drawer and as long as they make it there I'm happy.
I fold and put away my husbands clothes, my own, and the towels and sheets.
This systems literally saves me hours each week! It also gives my kids ownership and teaches them responsibility. They even are beginning to give more thought about what gets thrown in the laundry because they know they will have to fold it and put it away again.
If you need some more laundry time saving ideas try some of these:
- Color code your kids towels. That way everyone knows whose towel is who's. You use a towel when you are clean so these only need washing 1-2 times per week. Give them each a hook in the bathroom or their bedroom to keep this towel off the floor and ready for its next use.
- Even really young kids can learn to strip their own sheets off the bed, or pick up laundry off the floor. When my kids were able to walk we started showing them how to pick up, they thought it was great fun!
- Unless you spill breakfast on them, jammies can be worn for several nights in a row before washing. Get your kids in the habit of putting them under the pillow when they take them off in the morning.
- Help create laundry ownership by allowing your kids to decorate the outside of their laundry basket or put color coded ribbons on the handles.
- Only sort what you have to. I basically do two types of loads. Darks, and lights. Dark towels, and shirts get washed with dark jeans. Light sheets get washed with socks, and gray T's.
I would love to hear any other time saving ideas you have!
Thanks for stopping by! Its good to be back! :)
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