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I was doing it wrong
Sundays used to be laundry day. I dreaded it because tackling all that laundry, in one day, was overwhelming!
I never, ever finished. I was defeated before I even began. Monday morning would roll around, and I still had mountains of laundry stacked in corners. So frustrating!
Something had to change
I switched up my laundry habits and finally tackled the mountains of laundry. If you are struggling, like I was, try this:
Tackling laundry is easier with help
Allow yourself to get outside help. I organize and declutter for a living, but there was a time when I needed help, so I asked for it. Don’t be too proud to ask for help.
A friend would come to my home, once a week, to help me get the laundry under control. She tackled a big chunk of the laundry so that I could breath. Eventually, I didn’t need her help any more. Thank you Sarah for helping me calm the chaos.
Tackling laundry every day
I know. That sounds terrible, but it’s really not. Once you commit to getting the laundry under control (again, thank you Sarah!) it’s pretty easy to wash, dry, fold and put away one small load of laundry every day. One small load is all I do so that it never becomes a tedious, overwhelming chore. I only spend minutes a day doing laundry, not hours.
Making laundry a part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth helps create a habit that makes your life simpler. You won’t be drowning in mountains of laundry at the end of each week.
Declutter your closet
We used to have more dirty clothes than clean clothes, so we didn’t realize that we had too many clothes! When that changed, my husband was having a hard time putting his laundry away. Why? Because he had more clothes than space. If your clothes don’t fit inside your dresser and closet, it’s time to declutter.
When most of your clothes are clean, you realize that you need less!
Another good habit is to shop your closet before you buy new clothes. When you buy something new follow the one-in/one-out rule. Get rid of something before adding something. Remember: the more clothes you bring into your home the more laundry you are going to have to wash-dry-fold-put away.
Bigger is NOT better
There is a misconception that more laundry baskets, industrial-sized washing machines and larger closets/dressers are the key to keeping laundry in control. Nope. It actually makes it more overwhelming.
When you have too many dirty laundry bins you will never empty them. There will be an endless supply of dirty laundry bins for you to deal with.
I don’t even have a dirty laundry hamper for my clothes. I take them directly to the laundry room every day.
Having a humongous washing machine so that you can do ALL the laundry at one time doesn’t always work as well as we’d think. It’s turns into a scary, daunting task that you try to avoid. I’ve seen it, first hand, many times. My clients with super-sized washing machines seem to end up with huge mountains of laundry they are expected to tackle all at once. No wonder they hate laundry and try to avoid it.
Everyone can tackle their own laundry
I know the dynamics of every household are different, but here are my rules:
If you can operate a smartphone, you can operate a washing machine.
If you dirty it, you can help clean it.
However, if your children are still too small to operate a washing machine and dryer, they can always work alongside you while you fold and put away clothes. When children fold, it won’t be perfect, and that’s OK. Kids can be very helpful. Let them practice folding and give them a high-five for effort!
Once you have a system in place, laundry becomes less daunting. Tackling the laundry is easy-breezy.
Laundry does NOT have to be an overwhelming, tedious chore. Don’t overthink it. Just do one small load every day, and don’t forget to get help. Now, to tackle some laundry.
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