Laundry Hell

You should know, this isn't actually my pile of laundry hell.  Mine looks worse.  ;)

That's right folks, that is what we call it around our house!  And we are currently in Laundry Hell.  Which is oh so overwhelming.  Things are getting so desperate, that my husband actually started to do some laundry.  Which is sweet!  But also messes up the system.  And I have had to explain to me how to DO laundry.  Which is scary. 

Which is causing me to revisit my whole laundry process.  I work full time outside the home, which means I am always behind on laundry.  And we do a lot of laundry around our house.  With three boys that wear school uniforms, are into wrestling, and are extremely active, we have a lot of stinky, smelly clothes.  It is not like we can just skip a few washings on the school uniforms and especially not on the wrestling singlets.  There is just no freaking way that is going to happen!

I remembered a post that my friend Gabi posted a while back.  And it shared some good stuff.  I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it here!  I think I will implement a few of her tips.  You can read her whole post here.  Hopefully something will work . . . and fast!  My husband is threatening to just go out and buy new socks because it has been a while since he has seen his. 

Actually, that is not such a bad idea. 

Ok, here are a few of Gabi's tips.  She is really cute, and smart.  We should listen to her and her laundry tips.

Here are a few tricks that really knock my socks off. (And leave them gleaming white and static-free...)


•Laundry hampers. In every room where clothes are stored, removed or changed. I have them in every bedroom and bathroom. Some larger rooms have more than one.


•Regularly scheduled wash day. I only wash twice a week. Period. Usually Tuesdays and Fridays. It works best if you are at-home most of the day. (Or have a helpful home-officed husband who doesn't mind shifting the loads, in a pinch.) Promise yourself that you will get all the laundry in and out within a 12-hour period. It takes discipline...but there is nothing more depressing than seeing yesterday's whites still molding away in the washer as you are digging through piles of clean, but rumpled, permanent press searching for the soccer uniform.


•Individualized laundry baskets. Each kid has their own labeled clean-clothes basket. (Note: these are not the same as the laundry hampers...those are stationary, because there is always more laundry.) Depending on their age, at the end of laundry day, the kids will have either a pile of clean clothes to fold or pre-folded clothes to put away in drawers and closets. (Word to the wise: I don't advise looking in drawers too often. It can cause stomach upset.)


•Fold as you go. This doesn't work for everybody, but I've found that if I drag all the clean laundry into the family room and fold while watching Oprah or other educational programming, it takes a whole lot longer to finish. Plus, I am annoyed if my kids trip over my work. Time yourself. Folding even the biggest load only takes about twelve minutes. Just pull it out of the dryer and deal with it while it's warm and sweet. Less wrinkles, too.


•Bright whites. Sort and wash whites first while there is still plenty of hot water. For best results, rinse the load first with cold water. Tip learned from appliance guy: If you have an high-efficiency washer, it may fill with water before the water gets really hot. Before starting the hot cycle, run the faucet in your washtub or closest powder room to get the heat in the pipes.


•Sock basket. My laundry room is also the mudroom. The kids keep their shoes in there. So it makes sense to keep a big basket of clean white socks handy. I don't even match them. It has streamlined our daily out-the-door routine...and every second counts.


•Baking soda. Gets the stink out towels and socks. Can be used instead of bleach to brighten whites. Used as a paste will clean out a dirty washing machine. Cheap trick.


•Finally...buy cute clothes. When apparel shopping, don't just look at cost and fit. When buying any top or bottom, ask yourself, Will I still love this after I've pre-treated, sorted and folded it 50 times? If the answer is no, put it back on the rack.

Great tips, eh?  Although, I will say that we all need to figure out what works best for us!  I am going to try her idea of keeping laundry to two days.  Saturday and Sunday for me.  I was trying to do a few loads in the morning, and a few at night, but then it just seems to get shoved aside, and we get all confused about what laundry is clean, and what is dirty.  Not good.  I am also going shopping for laundry baskets for each room.  I have them for my boys room, but having them in the bathrooms just makes sense!   I saw that TJ Maxx had a whole new selection of cute new laundry baskets the other day.  Perfect!

This is me, after I am done with all the laundry.  Ok . . . it is how I feel inside. 

We can DO this.   We can keep our families out of laundry hell.  Right? 

What about you?  What works for you?  What keeps you out of laundry hell? 

And you know it is true . . . CLEAN LAUNDRY FEELS GOOD!