Simple Shortcuts : Laundry Tips

I’m so excited to share a new series with you – Clean Mama’s Simple Shortcuts. Every Monday for the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing my favorite simple shortcuts and gathering yours on Instagram. I’ll share them on Instagram as you are sharing them but I’ll also gather them up over the next six weeks and share them as a free printable at the end of the series. I’ve been feeling like I really need simple and easy right now – you too? I can’t wait for us to all gather tips that help us over the next six weeks. It’s going to be really fun and helpful with a community feel. Make sure you’re following along on Instagram too!

Today, we’re going to be talking about our favorite Laundry Tips!  I’m going to list some of mine below, add yours to the comments here or head over to Instagram to add yours in the Stories question box.

My favorite Simple Shortcuts for Laundry? These are the laundry tips and tricks that make doing laundry a little easier and less put off-able. Ready?

My favorite laundry tip of all time? DO A LOAD A DAY! 
One load a day from start to finish is all it takes to simplify the laundry. I know that this sounds like a lot or like it’s going to be a time suck. In reality, a load or two of laundry a day takes minutes compared to how long it takes when you let it pile up and do it all at once. Doubtful?  Time it the next time and see how long it takes.

HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK FOR YOU:
If you’re skeptical or not sure where to start, here are a couple ideas to make this work for you home.

• Collect all the laundry in the house at the end of the day or just have one hamper in the laundry room and wash what’s in that daily. With three kids we easily have a load of laundry every day, some days there are multiple loads. (This is not the method I use, but a lot of people use this method!)
• Don’t separate the kids’ clothes into whites and darks, just toss it all in on cold. I’ve never had any issues with color transfer with this method. The two big kids fold their own clothes and put them away – this is extremely helpful! Use the summer to teach your kids how to do their own laundry.
• For my husband and myself I do separate clothes (whites, darks, workout wear) and we each have our own hamper so our clothes are washed separately. We both work out quite a bit so I usually have a load of workout clothes for each of us weekly too.
• If you work outside of the home, set your washer to start an hour or so before you get up in the morning. Once you get up, toss it in the dryer and fold before leaving or when you get home.
• Don’t have enough laundry for a load a day? Try doing a load every other day or every third day.

A couple more Laundry Tips:

• Plan out your laundry – put it on a schedule and do your best to keep up with it.  The one day I always get right, Saturday – Sheets & Towels Day. Go here for a free Laundry Schedule printable.

• Use simple and safe laundry products – I love using laundry products that really work and simplify the laundry process. If you’re looking for an easier, better way to do laundry, you need to try my Laundry Detergent Spray. Pair it with Oxygen Whitener for the cleanest laundry ever!  Go here to see all of the laundry products in the shop!

Hang shirts using the fold-over method – start with a stack of clean shirts and use this method:

• Grab your hangers – have them all facing the same way (it’s easier to quickly hang the clothes this way).
• Put a hanger on the first item on top of the stack.
• Fold the hanger over so it’s still on the stack but not hung up.
• Keep going until everything in the stack is on a hanger.
• Hang up the stack.

Your turn!  What are your favorite Simple Shortcuts for Laundry? Share in the question box on Instagram Monday and Tuesday of this week or in the comments here on the blog.

My latest book, Clean Mama’s Guide to a Peaceful Home, goes into detail about setting up systems and rituals in your home and would be a great addition to your homekeeping journey.