Doing the laundry can be a thankless task, especially when you are raising a family… leaving you in a bit of a daze. The laundry can pile up quickly if it is neglected. Then the questions begin…MOM… where is my favorite shirt ??? 😳 Have you ever been there?
I’m going to “lighten the load” a bit with this childhood memory. The Brady Bunch was an all time favorite show of mine growing up. Bobby, one of the youngest Brady children. In this laundry based episode, Bobby got his suit covered in mud, extremely dirty, and decided to wash it before his mom and Alice got home from shopping hoping to prevent the discussion he didn’t want to have with Mom.
Bobby put the dirty suit into the washing machine, then began to pour in the SAFE washing powder out of the box into the washer. He stopped momentarily, only to pause the flow of washing powders, then decided he needed the whole box😬. He sets the washing machine, and walks away. He cleans himself up, changes clothes, begins his homework. I think you know where this is going laundry wizards.
When Bobby returns downstairs, the laundry suds have already made it to the kitchen door. He enters the laundry room, and the suds are above his head, filling up the entire laundry room. Carol and Alice come home to find Bobby covered in suds!
Doing the laundry can be a monotonous task, and sometimes I might even feel like Bobby… washed away with suds. As I’m writing this blog post, I have one load washing, one load waiting in the laundry basket to be folded and put away, and two more loads sorted and waiting to go in after the first load finishes up 🤪.
One might would say the most glorious thing about finishing the laundry is the actual 5 seconds that the laundry baskets are actually empty! I feel that one! Yes, once the day comes to an end, the dirty clothes are back…. Leaving me to feel like surely there HAS to be more people living here that I don’t know about because 3 people surely can’t create this much laundry! 🤨
I will admit that the winter months are harder. The extra layers of clothing needed for warmth can make doing the laundry a more daunting task each week and one might think about “throwing in the towel”. But yes, that would create more laundry, right???
So the Question of the Day, is how to be efficient and productive with this ongoing, never ending cycle of laundry? 🧺 🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺
Do you do laundry everyday or just a few times a week? I have found that if I try to do a bit of laundry each day, my “load” is lighter. If I wait a day or two into the week, the laundry seems to never get finished! Ugh!
Working in Laundry Room: A Few Things To Consider
- Set up and have an organized, useable space to work. Don’t forget to Clean your laundry space… wipe down your machines, and laundry baskets! Use Lysol spray to disinfect your fabric baskets. Cleaning the laundry room is more than mopping the floor. The Laundry Room is often a high touch area in your home, just like your kitchen appliances are and frequently used technology items!
2. Include an area for air drying clothes OR to hang clothes as they come out of dryer. I have found that if I hang up clothes as they come out of the dryer, laundry is a much easier task even if I wait until later to bring them up to the closets. And the side benefit, less ironing!
3. Do you have a system to deal with Lost socks and coins? Some people tuck socks into a mesh bag, others throw the lost socks into a basket to try to reunite them later… coins??? That’s an easy fix, use a mason jar or even a cute little basket holder to catch those odd ball things that fly out of pockets unknown to you!
4. Keep dryer vents clean and clear… keep a small laundry trash can handy for disposal of laundry lint. Your dryer hose should be cleaned out regularly!
5. Leave the washer door open once you finish laundry for the day. This will help with odors and mildew buildup.
6. Lastly, set up a laundry system that every single person in your household can easily understand and use in your absence, especially if you are the main laundry guru. For example, everyone has a separate basket/bin to put away their own clothes, or each family member knows how to sort, use washer and dryer, and deal with laundry once if it finished in the dryer.
How to prevent a “washed out mess” in the Laundry Room:
- Sort clothes by colors.
- Read your labels and set your washing cycle accordingly.
- Only fill washer 3/4 full so detergent can work efficiently. Also speaking of efficiency, Be mindful of how much detergent you use. If using a liquid detergent the recommended line on bottle cap is probably too much if load washing isn’t really dirty, or heavily soiled laundry.
4. Keep laundry supplies well stocked… laundry detergent, Oxygenated cleaner, and a good enzyme spray like a pre-treatment cleaner. I also keep Dawn detergent in my laundry room for oil based grease stains… I often deal with those type of stains fairly regularly in our household. Did you know that Wilkes County Hardware can keep you stocked on your laundry room essentials???
5. Pretreat stains prior to going in washer. Dawn detergent works well on grease or oily stains. Most Food stains can usually be removed by using an all purpose stain remover that is enzyme based. Dirt stains… borax, baking soda, Oxy, or washing powders can be helpful.
6. Wash and dry laundry with the actual weight of clothes in mind. For example, Towels and blue jeans are much heavier and will require more drying time. It is probably best not to wash these together. Spread the love… do two separate loads of these items! Lighter weight clothes should dry faster so you might want to consider a short, time dry cycle and take those out first as the heavier weight items continue to dry.
7. Make sure you have a system that works for your family when it comes to checking pockets. I personally don’t check pockets prior to doing laundry unless I hear the jingle going into the washer😳😬 We are all responsible for checking and cleaning out our own pockets in the Searcy household. But I’ll admit, sometimes I do find things like nuts, bolts, coins, box cutters, pocket knives, etc. The absolute worst, a Sharpie marker or pen!!! Ugh!!! No one wants to have clothes ruined by these!!! I’m speaking from my own personal experience!!
8. Have a laundry system in place that whole family can live by and understand!!! Everyone pitches in to help with the laundry here at our house. As it comes out of the dryer, we hang up clothes that need it. Socks, towels can be dumped into the laundry basket. Some families use a bin system for each person so they can put away their own clothes. The point is to get everyone involved because every family member has a vested interest in their own laundry!
9. Use dryer balls to reduce drying time. Another quick hack is to use an older dry bath towel and throw it into the dryer so clothes will dry faster.
My laundry day wish for you… hoping that it “all comes out in the wash” soon so you can enjoy those few beautiful moments when it’s all done! And remember, Wilkes County Hardware is here to help you when you are feeling all washed up and ready for a bit of laundry day success. 🧺
The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 