How To Create A Laundry System That Works In 4 Easy Steps

Let’s go to The Chalkboard.

Why Create A Laundry System? 

You may be thinking, why do I need a laundry system? The simple answer is to save time and keep your house running smoothly. We are huge proponents of having systems in place; our guide to meal planning saves us hours each week. When you create a system and schedule, you always know what needs to be done that day. You can then tackle the task and move on to more important things. It reduces our mental load.

No one wants to spend all of their days in the laundry room or basement. We also don’t want that mountain of clothes to start growing again once we’ve conquered it.

Creating this simple system will streamline your week and give you more time in your day.

How To Create A Laundry System

1. Have a hamper in every bedroom. This idea may seem simple, but everyone needs a place for their dirty laundry. If you find after a week or so, the laundry is always overflowing; it’s time to use a bigger bin to keep things tidy.
2. Have a place for your other dirty laundry. It’s not always feasible to have a hamper in other areas of your home. But you need to think through where the other dirty wash will go. Where will you put dirty towels and sheets? What about kitchen towels? We use only white towels and place them all in with our whites to only have to do them once a week. Kitchen towels go next to the washing machine. When there is a small load, we include them,
3. Create a laundry schedule. You are going to assign each group of wash one day. Write down each family member and assign them one day. Then assign a day for any other wash that have (ie, whites, towels, etc,). Write it under the day of the week.
4. Monitor your system and see if you need changes. Assess your schedule as you go. Is it working? Do you need another day to schedule? Maybe you need to switch your days off? Tweak your plan and move on.

Laundry Schedule FAQs

As mentioned above, the key to having a good laundry system is the schedule. Knowing what task you are doing each day saves you time and reduces your mental load. Here are some commonly asked questions about the practice.

What Is A Good Laundry Schedule?

A good laundry schedule is one you will consistently follow. It has to be efficient and manageable. I like to plan for one day per person and then add another day for towels and sheets. Five days for a family of four is doable. The average American does 8-10 loads per week.

How Many Times A Week Should I Do Laundry?

For a family of four, four to five times a week keeps things manageable. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one day per person in your house and then one day for towels, sheets, etc. Depending on your washing machine size, that may equal one or two loads per person, per day.

What Is A Good Laundry System For A Working Mom

Each morning, place the laundry in the washing machine before you leave for work. Then switch it as soon as you come home. I found that a great time to fold is while the kids are doing homework. Folding is a mindless task, and if you are pulled away to help with fractions or phonics, it’s easy to come back. Unfortunately, the clothes don’t put themselves away. I wish!

Also, don’t hesitate to get your kids involved. Little ones as young as three or four years old can put away their clothes. Make it fun! Call it the laundry train and put the folded clothes on a truck or a doll stroller that they use to deliver to their rooms and put away. 

How To Get Laundry Under Control

If you are already dealing with a mountain of laundry, here’s how to get it under control. First of all, don’t panic. We will get through this! We are going to power through and then move forward with a new system. This task won’t take us down!

1. Gather all of your wash and separate it into piles by the person. 
2. Within each pile, put any clothes right side out and pull out anything that is delicate or needs a hand wash, etc.
3. Combine any delicates into one small pile.
4. Wash each pile one by one using the system that you devised earlier.

Tips To Keep Laundry Under Control

Once you have your wash under control and your laundry system implemented, you will want to KEEP it that way. Besides following your laundry schedule, here are some tips to help you maintain your new practice.

• Have enough clothes. Sounds so simple, right? But be sure to have enough underwear, socks, etc., to make it through the week. If you don’t have enough clothes, you will automatically be doing more laundry to make up for it. 
• Each night, place out what you are wearing the next day, from underwear on up. This practice will help you to avoid the morning madness of where is this or that. It will also help you to see if you have enough clothes to sustain your laundry system and whether you need to swap days around. 
• Have a place to put all of your dirty laundry. 
• Keep kids’ clothes separate if possible. It is a pain to sort kid’s clothes. The naked eye can barely tell the difference between sizes without checking the tags. You will save time by doing separate loads. It’s less sorting in the end.
• Enlist help. Assistance is crucial, especially if you have a family. You did not wear all of the clothes; you don’t need to be in this alone. Little kids can help fold and put away clothes, and older ones can learn to do their own. 
• Make it fun! Pick a short television show or podcast that you never have time to enjoy and put it on during your laundry folding time. No need to sit and stare at the clothes — multitask!

What Do You Think?

Do you have a laundry system in place? What is it? Let me know in the comments below; I would love to hear!

Happy laundering!

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