How to Keep Laundry from Taking Over

Photo by Steve Buissinne via Pixabay

Leaving the laundry to build up all week means you might spend all Saturday washing, drying and folding. Organization experts offer these tips for keeping your dirty clothes under control throughout the week so that you can spend your weekends enjoying life.

Get the Right Containers

Invest in a pair of laundry baskets or lidded bins that are easy to carry and fit in your closet or wherever you dress. If they’re exposed to the room, look for elegant or colorful baskets with lids to blend in as decorative accents. Use one to toss dirty clothes and the other to collect the dry-cleaning.

Create a Routine

On Monday, grab the dry-cleaning basket and throw it in the car to drop off on your way to work. On Tuesday, pop a load in the washer from the other basket or bin before you head out the door. Then, place it in the dryer when you arrive home. Listen for the dryer buzzer so you can slip in and hang or fold items immediately so that they don’t wrinkle.

After work Wednesday, pick up the dry-cleaning and move it directly into the closet when you get home. Then use Thursday morning to wash the sheets and towels and repeat the steps from Tuesday: listening for the buzzer after putting the towels and sheets in the dryer, then folding them and putting them away immediately.

Keep Your Laundry Room Organized

Use glass jars to hold powdered laundry soaps so that you always know when you need to buy more. Instead of dryer sheets, invest in silicone or alpaca dryer balls you can reuse indefinitely. If your laundry room doesn’t have a hanging bar, add an over the door or wall-mounted rack so that drip-dry clothing hangs near the washer for easy access. Rotate empty hangers back into the laundry room so that they’re always handy.

Finally, spend your Friday night enjoying friends and your weekend relaxing or visiting open houses with your real estate agent.