Get Organized - Make Laundry Day Work for You

I don't know about you, but if I randomly toss a load in the washer, I forget about it the moment I close the lid. It's a miracle if I happen to see it the same day, much less get it done and put away!

Giving yourself a Laundry Day helps you get it done. It gives you a day to tidy up the Laundry Room. It even has the side benefit of helping your kids realize what's left in their closets and pace themselves (anyone else have daughters that "need" to change four times a day?).

​Read on for my Dirty Dozen tips for making Laundry Day work for you...

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Dirty Dozen: Laundry Tips from a Family of Six

1. Teach kids where to put their dirty clothes. Give them a laundry basket or hamper, and start young! Forget sorting. Getting the dirty stuff in one place is a victory!
2. Do not collect all the laundry yourself! Tell the whole family what day of the week is Laundry Day. The kids can bring their baskets to the Laundry Room/Area.
3. Laundry Baskets that all stack inside each other are awesome. 
4. Laundry Packs are great! At first I thought they were silly and frivolous. But I have small children that want to help (and big ones that are required to help). "Toss in one pack," is easy for a child. We have some people with sensitive skin andAll's Free & Clear have never given us any problems!
5. On Laundry Day collect everything first thing in the morning. You are more likely to keep stuff moving when you can see how much you need to get done.
6. Set a timer, so that you will remember to come back when the Washer is done. I use this one made byPoulder, because is vibrates and doesn't wake napping toddlers. It even has a little clip use can stick it to your clothes with. Mine is 6 years old and still works awesome.
7. Sort the clothes by room. Chances are your sons' clothes are mostly boy colors and your girls' clothes are girl colors! Wash new things separately to be sure they don't bleed, but after that, most clothes are easier to care for than you think! My loads are: boys, girls, linens, Papa's, and Mama's. My things often get tossed in with the girls, but I do keep my husbands work things separate. (Ahem. If you have terrible water, you might have to separate your whites, but I don't have to. Know your laundry and your limitations.)
8. Quit buying stuff that's hard to take care of! You and your family can look well-cared for without having to dry clean everything you own. Washers, dryers, detergent, and fabric have come a long way. There are tons of cute, comfy clothes that are easy care, so why get anything that isn't?
9. Hang stuff up. If you hang those shirts and dresses right out of the dryer, they don't get wrinkly! 
10. Teach kids to fold their own stuff and put it away. Start with towels and wash clothes, work up to their own clothes. Putting away your own clothes is not "woman's work." All of your children are going to wear clothes their whole lives. Give them the habit of putting away clean things and it will be just another thing they do without thinking of, like brushing their teeth.
11. Jesus washed feet, you can fold clothes. There is plenty of laundry you can do besides your own. Fold the baby's things and pray for her. Fold your son's stuff when he's under-the-weather. Fold your husband's stuff because it is a chance to serve this man God gave you. Make the choice to serve gladly and then do it!
12. Put stuff away immediately! This is the biggest tip for making Laundry Day work for me. You can set all the timers in the world, but if you don't put that stuff away then you just have a mountain of clean clothes, rather than a dirty one.

The Biggest Perk of Laundry Day...

...is not thinking about laundry the other six days of the week! No worrying about running out of kitchen towels or underwear. Sure, you can toss in a load of towels when you're cleaning the bathroom, but only if you want to.

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