Last week I asked for laundry advice-- I couldn't figure out a way to get the folded laundry back to its proper owner!
Anyway, I received lots of great ideas from commenters, and here's what I'm doing now. And it's working like a charm!!!!
Basically, the idea is to sort by bedroom, not by color. That way, one person's laundry stays together. From bedroom, to washer, to dryer, right back to bedroom again. And outfits stay together, too! This is especially helpful with Sister's clothes. Little girl clothes seem much more demanding that way, don't you think?
Here's what to do:
-Put a hamper for dirty laundry in each bedroom. Each person must put his/her laundry in his/her hamper.
-Designate another hamper for socks and undies. (I wash always wash these with bleach.) Everyone puts their dirty socks and undies in this hamper. Ours is in the hallway.
-Add one more hamper in the bathroom for towels, blankets, and sheets/pillowcases.
-When a hamper is full, just take it straight to the laundry room and wash it. Do not sort by color. Just dump the whole thing in, wash it, dry it, fold it, and take it right back to its owner.
This new system has been working for me big time this week. I think I've finally found the answer I've been looking for! If you're laundry-challenged like me, give it a try!
For greater ideas, head over to Shannon's blog.
Edit to add: Oops! My first two commenters brought up a good point that I forgot to include: Keep potential "bleeders" out of the mix. Plus Hubs's work clothes.
4 comments:
One word of caution - be very careful when you have a new piece of colourful clothing - you don't want to ruin an entire load of clothes.
I do this with DS's clothes though, no sorting all go in and because his clothing tend to be much dirtier, I use more detergent and hot water for his stuff.
Mine and DH's usually get sorted into darks and everything else just in case one of those dark items run.
Happy washing!
I do this, too. With 4 kids, I have enough clothes to run the reds, blues, lights, whites in their own loads, but I don't have room for all of the hampers. Separating then means piles of clothes on the floor for days. I just make sure to make a note of anything that might run and pull it out.
Nice idea! I'm not too worried about the colors running - seems I never buy new clothes anymore anyway! Thanks - w/ 4 kids, husband & me - and my mom who lives with us (I do her laundry too) I need a plan!! Here from Rocks in My Dryer...
I do the same thing. Hubby, stepson and I all have our own hampers. When I feel the need to wash (hopefully 1 a week) I ask them to push the hamper into the hallway. I wash and push it back. Keeps everyones clothes separate and actually makes for less work. Thanks so much for the tip! I am glad to know what others are doing.
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