June 25, 2014

Modern Day Homekeeping : For the Love of Laundry

Oh for the love of laundry! Laundry seems to be a hot homekeeping topic. I think it’s because everyone has their own system for laundry and not many people love to do the laundry because it’s such a process.

Some commonly asked questions and my answers:

• When do you do laundry? Every.single.day. The key is to take at least one load of laundry from dirty to folded and put away every day. You might think that you’re too busy to try this method but I think this method could surprise you. Am I saying that this is the only way to do laundry? No, but if you struggle with finding time to do all the laundry and can’t seem to get the laundry from the dryer to put away, you might want to try it. If you work outside of the home it’s a surprisingly easy way to simplify the task. Put a load of clothes in at night and set your machine (if you have the option) to run at 4 or 5 am. Put those clothes in the dryer right away when you get up and fold before you leave or in the evening before bed.
• Do you have help from other family members?   Yes. Every one that’s able to folds and puts away their own laundry. Teach them young!
• Do you schedule your laundry?  I wash sheets and towels on Saturdays and the rest of the week I find the most full or urgent basket in the house and wash it every day. You could easily choose a family member for each day of the week and fill in with sheets and towels and other household laundry.
• Do you wash whites and colors together?  For brights I always wash anything new by itself but for my kids’ clothes I wash them on cold and toss everything together. This is a great way to simplify the laundry process.
• Do you make your own laundry soap?  Yes, here’s my homemade recipe.
• How can I clean my washing machine?  I clean my washing machine with white vinegar (here’s a post on how to naturally clean any washing machine with vinegar) but it’s recommended by most appliance manufacturer’s to wash them with bleach. Here’s how to do that.
• Why do my clothes and towels smell musty?  It’s really important to not let clean laundry sit in the washer for long. Put the clothes in the dryer as soon as possible. It’s also important to clean your washing machine regularly – I recommend once a month.
• Is there a way to simplify the laundry process? Yes! Doing one load of laundry every day (the ultimate laundry simplifier), use smaller baskets so your loads aren’t as overwhelming, streamline your wardrobe – less clothes = less laundry. Include other family members in the process. Buy all the same socks so you don’t have to sort and match socks.

Want to read more about my thoughts on laundry? The Right Way to Do Laundry  And don’t miss my FREE laundry printable!

I’ll share some of my favorite laundry products next week! Any laundry questions or tips you’d like to ask or share? Leave it in the comments!

This post is part of a series – Modern Day Homekeeping – you can see all the posts here.

The Clean Mama Modern Day Homekeeping Kit –  designed to help you (and me!) keep up with your home in the midst of everyday life.