Monday, June 13, 2011
Simplify Your Laundry Routine
Before you had kids did you ever dream how much time you’d have to take out of your life to do laundry? On these beautiful, bright sunny days, who wants to be stuck inside doing chores like laundry? While it’s not the most glamorous thing to do, it’s unavoidable and getting behind makes it even worse!
So how can you take the drudgery out of laundry to make it easier to handle?
Organize Your Laundry Room
- Keep your detergent and stain remover on the shelf next to the machine. For a “greener” solution instead of softeners, white vinegar works and it also tames any unwanted odors or fragrances. Your clothing won’t smell like a pickle I promise.
- Keep a small waste can nearby for emptying the lint trap after every load. The machine will work more efficiently that way, and you don’t have to worry about lint building up and causing a fire. Also, it’s handy for things that are left in the pockets.
- Have hangers available so you can hang items directly from the dryer. First give you clothes a quick shake to loosen any wrinkles and then hang them.
Organize Before Washing
- Time how long the washing machine and dryer takes to go through the cycle. Many machines have buzzers that remind you when the load is finished. But if you can’t hear it from the other side of the house, clip a timer to your pocket so it’ll remind you when to tend to the laundry. That way no forgotten, wet clothes sit and mold in the washing machine and you won’t have to iron out the wrinkles from those left in the dryer.
- Teach your family to turn clothing right side out and empty pockets before things go in the laundry basket. Make the consequences of leaving things felt – you have the right to confiscate or throw those items away.
- Keep a stain stick in each bedroom and treat stains as clothing is removed. Just remember to keep it safely out of reach in your small child’s room.
- Don’t go crazy with your sorting. Sorting isn’t nearly as critical as it once was because of the quality of materials and cleaners available today. So you can probably limit it to three piles – darks, lights/whites, and towels – to cut down on that tedious task. Many have found Shout Color Catchers work well. You can economically use 1/3 of a sheet and still get good results.
Organize After Drying
- Fold and hang clothes while still warm from the dryer. It not only feels good, but it cuts down on having to iron. If you don’t catch the dryer in time, just throw a damp lint-free towel in with the load and run it again for 10 to 15 minutes.
- If you have a number of children to fold for, sorting will be easier if you color code a marking system for the clothing. Pick one color for each child. Then you can write names in the waistbands, dot colored permanent marker on the inside cuff of a sock, or put a knot of thread in an inconspicuous place. You’ll tell at a glance whose it is.
- Wear clothing more than once. This might not work for your kids but everything adults wear, except for underwear and socks, can more than likely be worn a number of times. If you want to keep it separate from clean clothes in your drawers, have a space in your closet designated for these to be folded on until they’re worn enough to be dirty.
If you’re just sick of laundry, there’s one more solution to consider. Hire someone to take care if it for you. That will free up your time to spend it on yourself or your family! If you live in the Silicon Valley, contact Simplify to set up laundry service for your family today.
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