Laundry Laundry, Oh How I Despise Laundry

Written by Momcent’s Mom, Krista Felker

You guys.  Laundry is my worst nightmare. 

I actually don’t mind putting it in the washer and dryer, but the folding and putting away is the dreaded part for me.  And when you are doing laundry for 4 people (Justin does his own, SCORE!) it can be a daunting task.  Especially when your kids think they need different pajamas every night and change their clothes without a blink of an eye in the middle of the day, these things we are still working on. 

I used to go grab everyone’s laundry and make huge piles of clothes and do 4 or 5 or 6 loads and then lay everyone’s clothes into their own piles- Ty’s socks, Ty’s shirts, Ella’s PJs, Jack’s pants, etc.  And then beg the kids to help me put it all away.  It literally was an all-day chore.  But after years and years of doing laundry this way, I have finally found a system that works better for all of us.  

Now everyone has their own hamper and we don’t mix clothes.  Ella’s clothes stay in her basket and Jack’s in his etc.  I have labeled the baskets so there is no confusion.  I will grab one basket at a time.  Wash, dry, walk to one room and put all away.  When you are doing just one person’s laundry, the put-away time literally takes less than 5 minutes.  Then onto the next. 

If the kids are home, they help me put away their clothes.  They do the stuff they can reach and I will do the rest.  Ty (age 13) does his own now from start to finish, can I get a whoop, whoop???   If I do a load a day or every other day, then my weekend isn’t full of laundry.  I have more time for fun with the family and less stress about having clothes cleaned for the new week.  It’s a simple change but it has made a huge difference! 

Dare I say that I don’t despise doing the laundry now?!?