Is Mount Washmore located in your laundry? I don’t know about you but by the time I get to Monday, my washing pile is stacked so high I’m frightened it will collapse on me.
Plus it looks really messy (not that I’m REALLY worried about that!).
Here are some great tips on reducing the piles of washing lurking in the home!
1. Wash often – but make sure you have a full load first!
via blogs.japanesepod101.comIt’s good to have a few different baskets for different types of washing (e.g whites, towels, darks, delicates etc.) As soon as the basket is full, put on a wash and get rid of the pile. This way it doesn’t add up!
2. Allocate a bath towel at the beginning of the week – and stress that this towel is to be used ALL WEEK.
This will encourage re-use, and hopefully for the kids/hubby to hang it up when they are done, so it doesn’t end up back in the wash before it’s time!
3. Wear an apron when you are cooking.
This seems so old fashioned doesn’t it? But it really does save you washing. Hang it up in the pantry so you know you will use it every time – and only wash it when it gets very soiled.
4. Hang up your ‘dress clothes’ as soon as you get home.
Dress clothes are your good clothes that you ‘dress up’ in before a special occasion like a wedding or christening etc. If you haven’t worn them for more than a few hours, hang them straight back up for another day!
5. If you can, keep the laundry clean and tidy at all times.
A clean laundry room can provide inspiration…maybe! I spend a LOT of time in mine so I like it to look pretty – don’t forget to decorate as you would other rooms in the house!
6. Limit the amount and type of clothing you own.
The more clothes there are, the more you’ll have to wash!
7. You can wear some clothes more than once such as jeans, dresses and skirts.
via http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk8. Try and train the kids not to throw clean clothes from their drawers all over the floor.
They are more likely to find their way into the hamper that way and you’ll be washing clothes that don’t need washing!
9. Fold clothes up as they come off the clothes line (or out of the dryer) and put them away straight away.
10. Keep your odd sock pile OUT of the laundry.
Why? Because quite often that odd sock ends up in the wash again and round and round it goes in circles! Have a spare drawer somewhere and re-use them if you can’t find its mate!
What are your suggestions for reducing Mount Washmore?
Responses to “10 Tips to Reduce the Pile of Laundry”
Another tip: peg pairs of socks on the line together with the same peg… And roll them together as you take them off.
I’m totally an advocate for folding things straight off the line plus it gives me 5 or 10 minutes alone outside-sometimes LOL! I don’t believe in ironing either unless it’s something like linen pants or a dress shirt, these things I hang in the wardrobe anyway and iron as needed otherwise I end up doing them again before I wear them anyway! And the odd sox rarely happen as I hang them up in pairs and roll them together straight off the line. And if I’m feeling totally anal, I hang each person’s clothes together on the line so when I’m folding them up and placing them in to the washing basket again, they are in their own piles already. I love to be orgainsed! :O)
Oh yay! I’m not the only anal laundry hanger and folder!!!
We have a small washing basket in the bathroom. When it’s full (normally 1 or 2 days) I take it downstairs and sort the laundry into a linen basket with a divider – lights and darks normally. When either side is full I do a load of washing.
When I hang the washing I always hang each person’s clothes together – it only takes a half second of thought and makes it SO much quicker later on. Then when it’s all dry I fold it straight into the basket (if I’m really on the ball, I’ll fold them in order of which ones I’ll put away first!) and then put them all away.
I know it’s kind of anal, but if I don’t do it that way I end up with Mt Washmore – dirty, clean or even folded – and that drives me nuts!
That, and I’m a bit of an organisation freak too 😀
scootershell.blogspot.com.au
I will totally start folding things straight off the line or out of the dryer. I recently cleared a MAMMOTH pile of clean laundry that was piled on the spare sofa and space bagged all the winter clothes (now I want more space bags for the winter sheets and blankets. I’m obsessed!) and you wouldn’t believe how much cleaner the place looks already! I hate folding clothes, which is why they probably stay in the clean “pile” (heap, mountain etc) for so long, but folding them coming off the line seems like a great way to kill two birds with one stone!
Put socks into a lingerie washbag (not too many) – especially favourite running socks or trousers socks/stockings.
Take the baskets in front of the TV and put on a favourite family program. Get everyone to fold while watching. Put away during ads.
Sometimes DH folds while watching sports on tv.
I love the idea of different baskets for different washes. When I take washing off line i get My clothes off fold then each childs. saves time with the sorting.
We use the peg hangers for socks, underwear and some small kids clothes. All other clothes go on hangers then on the line. If it rains its easy to grab everything off quickly, otherwise bring in & hang up straight away. If you shake things & smooth out a bit when straight out the machine most things may not need ironing.
I use a spare underwear/delicate bag in each persons drawer for odd socks, I fold everyone’s laundry then it’s their responsibility to put it away, any odd socks they simple go through the “lonely sock bag” and play match!! If they can’t find it the lonely sock goes in the bag, after 1-2 months I chuck any odd socks out or use them for dusting etc