Hey there momma! It’s Finally Friday!! And I still haven’t figured out how to fix my emojis. So just picture my hands raised in excitement! (My “raise the roof emoji! Ha!)
I finally get a Friday home. It’s been so busy! I’ve been gone a lot. And last Friday, my husband “fixed” the washing machine. As in, he completely fried the circuit board! LOL.
He usually does great fixing stuff, but this time, it was an oups. He felt so bad!
As a busy mom, you know how important that washing machine is!! We couldn’t go a day without it! LOL. After calling around and checking on the price and availability of new parts, we decided it was better to buy a new one. So off to town we went!
But I love it!!
One of the never-ending chores we have to deal with is laundry!!
Dirty clothes seem to pile up faster than you can wash them, and it’s frustrating when you try to tackle the laundry basket, only to have it refill by the end of the day!
Staying on top of laundry can be a daunting task, but as long as your washing machine is working, momma, you can to it!! LOL.
I’m in a lot of FB groups now, and I see a lot of posts from moms looking for advice on how to keep up on laundry!! So, in this blog post, I thought I’d share some of my top laundry tips for busy stay-at-home moms.
I have six boys, and a lot of clothes to wash! I feel I do pretty well.
So, whether you’re struggling to keep up with the never-ending laundry or simply looking for ways to make the process easier, I’ve got you covered. 😉
Sort your laundry ahead of time
Sorting your laundry ahead of time saves you a lot of headache. You can tackle the job pile by pile and not have to worry about separating them again later.
Doing this is not only a great way to manage your laundry, but it can also help with those hard-to-remove stains. I “shout” mine out as I’m sorting.
This makes it all much easier, because you can just throw everything of the same color together and not have to worry about picking through items later by selecting one color at a time.
Use the right detergent
With so many laundry detergents on the market, it’s easy to get lost in the variety. But choosing the right detergent is essential to having clean and neatly washed clothes.
Plus, you want to make sure that it’s safe for your family’s skin because you don’t want anyone to break out!!
Take some time to research the best laundry detergent for you and your family’s needs. Look for ones that are free of harsh chemicals, coloring, and fragrances.
Do laundry every day
I used to do my laundry literally every day, back when the twins were little. Even if it was just one load.
I didn’t work from home at the time, though. And I had a dedicated laundry room, so it never mattered if there was clothes piled all over the floor. I could just shut the door.
Now I work, so I can’t keep on top of it as well, and I don’t have a laundry room. My laundry room doubles as an entry, and I can’t have all that clothes piled all over!
So, now I have a dedicated laundry day – it’s usually three days a week! Sometimes four.
Set a regular laundry schedule
Which brings me to my next tip!
One of the best things you can do to stay on top of laundry is to create a regular laundry schedule. Determine what day(s) of the week you’ll do laundry and stick to it!!
This will help prevent a laundry mountain from forming, and it’ll be easier to manage.
Delegate tasks
If you’re a stay-at-home mom or work-at-home mom, then chances are you have a family who lives with you. (major laughy faces here!)
Delegating some of the laundry tasks to this family is a great way to keep up with the never-ending laundry and to teach responsibilities.
With children, teach them how to sort the clothes, put them in the washer and how to separate the clothes once they’re dry, and put them away. This will teach them valuable life skills, and help lighten your load.
Fold your clothes right away
Fold your clothes and put them away right away. I know this is hard. But it’s overwhelming if you just let the clean clothes pile up on your dryer!
If you have to, take your laundry basket into the living room, bedroom, or dining room, to fold your clean clothes. I used to dump it out on the floor and let my kids crawl all over me and play while I folded clothes.
Or, you can fold clothes where ever you have toys set out for them, so that they can play while you fold.
Multitasking.
I also used to fold clothes at the dining room table – I put the twins in their highchairs, and I folded while supper was cooking.
Keep the washing going
If you can’t fold clothes right away, that’s okay! At least keep that washer going! Switch it over and let the clothes pile up until you can fold them.
Even if it’s at night, while the kids are snoozing and you’re watching Netflix. 😉
As you put away clean clothes, grab the dirty clothes
It often takes me two days to finish the laundry. In that time, the kids have made more dirty clothes!!
So what I do is as I’m putting away clean clothes, I grab the dirty stuff in the basket and bring it down stairs to be washed. I toss it in with the stuff that is already piled up and ready to go!
Get help
If all else fails, get help. My mom used to come over every Monday and fold my clothes for me. I kept the washer going, and she just came over to fold. I loved her for it!!
Sometimes if she was really busy, and I was really busy, she just took my dirty clothes home, washed them, and brought them back again.
It’s okay to use people when they offer help momma. There will come a time in your life when you will have the opportunity to return the favor. (heart emoji!)
Stay positive
I know it can be overwhelming when you have a mountain of laundry to wash, and as soon as you get it done, it is there again! And you have to start the whole process all over.
So, take a moment to be thankful for that clothes! Be happy your kids have clothes to wear. Clothes are expensive!!
Be happy you have a washing machine, a dryer, and running, warm water. You don’t have to haul in water from the river, or take the clothes outside to wash them!
Be happy you don’t have to freeze dry them either, on the line in the cold winter!
Life could be so much worse, momma. Promise!
And if you’re kids don’t have to go to school naked, call it a win!!!
Laundry is an everyday chore, but with a little planning and proper management, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming!!
Remember to sort your laundry ahead of time and use the right detergent to avoid sending bright clothes into a wolf den!
Set a regular laundry schedule, delegate tasks, and ask for help if needed.
These tips aren’t rocket science, but they’ll help you tame the laundry beast.
Hopefully, these tips will ease your laundry overwhelm so that you can spend more time doing the things you love with your family!!
