Nobody enjoys doing laundry, and if they say they do, they’re probably lying. Only kidding; there are probably a few oddballs out there who genuinely do get a kick out of fresh Tide in the morning. But for the rest of us, the chore of fitting laundry into an already crammed schedule can feel like an annoying hurdle.
Here are a few laundry hacks for all the busy parents out there.
Get the Kiddos Helping
Little kids love to help out. Toddlers as young as three can start to learn the value of helping to clean up and do chores. Not only does this make them feel like “a big kid” by helping out, but it helps to plant the seeds of learning to be self-reliant later on.
It’s probably not a good idea to put your kiddo in charge of measuring out the proper amount of detergent, but you can ask them to help with small tasks like bringing down laundry baskets or separating dark clothes from whites.
As kids get older, you can gradually step up their laundry responsibilities.
Create a Laundry Schedule
Yes, it might be a little nerdy, but creating a laundry schedule can help with keeping piles of dirty clothes from piling up. If you know that the weekend is going to be full of kids’ sporting events, plan on doing at least a couple of loads on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Then, schedule one or two loads later in the week.
Organization is Key
The easiest way of keeping dirty clothes sorted out is the bin method, and there are numerous ways of doing this. You could separate them by darks and lights, or if you’re the sort of person who does’ wash whites separately (gasp!), you may want to have a bin for delicates, non-delicates, and towels. This will make loading time that much faster, and you’ll probably start to realize that certain bins fill up every few days, whereas others may just need a wash once a week.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
With the advent of the electric washing machine, we were all saved from having to use a tub and washboard, but there are still plenty of shortcuts.
- Skip hand-washing and use mesh bags instead. Just toss the more delicate items in the bag and throw ’em in the wash.
- Switch from liquid detergent to pods. It may not be a huge time saver, but cutting out the measuring will still speed up the process a little bit.
- Use dryer balls to speed up dry time. The balls help to separate wet clothing and circulate air so clothing can dry faster.
- Consider hanging instead of folding. Folding can be a time-consuming process, but if you have closet space, there’s no reason you can’t opt to hang most of your clothing. If you do like your clothes folded and want to speed things up, a folding board may help.
Many of the homes in the master-planned Crosswinds community have separate laundry rooms to make doing laundry that much easier. To learn more about the available inventory of homes, reach out to us today.
