We need to talk about laundry. It seems to increase exponentially with each baby. And it seems never ending. Just when you finally finish, the baskets are full again. What if I told you there’s a better way? That you could have all your laundry done in two days or less? Well my friend, you can! Learn how to start a laundry routine that will alleviate the dreaded piles, give you more time with your family, and leave you less stressed.
How on Earth do babies produce so much laundry? I mean, their clothes are so tiny! Any parent will tell you that, with each baby you bring home, the laundry doesn’t double; it triples or even quadruples! #science.
As a new mom, I found myself drowning in laundry. I couldn’t seem to get ahead of it, no matter how hard I tried. And when my second baby came around? There were piles all over the house: clean piles, dirty piles, piles that I didn’t even know anymore. So I decided it was time to create a laundry routine. And guess what? It transformed my life! When I stick to the routine, I can have our laundry (two adults, a toddler, and a baby) done in two days or less. And then I’m done for the week and don’t have to think about it anymore (minus the cloth diapers, but that’s a whole separate thing).
How to set up a laundry routine
As with anything in life, you have to be intentional about your laundry routine, otherwise it won’t work for you. So I set up a system that helps me stay on track and get it done.
First, establish your laundry routine start day
Setting a start day is the most important step in establishing your laundry routine. I used to just do laundry whenever we started running out of stuff to wear, but I’d usually end up with five million huge loads and it just dragged on and on. Picking a start day that you stick to each and every week ensures you don’t have to play catch up or worry about running out of things to wear.
Your laundry routine start date doesn’t necessarily have to be the first day of the week. Some people like to start on Thursday so their family has all clean clothes for the weekend. Others like to do it in the middle of the week. Personally, my husband’s work week starts on Wednesdays, so I start my laundry routine on that day, too.
Whatever day you choose, look at your schedule and start on a day you’ll most often be home. Don’t try to squeeze it in a day that you will be running from activities to errands to playdates. Right now, I have a short playdate scheduled on my start day, but it’s only a couple of hours, so it works fine. You don’t want to try to work around stacks of clothes when you have a lot going on. That’s added stress no one needs in their life.
Second, start in the morning
Unless you have a non-traditional schedule, start your laundry routine in the morning. My husband currently works swing shift, so our mornings are reserved for family time. I usually start my laundry while he gets ready for work.
But if you have a normal schedule, I suggest starting your laundry after breakfast, so your babies are full and happy (hopefully; some days are just not happy days). You can get stuff going before they rise, but I’m always afraid to wake them up early while I gather their hampers.
Third, sort the laundry
Ok, some people don’t do this, but my type-A brain cannot compute just throwing everything in together. Things should be washed on different temperatures, and there’s just too much chance that colors will run. I realize not everyone received instruction on sorting clothes as kids, so here is my method:
- Whites (sheets, towels): wash in hot with a little bleach
- Pastels (light greens, pinks, blues, etc.; usually some towels): wash in warm
- Brights (reds, oranges, blues, bright greens): was in cold
- Darks (black, dark blue, denim): wash in cold
- Dark undergarments/athletic wear (yoga pants, dark underwear, socks, camisoles)
- Delicates (bras, delicate tops): usually wash in cold, but check the labels
- Baby clothes (depending on the amount of dirty clothes, sort between light [whites, pastels] and dark [brights and darks]): wash on warm with baby detergent
Fourth, start the cycles
Here’s where the rubber meets the road in your laundry routine. Evaluate which load you need finished first. I do the sheets first because we pretty much just have one set of sheets per bed. I do have a backup set, but I don’t really like them and only use them when absolutely necessary.
But your first load can be whatever works best for your family. It could be underwear, work clothes, or baby clothes. My only suggestion is to choose a load that has a longer drying time (you’ll see why in the next paragraph).
Once your first load is done, move it to the dryer immediately. Your next load is delicates, which usually need to line dry. The secret to mastering an efficient laundry routine is making the most of your time. Since your heavy load is still drying, hang the delicates and then start the next load in the washing machine.
This one little trick lets you have three loads going at once instead of just two: you have one in the dryer, one hanging, and one in the washing machine. And you don’t have one sitting in the machine while you wait for the heavy load to finish drying. Start a new load as soon as one comes out of the dryer.
Finally, fold and put away
Ok, this is another of my laundry routine secrets: I don’t fold clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer. I actually wait until the end of the first day to even start folding. I know, I told you I would help get rid of those piles of laundry accumulating around your house. It probably sounds crazy to wait to fold 3-5 loads at the same time, but stick with me.
I used to try to fold laundry as soon as it came out of the dryer. But it felt like I was doing laundry all day long. And now that my son is a toddler, I have to stop in the middle of folding five hundred times to see what he’s getting into. Or he jumps on the freshly folded piles and knocks them over.
Now, part of my laundry routine is waiting to fold until after the kids go to bed. Then, I put on a podcast or audiobook and knock it all out at once. I don’t worry about what my toddler is doing, and I don’t have any knocked over piles. I spread all the laundry on our bed and fold it all in about 30-45 minutes. This is way less time than I would spend if I spread it out during the day.
The basket technique
One trick to folding is what I call the basket technique. I have one laundry basket for each family member. When I’m ready to start folding, I set all the baskets on my bed, and put each person’s clothes in their basket as I go.
I love this technique because it keeps everything contained and sorted, especially the baby clothes. When I finish folding for the night, I just move the baskets to the floor until I’m ready to fold again the following night. Once I finish my laundry routine for the week, I take each basket to the appropriate room and put each person’s clothes away (my kids are still too young to put away their own clothes, but you bet they will utilize their baskets when they get older!).
Day two of your laundry routine looks pretty much like day one. Try to be strategic about what loads you do, and you can have it all done very quickly.
Tools and tips for an effective laundry routine
I discovered a few little things to help my laundry routine go smoother:
Dryer balls
I really don’t like using dryer sheets because they have so many chemicals, but I LOVE my dryer balls! I use these dryer balls and add a couple drops of my favorite essential oils as a scent boost. Dryer balls can be reused hundreds of times, reduce your drying time, and help reduce static.
Mesh laundry bags
Mesh laundry bags are perfect for delicates that you don’t want stretching out or getting ruined in the washing machine or dryer. I also use mine for baby socks! You think finding mates for regular-sized socks is hard? Baby socks are so much worse! I throw all the little socks in one back, and rarely lose any. I use these mesh laundry bags because they come in different sizes.
Do a load-check
Before starting each load, go to each room of the house and quickly check to see if there are any dirty items that can be added. This helps alleviate the frustration of finishing the laundry only to be greeted with another full basket.
Remind yourself to change the loads
If you often forget to change the loads, set a timer (or utilize the one on your dryer or machine) to remind you when it’s time to check. I used to go hours and hours with both the dryer and washing machine off and clothes getting wrinkled or mildew. Setting that timer will help you get your laundry routine finished quickly.
Ok, wasn’t that easy? Mama, you can set up a laundry routine that will have you done in under two days. And then you get to enjoy the rest of the week without stepping around piles of dirty (clean?) laundry. The key is to get a good start, and focus on getting it done quickly and efficiently. You can do it!
Do you have a laundry routine you love? Or did you try the one I laid out for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
