Y'all know I am alway chattin' all up in my Facebook decluttering club, (you know the one that has ah-hem, almost 4k members? join in here https://www.facebook.com/groups/declutteringandorganizing/ ). And a HOT topic is laundry. Yes, LAUNDRY. Hot cycle people - we are that cool. But laundry is important - it's soap important, that I am breaking my 3 things rule and mentioning a few more things today (just wash me do it.)
So - WHY the heck is a Professional Organizer talking to you about laundry? one word - EFFICIENCY. Laundry gets backed up, clothes get everywhere. It is the bane of all mutual family existence. I mean, UGH. So here are a few tips to make it a little less excruciating.
1) Have less clothes - less clothes means less to wash- you’d be surprised at how it forces you to keep on a regular wash and dry schedule. And let's face it, isn't it time for a littel decluttering anyway?
2) Use your washer as a hamper. It eliminates one step in your process. When it's full you know it's time to start a load of wash and just it motivates you to get it going..
3) Hang as many of your clothes as possible - this alleviates a lot of the dreadful folding process. Keep like with like on the clothing rods in your closet, Tshirts with Tshirts, pants with pants, etc. it’s a system that is very efficient and works well. Plus it helps you see all of your clothing at once and avoids duplication.
4) If you have it, use the "delay start" feature on your washer. Just like your coffee maker, you can set your clothes to wash before you get up. Then you can switch them over to dry before you leave for work. They will be clean and ready to be hung/folded when you get home from work.
5) Avoid matching socks. If it's available to you - have one type/color of sock per person so you don’t have to match them. Even if you can only do this for 1 person it helps save time. My kids are 4 and 5 and wear the same size socks. So they are wearing the exact same socks, they don't care and neither do I. I wear black no-show socks always, that's it. Done. SO. EASY.
6) Use a rolling hamper - part of the whole "folding" problem is lugging around a ton of heavy laundry to a place where you can fold it. Adding wheels can help a lot!
7) This is an oldie but a goodie - but watch your favorite show or hang out and chat with someone while folding. Pairing a reward with a chore always gets the job done faster.
I hope this helps a little with those laundry woes!
Peace, love and labelmakers!
Megan
about | space www.aboutspaceorganizing.com megan@aboutspaceorganizing.com C. 718.909.9290 O. 501.503.1634
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