This post is part of a blog carnival called the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge. Write a 30-minute post and come link up below!
Photo by Meena Kadri
We'll be heading out on vacation at the end of this week, and I've got piles of laundry to tackle before then. So it seemed like a good time to republish this post, which originally aired June 24th, 2009.
As
families grow, so do laundry piles. Keeping the family laundry organized is no small challenge. I'm certainly no "laundry expert" (do you think
such a title exists?!) But after experimenting with different strategies
over the years, laundry is now one of my preferred household chores.
Here's what works for me:
1. Limit the amount of laundry that needs to be done.
I
read somewhere that a good laundry goal is one load per family member
per week. In our household of five, we don't even need to do that much. I
typically wash, dry, and fold four loads of laundry each week. Often
this goes down to three loads in Summer when fewer layers are required.
So,
do our kiddos run around 24/7 in their birthday suits? Not exactly.
But, they don't wear pajamas. After evening bath time, we dress our
children in whatever shirts they'll wear the next day and some
comfortable pants. This cuts down on laundry as well as dressing time in
the mornings.
We
also reuse towels multiple times between washes. In our family, we get
through about five towels a week. We hang them over the shower rod to
dry and use next time (until they fail the smell test!).
Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt
2. Have a specific time of day for each step in the laundry process.
I
put laundry in the washing machine early in the morning, and move it to
the dryer before lunch. I fold during the kids' afternoon play time,
and put clothes away during their bath time.
Now
that I have a planned time for each step in the process, laundry flows
fairly effortlessly in our home. It has helped to eliminate laundry
sitting in the basket for days on end. And of course I'm looking forward
to the time when my kiddos will take over this chore entirely (blissful
thought!).
3. Get creative.
Think
outside the box when it comes to laundry. You can also brainstorm a
unique solution to this organizational dilemma.
My friend Robyn,
amazing mother of nine, recently created a "dressing area" in her
laundry room where she keeps her children's clothing. Having everyone in
the family head to one common area for clothes seriously simplifies the
laundry process!
**Now it's your turn to share--how do you tackle laundry in your home?**
If you enjoyed
this post, I hope you'll subscribe
to Steady Mom--it's free!
Jamie is
founder of this spot called Steady Mom, editor of the blog Simple
Homeschool, mama to three cute kids born on three different
continents, and author of Steady
Days: A Journey Toward Intentional,
Professional Motherhood.
___________________________________________
Thanks for participating
in the Moms'
30-Minute Blog Challenge, held here each Tuesday. Please
link up below with the permalink to your 30 minute post, not your blog's
home page.
I
would also ask, as
a courtesy, that you would please link back here to Steady Mom
by including a text link somewhere in your post. Thank
you.
Please note
that the links will close at 11pm EST on Thursday.
