Tackling Mount Washmore: Easy Laundry Solutions

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

21 Aug 2009 10:24 AM

It is amazing how quickly laundry piles up isn't it? Just like Hercules, you no sooner get to the end when it build right back up again. If you dread the task of doing laundry, try the following easy solutions to make your life a little bit easier.

Get into a morning routine. Throw one load of laundry into your washer each morning as part of your routine. Then, hang or put the laundry in the dryer when it is done or at the end of the day. Fold and put them away the same day. If you do one load a day, you'll never have a huge build up of dirty clothes.

Install soft-sided, small hampers in each of your children's rooms. You can get these small hampers for just a few dollars at Target or Walmart. Small, soft hampers are easier for kids to carry to the laundry room and empty themselves. Small hampers also prevent a ton of clothes from building up. You might have to remind them to empty the hampers when they are full at first.

Make each person responsible for putting away his or her clothes as long as they are old enough (and older siblings can help the younger ones). You can fold or hang laundry in a central location or deliver it to the various rooms. Having it in one central location means that your family members will quickly run out of clothes if they forget to retrieve them.

Teach children as early as possible how to do laundry. Not only will it lighten the load, but doing your own laundry is a valuable skill to have. Start the youngest kids with sorting the laundry. Older kids can do it all. Make sure to provide supervision at all times for anyone under the age of eight to ten, and keep the bleach and detergent high up and away from children.

Hate folding? Try this trick. Grab and extra laundry basket and fold the clean clothes into it while you are watching television. Then during the commercial, carry and put the clothes away.

Assign a laundry monitor to go around the rooms and make sure that hampers are emptied, and that there are no clothes on the floor, over a chair, etc. Apply a small fine for indiscretions that the laundry monitor gets to keep.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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thequeenofthecastle (413) 21 Aug 2009 10:49 AM

Can you be a bit more specific about ages and jobs for kids? I have very small children (3 and 2), but I try not to underestimate their ability to help me. I think many people assume that kids this age can't do anything to help, but they enjoy helping SO much. Do you have any creative ideas for simple jobs they can participate in for laundry? I have already taught them to throw away their own trash, put empty plates and dishes (plastic ones) in the sink, and wipe down the table with a washcloth after meals. Any other household job ideas I'd love to hear.

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 23 Aug 2009 02:14 PM

Sure! I am happy to help. Every child is different, but I can share some simple ideas for 2 and 3 year olds with laundry. At this age it is all about team work and helping you. They may be able to: put dirty clothes into a basket, help you sort dark laundry from light laundry (make it a game), hand you clothes that you put in the washer (saves mom or dad from bending), help put clothes in a dryer (hand them lightweight items such as socks) and put clothes into an open drawer (at 3).