Laundry is a fact of life.
There is no escaping it! It’s as if no matter what you do the bottom of the laundry basket never is empty! The truth is….When you have many little ones in your home, or even just a few little ones, the laundry just seems to never be truly done. Every week, I feel as if I am having deja vu. While folding the enormous piles of laundry, I always seem to get the feeling that I was “Just” doing this a few days ago!
Do you feel like this?
Tell me I am not the only one?!?!
I am picky about my laundry detergent. Because I have found that a not-so-great laundry detergent makes doing laundry even more annoying! I shop very frequently at Sam’s Club. There is no doubt that my membership card has been worth every penny saved in my budget!
Member’s MarkĀ® products are my favorite. Prices that can’t be beat and products that are high quality. I was very happy to discover Member’s MarkĀ® Ultimate Clean laundry detergent at Sam’s Club. Great fresh scent, works in every water temperature setting, gets out the stains, brightens whites, and works perfectly in my HE washer. I am hooked!
While I love my laundry detergent, this Laundry Life just gets to me…
Here are some reality facts about Laundry that no one told me before I had children:
The moment you find the bottom of your laundry basket…someone will pee the bed, throw up, or find a pile of dirty clothes that were “accidentally” shoved under the bed two weeks ago.
- Socks divide and multiply. Don’t ask me to explain exactly how this works. But somehow sock go missing and the sock pile grows every week at the same time!
- If you do 10 loads of laundry, you can be sure that your husband or child’s uniform (which he MUST have for tomorrow morning) will NOT be in those loads of clean laundry.
- There will be something sticky and unidentifiable in your child’s pockets no matter how many times you ask him not to put gross things in them.
- That strange clanking sound in the dryer? Oh, that’s a few toys that found their way into the laundry. No big deal…
I no longer refer to laundry process as “Laundry Day.” Let’s just face the facts… It’s a Laundry Life! You can get it done this week, but those large, overflowing piles of clothes will be waiting for you again next week! And well, we may as well get used to it…
Everyone has their least favorite step in the laundry process.
- The getting it down the stairs, sorting, and putting it the washer.
- The remembering to put it in the dryer and start a new load.
- The taking it out of the dryer and finding a safe place to put the basket of clean laundry.
- The folding.
- And finally, the putting of the clean clothes in their rightful place.
My least favorite… The putting of the clean clothes in their rightful place. For some reason, I just am DONE by the time I get to that step! Nope. Don’t want to walk those clothes to the next room and put them in drawers! Doesn’t matter that I have already sorted and washed and dried and folded and put into piles and even put in to baskets to carry to rooms… NOPE! I just put that step off for as long as possible!
What’s a mom to do? Because we all very well know… It’s LAUNDRY TODAY OR NAKED TOMORROW!!! in this Laundry Life. And I may just have to admit we have come very close to the naked tomorrow part in our family! HAHAHAHA!!!
So how do we survive this Laundry Life?
We adjust. Figure out a routine. Find ways to make the time spent doing this mundane task a little more enjoyable. And recruit help with all members of the family. (even the small mess makers)
Your survival tactics may look a little different than mine. But I feel as though I must share with you what keeps me alive and my family in clean clothes in the Laundry Life I am living.
Laundry Life TIPS:
- Find a routine that works for you. Some people swear by doing all the laundry in one day. Maybe you prefer to do one load a day. Me…I do a two day laundry routine. Wash all the clothes for a two day period. (I do not fold the first day.)
- Use a fabulous detergent! I am obsessed with a Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean laundry detergent. Not only do my clothes smell amazing! (I personally love the Fresh Scent) But it is easy on the budget. Lower than the cost of most leading brands and gets the clothes fresh and clean. I wash most loads on cool temperatures and this detergent gets most of the stains out without pretreatment.
- Fold at least two loads at once. If you are like me and despise the putting away process, do several loads of laundry and then put the clothes away when you have larger piles. (I usually fold 6-8 loads of laundry at once.)
- Choose a large surface to fold on that doesn’t need crowd out family living space. I fold laundry in my room on my bed. It is the largest surface and doesn’t have little people running around un-folding all of my work. (It also doesn’t need to be cleared immediately which gives me time to get several loads done.)
- Listen to music or a podcast while folding. Folding laundry is a little bit of a mindless task. I found this is the perfect time to listen to podcasts and catch up on periscopes that I missed.
- Have a family sock matching party. We have lots and lots of socks to match and fold in our family. 8 people times 7 days in the week = 56 pairs of socks to be matched (or 112 socks) The little ones love to compete to see who can match the most pairs of socks.
- Display inspirational Laundry Quotes. Motivate your laundry life with motivational quotes! To download your FREE Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow printable CLICK HERE.
I hope that you feel a little more accepting of this laundry life. Survival is all about sharing your story and finding what works for you! Grab your Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean laundry detergent and get ‘er done!
Don’t forget to download your Free Printable!!!
Happy Laundry Life,
Keikilani
What a fun printable! And great laundry tips! My least favorite step is definitely putting it all away. Thanks for sharing! #client
Oy vey…that never ending pile of laundry that I try to ignore, but it won’t go away no matter how hard i try.
It seems like I am perpetually doing laundry! My least favorite step is moving it from the washer to the dryer. I love your tips!
Ah it never ends, with 5 kids soon 6 I will never get caught up, I have come to terms with that! I have given up on that! LOL
I hear you with six kids! LOL
I agree with you. My least favorite laundry chore is putting it away. I end up with lots of piles of clean laundry and the kids pick through for what they want! lol One of their new chores is taking care of their piles!
These are great ways to deal with it. Our laundry area is tiny and it can make things a little complicated.
Love your ideas! I’m lucky that hubby helps me with it! I wash, he folds! Team Work!
That is one awesome hubby! Mine helps put away when he is home.
Your laundry tower looks like mine! With 6 kids every day is laundry day! Great printables!
Those towers are quite precarious! LOL
I love this sign! I just gave my laundry room a makeover and this would look perfect on the wall! Too cute!
I’ve been reading lots of posts lately that share the same message: LAUNDRY SUCKS. I just can’t keep up! I dont understand how we wear so much as I swear I wear the same 4 things lol.
I cannot put that great sign up at our house because I know at least half of my family would be thrilled to go to school and work naked! I will have to try something else you suggest to survive the never ending laundry we accumulate.
Oh My!!! LOL! Then you definitely better NOT put that sign up!
I highly recommend two BIG machines. I have samsung 5.6cu washer and am saving for the large dryer. They recommend 4 loads in the washer, but I know I’m putting 6 in there (vinegar) š
If I could afford the industrial machines, I WOULD plop em right in my laundry room. If you have to hang stuff in the winter, try to pick up a yard sale dehumidifier. It draws out the water. We are a family of 9. Everyday, I fantasize about setting the laundry on fire. I stay awake two days a week doing laundry. I have multiple bedwetters. This is the season of my life where I’m just trying to cope. My hub helps as much as humanly possible. The weather is suppose to be nice today. I might start tossing older/ill-fitting items. My grandmother was so good at laundry, but I just get overwhelmed. I’m thinking about putting stuff away by size. Everyone calling ownership takes to long to sort. Good luck my fellow laundry slaves ! <3
I would jump at the chance to have two machines!!!! That sounds totally amazing!
Hello!
I guess this party happened a few years ago, but here’s my tip:
If you have ADHD, it can be super hard to focus enough to put the laundry away once it’s all sprawled out dry on the bed. So I learned that if I employ the QUICK-SORT method, it is much easier to wrap my head around, and I don’t end up moving the clean pile so I can sleep. It’s real simple.
Once you dump the clean load onto the surface (my bed) you do a 30-second quick sort. Just throw it into piles based on what goes where. Sock pile, underwear pile, shorts pile, etc. Once you have it sorted into categories, you grab the easy ones first. I have open wire drawers, and I don’t fold the stuff that doesn’t matter. So I grab underwear and around-the-house shorts first. Bam! Bam! In the drawers and already two empty spots on the bed. Next is socks and around-the-house tee shirts. Bam! Bam! Two more empty spots. Then I work on the pants that get folded and the shirts that get hung up. When I finish those, the bed is clear and I’m done! Helps me SO much. š