Would You Like To Cut Down the Time You Spend On Laundry By Half?
I can help you do just that.
For my family of 4, I used to spend about 20 minutes each day on laundry (including sorting and folding). That totals 2 hours and 20 minutes a week. Or 60 hours and 40 minutes each year!
Cutting this down by half saves over 30 hours a year.
How did I do it?
1.) By reducing the amount of clothes we had.
2.) Implementing a simple laundry system.
In this article, I’m going to show you exactly how I saved time doing the laundry for my family.
I’m also going to give you lots of ideas and tips to help you do the same.
There’s not just one way to make laundry easier and quicker. The important thing is to find a system that works for you. Find lots of ideas and tips below. The system I use may not suit your needs and lifestyle. If it doesn’t you can pick the ideas that work for you.
However, you do it, the method should be simple. Reduce and simplify to save time.
1.) Get Rid of Clothes You Don’t Need
Fewer clothes mean less laundry time. How much time do you spend sorting clothes from an overflowing laundry basket? It’s easier and quicker when there are fewer clothes in it.
Fewer clothes mean more space in your closet, making it easier and quicker to put them away. And kids are less likely to throw clothes on the floor when picking out what to wear when there are fewer items.
Yes, more clothes mean you have more to wear before you need to do a load of laundry. But this often leads to a mountain-sized pile of washing that takes more time to sort. Family members are likely to toss clothes in the washing basket even though they’re not dirty because there’s another clean t-shirt waiting for them.
Did you know we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time? Keep the 20% you wear available and eliminate the rest. It makes a real difference to your laundry schedule. If you’re not ready to give away the 80% you hardly wear, pack a suitcase with the clothes you haven’t worn recently. This means you have peace of mind that the clothes are there if you need them.
What I did
For me, the most important step in reducing my laundry time was reducing the number of clothes.
Firstly, I got rid of all the clothes that the kids had grown out of, stuff we didn’t wear anymore or items that were surplus to requirements.
Secondly, I got a suitcase for each child and myself and packed away seasonal clothes that they didn’t require for the current season. I also packed away any clothes I just couldn’t get rid of yet.
How many clothes should you have? The most important thing is that there are at least enough clothes to get you through each wash.
It’s important to note, reducing the number of clothes is the most critical step in reducing your laundry. The first time I reduced the number of clothes, my laundry time didn’t reduce. That is because I wasn’t ruthless enough. You need to be strong and remind yourself of the end goal. If you can’t get rid of clothes, just pack them away. You can always get the out again if you need to. But most likely you won’t
2.) Wear Clothes Less
Reduce the number of outfits you and your family wear. Try to wear no more than one outfit a day. This may be difficult on some days. For example, if you are exercising and going to work. But think about how you can combine outfits. Can you wear a top or leggings to work that you can also wear at the gym later to save on washing? Also, think about how you can keep clothes clean. For example, why not wear an apron while you are cooking or cleaning?
I apply the wear less rule to my kids as well. They have clothes they just wear around the home. They don’t have to be pristine and can be worn several times before they need washing. There’s really no need for them to wear a new outfit when they are just playing at home.
They wear uniforms at school. After school, they change into their “at home” clothes so their uniform stays clean and can be worn another day. Their “at home” clothes can be worn several days before washing.
3.) Stop Sorting Socks!
A lot of time spent on laundry was pairing up socks. One day I had enough and so I got rid of all the socks I had and bought plain coloured socks for everybody in the family. It turned out to be an amazing way of sorting out the socks quickly.
I wear black socks that are the same size as my husband and my eldest son. My youngest son wears grey socks.
If you have socks in one colour for each person, it makes it super easy and quick to pair up.
If you prefer not to do this, have family members put their socks into their own netted bag which can be thrown in the washing machine. Each person can then grab their bag of socks after they’ve been washed and dried.
4.) Train Your Kids (and other family members!)
I have a basket in each of my kid’s rooms. When I put away the laundry, I sometimes put the clothes in their basket. It’s then their job to put them away into drawers. This saves me putting away time. Having said this, sometimes, I don’t put it in their basket and put it away myself. This is because they have so little laundry and clothes in their drawers it’s just easy for me to do. And it saves me nagging them. However, if you can get your kids to put away their laundry it’s a great chore for them to do and will save you time.
I’ve found that it’s less overwhelming for kids to put away a few items, rather than vast amounts of laundry. They are more likely to do a couple of t-shirts and joggers with no nagging. Make it a daily task to check their basket so they can keep on top of it.
Buy young kids clothes that don’t crease easily and don’t need hanging up. My kids have separate draws for their joggers and jeans, pjs, t-shirts etc. They just put each item of clothing in a draw. No need to worry about hanging up items or folding them too neatly.
You can also encourage the kids to empty their pockets before putting their clothes in the laundry. Saves me from checking every pocket before I put it in the washing machine. Consider placing a waste-paper basket next to the laundry basket, so they can do this.
Some parents also have a laundry buddy. They choose one kid every day to help with the laundry. It can be their job to help sort and check pockets.
When I wash bedding, I get the older kids to strip their own beds and bring it down to the washing machine. I have also taught my eldest son (age 13) how to put the bed covers on and make up a bed. It was difficult for him at first, but it was worth persevering as now I leave him to it.
5.) Minimize the towels and bedding
Each person should have their own towel. Have a different colour for each person. They can then use their towels for bath time and just air dry them after each use. You don’t need to wash them every time you use them. If you air dry your towels properly, it’s only recommended to wash them after 3 or 4 washes.
I don’t need more than two bed covers per bed. If I can, I wash and remake the bed with the same covers on wash day.
6.) Wash Clothes Less.
You don’t need to wash clothes every time you wear them unless they are dirty or smell. Washing clothes a lot shortens their life span.
Obviously how often you wash each item of clothing will depend on the item and how they were worn. Underwear and workout clothes get washed every wear but items such as jeans only get washed after 5 wears or so. If my clothes still smell fresh and they are clean, I hang them back in the wardrobe.
Clothes can also be spot cleaned if there is just a mark or two.
7.) Forgo the Laundry Basket
To avoid sorting, some families get rid of the laundry basket. Family members throw their clothes straight into the washing machine. Once it’s full, it’s washed. Wash the clothes on a low temperature or on a cold wash to avoid the colors running.
If you like to wash whites separately, have a laundry basket for the whites and put everything else straight in the washing machine. Another idea is to avoid buying white items of clothing. We do a white shirt wash but everything else I try to buy coloured.
We put clothes straight in the washing machine where we can. I will wash most things on a 30 or 40 degree wash together. However, I do a separate wash for whites. We have a laundry basket. There is a bag in there which collects whites. There is another bag for everything else, in case the washing machine is in use.
8.) Simplify Your Washing Programs.
As mentioned above, you can throw most things into washing machine and put it on the same cycle on low temperatures. This can save a lot of time sorting. Like I’ve mentioned above you may want to do a separate white wash. I also will wash wool jumpers separately as they can get misshapen on a normal wash. However, the best thing is to simplify is to avoid buying clothes that will need a delicate or separate wash.
9.) Make Use of the Cold Wash
Washing clothes on cold has so many advantages. Firstly, it will save money on your electricity bill. Did you know that 75% to 90% of the energy that is used by the washing machine is heating up the water? Using the cold wash will not only help your wallet, it’s also much better for the environment too.
Secondly, many clothes do better with a cold wash. A cold wash is less likely to fade your clothes. Delicate fabrics (lace and silk) and colourful fabrics actually do better in cold water. Hot water shrinks, fades and wrinkles certain fabrics.
Next, many stains are easier to get out in a cold wash. Blood and sweat actually wash out more easily in cold water. Warm water can set some stains such as blood.
Finally, and this is my favourite. A cold water wash means less ironing. Clothes just don’t wrinkle as much on a cold wash.
Sometimes cold water may not work. Knits and synthetic fabrics (such as spandex, nylon, polyester and rayon blends) do better in warm water. Also, when somebody has been sick or you want to sanitize towels, bedding or clothes – hot water is better.
The other thing to make sure is that your detergent works on a cold wash. Some powders may not dissolve properly. Liquid or gels tend to be better on a cold wash. Having said this many detergents are now formulated to work better at lower temperatures.
Another thing to bear in mind is that regularly washing at cold temperatures can increase the likelihood of mould and grease build up in the washing machine. I quite often put my whites through at a hot temperature to help with this potential problem. You can also use cleaning sprays to clean around the areas where mould has developed.
10.) 30C instead of 40C
As well as a cold wash, most washing powders are formulated to work just as well on lower temperatures. Again this is good for your darks and strongly coloured fabric as the colours are less likely to fade and run. It’s also particularly good for wools and delicate items.
Washing at 40C and higher temperatures can be good to get rid of tougher stains and for sanitising. But, with a good detergent 30C works well for many washes and saves you money. It is said that you can save an average of 57% on your washing machine running costs when washing at 30°C.
11.) Avoid Ironing
There are many ways you can avoid ironing clothes or at least reduce the time you spend doing it.
Buy clothes that don’t need ironing. I dislike ironing and don’t really do it. If a piece of clothing looks like it needs ironing, I won’t buy it.
If you use a tumble dryer, get out the clothes and hang them / fold them / put them away as soon as the drying cycle has finished. This will minimise the creases and any time you spend ironing.
It’s already been mentioned, but if you do a cold wash, the clothes will come out less creased. Try it!
Hang dry clothes outside on a windy day, this shakes out a lot of creases.
12.) Buy Easy Care Clothes
As well as buying clothes that don’t need ironing, I won’t buy clothes that need a lot of care when washing.
Avoid the delicates, woollens, hand wash and dry-clean items.
Your laundry will be easier and you will more time.
13.) Let Go of Perfection
What does it mean to let go of perfection when doing the laundry.
You don’t have to wash each item of clothing for each tiny spec of dirt. Spot clean your clothing instead. If an item is not completely ironed to perfection, let it go. Life is too short to be ironing every tiny crease. If the kids haven’t folded each t-shirt to perfection, it’s not the end of the world.
Let the little things go. It will save you time and stress. And you can spend your time having more fun instead.
14.) Your Simplified Laundry Plan – Laundry in 2 Steps.
In a nutshell, here is my plan for reducing laundry.
1.) Reduce! Have fewer clothes and only wash them when they are dirty.
2.) Simplify! Put clothes straight in the washing machine and wash on a low temperature cycle as much as possible.
So that’s it! Hopefully, some of these tips will save you some time. Happy laundering!