Laundry and clothing storage

[Guest]

I hate it. I'm overwhelmed by it. I feel like the costume girl for a cast of 7, and mom on the side.

How do you keep a handle on your laundry?

[Guest]

I hate laundry!

Only way I can get a handle on it is - if it needs to be ironed, it goes to the cleaners. Everything else, everybody puts their clothes in the appropriate color hamper in the laundry room, socks unrolled, pockets emptied, special shirts turned inside out. So, before I make breakfast in the morning, I load stuff in the wash. Before I make my lunch, I move the wash to the dryer. Sometime before I go to bed, I pull clothes out of the dryer one by one and fold it right then and there on top of the washer. All shirts and shorts/pants don't get folded - they all get hanged - super quick to just stick a hanger in them. Regular underwear don't get folded either - they just get stacked. Socks, I put in a pile and hand over to my husband - that's one thing that drives me insane - so he pairs them up while watching TV. The rest - garments, pajamas, towels, sheets, etc. I get to fold. If it's just one load, it goes by quick. Kids get to put all their clean laundry away - husband gets to put his and mine away.

I only have 2 kids, so I can keep on top of everything by just running one load a day and sheets/towels on the weekend.

Let me repeat... I hate laundry. I mean, I don't like to clean. But I hate laundry.

P.S. We've been on vacation for a month. Laundry is always a beast after vacation... especially after a beach vacation and camping! During vacation, I always try to do laundry before we go home (I don't use the service at the hotel, I actually go to the laundromat and do it myself). But sometimes, I don't get a chance - or even if I just start to get overwhelmed by laundry if, like, I get behind on things - the family makes a laundromat trip on a Saturday. Yeah. That's all 4 of us making a trip to the laundromat. Then we load everything all the same time, we dry them all at the same time, then we all fold it together. Then everybody puts all their stuff away when we get home. Usually we can get everything done in under 4 hours this way. Last time we had to do this was last Christmas (it's always Holidays and Birthdays that get me behind). So, I've been doing really good this year.

Edited July 11, 2012 by anatess

[MorningStar]

Do you guys have too many clothes? Downsizing might help. :)

[NeuroTypical]

4 laundry baskets in the house, 4-5 loads per week on Saturday. Kids have the chores of getting it into the baskets, and sorting and putting away. They have a choice - they can earn a buck by doing laundry once a week or they can go to bed at 7:30pm.

[Bini]

I don't mind running the wash machine, in fact, I love handling the liquid detergent and smelling its fragrance! I wish they had body wash that smelled like Arm & Hammer.. Lol. But I hate ironing, so I eliminate the need to do it all together, folding bottoms and hanging tops right after they're done in the dryer - no wrinkles! Now that we have a baby, laundry has doubled, with needing to wash bibs and onesies constantly.. Aiya.

[applepansy]

I had one laundry basket per child, in their room. Once a week (sometimes a different day each week depending on what was going on) I would wash that child's clothes, put them back in the basket and as they got older they were responsible for folding and putting away. I don't iron except for Sunday clothes. Everything else is hung out of the dryer (which the child was responsible for taking to their room also).

Hubby ironed his work shirts. That really bugged his mother enough that every once in awhile she would come get his shirts and iron them for him.

I also learned to let a lot of things just go. I never mated socks. When the boys were little the sock basket is how they learned to match things together. Once a year (when Fred Meyer's sock sale happened) everything in the basket got thrown away and we'd start over because I don't darn socks either.

When the kids became teenagers they were responsible for washing their own clothes and putting them away. If it got left in the laundry room too long it would disappear until they missed that shirt or pants or whatever.

I was not and am not the maid. I'm not a short order cook either.

edit: I have big plastic tubs in the laundry room. One for jeans, one for towels, one for kitchen towels/dish cloths, and one for colored. I will wash whatever is there if there is a full load. Somehow the kids/hubby's towels never get folded and put away. I guess they are mine by default. We have enough towels that we can go two weeks before somebody says "Mom can I get a towel out of your bathroom cuz all the rest are dirty." My usual reply is have you looked on the laundry room table first?

I really really really believe in teaching self-sufficiency to children. Even a 2-yo can help put their clothes away. My grandson has been putting his dirty clothes in his basket since he learned to undress himself. :)

Edited July 11, 2012 by applepansy

[Bini]

Applepansy, was it just easier for you to not mate socks? For me, it's really easy to just do it then and there.. I think it'd bug me leaving them unpaired.. Or was this just a way of teaching your kids to do their own laundry? Sorry, I got lost in your explanation abit :]

[applepansy]

Applepansy, was it just easier for you to not mate socks? For me, it's really easy to just do it then and there.. I think it'd bug me leaving them unpaired.. Or was this just a way of teaching your kids to do their own laundry? Sorry, I got lost in your explanation abit :]

There were several reasons. When I only had one child I mated socks. When I had three boys (oldest was 6 when the 3rd was born) I stopped. It was a matter of priorities. I couldn't do it all and I wanted to stop beating myself up for not being able to do it all. And... the bonus was it was an easy way to teach my kids to not only be responsible for their clothing but it taught them how to match up objects.

I describe myself as a frustrated perfectionist. :) To save my sanity I had to let some things go.

Math: Hubby X 10 pair of socks, three boys X 10 pair of socks each = 40 pair of socks. That takes more time that to just do them then and there.

[Guest]

I'm going to go through everything this week and see if I can downsize. I'm sure I can at least with the clothes in storage (waiting for someone to fit into them).

One of my daughters definitely has too many clothes, because my friend hands hers down and it's more than I'd usually buy. The others have about the right amount. The babies never seem to have enough, but they grow out of them so fast. . .

Hubby has the right amount I think. As for myself, I plead the fifth.

Great ideas, all. Thanks!

[Guest]

There were several reasons. When I only had one child I mated socks. When I had three boys (oldest was 6 when the 3rd was born) I stopped. It was a matter of priorities. I couldn't do it all and I wanted to stop beating myself up for not being able to do it all. And... the bonus was it was an easy way to teach my kids to not only be responsible for their clothing but it taught them how to match up objects.

I describe myself as a frustrated perfectionist. :) To save my sanity I had to let some things go.

Math: Hubby X 10 pair of socks, three boys X 10 pair of socks each = 40 pair of socks. That takes more time that to just do them then and there.

Hubby/kids usually only wear one or 2 a day (one for school/work, one for sports), so with me running a load once a day, hubby only really need to pair no more than 10 pairs - the whites basket usually get loaded no more than twice a week which is where most of the socks are.

[Bini]

Eowyn, I didn't answer your storage question..

I haven't used these but for stuff that you don't need handy, this could really make the difference between clutter and organised - vacuum sealed bags! I'm sure you've seen these on infomercials but in case you don't know, they're basically plastic bags that come in an assortment of sizes, and you put for example your winter wardrobe in there - then seal it up and store it away. I think you can get similar products on eBay super cheap. Otherwise, I agree, a good old downsizing is best.

[pam]

Eowyn, I didn't answer your storage question..

I haven't used these but for stuff that you don't need handy, this could really make the difference between clutter and organised - vacuum sealed bags! I'm sure you've seen these on infomercials but in case you don't know, they're basically plastic bags that come in an assortment of sizes, and you put for example your winter wardrobe in there - then seal it up and store it away. I think you can get similar products on eBay super cheap. Otherwise, I agree, a good old downsizing is best.

I keep forgetting about the vacuum seal thing. I have comforters that for some reason I just can't seem to part with. I guess it's the idea of preparedness and keeping warm if the power should go out during the winter. But I don't really have a place to store them other than tubs out in our shed. But I haven't thought about the vacuum seal. That might be a good solution.

[Iggy]

I used those vacuum sealed bags when I moved from Arizona to Oregon. I knew with all my towels, wash clothes, hand towels, sheet sets that the truck we could afford & drive wouldn't hold everything without a lot of scrunching down.

This is what I learned: The big HUGE bag is nearly impossible to get loaded and then vacuumed down and have it be a cube. It becomes a scrunched down Tower of Pisa.

The smaller ones are easier to pick up and move. Yes it is fabric you are dealing with, but when you compress 25 sets of queen sheet sets with three extra pillow cases per set, that ends up weighing A LOT!! If you drag the filled, compressed bag it will rip. Been there, done that, what a Huge Disappointment.

Remember- they are plastic bags. When they compress down they Do Not Compress into smooth sided cubes or smooth flat items. They are lumpy. They will also rip easily. The cheaper you go buying the knock offs, the more likely they will rip during compressing. Been there, Done that, Glad I only bought one package of two storage bags- lost $4.99. Buy the original- it is made of better plastic and the seams are welded/sealed way, way better.

Pam, I have lots of comforters too- One will fit on a shelf in my hall closet. I have 4 of them. I only have 5 shelves in the closet! So I really stuffed one per large flat bag- the bag for suits, dresses. The trick is to fold the comforter as evenly as possible to the size of the bag, then put it into the bag. I now have 3 comforters, compressed on ONE shelf.

I also used the smaller bags for my extra clothes. I don't have seasonal clothes really. Since Menopause hit & left, my internal thermometer is broken. I do wear long pants and cotton anklets when the outside temps drop below 50. But other than that, I wear capris year round here on the central Oregon Coast.

These compressed bags of extra clothes easily lay flat on the top shelf in my walk in closet. I actually have them in plastic totes I bought just for that. The totes are the exact width of my shelf.

For 20 years, my eldest sister sent me a dozen socks for Christmas. When I get a hole in my socks, I darn them. When there is no good fabric to darn, then I toss them. She passed in 2004- so I have not received any socks- I have tossed perhaps two dozen away. I have vacuumed sealed those that will not fit in my bottom dresser drawer into a bag, and that sits on the shelf in my closet. In a few years, I will go through the drawer, gather up the socks and seal them in the bag and replace them with socks that I haven't seen in years.

Oh, all those queen sheet sets, well the bag used to transport them here ripped in transit. I have each set folded and stuffed into one of the matching pillow case and when I think of it, I will buy the smaller cube bag and vacuum seal them up. We now have a king bed, the queen is for the guest room.

The reason I have lots and lots of sheets is my first husband wouldn't let me buy sheets. We had two sets- he said that was enough. Oh, I had to change the sheets daily - again his orders. So I had to wash sheets EVERY DAY. He also wouldn't let me buy more than 4 sets of bath towels. A set included: 2 towels, 2 hand towels & 2 wash cloths. THESE had to be changed out EVERY DAY. We had the money to purchase more, it was a power trip/manipulation on his part that he wouldn't allow it.

Thankfully I did have a washer, dryer and in the summer I hung them outside on a line.

BUT when I left him, and later divorced him, the first thing I did was buy 2 sheet sets, and 4 sets of towels. Every other month I then bought a sheet set, and a towel set and I added two more hand towels to the towel set. I didn't throw away the old towels either, I set them aside and use them for really dirty work.

I have a real hard time not buying sheets & towels when they come on sale. Not having room is a valid reason.

Another thing I found with those bags, you can add more after they have been compressed. Just let them sit for a few days, open them up and you can add a few more items. They will expand BUT still be compressed a bit, enough to add a few more towels or shirts, or a dozen socks . Then seal the bag and suck the air out.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Iggy
spelling, of course!

[ZionsRodeVos]

I don't like laundry either. I'm a single dad and was granted custody of my four children in 2006.

This is the system I developed after I got tired of spending 3 or more hours every Saturday doing laundry.

I have a basket for each child in the laundry room, one for me, and one or two for towels, sheets, and other items that don't really belong to anyone but are used by everyone.

In each room their is a laundry basket and one in the bathroom that has a shower.

I put in one or two loads each day, as soon as their is enough dirty coloreds or whites or I know we are running out of something (such as when I don't have enough money to replace clothes and holes in knees cause them to end up with only two wearable pants). When I pull the clothes out of the dryer I sort them into each persons basket.

Each evening my children are expected to bring down the dirty clothes and take up the clean clothes and put them away.

Due to changes in my schedule and my children being out of school my children haven't been doing their part as much as they did and so they end up going to their basket of clean clothes in the laundry room when they run out of what they need in their drawers.

As for storing stuff, I store what one of my boys could grow into and put it in some plastic bins I got from WalMart and place those bins on the top shelves of the closet of the boy who they will one day fit. Since I only have one girl their is seldom any clothes laying around that will fit her in the future unless someone from church has given me some for her.

[mordorbund]

Wear only solid colored t-shirts with the tag removed. You can get 4 wears out of a single shirt if flip it around, inside-out, and around again*. Vast laundry reduction!!

*This system was created by a seven year old boy

[Guest]

Getting some great ideas from you, FB friends, and a friend that I have no doubt was prompted to invite me over today for chocolate cake and talking through problems. :) Here's what I'm trying:

If I can't get totally caught up in the next couple of days, I'm taking everything to a laundromat to wash absolutely everything that needs it so that I can start with everything clean.

I have tall hampers in the laundry room labeled with signs the kids can understand to help them sort clothes when they take them in there. I've been using this system and it helps, but as i get behind and things spill onto the floor, the system falls apart. The key will be getting caught up and staying that way.

I purchased a laundry basket for each child to put their clean clothes in. They are responsible every day to empty their basket (except the babies of course. They empty them, but not into drawers ).

I'm going to go through the clothes and get rid of what we don't need.

I'm going to get rid of a lot of their toys, too, and use the cubbies in their closets as temporary storage for clothes they've grown out of, so there's somewhere out of the way to put them. We do have storage totes but the only place for them is the attic, and they're hard to get to, so the clothes that don't fit end up floating between dirty laundry, clean laundry, and a random pile in a bedroom. Not workable.

I'm going to put a tension rod up in my laundry room to hang shirts, dresses, and whatever else needs hanging as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Then they just need to be moved to the appropriate closet, and things don't wrinkle.

I'm excited to change things up and see if this will work better for us. My house is too small, I'm overwhelmed, and lots of things need to change. If I can get this working better so I'm not always stressing about laundry and there aren't clothes everywhere, it's a darn good start. :)

[Iggy]

Wear only solid colored t-shirts with the tag removed. You can get 4 wears out of a single shirt if flip it around, inside-out, and around again*. Vast laundry reduction!!

*This system was created by a seven year old boy

And my older sister! She only buys tops that have round necks and no fru-fru's on the the font. If, during lunch she drips/spills on her top, then she can turn it around front to back and no one is the wiser. Oh, she always wears a sweater or light jacket- it is always chilly at her desk at work!

[MorningStar]

That's awesome! I hope it goes well for you. I had a friend who had way too much clothing and would become so overwhelmed, she paid a guy to wash all of her laundry - about $75. He did this under the table at a dry cleaner's, I think. She didn't seem to have the motivation to do a little bit at a time and it just got out of control repeatedly.

One day I was over there helping and as I put some clothes away for her, I could not believe how much she owned. I said, "Well no wonder you're having a hard time!" She had at least 10 button up shirts alone - long sleeved. Then a bunch of short sleeved ones, many t-shirts, etc. And that was just her. Her husband had a ton of clothes too. I think she hung on to a lot of it in case she lost weight. I saw a show that said to keep one size below and one size above, but get rid of the rest.

It especially helps to downsize the kids' clothes because they will add clean stuff back into the dirty laundry because they don't want to put it away. A friend of mine said she and her sister used to do that, so one day her mom had them put every single thing away while she watched and when they were done, she dumped it all out and said, "Now do it again. That's what you guys do to me every time I do laundry." I laughed so hard. She said they got smarter and stopped putting in the dirty clothes still folded.

I've been decluttering a lot because I realized I'm a slave to our stuff. I spend way too much time and energy trying to figure out where it should go. I lived out of a duffle bag for a couple months years ago and I realized that was all the clothing I really needed. Usually people just accumulate more stuff and then they buy another or bigger dresser to accomodate it. Such a waste of money.

[Bini]

Eowyn, if you have nearby neighbours that also want to downsize, maybe do a "multi-family yard sale" one weekend and just get rid of the stuff but make a few bucks too. I have done one yard sale myself, and found that you'll sell everything on your front lawn IF you price it right. People want a bargain - you want to get rid of your stuff - voila!

[Guest]

That's a good idea. We have great kids' consignment stores here that give you credit for clothes in good condition. We've also been asked to give more generously to our local DI, which isn't getting enough donations probably because of the economy and Craigslist.

[Bini]

That's a good idea. We have great kids' consignment stores here that give you credit for clothes in good condition. We've also been asked to give more generously to our local DI, which isn't getting enough donations probably because of the economy and Craigslist.

I love Kids-to-Kids. I can't believe I used to have issues with second-hand stuff. How silly of me! I love shopping for bargains now and I love the idea of reuse, reduce and recycle. It's been my motto for a couple years now steady :] Now if I could only convince my girlfriends that BabiesRUs is a total rip off in comparison!

[Guest]

The motto in our house (with clothes, anyway) is "only suckers pay full price". Especially kids' clothes! It's clearance racks, discount stores (like Ross and Burlington), and second hand for us.

[Guest]

Eowyn, I found this when I was trying to find design ideas for the laundry room (I'm trying to make better use of my laundry room - a 6x8 teeny-beety space). I'm thinking of building one that will hold 6 baskets. It doesn't seem too complicated.

Ana White | Build a Laundry Basket Dresser | Free and Easy DIY Project and Furniture Plans

[unixknight]

Very simple.

We never wear the same set of clothing twice. This has the advantage of not only avoiding laundry chores, but it also keeps us up to the bleeding edge of modern fashion. Our old clothes are used as rags, donated to the poor, left in the street to look as if the wearer has vanished to perform amusing little Rapture gags, etc.

Of course, by not having to store dirty clothing, we save on dresser space, since at any given moment we really only need about a week's supply of fresh clothing. As a result, each bedroom has more floor space for obscenely large beds, making king size mattresses look like a crib mattress. We do this so that the beds may serve as trampolines on rainy days after hours when labor laws forbid us to make the household servant staff work overtime to set up the pagoda.

I suppose we could make the servants do the laundry, but as I said labor laws prohibit forcing them to handle potentially biohazardous materials, not to mention, again, the extra hours. And, of course, that also would put me in the uncomfortable position of having to explain all the bloodstains on my clothing that I acquire, owing to my night job as a Government assassin.

(The bedrooms in my home are often carpeted in dirty clothes so I have no useful advice, so I thought I'd offer an attempt at humor instead...)

[applepansy]

(The bedrooms in my home are often carpeted in dirty clothes so I have no useful advice, so I thought I'd offer an attempt at humor instead...)

Sounds like my daughters room at one time. And my son's room before last week.

My daughter grew up and my son is seeing the benefits of finding the floor.