So I was having a nice ole’ time just reading through some of my favorite blogs this past weekend…. and hanging out on the Internet… when I came across this post by Angie called “Revolutionize Your Laundry” over on Echoes of Laughter that literally stopped me in my tracks! Because little did I know…..I’VE BEEN DOING LAUNDRY ALL WRONG! Say… what?
How I do it….
See- this is how the whole laundry-thing goes down in my house….
Step 1: Assign some “lucky” child the task of gathering all of the laundry, and assign second “lucky” child the task of sorting it into piles based on whites-lights-darks-jeans. (You can base this on whomever was the most poorly behaved at dinner!)
Step 2: Wash and dry the damn laundry. (Mom’s job) Haul clean laundry in baskets to my bed for sorting.
Step 3: Fold and sort the damn laundry (Mom’s job). Put away Mom and Dad’s clothes as you go… ‘cuz hey- that leaves you with 2 less baskets to put away when you’re done!
Step 4: Haul laundry to bedroom. Put it away on closet shelves… and while there, lay out the clothes for the rest of the week (Again, Mom’s job). Yes, I do lay out their clothes for them…. don’t judge. It makes my mornings go a heck of a lot smoother.
Step 5: Stack newly-styled-wardrobe-for-the-week in a bin near each child’s closet door. (MOM! Who else?)
Now….How does Angie do it?
Now to me… this was revolutionary (just like the title says)…. I mean it. Are you ready?
Each child has their own basket in their room. Once a week, Angie goes into the room, takes each child’s laundry separately and washes it, one child’s laundry at a time. If there is enough of an individual child’s clothing- then she might sort it into lights vs darks… but if not… she washes it ALL AT ONCE!
Then she dries it, folds it and puts it right back into that child’s laundry basket and takes it to his or her room for the child to put away.
Am I The Only One Stricken By This Revelation?
You mean if you wash it all together it won’t come out as one bland shade of greige? Can whites ever really and truly be white if they aren’t washed in hot water or with bleach? And are you really telling me that if I return a bin of clean laundry to a kid’s room that they will actually put it away rather than just wearing stuff out of the clean laundry bin all week while simultaneously adding dirty laundry to the same basket? (Because I am fairly certain that if left to their own devices, my kids would wear the same pair of underwear for an entire seven days without thinking twice about it!)
These are BIG questions here people…. and I need to know….. how do you do your laundry?
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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
I say hey it is worth a shot. I wouldn’t wash the brand new red piece right away with the whites but after one wash it’s all good.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 8:54 am
Okay- so you are bravely telling me to go for it…. but is this how YOU do laundry my friend?
This is how I do my child’s laundry, too! I only have one child – a toddler – and twice a week I toss all his laundry into the washing machine at once.
Ok…we have just started in the past month a new plan with laundry. And so far–it’s working. Now keep in mind, my children are 11,11, 13,15 and I thought it is time they learned how to do their own wash. Prior to this…I was doing the exact same thing as you..exactly.
So here is what we do….basket in their room and on the weekend, they do their own clothes. They have been doing three separate loads–whites–lights and darks and then they put them away. It has been AMAZING…seriously. I have a life again instead of living in the laundry room–the kids are thrilled because they have bragging rights–and no more–where are my pants mom..etc. Also we were seeing clean clothes were going back into the hamper—if you have to wash it yourself–you do not make more laundry.
I use the pods and a bounce insert..so products are easy to use. It has been fantastic and they are so proud of themselves.
This past week we started one more new thing this year—each child makes a meal..we have had two of the 4 children cook {simple meals that they like from the family meals} and its also been great. My daughter said…yeah I know how to cook something so when I get older I will always no how to make my favorite meal. As they become comfortable with that I am going to move towards giving them a budget and letting them plan the meal.
Will let you know how it goes…but letting go is hard. And that is kinda how it feels. Sharyl
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Sharyl- Thanks so much for your inspiration! So here’s my question… you started this new “laundry plan” in the past month. But if you had to do it all over again- would you have started it earlier with your older kids? In other words- should there be a “laundry cut-off”? Over age 13- you do it, under age 13, Mom does it? And one more question- are you saying that each child does 3 loads? So 12 loads a weekend?
I actually did try something like this when they were 9-10 and it was pretty hopeless. They were doing the shove in all drawer, etc. And after about a month I gave up and went back to the old way…I do think that 13 is a good age for boys…my daughters at 11 were ready to go three years ago. So it really depends on the child. In hind sight I should have let my girls keep going, because they were doing super at it. And they could have been rewarded on their reward chart–ie $ or bonus of some sort. And then done the boys. These are smaller loads…actually they got smart this last week and the girls did theirs together and the boys did theirs together. They actually like doing them separate–I think they got to see my habit. It worked so I was fine with it and if they wanted to stick them altogether I would say go for it on cold. At least iI wasn’t in the laundry room alone folding clothes forever.
I have 2 kids plus husband and I. My son, who is 8 wears a white t-shirt under all his school shirts, just like Dad. I have 2 hampers for him, one for whites and one for colors, my daughter who is 4 has 1 hamper of her own. I wash each hamper individually, meaning, my sons colored clothes get washed in one and so do his whites. When it’s time to put away, I know they are all his clothes so there is no re-separating or sorting. I grab his hangers and put away. My daughters clothes get washed in one wash but I do not separate her whites, and so far so good.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Interesting Gabby! So you are a fan of the no-sort method…. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Twitter: BarbHoyer
January 15, 2013 at 10:56 am
I’m not sure I’d be comfortable doing it that way especially since my younger ones are always getting stains on their school uniforms. I wouldn’t mind if the 16 year old did his own laundry. In fact, I’ve stopped reminding him about putting his dirty laundry into the laundry, figuring he would do so when he was running out of clothes. He could easily wash his own clothes.
BTW, the linky isn’t showing up.
Barb @ A Life in Balance recently posted..creating community at home: chore buddies
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Ah yes… if I had them start doing their own laundry I would need to teach them how to stain-stick their clothes too! Although most of the time they know if they have a stain ton put in the the laundry-room sink (that’s our “special place” for clothes needing extra attention)! Thanks for the heads-up on the linky problem….. I fixed it now!
Twitter: chickadeejess
January 15, 2013 at 11:42 am
I do my laundry this way because my daughter has ultra-sensitive skin. Keeping her clothes separate is easier. Also, I use those Color Catcher sheets and it keeps everything from getting “greige” (they work!). About once a month I separate all the whites and bleach them. Also, I don’t leave my (almost 9 year old) son to his own devices when it comes to putting away his laundry. I just supervise and catch him when he tries to shove everything in the same drawer. It doesn’t take very long, maybe you could just set aside 15-20 minutes afterschool to have them put the laundry away?
Jessica recently posted..Project Run and Play, Wk 1, Party Dress Remix
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Jessica- can you share the brand name of the Color Catcher sheets? Clearly I need to look for those! And I giggled a bit at the 15-20 minutes to monitor the putting away…. it would take me longer than that to nag them into coming upstairs all at the same time!
Twitter: chickadeejess
January 15, 2013 at 3:49 pm
They are Shout Color Catchers. I buy them at Target.
Hahaha, you’re right about the 15-20 min thing, I have two kiddos and it takes forever for them to get together and do anything. I can dream, right?
Chickadee Jess recently posted..Project Run and Play, Wk 1, Party Dress Remix
Yep, it works and it saves a ton of time. I wash new clothing separately as well as really dirty whites and but other than that, everything gets washed together. I am working on teaching my girls to toss their dirty underwear in the basket with dirty towels so they get washed in hot water but if they don’t make it, they get washed with everything else. Double sorting is a pain. Trust me, you won’t look back.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Thanks Paula- another vote for the non-sort method! (Gulp….. I might really have to try this one!)
Wow! I do my laundry exactly like you do. Is it time for a change? I’m too chicken! Lol
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Me too Roslyn! Totally chicken!
We just sat down last night to figure out some simple chores for my 5 yr old, yes, I know I should have started that a long time ago, anyway, laundry came up. I had never thought about doing this way, but it would be soooooo much easier! I think I might just be making this change! I’m so sick of laundry!
My three oldest kids are responsible for their own laundry and have been since they were 12 or 13. If it doesn’t get washed, that is on them (they have more free time then I do in an odd way *L*). Also if they want to live out of their basket again that is on them, they all know how to iron. My three youngest, I wash all of their clothes together at the same time. If I am washing something new or something I need to bleach, then I wash it with like colors, otherwise they all go in one puppy pile. The kids outgrow their clothes so quickly that they don’t have time to fade enough to worry about it. Then I fold them into piles (Davan’s jeans, Davan’s pj’s, Davan’s underwear, Tae’s jeans, Tae’s pj’s…. You get the idea) and have the kids pick up one pile at a time and put them away. I hang their stuff up on hangers.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 15, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Okay Erica- so you do a bit of both… older kids doing their own in one big load each, and the younger ones you still do. And those you sort, wash, and then re-sort. How often are you doing laundry?
I wash lights and darks together and have never had a problem. If I have a new clothing item I will wash that with a dark load but other than that everything is washed together. About 2 years ago I started making my husband wash his own clothes. I’m so glad I did because with two boys and another kid on the way I have enough laundry to do! I can’t even imagine how many loads of laundry you do a week.
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Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 16, 2013 at 6:31 am
Ha ha Mindi- I love that your husband washes his own clothes! I do about 8 loads of clothing a week, 3 loads of towels, and 4 loads of linens.
I do not sort my clothes by color…I sort by person (for the most part). Each child theoretically has their own laundry basket. I have them bring them to the basement. I wash and dry the clothes. I fold them and put them into individual baskets. They bring them upstairs and “put them away”. My oldest (12) does okay with this. My 10 year old stuffs whatever intio whatever drawer he can find so the basket is empty. I do help my 6 year old but he can put each type of item away when I give him all of his shirts at one time, then pants, then socks, etc etc.
My husband cringes when he sees that I wash clean clothes. I do not look at the items. I take the basket and shove the clothes in the machine. I grab them out and shove them in the dryer! EVERYTHING in the basket goes in the machine!!!! Sometimes toy cars even make it though the wash and dryer!
It is not perfect but it works for now. I am hoping to get them to each do their own when they are around 12 or 13 but I am starting bathroom cleaning with them this week…one step at a time
thank you for reminding me that I am not the only mom that does a ton for my kids….more so that I probably should be doing.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 16, 2013 at 6:34 am
Oh Em- you are SO not the only Mom who does a ton for her kids! I am definitely guilty of doing more than I probably should…. but I also know that grown-up chores and responsibilities are just around the corner for them…. and once that happens, they are stuck doing these things for the rest of their lives (just like us!). So sometimes I think I do so much just to let them be a kid for awhile longer.
And by the way- I wash plenty of cars, legos, chopsticks too!
Twitter: mommymusings011
January 16, 2013 at 10:16 am
Basically, I too throw everything in together when it comes to my daughter’s clothes and wash it on very hot. I wouldn’t do it with mine, but I think kid’s clothes can handle it. I’ve never had a problem, yet.
Estelle
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I can’t bring myself to wash everything together – not even with the color catcher sheet. Not only that, but I keep the boys and girls loads separate – which means I wash the hubby’s clothes with Little Dude’s, and Princess Nagger’s with mine (4 loads total per time). Especially since the boys (the hubby included) may or may not have something in the pockets I don’t want mixing with my clothes – I don’t do any pocket checks, so if money falls out of the dryer, it’s my tip) and more often than not I’ll wash mine and Princess Nagger’s clothes on a delicate cycle. I do still pick out the kid’s clothes for the week (saves morning rush headaches) though Princess Nagger is now at the age where she picks (from a specific selection…heh!). I have been known, though, to mix the darks and the lights of just the boys clothes together when there hasn’t been enough to do them separately – I figure they can sport the potential dingy look better than Princess Nagger or I.
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Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 17, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Glad to hear that I am not the only one doing the whole laying-out-the-clothes thing!
Ok, here’s how it used to work at my house when my kids were kids school age (say pre-middle school)
3 boxes in the linen closet – one for white, one for darks, one for colors. Everyone (including my husband who was the hardest to train) put their own laundry in the right box. The night before things were getting washed I did a visual sweep of rooms to make sure all the laundry had gotten picked up, if not whoever’s room it was in had to ‘come and get it’ and put it in the right box. Husband in charge of checking sorting since he cd do this while he watched TV. Once I knew everything was where it belonged he was in charge of dragging it to the basement. (This is the hazard of working retail, you are around when I’m doing laundry!) I put it all in the washer, double checking for pretreating needed etc. Added detergent, turned on washer. Set the kitchen timer so I’d know when the load would be finished. Then would head down to toss the stuff in the dryer, set timer again. Kids in charge of removing from dryer and putting in a basket. They learned young how to fold. We don’t match socks but have a sock box for the kids all socks get tossed in. (the sock box is great for missing socks, you always eventually find the mate!) They always folded their underwear and pants. It took awhile to learn the shirts. Kids didn’t iron, that was my responsibility. Husband put his stuff away, I took mine, supervised one kid each. Laundry done. AH! ….Calgon…. I think now you can buy those color sheets now to pick up color dyes from darks so you don’t end up w/gray laundry, but I’m a creature of habit I’ll be doing my laundry w/my boxes forever! The best thing it taught my daughters was not just how to do their own laundry but that MEN CAN DO LAUNDRY TOO! My husband didn’t know how to do laundry when I met him–he used to go home from college every two weeks w/all his laundry–GROSS!!! MEN!!!! I can’t believe his mom put up w/it!
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I can not wait until my kids are old enough for this! Number one is on his way. But 2 3 and 4 have a bit of growing to do. LOVE the idea!
Andie recently posted..Mom Shoes kinda day
I like the idea of each kid/person having thier own basket. My kids are college age and usually do thier own now, but I have to bring it down, they will put it in the machines, and take it back up, or it ends up on the dinning room table for days. I need a big counter to fold clothes on. I used to dump it all on my bed, but then it never gets folded or put away. I’d just throw it in a big pile in a basket.
Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 17, 2013 at 12:34 pm
So easy for me to sit here and say this…. but oh yeah- you shouldn’t ever even be looking at your college-age kids laundry! (We’ll see how I really do with that idea once it is my turn though!)
We have 1 washing basket in the bathroom that gets piled up with washing I do a few loads every couple of days sorting the coloureds out from the whites and the darks and wash all separately. I then put all washed items in the ironing basket and iron all he clothes (once I get round to it or we start running out) my children are 5 and 6 and its myself and my husband! I’m going to give the separate baskets and loads a go though it sounds less time consuming!
I NEVER make it past step 2. NEVER.
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Twitter: sharonmomof6
January 24, 2013 at 4:12 pm
You guys are really starting to make me re-think this whole thing!
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