Recently I did a “Takeover Tuesday” on the FCMB Instagram. One of my pictures got more “likes” and comments than any other. It wasn’t a picture of the kids or some great meal that I was preparing. No, it was the one of my enormous piles of laundry sitting on the table in my basement waiting to be folded. I guess we can all relate to the seemingly everlasting project of washing, drying, folding and putting away the laundry!
It made me think of a few ideas that we can all try in order to get a hold on this awful chore. Especially during this time of year when it’s getting dark early (anyone else want to go to bed at 6pm?!), the holidays are coming up, kids are getting sick, etc. The last thing that anyone wants to do is head to the laundry room at 9pm to tackle the mystery of the missing socks! Here are a few ideas:
- Schedule It: Take a look at your schedule at the start of the week and find one or two nights that you can do a load of laundry from start to finish. Put it in the washing machine when you get home from work. Stick it in the dryer when dinner is cooking, and fold it after the kids go to bed. Boom! Not saying do ALL of it in one night. Just one load.
- In Bulk: Or do the opposite. Take a weekend morning and go with gusto until all of it is done. You can start early in the morning before the kiddos wake up. Let them watch some cartoons and then switch it. Play outside a bit and then switch it. When they nap you could switch it. You get the idea. Then grab a beer with your husband and have a folding party after the kids go to to bed!
- Get Some Help: If you are lucky enough to have someone in your life that is willing to help you out, take advantage of it! If that person is a mother, a BFF or a housekeeper, ask him or her if they would be able to do a load or two of laundry to help you out. Okay, maybe not your BFF. But you could totally fold laundry together while watching the Real Housewives and sipping some wine once the kids to go sleep!
- Teach The Kids to Do It: Assuming your kids are old enough, tall enough, and responsible enough, teach them how to do their own laundry. They can bring their own hamper to the laundry room or put away their folded clothes. Even young kids can help you by moving the clean clothes to the dryer, turn the knobs, push buttons, etc.
- Ignore It: Like Queen Elsa, just let it go! I mean, you’ve got enough on your plate. Sometimes you just can’t keep up. Spray a little Febreze on that t-shirt and call it good!
How do you handle the endless laundry in your household?