Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary and posting each day for seven days. They may not be good posts, or profound posts, but by God there will be posts!
 |
My laundry room, much cleaner than usual,
which is why I took a picture. |
Let's talk about chores. Specifically, laundry. How do you do it? I've had success following
Nony @ A Slob Comes Clean in terms of getting the dishes under control, but she suggests having a single day in which you do a week's worth of laundry and I don't think that will work for me. The only days I have available are Saturday or Sunday, and it's not always logistically possible to do laundry all day on either of those days. I have a work from home day once per week, but it's always inconsistent and I can't put the clothes away until I'm done with work for the day. Depending on when I start, I may not have that much time once I'm done and have to go pick up the kids.
Trying to get laundry done on weekday evenings seems impossible. No matter how hard I try there just isn't enough time after I've gotten supper sorted out, and then the dishes done afterwards.
Because I'm up at 4:30 in the morning, by 8:00pm I'm exhausted, so doing laundry after the kids are in bed is a daunting prospect. Plus, putting the laundry away means sneaking into their rooms while using a flashlight.
Clothes management is difficult too. I have big plastic tubs to store outgrown clothes, but despite that I have outgrown stuff all over the place. I can't seem to keep up.
What works for you? Any tips or tricks to share? I'm all ears.
I don't put clothes in baskets! I hang every article of clothing except pants underware abs socks.
ReplyDeleteI keep all the kids clothes hung in laundry room after dried. That way there are no baskets of dirty clothes in room, I hang everything from dryer-no stacks of clothes...
You have enough room to add two wire racks with shelves on left...clear littke show bins for kids specific socks-pants and underware...
I'd kill for that space!!!!
I don't get behind on laundry with this system. I'm not bragging, but it just works! I also don't do the loads you do but I average 2 a day. Lol
DeleteMy husband and I are both pretty hopeless when it comes to home improvement projects. We have no idea how to put up shelves like that. At any rate, my laundry room does not look like this currently. We have the cat's food and litter box in there now, and currently it's heaped with dirty clothes.
DeleteOh I'll send you a picture! These wire racks can be cut to length at lowes. And you literally screw the clasp in and snap it in. I'm telling you-you have great room for what could be done! It would make your life so much easier!
DeleteBrenda-I just told Diane yesterday that laundry baskets give me anxiety!
I do laundry if there is a full load or not! Because somehow some way it will pile up quick!
I hate to admit that I actually love laundry because it's not a burden this way!
I also sort all laundry colors and darks in one pile and whites in another!
Man, if love to organize that space for you!!!
I'm on my phone....can barely comment! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteDo what Sew said and if you can't get shelves get some stacking organizing bins and throw unidies and socks in there. I dont' even fold or match socks. I think laundry baskets are like the purgatory of laundry. It just sits there waiting to find out it's destiny:) I wash every day of the week and it's much more manageable than trying to do it all over a day or two. I only have 4 in my family so it's a bit easier but do a little every day.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say the clear little shoe bins for $1 at walmart! Lol
ReplyDeleteYou could even hang a metal bar under that shelf to hang clothes on! I'd go to town in that space! So much potential!
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Sew, I'm hopeless at this kind of thing. Want to make an AZ trip and help me out??
DeleteStop folding and hang the clothes! Ok--I'll stop!!! Lol
ReplyDeleteI have 2 hampers. Dirty clothes get presorted. When its full it gets washed. That may mean 2 loads a day for you. We mix everyones. I wash at night because we have off peek after 7. Electricity is expensive.
ReplyDeleteWe also wash once a week but we dont have as many people. Towels have own bin in kitchen.
Also fold as come out of dyer. Racks are a good idea. You can get freestanding ones from Ikea.
2 loads a day doesn't seem feasible with my current schedule. Maybe once Peter is older and not quite so clingy/needy...
DeleteI totally agree--laundry would be the last thing I wanted to do with your schedule!
DeleteDo the kids help? That would be what I would get them to do. I knew a large family that even the 3 year old helped. Violet could learn to fold towels. The older ones could wash. Pods are great cause they dont have to measure just turn knobs.
DeleteI've tried getting them to help, but it just takes twice as long that way. The older ones drag their feet and complain, and then I have to walk them upstairs and show them where everything goes, which defeats the purpose of having them help. Violet gets so easily distracted that I'd have to be there supervising and reminding her constantly to stay on task.
DeleteI also don't fold underthings or match socks. Everyone's socks are in their drawers in piles and they can wear mismatched socks for all I care. Reasonable children who can know which clothes belong to them also put away their own laundry, which sometimes results in their drawers/shelves/closets being a mess, but...well, c'est la vie and all that. When I was working outside the home, I would often wash and dry a load of laundry each evening, but let the clean stuff pile up. Then on Saturday or Sunday, we would attack the clean clothes and do a mega sort/put away with grown ups and kids pitching in. If they really had to have something during the week, we just dug through the clean stuff. It ain't perfect, but laundry is so hard when you have a bunch of kids. Add to that a full time out-of-the-home job, and I'm just not sure there's a good way to keep on top of it!
ReplyDeleteI never fold underwear, and right now I'm just throwing socks into a diaper box and matching as needed. I'm kinda hesitant to send the older kids to school with non-matching socks - don't want them to get teased if it's noticed (maybe I'm overly paranoid, though).
DeleteHi JoAnna- I'd be there in a minute to help if you lived near me. All you need is a dowel rod and three shelf brackets with a u-shape cup to hold the dowel. Measure twice, cut once (if you even need to cut). I'm definitely pro-immediate-hang, as soon as the dryer buzzes.
ReplyDeleteWhere's your utility sink? One would fit right next to your washer there (barring you have the plumbing done) and there are slabs of counter top that you can use across the top of the sink to fold clothes that require hanging as they come out of the washer.
Along the wall on which your door lays open, a standing cupboard which is mountable to the wall would come in handy to hide away any detergent or stain removers. I'm assuming everything would be child-safety-locked, otherwise you could mount just a two-cubbie doored unit where you have everything stored above as is. Should be easy to find these right off the shelf in many stores.
I like your thinking-I'll meet you at her house! I'll leave tomorriw and be there in 5 days! Lol.
Deletelolz ;) Laundry rooms are one of those rooms that once you give it some order to it's functionality, you love it.
DeleteNo utility sink. Don't really need one as we have a half-bath right outside the door.
DeleteI don't know what a dowel rod is or where to get one. Or shelf brackets. We may own some sort of saw but I'm not sure, and even if we do I'm not sure how to use it.
The picture in the post isn't an accurate reflection of what my laundry room looks like now. We have the cat's litterbox, food, and water next to the washer right now, and her scratching post across from it. We also have a coat/hat rack not visible in the picture, which might block any cupboards. Still, that's not a bad idea and I'll keep it in mind.
DeleteJust wanted to clarify- a dowel rod is just a cylindrical rod that any home improvement store carries; they come in various lengths and diameters. You won't need to have these cut, the store should have the length you need (go short by 2" each end, for easier installation/assembly). Shelf brackets, same thing. Any worker at a home improvement store should easily be able to point you in the right direction if you briefly explain the project you have in mind.
DeleteAnd something like a wall mounted ironing board and storage center might help if you decided to move the coat/hat rack to a different location. These can be found online and/or at any home improvement store.
The reason I asked about a utility sink is when rinsing off paint pans, paintbrushes, or other chemicals, that you otherwise don't want going in your bathroom sink or tub. All the best in your laundry upgrade.
* tub, utility sinks offer a safer place to dispose of these.
Deletetypo
ReplyDelete* that don't require hanging as they come out of the dryer.
*its
ReplyDeleteDuuuude on the typos
When I was working full-time, right before going to bed at night, I loaded the washer and don't turn it on. When my alarm went off in the morning, after I get out of bed, the first thing I did was head to the washer, add soap and turn it on. Then the last thing I did before leaving the house was transfer the wash to the dryer and let it run. When I got home from work, whenever I was ready to fold, I'd turn the dryer on for 10 minutes to "dewrinkle" and then take out the clothes to fold. Folded clothes get sorted by kid, kids put them away as part of their chores the next day. In all honesty, DH and my clothes usually pile up until the weekend and then we put them all away.
ReplyDeleteSooo...I'm unfamiliar with the ages of your kids. But I will tell you the one-day-a-week thing doesn't work for me either. I didnt read all the comments but I do have baskets. I have one laundry basket for my 3 older boys, one for my next three younger, and one for the baby. I also have one for whites, and one for towels because I bleach those things. The kids clothes never get folded. They just sort into piles and shove into their drawers. Seriously. If I folded them, thats what would happen anyway. My husband's and my clothes get hung up. For the older boys, socks go into a basket in their room and they find their own matches as they need them. My daughter who is 6, does her own socks. I do the socks for the younger three. I think the big thing with laundry is keep trying until you find something that works for you. And just recently, I gave most of the laundry over to my kids. Meaning, I stopped being a perfectionist about anything but my husband's and my clothes. :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids are 9, 6, 4, 2, and 4 months. I think I may have to adopt some of your tips!
Delete