A Few Time Saving Tricks for Reducing your Laundry Load, Literally!

When I only had two kids, I didn’t have any problem keeping up with the laundry…but now that I have 6, it’s a whole different story!

There are a couple of tricks that I use to almost keep up though! Wash a load every single day, big or small, what ever it is that is around that needs washing. Dry it as well and best scenario, fold it and put it away!

That’s the hardest part for me…I don’t mind folding, but I can’t stand putting them away. I really can’t stand it….so this is the area I need to work on the hardest.

Mix the lights and darks. This is a scary sounding idea that is actually gaining some popularity! Times have changed and clothing dyes aren’t as unstable as they used to be.

I am finding more and more women who are doing this successfully. I do it as well, with a few exceptions.

If I have a brand new towel, flannel shirt or pair of pants that are dark, I will not wash them with anything that is light colored.

I made that mistake once, and a light yellow skirt ended up with a dingy edge to it from a brand new navy blue flannel men’s shirt.

I also tend to wash my husband’s work clothes, which come home with grease on them, separate, with a particular detergent just for them.

I have greatly streamlined my children’s wardrobes. Each girl has three to 5 church dresses to rotate through, three skirts, several tops and three pairs of shoes. As long as I do a load of laundry per day, they don’t run out.

The boys each have 4-5 pairs of pants, about that many shirts, one pair of church pants, 3 pairs of shoes, including their church shoes.

I also wear skirts for several days, unless they really look dirty. And as long as I am changing out the shirt, I don’t feel like I’m wearing the same old thing as yesterday.

If you want to reduce the number of towels going through the wash. I found that the Norwex microfiber towels with the cleansing micro silver in them, make it so that you can just hang them up and reuse them through the week before washing them.

I haven’t done it yet, but someday I would love to get each family member one of them and have a set of hooks to hang them up on and not need to wash so many towels all the time. They could be reused and reused and reused!

On the days when you only have a tiny load, or have run out of things to wash, those are the days, to wash the blanket that you always have thrown over the back of the living room chair or couch, or strip a bed of the sheets and do just that one set of bedding that day.

Have your kids help fold and put their own laundry away. The toddlers love to help! They can learn to fold the washcloths.

The older children usually need some instruction of course, but over time, they can definitely do their own.

And for those that can’t quite fold their own, I still have them put their clothes away.

It might not end up in the most orderly way, but at least they saved you a little time, you are teaching them to help and giving them life skills, which I am a huge advocate for, and wrinkled clothes, really aren’t that big of a deal.

The wrinkles easily fall out while the clothing is being worn and the only things that I ever end up ironing, are the church clothes for a special holiday or event.

When a child is old enough for the responsibility, say 8 + years old, have them do their own laundry loads from start to finish.

Show them how it’s done and let them go for it! Hopefully it will save you a little time.

Simplify your own wardrobe. You don’t need all those clothes that you don’t really wear, you know. You really can let them go!

Don’t shop for new clothes as often. The less clothes coming in, the less clothes you have that you’re wearing and needing to wash!

Please let me know in the comments, which of these suggestions might come in useful to you! And I’d also like to know what you would add to this list!