The [only] way to “do” laundry

{Inside: The way to do laundry. The three steps to tackle the task so it always feels “done”}

Laundry is one of those layered tasks that can cause chaos in a home and leave you feeling like you can never complete it.

There is a “way to do laundry”. And there are precusory steps to build a routine around the task to make it feel less overwhelming and more do-able.

Part of the reason laundry feels overwhelming and out of control is because there is a breakdown of the system (or lack of a system all together). As such laundry is strewn about in different rooms of the house, left in piles on the dining room table, and in laundry baskets on the bedroom floor. It might even be still in the dryer, or worse, in the washer just hanging out until someone either needs a clean pair of pants or the next load is ready to go in.

The breakdown starts because one of the most important rules of order is forgotten or ignored: everything must have a home.

When things have a home, the space is tidy. You can find what you need. And complete necessary tasks more easily.

Period.

It is important to understand this tenet, abide by it, and get clear on the best “home” for all of your things.

This includes the laundry – both dirty and clean.

When it comes to laundry the “home” will always be transitional in nature.

The laundry basket is the only home for dirty laundry. And, in a sense, it is temporary. It will be emptied and filled each day as you live your life.

The dresser drawers, closet, or the like are the only homes for clean clothes. And they, too, temporarily hold your items. Those spaces will yield empty hangers and sections of drawers each day…as you live your life.

It is that simple.

The correct home for clothes is not on the floor, the chair, the rower, or the dining room table. In fact, it is not on any flat surface.

Before you “do” the laundry, consider these steps to make the task rote and routine:

1. Identify where your laundry homes are lacking.

Do you have too much and as such are taxing your clean laundry “home” making it hard to keep things streamlined and neat?

Too much creates a bottleneck and “clogging” of a simple system. Often the solution to that bottleneck entails letting go. Lighten your load of clothes that don’t fit, are torn or too worn, are duplicates, or that you feel meh in. You free your system (and the “home”) to function better. And you lighten your laundry load.

2. Create a better home for dirty laundry.

Where are you currently containing dirty laundry? “Contain” is the operative word and is an integral part of making laundry feel less overwhelming. Whether you have many loads to do or just one a week, containing dirty clothes in a laundry basket helps you easily identify what is dirty and breaks the task into smaller parts – one basket at a time.

I suggest each person in the house have their own laundry basket that is preferably stored on the floor of the closet. It shouldn’t be too big! {I like this size}.

Remember we are like goldfish, and we grow to our environment. The bigger the basket, the more you put in it. The more you put in it, the bigger the task of “doing” laundry is and the more daunting it feels.

3. Schedule time to do laundry.

If possible, pick the same time weekly (or pick a time twice a week if you have more than two people in the house). Put it on the calendar until it becomes habit. It will feel second-nature in no time.

To build a good system around “doing” laundry these precursory steps are necessary. They will help you more deliberately take on the three physical steps of doing laundry.

Three steps to take so the laundry feels done

1. Wash and dry each load.

This sounds simple enough. But you get tripped up when you put the laundry into the washer and forget it – or leave for the day. Unless necessary, don’t put a load of laundry into the washer if you aren’t around to put it in the dryer in a reasonable amount of time. If it sits too long it will start to smell musty and then you’ll have to do it all over again.

Instead, find a time to put laundry in the washer, perhaps before you start dinner, negotiate a deal in your home office, or go out for a run, and build in time to, as promptly as possible, put necessary items in the dryer. Or, assign this simple task to someone who will be home so you can tackle step two.

2. Fold each load.

No one likes this part. But it is an integral step to this process and makes the last step more appealing. To be clear, you do not need to fold clothes like they are being displayed on a shelf in a department store. {I describe my “filing system” for folding laundry in this video}.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be folded.

And perfection aside, I understand how the task is unappealing. Laundry that has just come out of the washer is one big basket of clutter. Meaning it is a whole bunch of different items (socks, shirts, pants, undergarments) that you brain is working hard to match up, quickly. It is soothing to the brain to see like-items together.  When it can’t the overall task is unappealing and feel like it will take hours to complete.

It won’t.

Sit in front of the television, or listen to your favorite music to help you get through the task of sorting (and folding) the “clutter” one category at at time.

{Pro tip: Put all clothes in the laundry basket keeping all like-items together to make step three easy as pie.}

3. Put clothes away – pronto!

This means bring your basket up to your bedroom and put clothes in the dresser, or on the shelf or hung in the closet. And then leave the empty basket in the closet to start the process all over again.

I can’t stress this step enough. Remember, the laundry basket is a transitional and rotational “home”. If you leave clean clothes in the basket, you have no place for dirty clothes! And it gives you permission to leave those clothes in any number of other places.

You will never feel the reward of the completed task, or attaining a sense of tidiness in the bedroom if you skip this step. And you will always be fishing from a laundry basket as you plan clothing for the day and week ahead.

{Pro tip: Enlist the help of others to complete any one of the steps. Introducing this chore to children instills a sense of responsibility in them, and a greater understanding of what they own.}

Ideally, you will do all three steps in one day. I say ideally because life happens. You get interrupted by a call from your mother, or your boss. The kids need a ride to soccer, lunch dishes are piling up, and the cat just tossed up a hair ball on the entry way carpet.

Distractions happen. Accept them. And wherever you can don’t leave a step for “later” or skip any. These steps build on each other. They are collectively integral to the process of completing the laundry and preventing you from staying in a never-ending laundry loop.

To avoid making the layered task of doing laundry feel heavier and more unappealing than it actually has to be, do all the steps.

It is the best way to keep chaos at bay and leave you feeling satisfied as you complete this necessary task.

________________

Want to live lighter and clutter-free? Learn the three things you must do to get started in my free clutter-free journey video series. ⬇️