Monday - Tackling the Laundry Demons
Monday is laundry day for me and I absolutely dread doing laundry. Laundry is one
of my least favorite chores, but as we all know there is no use in ignoring it.
Here are some of the things I have done to make laundry day a little easier on myself:
Tip #1 : Buy baskets for each individual person in the family.
I have baskets for each of us and then I don't have to separate everything at the
end. We have a basket for each of us as well as a basket devoted solely to linens
and towels. This makes delivering the laundry easier and it also makes it each family
member's own responsibility for emptying their own basket and returning it to me
for a "refill."
Tip #2 : One of the greatest tips I got when my son was very small
was to invest in a lingerie bag. I put all of Ethan's tiny little socks in the bag
and it saved me a lot of hassle with matching when the clothes were done drying.
When you have tiny socks like that, it is so hard to find them if you do lose them.
Tip #3 : There are a few ways you can cut the cost down on doing
your laundry. For one, you will not notice a difference if you use the recommended
amount of detergent for your load or if you use half of the amount. Your clothes
will still be just as clean and it will help make your detergent last a lot longer.
You also will not notice a difference if you cut your dryer sheets in half and only
use half of one as opposed to a full one. Another helpful tip is that you can save
energy by running your loads back to back since the dryer will already be hot and
warmed up from the last load.
Tip #4 : Get familiar with the websites that will offer you tips
on getting spots out of fabrics. A couple of websites that moms will find helpful
are Tide's
Spot Detective site and every mother's
best friend, the Crayola Crayon website.
Tasks to Accomplish:
- Remove the sheets from all beds in the morning to be washed with the laundry.
- Wash all of the laundry, fold, and deliver baskets to respective family members.
- Iron anything that requires it.
- If you do require items to be taken to the drycleaner make sure that you get these
taken over to the drycleaner today.
- Put away all clothes. For some reason this always seems to be the last thing I ever
get around to do doing. Make sure each family member empties their basket and returns
it to you to be filled again with their next batch of clean laundry.
- Make your list of errands to be run and gather anything that you will need to take
with you to get these accomplished. I also put by the side of the door all of our
library books and any returns that I need to take with us to stores so that I have
everything already gathered up and I don't have to rush around in the morning trying
to get everything together.