HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR LAUNDRY: PART TWO
IS YOUR LAUNDRY LOOKING WAAAAY MORE ORGANIZED AFTER LAST WEEK'S POST?
If you missed it, last week was all about getting the laundry sorted and I shared some of the ways mine went from major mess to clean and organized.
If you missed it, you can find it here: HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR LAUNDRY: PART ONE
Today I’ve got a bunch of little hints – little things to do and remember that make a world of difference!
1. Clean out your lint filters regularly and your machines will wash and dry more efficiently. It’s so easy to forget to do this too. I’m not sure I should actually publicly admit this, but I use the vacuum cleaner to clean my dryer filter… I just remove the big ring of lint, and run the vacuum over the door so it’s nice and clean – too easy.
2. Always keep coat hangers handy for things you need to drip dry, or things that go straight on hangers when you’re putting washing away.
3. I go one step further and often hang clothes on the line on hangers already – it makes putting things away a breeze, and there are no peg marks! This works beautifully for business shirts and very light, non-precious knits.
4. Keep your liquids and powders handy to the machine – it’s obvious I know, but I thought I’d mention it anyway. I keep mine in a cupboard right above my washing machine, so they’re easy and quick to grab.
5. Remember to give your machines a little TLC every so often – they work hard, they deserve it! Wipe them down, vacuum any air filters and put your washer through a hot wash with nothing but some vinegar and bicarb soda in it – you’ll have sparkling clean machines, and it’ll make doing the laundry that much more pleasant.
6. Everyone needs somewhere to put those little things you find in pockets – I have a pretty bowl for the ever present coins, screws and golf tees.
7. A place for lost socks is always useful – just a little basket on a shelf means they’ll find their mate at some point.
8. Never fill your dryer more than two thirds full! The more room for hot air to travel around your clothes, and the more they can tumble freely, the quicker they’ll dry. Also, there will be far fewer wrinkles.
9. Dryer balls will also help separate and tumble your clothes, and are easy to make at home.
And my final two tips, which are probably the most helpful of all:
10. Don’t wash what’s not dirty! If you’re a relatively clean person, you can wear some things more than once! Even with Missy, if it’s really not dirty, I hang it on the end of her change table to be worn again in the next few days. For the husband and myself, I just fold them and pop them on a certain shelf in our wardrobe.
11. If you really want less washing, have less stuff. I hesitate to count how many t-shirts my husband has – just crappy ones for round the house – but there would have to be at least thirty. Which is
The other thing is, the more clothes you have the less often you’ll actually DO the laundry because you don’t NEED to as often – so when you do, it’s a massive disaster zone.
I hope these tips give you some ideas to get your laundry organized!
Given it’s something we spend so much time doing, having it clean and organized makes a world of difference.
If you can make your laundry a beautiful space, one you enjoy spending time in, then doing the laundry becomes a pleasure, not a chore.
How do you organize your laundry? What methods do you use? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.
All the best,
Eliza.
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