Win The War On Laundry

Those of you who know me, know I’m a very organized person. My house stays pretty tidy most of the time, and when there’s a mess, it’s usually very easy to pick up and have the house looking clean again because of the storage solutions and methods I use. Yes, the OCD helps me in this area 😉

Despite being so organized, there are still tasks I haven’t been able to conquer completely. One of those tasks is laundry. It’s a never-ending cycle. I’m certain most of you would agree with me! I do laundry every day, and it seems like no matter how much laundry I do, I’m never done. So in an effort to finally conquer this unending laundry headache in my home, I started looking for solutions.

I’ve tried so many different ways, but none seem to work! My latest attempt at beating laundry was assigning everyone in the house a day of the week. In my mind, I would do 1-2 loads per day and all would be right in the laundry world.

Well, the reality of it is, most of the time, the kids don’t remember which day is their day (even though I have a nifty little whiteboard with the schedule on it!), and therefore don’t bring it down for me. When they do bring their clothes down, they either bring them on the wrong day, and it messes me up giving me more loads than I expected, or they show up at 10 pm with clothes they absolutely need washed for the next day!! Of course, I have to scramble since the washer and dryer are already full! And then, many times it’s my fault. I forget I’ve started a load, and the next day I have to wash it again because it’s stinky! Once again, making me get behind on my schedule! It’s a never-ending cycle.

There’s got to be a better way!

When I think about my readers. I realize that most of them are probably not innately organized, and that’s why they look for solutions to help them manage their homes and their lives. The problem is most of us giving the advice are naturally organized and a lot of times, the methods we use are too hard for people to follow and maintain. I usually try to find solutions that will work for everyone, and really try to think outside my box when recommending cleaning and organizing methods. My husband, for example, was not as organized as I was, and probably still isn’t, but he’s come such a long way. He loves the feeling of a clean and organized house, so he’s definitely on board when it comes to finding solutions. The laundry and the dishes seem to be the biggest source of stress for us when it comes to maintaining our home.

We Found the Solution to Laundry

So when Ryan came across Dana K. White’s book “How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind” he was excited! I was intrigued, but not convinced. She declares herself a slob and says her book is for people like her. I thought, “well, it’s not for me then!” Ryan started listening to it by himself and after a few chapters, he was certain this book was going to be a game-changer for us. Ryan said Dana has somehow managed to find ways to manage her home with methods that are very doable for everyone, even the disorganized!! And he was sure I would love the chapters on laundry and dishes, my two biggest enemies. So I reluctantly agreed to listen to the book with him.

Well, game-changer doesn’t even begin to explain it! You guys, I have conquered my laundry, I kid you not. Remember, I have 5 kids and a husband! As I’m writing this, it’s Monday afternoon, and I’m done with my laundry for the week. Done. Finished. No more laundry for 6 days!!! This is what my laundry room looks like right now and will look like for the next 6 days.

Don’t believe me? You have to try it! It’s not complicated at all, but you have to commit to doing it for a few weeks so you can start feeling the effect. Let me tell you what I’ve done based on her suggestions.

Pick a Laundry Day

The first time around you may be very unhappy with me, you may even hate me and be tempted to unsubscribe, please don’t 🙂 Her suggestion is instead of attempting to do laundry every day, you have to have a “laundry day”. One day a week.

Just like you clean the bathrooms on a certain day, or mop the floors, etc. I chose Monday. I chose Monday because we’re pretty much always here on Mondays. I usually don’t like Mondays so I figured why not do laundry on my least favorite day anyways! So on Sunday, I asked everyone to bring me down every single piece of dirty laundry they had. There was A LOT! Please understand, the first week, it will take you more than one day, it could even take you the whole week!

Week One

The laundry room was packed and it was even spilling into my hallway and living rooms. I felt a little overwhelmed but was determined to give this a try. So I started my first load on Sunday night so it would be ready to dry on Monday morning.

Early Monday morning I got going with the laundry. No big chores that day, only laundry. We knew it would take more than one day the first week, so I tried my hardest not to get frustrated. I did laundry all day, following her important instructions to fold the clothes as I took them out of the dryer and take the folded clothes immediately to where they belonged. I did not want to fold the clothes as I took them out because it didn’t seem efficient. Why not put them in a basket and start a new load? Well, you know how it goes, you start folding and then something takes you off task, and you end up with piles of unfolded laundry everywhere! Then when you do fold them, they tend to sit on the couch for days at a time! I know this part seems tiring, but just do it. Try it. It wasn’t so bad.

It’s also very important not to add any extra clothes to the piles in the laundry room. Any newly dirtied clothes should go directly in the hampers, or wherever you keep dirty clothes for next week’s laundry day.

So I chugged on and continued doing laundry on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I finished every single pile by Wednesday at noon. And that was it. 7 people, 2 and a half days of laundry, but I was done with week one! No clothes on the laundry room floor, and the washer and dryer were empty in case I had to do an emergency load, i.e. cat throwing up on my bathroom mat, or one of the kids spilling something on something!

Week Two

Now, this part is super important. Dana says you must do the laundry for week two on the day that you chose, even if it took you all week to finish week one. So I anxiously waited for the next Monday to see if I was going to be able to tell a difference. She says it’s usually not until week three when you realize this works, but I had a feeling I would be pleasantly surprised on Monday.

That first week, I did an extra load of bathroom mats since the washer and dryer were empty and I thought why not?!? That was it. I only used the washer and dryer once from Wednesday to Sunday and the laundry room remained clean.

That Sunday, once again I had everyone bring everything down to the laundry room. Right then and there I could tell a difference. Considerably fewer piles than the week before. This was exciting!

So I started my first load, but I was so excited, I went ahead and put that load in the dryer and started another load. Monday morning I started my new laundry routine and did exactly as I did last week. Fold as they came out of the dryer and immediately put them away. I was actually excited doing the laundry, I know it’s unbelievable. That was it. Monday was done, my laundry for the week was done and it was only week two! It had worked for me! Such a simple solution.

Week Three

Week three, same story, had everyone bring clothes down on Sunday, started a couple of loads that night, and was completely finished with laundry for the week by Monday afternoon! Imagine not thinking about laundry for 6 whole days!! It really is a beautiful thing.

I actually look forward to laundry day now. I look forward to it because I know I will be done in one day. It’s a task I can now complete and get out of my mind entirely, instead of constantly agonizing about the never-ending cycle that it used to be!

Try This Laundry Method for Yourself

I really hope some of you will join me and try this method out! I challenge you to try it! I really believe you won’t be disappointed and you may finally win the war against your laundry! Let me know if you have any questions. If you’re a subscriber, you can access the checklist here. If you haven’t subscribed yet make sure and do so below to get access to all my free printables including the laundry checklist.

If this works for you, I highly recommend reading Dana’s book. She has amazing solutions to so many tasks in your home. We have actually also won the battle against our dishes thanks to her method. I never thought I’d see the day when laundry and dishes in a house of 7 wouldn’t be a nightmare!!