Conquering Laundry Mountain

Families with kids can really go through some laundry. Some parents insist that their kids are experts at making laundry happen, no matter what they do. Kids' clothes can get dirty, they can come home and change out of school clothes and into play clothes, change out of play clothes into dance attire, change from dance attire into their soccer uniform, change from that into another set of play clothes, and then finally change into their pajamas.

That means that in one day, one child can change clothes that actually need to be washed in upwards of six times! No wonder parents get swamped. If you have a baby or more than one child, add in the parents' casual clothes, work clothes, work-out clothes, pajamas, towels, washcloths, etc., you've got yourself an ever-growing monster of a laundry mountain that can be nearly impossible to control.

Don't let the monster intimidate you any longer. It's time to take charge. While your laundry may always be an uphill battle, you can make it easier on yourself, and we're all for making it easier!

First, make sure that everywhere laundry accumulates has a basket, bin, or hamper to catch the fallout. Encourage family members to put their dirty clothes where they go by offering rewards. You can give them a pass from putting their laundry away if none of their clothes are outside the basket when you go to collect. Find ways to make them get into the habit of putting it where it goes.

Many things that you would normally separate don't actually need to be separated. If something dark has been washed many times, it's not likely to bleed on anything if you go ahead and wash it with whites. Use your best judgment, but don't waste your precious time following every laundry direction to the tee. Of course, be careful and don't ever wash something that is dry clean only in the washer.

Use a rolling garment rack to hang and stack folded clothes as they come out of the dryer. Hang, fold and stack everything right on the rack. Then, simply pull it around the house and distribute the clothes where they go.

Give yourself a schedule so that you stay on top of things. You can also assign a day to each family member if you'd like. If you throw in a load in the morning, dry it when you get home, and then put it away before bed, it'll be done every day.

One major problem with staying on top of the laundry is having an easy place to put it away. Stuffed drawers and messy closets make it seem draining to put clothes away. Stock each kid's closet with infant hangers, baby hangers, children's hangers, or adult hangers, depending on the size of their clothes. Hanging clothes and stacks of shirts and pants are much easier to put away if the closets are stocked and shelves are sitting there waiting. Kids are less likely to unfold their clothes looking for what they want if they're not crammed in a drawer. Keep everything out where you can see it and it'll make less work for everyone in the long-run.