How To Never Be Behind on Laundry Again

Laundry is easily my least favorite home task. And, that hatred combined with the ever present need to wear clothes because I'm not a nudist, means that I get behind on laundry a lot.

I need what my mom has always called, The Laundry Fairy.

And while I could use all the mystical magic I can get in my life, The Laundry Fariy isn't coming. Unless I become the fairy I so need.

So, let's talk about all the way we can approach laundry so that it not only tackles the laundry in your life that already exists, it helps you set up a system that makes laundry less of a chore and more of a daily habit.

That's asking a lot for someone who loathes laundry as much as I do, but we're gonna give it a shot. Cool?

3 Possible Approaches to Laundry

There are a million different ways to approach the whole "I guess I have to do the laundry," situation in your house. And these possibilities are so vast because each of us exists in an entirely different living situation. Because doing laundry for one is sooo different than doing laundry for a family of 7, right? 

But there are a few different approaches that are pretty common across the board. Each of which can be

The End of the Day Collection

This one isn't ideal for someone that lives alone, unless you are changing clothes multiple times in a day.

But, it is my favorite approach. Why?

If you are doing laundry for a family, it's easy to have everyone bring their clothes from the day (PJs from the night before and clothes from the day) to a designated area.

At that point, you can get a jump on the dirties from the day before and get them in the dryer before you head to bed.

The Marathon

Sometimes, you you get so behind on laundry that it feels like you may never dig your way out of the mountain in the hamper.

The marathon method is exactly what you think it is: Choose a day and push through as much of the pile as humanly possible.

Wash. Dry. Fold. Put Away.

The marathon method doesn't work if you aren't doing the folding and putting away part. The only way to completely banish the overwhelm is to take as many of the clothes from dirty to put away as possible.

I hate this method, honestly. But it's also the one that I end up doing most often. But, I'm trying to move away from this one to a more "Apple a Day" approach. 

The "Apple a Day" Approach

One of the things that really irks be about laundry is that it's never finished. Unless I spontaneously join some kind of nudist society, my need for clean clothes will always exist. Bummer.

The "Apple a Day" approach is for people that are willing to do a load of laundry every single day. 

In this approach, you choose 1 load of laundry to do every single day. So, everyday you choose a the load of laundry that is that largest or in the most need to be done. You could even go as far as scheduling these out if you're really feeling it. For example:

• Monday - darks

• Tuesday - jeans

• Wednesday - warm water lights

• Thursday - cold water lights

• Friday - colors/mediums

• Saturday - sheets

• Sunday - towels

Me? I'm just gonna choose what has the largest load at the time and throw it in. Sheets and towels I do try to schedule a bit or else I'd never get them done!

Which approach do you typically use? Are you a marathoner like me? Share it with me in the comments!