How I Do Laundry as a Minimalist (IT'S SO EASY!!) | Laundry 101
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- čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
- What does a minimalist laundry routine look like? Here is the ultimate guide on how to do laundry like a minimalist to save time, energy, and money. This highly simplified laundry system changed my life, and it can change yours, too. As a minimalist mom, I swear by all these laundry hacks and tips to keep piles of laundry off the floor so that my home stays clean and tidy (which helps us all get along better). You don't need to follow all the steps I do to wash and maintain your clothes but pick and choose which ones work best for you and your family -- welcome to minimalist laundry 101! :)
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Thank you for the video.
Those were a lot of tipps. Very practical thinking.
Cool video. I also fold my clothes into an assembly line. A couple more tips... instead of taking everything off the line, putting it in the basket unfolded and carrying them to your room to fold there, just fold them into the assembly line straight off the line. Saves double handling and carrying it all around. Then each pile goes straight to its final destination from the line.
Another tip is hanging similar items next to each other e.g. sock pairs on one line, underwear the next etc. Then it's already sorted to fold straight into categories.
I never minded doing laundry, now i see why. I already do basically all of your tips. It truly makes it almost effortless and dare i say even enjoyable
Same 😄
I was about to comment that aren't these all things everyone does already? This is how my mom taught us to do laundry.
Also, my husband and his whole family are guilty of the throw it in the wash after one wear trait. I remember when we first got married I had a brand new Roots sweatshirt that I adored. I wore it to go visit his brother's family and when we got back home he ripped it off of me and threw in the wash immediately. I was so upset because it was brand new. He did that 2 more times and it faded and looked like I had owned it for years, then he threw it out. I was so sad, I only got to wear it 3 times. That's when we had our first of many laundry fight, and he learned to only wash clothes when dirty.
Same same 😊 I do 99% of these tips already, they work! 🎉
The only thing we need to work on is the big pile of "wear again another day clothes". 😅
@@NimbusNotebook I have 3 little kids, that pile doesn't exist. Only elegant clothes can be worn again and those get hung back up and aired out before going into the closet again
I also enjoy the smell of the laundry drying...I don't have a clothes dryer and only use 100% cold water (plus detergent) with all my machine washing. Some might say it's unhygienic, but I've not had any issues with this and I like the comfort of clothes not shrinking and dyes not running, when using cold water (plus reduces electricity costs!).
I fold straight from/on the drying rack and use a large flat basket to sort into piles, then deliver piles to respective locations in my home.
Another tip to save time is having your kids do their own laundry. When my son was in grade two, his teacher suggested to us that he was was old enough to take on some household chores. She suggested laundry and making his own lunch. He took on those tasks successfully (with only minimal supervision for the first while).
Yes I had my kids take over their laundry chores around 10 or 11
I did this as well when kids were about 10. When they went off to college they were shocked to find out that most of their peers had no idea how to do laundry and because of this the machines in the dorms are a disastrous mess and out of order much of the time.
@@Elizabeth-490 Back in the early 80s one of my brothers was stuck in a small town with his basketball team for a few days during a snowstorm. My brother was the only one who knew how to run a washing machine.
After wearing a top, turn it inside out and hang by open window to air out....learned from 92 yo mom who grew up in war, very frugal and their clothes last over 20 years....
and yes, they do eventually get washed!
I grew up when laundry was a full day of work (giving a hint at my age here 😉). From my mom adding cold water, soap, sheets, and towels to a big copper pot in the shed and starting a fire under it, heating the water to a simmer; to removing the hot laundry with a big wooden spoon to a wash tub with a washboard and scrubbing away, even grabbing fistfuls of fabric in each hand and vigorously rubbing out stains in the space between. Then, rinsing at least once in cold water, and wringing the living daylights out of the massive pieces of fabric. And finally, hanging everything up on a clothesline to dry in the sunshine and wind (it smelled SO good when putting these freshly dried sheets on the bed again after they were taken off the line, stretching the pieces by two people gathering each short side, putting your whole weight into it squaring and straightening them).
After the water had cooled somewhat, the whole process would repeat with the light colors, and then the darks. At the end of the day in winter, you sometimes were able to "lean" items against the wall, because they were frozen stiff! 😂
The next day, pretty much anything not used right away had to be ironed after spraying it lightly with water: from sheets and duvet covers to towels, undershirts and fabric handkerchiefs, even the collared shirts of my dad, to make it easier and neater to stack items and to make my dad look good, of course. And yes, I learned to iron a collared shirt on a flat ironing pad on a kitchen table as a young teenager. No ironig board back then. 🧺
So laundry today using a washing machine and dryer is a walk in the park for me. I still iron a number of items, even the seams of towels to straighten and stretch them. I find it a living meditation.🧘♀️
A lot of places don't allow for drying laundry outside anymore 😢 and boy, do I miss that smell of "sunshine in bed"! 👃
❤❤✌️
This sounds like what my husbands family did growing up in the mountains of China! Thanks for sharing your story 🤗
I started my minimalist journey about one month ago and have heavily decreased the amount of clothes, items, personal keepsakes, and "what-ifs" I kept for years. I can now breathe in my room easier, wake up relaxed, and I no longer throw clothes everywhere in my room when trying to find an outfit. Thank you so much for introducing me to this lifestyle in a way I can embrace it so wholeheartedly
I'm the person who dose that. I have both eczema and rosacea so my skin gets iterated very easily. I can ware something once sit in a car or public transport and the next time I try to ware it, my skin burns. BUT buying clothes that are easy to care for is something I plan to start doing.
Same, eczema and severe fragrance topical skin reactions make it a necessity. It’s also why I only buy easy wash items and nothing with special washing requirements, no dry cleaning items, etc.
Our dryer broke in January and we haven't replaced it. I find hanging up the clothes to dry very relaxing and love the fact that we're saving money on electricity. We also stopped the wear=wash thing years ago and I do so much less laundry now, although doing laundry is something I've always enjoyed.
I also find that the dryer damages the clothes
Fuzzles- yes! I love hearing family names for things. In our home hair elastics are Whoosies (shortened from hair whoosies). One of my favorites is from my daughter using "honey" to mean little or small. We finally realized she was extrapolating from us calling our children "honey"...it made sense in her mind 🤷. So for a number of years in our family small plates were the "honey plates", wash cloths were "honey towels".
Thank you for another lovely video! ❤❤
That’s adorable! Since English is my husband’s fourth language, sometimes he doesn’t know the right word for things, and he just makea it up 😂 It works!
Fussel is the German term.
I actually love hand washing my clothes. I have reduced the amount of clothes I own significantly and found out that hand washing not only makes me less lazy, but helps me create a more valuable connection with what I own. I just make sure my clothes are now easy to clean and easy to dry. Love this topic, love this video! 💕
Yes! Since I live at my parents house, and it’s a struggle to use the washing machine I started to learn how to hand wash items. I actually really enjoy it.
My sister didn't believe how much we could save on the wear and tear of our clothes if we just line dry them until we compared identical items that have been used for the same amount of time. Then, it was very clear. I don't know if her love of using a clothes dryer changed but I was validated. 🙂
I use a dryer for larger things that won't dry quickly, like blankets and sheets. But shirts and pants can hang in my closet with a fan on them
We only wash things after one use like underwear and socks, anything else, unless you got super dirty or sweaty can go for a couple of wears. I've always done that. There is one thing I refuse to hang dry, and that is towels. The texture is always really off putting when it's air dried versus machine dry.
Agree with everything. We use old pillowcases to cover extra shoes and dirty clothes when traveling.
This is a great video. It's funny, because I have ADHD and so many folks like me hate laundry, but I find the machine sounds and the taking time to slow down and sort clothes calming.
The sorting while I'm listening to nature outside my windows is so relaxing to me. 😊
That does sound relaxing 😌
Great tips.
I grew up & still live in a dessert area. Water is super precious here. I was taught to preserve water in as many ways as possible. One of the ways I was taught to preserve water is also one of your tips. To only wash clothes when they are truly dirty. The visual & sniff tests are water saving hacks I pass on to my kids too. That way they develop important habits of saving water too.
Yes! If it’s a small amount of stain or soiling, I also spot treated with blue dish detergent in the sink and voilà. Thank you for sharing your insights - that’s an environmental consideration I’ve never had to deal with, but I’m sure a lot of people would appreciate. 🙏
Lol, I just realized I spelled desert 🏜️, dessert 🍰.🤣 How embarrassing
^something I would do 🙋🏻♀️
I'm in that teeny tiny percent that absolutely loves doing laundry. It's just my husband and I so there isn't too much. I find it so relaxing. He wears all of his work outfits twice, it was hard for me at first, but he doesn't get dirty and he doesn't sweat, so it makes sense to try to get another wear out of them. I rehang them and put them at the end of the line. So he doesn't wear the same thing in the same week.
I wear my pants 2 or 3 times before washing (unless physically soiled). However, I only wear my tops once. I tend to stink them up in one day 🤭
As a kid, I was in charge of doing the family laundry…in my grandmother’s dark, dingy, scary basement. And I hated it. As an adult, raising kids,there was always a ton of laundry and I had to use a laundromat…which I also hated. So clothes stayed piled, dirty clothes, clean clothes or a combination of the two. When my kids were finally grown and out of the house, I finally got a laundry routine down. I hang up or fold everything as soon as it comes out of the dryer and it gets put away right then. I don’t love doing laundry any more than I did as a child but I get it done…and put away the same day. Makes a huge difference!
Great video! To defend any fellow outdoor allergy or dust mite allergy sufferers, washing every wear can be a matter of necessity for some ☺️
Not allergies but as a plus sized person, I sweat. My clothes are absolutely dirty after every wear. 😂
I've had a few people cast shade on me about wearing clothes more than once! I don't get "dirty" often (baking is a totally different story! 🤣) but I don't sweat & I'm at home 99.9% of the time. The majority of what I do is writing/typing, knitting, crocheting or nalbinding, dishes & cooking.
I wash up morning & night (as well as after more physical work like vacuuming), which helps keep my clothing clean as wellOf course the individuals that cast shade on me, admit I am always clean, never smell bad and these people I find to be extremely wasteful! One in particular doesn't wash their underwear but buys new ones instead and is constantly taking 15 minute showers! 😠😤 (note: if you like to take longer than 10 minutes to wash, shave, etc. Bathing uses less water & less need for heating up the water. In short, bathing is more economical.) I grew up in a very small farming community where many people still live without running water or electricity (some have to wet & tamp their "floors" because they are packed dirt) so I am accustomed to sponge baths in a wash basin or bathing in a tub. My family was wealthy but adamantly opposed to being wasteful from them growing up through the depression Era. I'm thankful daily for everything I learned from them! 🥰
I can't believe you know of someone who doesn't wash their undies and just buys new! That's ridiculous! And in any case they'd still have to wash it before they wear it to get rid of chemicals put into the fabric so no time saving there! Makes no sense. 😲
Thank you! Most CZcamsrs always say throw everything in together! I would never do that! Your tips were useful and help keep your clothing stay nice!
Thank you ☺️🙏
Great video. I have definitely saved tons of time, stress and space since becoming more minimal (no giant laundry bin in my room, no need for big bins by the washing machine.) I further streamline my laundry process by hanging clothes straight onto hangers to dry. Then they can go into my closet once they're dry. (I have so few clothes that I have room to hang all my t-shirts, shirts, cardigans, etc, and trousers, including my 2 yoga type pairs). My 2 pairs of shorts do get folded into my underwear drawer. And underwear and socks don't get folded. They get dropped into fabric divider boxes in each person's drawer. Because we each have one type of sock, there's no need to pair them. And I don't see the need to fold underwear.
It just depends on the climate. Where it is hot and humid, if I’ve worn my clothes outside and gotten sweaty, I don’t reuse them again before washing. If it’s a cool day or it’s just my lounge clothes for inside, I do reuse them
Woah! I decided to watch this video even though laundry is one of my favourite chores only to find that I’ve been implementing many of these strategies for years. Maybe that’s why I like doing laundry.
Although I’m left wondering how anyone could hate laundry more than vacuuming and mopping. By far the chore that gets left undone the most in my house.
Laundry has always been my favorite chore. 😊
For a laundry bag I can recommend the "guppy friend" bags - they are woven tightly so that they catch the micro plastic from washing synthetic fabrics, I love it!
These are great suggestions. As an empty nester but former homeschool mom of four we did a lot of these things when our children were at home. They made laundry a simple task. Two of our favorites from this list would be the suggestion to wear simple colored clothing. I still don't own fancy, colorful socks. Also the smell, dirty test is perfect. We found we could wear clothing many items for about a week before washing. (That was NOT socks and underwear. Those are changed daily. Hanging clothes on the line outdoors is healthy as well as a great way to reduce costs. The sun will bleach the white and kills germs. We also separated out clothing into stay at home wear ( Sweats, t-shirts, etc; and dressy clothes to wear to church and when going to events, etc. This drastically increased the longevity of our clothing.
I discovered recently that these faint orange shades from tomato stains on white cloths get easily bleached in direct sunlight. This is so great!
Honestly, although I don't have a minimalist wardrobe, I do everything else very similarly to you. The only thing I would add is I sort my clothes as they go into the laundry bin - then they are ready to wash. I trained my kids to do that when they were young. Stain remover is right next to my laundry bin so I can apply it before the garment goes in the wash.
I have a similar rule for socks, but instead of colour coding, I have a style preference. All my socks are the same style of sock (in my case, the mid-caf style) but I have different designs on all my socks and I just pull two random ones from my sock drawer and wear whatever mix-matched pair I get that day. My only "colour rule", if you can call it that, is that the foundational colour needs to be black or grey because I prefer all my clothes to be black or grey. Plus life is more fun when you can tote mix-matched sockies on your feeties.
Something I find helpful is decluttering/to stop buying pilly cheap cotton and blend knits. It's so much easier to wash quality items.
I do especially after the pandemic but really I’ve always done that if I wore it it gets washed I might of sat at a public chair couch Uber doesn’t matter if it didn’t get dirty or I worked out in it or it has stains wore it once it gets washed. I love knowing my clothes is clean enough for me to jumó into bed with it if I wanted 😊
I think only Americans wash clothes after one wear, in places where drier are not in every home and where electricity is more expensive, people tend not to do it. And I'm happy to say my Italian mom wisdom was "taught" to me, and I do all those stuff already 😅 I just didn't know about buttons
I love the term “fuzzles” ❤ it’s so much more fun than “pilling”
I also wanted to suggest laundry be sorted by TEXTURE. Fuzzy towels can get crud on other fabrics.
I do all of these and have a thing for doing laundry, it's like meditation for me :) Another great thing is to buy old fashioned soda crystals, reduces detergent amount needed, sanitises and helps with efficiency in rinsing process. Also, investing in sheet detergent or one mild powder detergent which can be used for all laundry cuts back on all those plastic bottles and different detergents we have been made to believe we need. Delicates and dry cleaning items can be washed with shampoo. Soda ash and laundry blue is an old fashioned way of brightening whites. Storing everything in nice glass containers makes doing the laundry a delight.
Which sheet detergent do you like? I’ve seen a couple, but I haven’t purchased anything to try yet! 🤔
My wife recommends earth breeze laundry sheets
What are old fashioned soda crystals called in the USA? Is that washing soda?
Happy to learn that I'm doing all the right things with my laundry and the household laundry already. And my partner does his own laundry.
I wear my clothes, sometimes only once and wash, because in AZ it's hot I sweat a lot lol. Also a good idea on missing socks, is to fold them together, before putting in dirty clothes.
Great, practical suggestions!! I really appreciate your sensibility and the pleasant way you offer advice on how to simplify and be more efficient. And your love for your husband is really sweet.
I just wanted to tell you that I have really been enjoying your videos since I found this channel a few months ago. Your tips are practical and easy to apply in my own life. Thank you for all you do 😊 Also your quilt is gorgeous! ❤
Definitely check those pockets! We just had our entire laundry room/pantry flood because a couple metal bolts got left in pockets and tore up the filter! Thankfully the replacement parts weren't too bad but it took hours to get the water cleaned up! Never forget to check the pockets!
This made me feel so "normal"! I thought we were the only family that only washed clothes when they were dirty!
We also just switched to the same velvet nonslip hangers you recommended. GAME CHANGER! Not only does everything stay in place, but the slim hangers allow for more space! As a minimalist family living in 693 sq feet, this is awesome!
Great tips. I have never been a wear once and wash person; glad to know I was already ahead of the curve on that one!
😁👍
When I had more people living with me I told them they better check their pockets. If I find money,IT’S MINE. 🤣👍🏻💪🏼👌🏻
Nice policy 😆👍
Wow , I love all things cleaning and love doing laundry. I did so happen to marry a man who cleans up after himself, naturally it is just his personality.
Good idea on mesh bag to put dirty clothes in when travel
Great tips! We follow those too. I do wash our clothes at only 30 (regular clothing) or 40 (towels or cleaning rags) deg Celsius and spin them at 800 to save energy. Works totally fine!
First day of hollydays.. That's the one I needed 😜👍🙏💪💪💪💪💪
Thank you Marissa, bises
I am more enamored with you and your lifestyle with each video. You are a wonderful inspiration!
Thanks so much and happy to have you here 🙌
After having watched countless videos from you, finally I have started to declutter.. .... it is so helpful to have seen your videos. I am ready to let go now. However in Germany people don't buy easily.
A big change to my laundry routine is that I have a week's worth of socks and undies. That forces me to keep up on laundry; since I can't let it go more than a week EVER!
Lynn here I wear my jeans and shirts twice . And sheets and towels only once a week .we own 2 sets of sheets.and 4 towels .
all grey socks works wonders!
My husband is notorious for wearing two outfits a day. It drives me crazy. Thankfully, I got him to donate 2 bags of clothes. So it is better than when we first married but still frustrating. His mom is very particular about being clean. I have learned not to battle them both but instead show my girls a different way. Hopefully, when they are grown, they will choose my way. 🤞🤞🤣
😂 🤞
Great attitude!
I’m trying to work on my kids with #3!! I tell them pjs can be worn more than 1 time before being thrown in basket 🤦🏻♀️ their starting to learn and get better. I practice what I preach! I wear pjs 3 nights in a row before washing. Also I tell them use their bath towel 2 times before throwing to get washed. This reduces so much more laundry I was doing for our family of 5! They don’t do the laundry nor pay for the soap so they don’t care. They will once they are on their own!!!!
I love these hack videos! Please show us more!
Yeah, I dread laundry stuff, and this list has helped me a lot. Especially the high-maintenance fabrics bit. I have one suit for special occations, and the rest are just easy washing materials.
Thank you for this video, I have been thinking recently about finding ways to simplify our laundry. We have a 4 month old who dirties tons of rags and bibs, and my husband also likes to change his clothes frequently and he has multiples of the same items. We just stained and finished our laundry room floor and didn’t have a working washer and dryer for 6 days. I’d like to push some items to washing only once a week rather than doing a load as soon there’s enough.
Laundry is actually my favorite chore. Yep, Fuzzles is adorable!
😂
Fuzzles is a great description.
Sounds like a great cat name 🐱😂
Love this one!
I recently found your channel through watching the Minimal Mom. I adore your family and videos. You're such a strong women and I admire your perspectives. So far you are helping me learn so much more about minimalism. I recently decluttered our entire house and since then i feel light as a feather. Our kitchen is especially so much more functional and a breeze to clean. Thank you! Can't wait for more content. ❤
Wonderful to hear, so glad you found my channel - wishing you continued success on your journey 🙏
@@AtoZenLife Thank you! 😊
I think the "wear once and wash" thing stems from when you were young and too lazy to put the clothing away for the next wear -- and it just became a habit....because its just hubby and me we put our dirty clothes right in the washing machine and then do a load when its full enough - perhaps once a week - perhaps once in two weeks...love your vids!
I was 100% guilty of doing that! 😅
As always very much appreciated content. I would suggest you to make videos on your skin and hair care routine as a minimalist. Hope you'll consider making those.
I have a section in my closet where I hang up my “worn but not dirty” clothes, so I know to wash it the second time I wear it.
We had sock holders in different colours - one for each member of the family! Socks don't get lost any more and there's no question to whom they belong! :) And I only do three different kinds of washing, white or nearly white things, towels and sheets (higher temperature) and all coloured things! (there are also these practical small dye towels (is that correct? Sorry, english is not my first language) which help reduce discolouring. I don't mind doing laundry, I love the smell of fresh laundry especially if it's dried outside!
I enjoy everything you do ❤
Love it! You have changed my life with these videos. I’m gonna continue using my dryer tho 😢
That’s totally okay! Pick and choose what works 👍
I use tip number three a lot around here. It really reduced the time I spend doing the laundry 👌Great tips
If you have somewhere practical to hang laundry to drip dry, I've found that getting teens to hang their own clothes straight from the washer on plastic hangers is a real time-saver. If garments are not spun too much and get a good shake before they are put on a hanger, many of the wrinkles are pulled out naturally by the weight of the water when they are first hung. Then when dry, kids can put them straight in the wardrobe. Of course some things need ironing or folding, but this is a workable system for us at the moment.
And Marissa, your point about simply having less clothes so laundry doesn't pile up over time on the floordrobe is excellent! I'm going to wait for an opportunity when I won't get caught and do some purging and pruning!
We as a family of 4 wash every 3-4 days... i do the smell and eye check test also 😊 thanks for the information video....
Having 'white' and 'black' laundry containers saves the sorting process. I take the clothes off the hanging rail by method - all a persons underwear first, all their vests then pants, etc I fold before putting in the container, go to their drawers etc and load. A second persons items can be done if there's space in the container and it's still light to carry.
Ty for video.
Thank you for the video
I would recommend adding a little washing-up liquid to your load. I do that and find that I can lower the wash temperature on each load.
Two years minimimizing and having space in closet and drawers makes putting away clothes so easy and pleasant. Some changes that have helped me…own only one basket for carrying loads to and from the laundry machines. This forces you to put away a load before starting a new one. Also no clean laundry allowed anywhere other than bedrooms or laundry room. No folding while watching tv…this takes away from the peaceful enjoyment of these rooms and turns them into work areas, encouraging piles of laundry on furniture. I also don’t allow myself to start a wash until the previous load is put away. This prevents backups happening which inevitably lead to damp loads souring in the washer while the dryer waits to be emptied. This is also kind to sensitive septic systems.
We were on a family cruise and the topic of doing laundry once home came up. One person said, it didn't matter if she wore an item or not, upon emptying her luggage, everything went into the wash! 😮 If we took something and it didn't get worn, it gets re-hung. I air dry many of our clothes. My husband set up a clothes line in our garage for me when we first moved into our house 40+ years ago. I rarely dry clothes completely in the dryer. I may dry heavier items like 10 minutes and then hang. Sheets and towels, however, get dried completely.
Most ppl find me weird. Cause I enjoy laundry. I do not wash everything after 1 wear unless it is needed. And this week it was over 90°F all week and our AC broke... things were washed. Lol 😆
I do most of these things, although I'm not giving up my dryer lol. For most the year I wear one pair of black pants to work, I take them off when I get home and hang them to air out. I'll wear them all week before I wash them. I'm sitting at a desk so they don't really get dirty. In the winter I'll wear a top two or three times, summer they need changing daily
Yup, love low maintenance though do really like wool so make an exception here. Have the laundry basket near the bathroom so clothes go there when we get undressed for a shower. Need to find a spot it's not so visible though! Oh I feel better knowing you do the sniff test too! I have some clothes I just keep wanting to wear over and over and will sometimes spot clean where there's a stain I can remove that way. I've been looking into getting the same colour socks, but can't find the style we like the best and that we know will keep being made so we can keep buying the same type. Most of the time we hang clothes to dry and don't bother ironing. We could probably get rid of our iron! Shirts dry on the hanger in front of the heater or inside by the window during the winter. I think your tip about reducing inventory is something we could do though as have too many clothes, towels etc.
Great video 🙂 I just fold the clothes directly on the drying rack, it saves me time :) or if it's a blouse directly on the hanger on the rack after just put it in its place...
oh dear, speaking about 1-time use.. I have an aunt who washes all the families pijamas after every single use... I can't even imagine doing that
I have family members who are the same 😅
WTF! I've been wearing my same pyjama top for about a week now. (I only put the bottoms on if it's cold).
Since we don't have a dry cleaner in my town, I have eliminated all of those specialty care items. Less stress and saves $. I don't miss them at all.
Wear = wash
Current living in Bekasi, hot city in Indonesia (Tropical). The sticky feeling so 🔥💃
Its nice to start a day with a clean fabric on your skin . We also shower 2 times daily.
This is certainly an important consideration! 👏
The only chore I don't like on the top five list is vacuuming because the cord is an annoyance. I don't mind any of the other chores at all. I have gratitude for my dishes so I want to take care of them, the washing machine is actually doing the laundry, I enjoy grocery shopping especially for fresh produce, cooking is therapeutic and I like having a sanitary bathroom.
Cordless vacuum cleaner is a thing now :)
Very useful tq
Try Color Catchers! They're amazing! They're a little sheet you add to your washer (reusable for a couple loads too but they don't tell you that!) and they catch any color that comes off of your clothing before it's picked up by another garment. Now you don't have to separate your laundry. These are very helpful for your kids as they start to do their own laundry. They can simply do one whole load with a Color Catcher instead of separating and doing more than one load.
I actually like doing laundry. If I can wear something a second time I hang it up inside out.
I HATE VACUUMMING!
The song "I'm Ready" by the band Jack's Mannequin (circa 2005), has a line in the bridge that goes:
"I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday
When did society decide that we had to change
And wash a T-shirt after every individual use?
If it's not dirty, I'm gonna wear it"
As a teen in the 2000s who questioned every social norm and practice, I always appreciated this song, and always think of this line when I wear something 3 or 4 times before washing it (>v
I do something very similar #travelhack:
I always use my laundry bags as packing cubes when traveling. That way I do not have packing cubes laying around when not in use and they get also automatically washed after the trip😊
I put this video on while folding my laundry lol! I do a lot of these same things as well. My husband is a "wear it once and wash it" kind of guy, but every time I check his clothes I find they fail the spot/sniff test, so maybe his clothes really do need frequent washing. I love patterned socks but have decided not to care about them matching, so whenever I lose a sock I just put the survivor with a different one! My spot removal tips: put dish soap on grease spots and let it sit for at least an hour before washing, or overnight is fine. Don't put it in the dryer until you're sure the spots are gone. You can do this multiple times until you get all the spots. Also, small blood stains can often be removed simply by soaking the clothing in water for an hour or so.
I have a bench with 3x3 baskets beneath it in my laundry room. The top row is 60C , the middle row is 40C, the bottom is more like "miscellaneous", table cloths-runners-curtains, 30C-things, and 90C things (rags etc).
The columns are "light colours", "red colours" and "dark colours".
When a basket is a full machine, or something in it is needed, I load that basket into the machine. Or when no basket is full, I do table cloths or the fragile 30C (handwash) things.
A load a day, or skip it on weekends or if nothing really is needed.
No baskets around the house, just throw it down to the laundry room.
I dry things outdoors in summer and on lines in the laundry room, so no dryer to eat or felt the clothes.
When I had 3 little kids at home, I went though all our clothing and got rid of everything white. Gray undershirts and colorful socks and underwear work just fine. I was careful when purchasing any future clothing to buy only colored clothing items. No one complained and it's been over 5 years. No more sorting laundry.
I also made sure once our kids were around 3-4 years of age to give them their own hamper. Then we started doing their laundry separate from everyone else's (using towels to fill up a load). We gradually turn the responsibility over to them and by 7-8 years of age they are usually pretty independent with doing a basic load of laundry.
"Fuzzles" is spot on. In German these are called "Fussel". You can even buy a Fusselrasierer, believe it or not 😂
😂
Nice!
To add a couple of ideas in case it's helpful for others:
-- I'll sometimes put some of the kids clothes they put in the dirty pile right back into their clean baskets because they're obviously fine. Usually, though, I've decided that sniffing smelly clothes is too gross to me, so I would way rather wash things unnecessarily than sniff clothes
-- Family of 5 I'll "move the laundry train" every day for simplicity in my mindset and routine, though there isn't necessarily exactly 1 load each day, it works out to think that way.
--I also hang most clothes, near the machines. After they dry by air or machine I'll sort clothes into 5 baskets, one per person. I'll fold my own and my 3yo, everyone else lays flat. We try to have a routine of each person checking to see if there's anything to fold/put away in our own baskets every day, bringing the basket back down with dirty clothes from their rooms to the laundry area right after putting clothes away, putting dirty clothes in our family dirty pile and putting their basket in their spot.
May I ask what kind bedding you have? I have problems finding bedding that is comfortable and not very hot , and I love how simple yours look like!
I use the same short for 3 to 6 times before wash, the top I use 3 times before wash, the underwear is the only piece that I change daily... 😊
I also use the laundry bags as packing capsules - not just for dirty washing.
Our " drop zone" for laundry is in the bathroom, never had a problem with it...I am definitely guilty of fashing too much!
My laundry system is quite similar to yours :) I've completely stopped seperating by colour (I avoid clothing that is too light) and wash all clothes on 30 degrees, and towels and bed sheets on 40 and sometimes 60. Question for you: how do you manage to dry your family's bedsheets within a day without a dryer? My household doesn't have a dryer either but especially in winter, it can take 15+ hours for our sheets to dry. My solution is to have two sets of bedding. In summer (and sometimes dry winter days), when I can hang sheets on the balcony, I manage taking it off the bed in the morning, washing, drying and putting back on the bed late afternoon.
Another big thing to ease my laundry stress is deciding to let my partner do his own laundry... He likes different detergent, his sorting is different and he never ever puts my clothes away, so once I decided I would not do his laundry unless very explicitly asked, my life got so much easier!
preach!!
🙌