Simple & Easy Laundry Routine
Do you feel like you are drowning in laundry? Or maybe you just wash a load when your hamper is full or you need a certain item? Have you forgotten that you put in a load of laundry so you re-wash the load over and over again? After washing did the laundry sit in the dryer for days? That was how I used to do laundry. I decided to start a laundry routine and ever since laundry has never an issue for me. Not only do I get laundry done, but the clothes get put away the same day. Here is my simple & easy laundry routine and I hope it helps you with your laundry chore.
Pick Your Laundry Days
Currently my family is a family of 4. My husband, 3 year old, 1 year old, and me. If you have fewer or more family members then you can adjust how many days you do laundry. I know some of you might have to do it everyday if you have a large family. With a family of 4, I do laundry twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
When you have set days to do laundry, your mind just goes into autopilot, and you get it done because it’s on your mind for those set days. Since it is on your mind, not only will you not forget about the load in the laundry, but you will remember to fold and put them away too.
Weekly Schedule
As I mentioned above, I do laundry on Monday and Thursday. On Monday I will put in the load of dirty clothes first thing in the morning or right after breakfast. On laundry days, laundry is my highest priority for chores. Before I get started on any other cleaning or errand I focus on the laundry.
Once the clothes are done washing and drying, I will put them in the basket in the living room where I will fold them during my kids’ nap time. I usually put a podcast on or watch a sermon while I do this. Folding laundry has become one of my favorite chores to do.
Thursday morning, I will do another load of dirty clothes and then wash the items that need to get washed for that week.
Items Other Than Clothes That Need To Get Washed Weekly
Other than clothes you probably have items that need to be washed too. These items could be towels, sheets, blankets, and so on. I wrote out everything around the house that could get washed once a month or a little more often than that. Once I listed those items out, I spread them out by the week of the month. As for towels you can wash them every week if you don’t have a lot. For now I switch out my towels each week, but I have enough that I keep the dirty ones in a designated spot in the laundry room until it is the 2nd Thursday of the month. Some weeks I do have to wash more frequently so I will add an additional load on other Thursdays.
1st week of the month: Bed sheets (master bedroom)
2nd week of the month: Bath towels (switch towels every week)
3rd week of the month: Bath mats, small rugs, kitchen mats
4th week of the month: Bed sheets and blankets (kids)
5th week of the month: Throws and blankets from living room
Items that Need Less Frequent Washing
Some items need to get washed less frequently. For example, curtains, shower curtains, pillows (actual pillows not the pillow case), and comforters. These items I assign to a month of the year.
January: Wash Curtains
February: Wash pillows
March: Wash shower curtains
April: Wash comforter, extra blankets no longer needed, and replace flannel sheets
August: Wash pillows again
October: Replace sheets with flannel ones. Wash and put away cotton sheets. Wash comforter again if needed.
Save Time & Money
Since I wash our clothes twice a week, it only takes 1 load of just dirty clothes on laundry day. That means I wash all of our clothes together (I do separate towels, more on that below) and I wash them in cold water. By having a full laundry machine, I am not wasting water and energy. Only use cold water when you wash clothes that are mixed because you won’t have to worry about your clothes getting stains setting in or darker colors dyeing lighter colors.
Extra Laundry Tips
- Make sure to spot treat and get stains out before washing it in your washer machine.
- Make sure the clothes are right side out
- Wash colored clothes in cold water
- Run the washer machine when you have a full load
- Separate towels from clothing
- Use hot water and bleach for just a load of whites
- Make your own laundry detergent to save money
Towels
With towels (bath towels, hand towels, and kitchen towels) I will replace them once a week with clean ones, but I only wash them once a month to save a little extra money (by having a full 1 load of towels). I keep the dirty towels in the laundry room until it’s the 2nd Thursday of the month. If you have don’t have extra towels then you may have to do it more often than once a month. It’s totally fine if you wash them every week! Sometimes I end up doing that too if needed. Make sure you follow a schedule that is right for you!
DIY Laundry Detergent
Another way you can save money is to make your own laundry detergent. I specifically started making my own because my youngest daughter has eczema. Any scented laundry detergents were not good for her skin, so I wanted to find a more natural and non-toxic laundry detergent. There are some great non-toxic laundry detergents like the one below, but I decided to make my own to save money.
Here are links to the items I use to make my own laundry detergent. I love these because you can buy them in bulk (which will save you money) and they are non-toxic and much better for you!
1 lb Natural Washing Soda
Not only will you be saving money by buying the 1 lb bucket, but you can use this for making your other non-toxic and natural cleaning supplies. I use this for my laundry detergent and dish washing detergent. If I find other ways to use this I will be sure to post an update.
Dr. Bronner’s – Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner
Here is something else I buy in a gallon jug to save money. This can be used in the laundry detergent, dish washer detergent, and other cleaners that is natural, non-toxic, and gentle for your skin.
*These are affiliate links. Which means when you make a purchase through this link on this post, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Podcast: Want To Listen Instead?
If you want to listen to the podcast with show notes click Here, or you can just listen to it by clicking play below!
Related Blog Posts
Did you enjoy reading this post? Here are some other blog posts you may like and enjoy!
Simple & Easy Cleaning Routine
The Stay At Home Mom’s Schedule
How To Organize Your Clothes
Do you have a laundry schedule or laundry routine? What are your laundry tips and hacks?
I love Dr. Bonner’s! It is such a great product.
Me too! I’ve only heard of it recently but love it now 🙂
I love how you gave us months to wash the things that are washed very often. . I loathe washing clothes so these tips will definitely help me to be better about the laundry days I do have.
Thank you! Hopefully it helps you to not loathe laundry days 😉 I know I would procrastinate and hate doing it before having a schedule, but now that it’s a routine I just mindlessly do it with no problem!
I just recently passed all laundry duties on to my children and it’s been amazing!
Yes! That is eventually my goal when my kids are older 😉
Creating a laundry system has been a game changer for me! I do clothes laundry once a week for our family of 7! Sure, it makes for a lot of laundry in one day, but six laundry-free days are worth it to me!
That’s amazing! You definitely have the laundry schedule down then 😉
My husband and 12 year old are the worst for laundry and towels.
It doesn’t help that he only has one work uniform and works 5 days straight, so I have to wash every day.
I do set the washer to a small load setting to help.
Love the idea to schedule the “big” items by month/season like that.
One uniform would be tough! I would be doing laundry everyday too. I know when I have a newborn I usually have to do a small laod everyday with all of the spit up etc 🙂