How to Tackle Laundry Mountain

Dec 20, 2015

... One Load at a time.

It seems simple, and it really is. You don't need a top of the line washer, or even a perfectly organized system. You just have to do it.

My Laundry Room Setup

My laundry room isn't fancy. It's basic with minimal storage. When we first moved into our new home, I purchased this "cubby" organizer in espresso & canvas bins in Seaglass & Sandpiper from Home Depot. They are Martha Stewart Living Brand, and I love the extra storage it now gives me! It hides things like the dog's treats/leashes, my irons, extra jugs of detergent, etc. out of sight while still looking cute. This is a great option if you need storage on a budget!

Before going out and purchasing something new to organize the clothes waiting to be washed, I decided to utilize what I have on hand, and rounded up all the baskets in my home. I attempt to do one load of laundry per day, but Wednesdays are my main wash day. On Wednesdays, I round up all the hampers in the house, and dump their contents onto the floor in the laundry room. Then the sorting begins... darks, lights, brights, and whites.

That works for me, but I feel like I am standing in the middle of laundry mountain as I sort. None of my baskets match (or are the same size), and while it's not necessarily a problem, it IS a minor annoyance for my Type - A personality. I digress.

Hello Laundry Mountain...

Laundry Mountain... you have been conquered! Ahem, Sorted. ;-)

The white basket (above) in front of the dryer is a "holding" basket. It stays empty, and as soon as a load comes out of the dryer it gets folded and put away.

Socks!

All of our socks get sorted into (3) piles of like colors, then tossed into these mesh zippered bags to be washed. No more lost socks!

Then the marathon begins! Wash - dry - fold - put away!

I start one load of laundry in the morning, and move it through the entire process before starting another batch of laundry in the washer. {I learned that little tip from Cheri from Control My Spin whom I met at Becoming Conference 2015. She is absolutely hilarious, and if you ever get a chance to take one of her classes, DO IT! You won't be disappointed.}

While Cheri's tip for doing one load of laundry all the way through seems so simple, it truly has helped me tremendously in my day-to-day home operations! I have to admit, there have been MANY times before I learned her tip for the dirty laundry process, that I would put a load in the washer, forget it was there, re-wash it the next day, pop it in the dryer, then dry it twice so I didnt have to iron. Yeah. Don't act like you've never done that. LOL! We ALL have at some point.

While I am far from perfect in this process, I have made significant progress. I am no longer frustrated when it comes to laundry. By the time Wednesday rolls around, there's even less laundry... and that, my friends, is what I call a WIN!

Enjoying the Journey,