All of us have to do laundry. Some of us only do a couple of loads a week while others have a dozen. It affects us all the same way — we put it off until it gets to be such a big job that we are paralyzed by the thought of it.
You know exactly what I am talking about. Piles of dirty laundry on your bedroom floor that just keep growing. Do you want to know why those piles continue to multiply? You have too many clothes because you have compensated for not doing laundry by buying more clothes to cover this problem. Then you struggle for two days to finish all of the laundry but it never really gets put away because your drawers are too full to put anything in them. So then you live out of a clothes basket or the piles on top of the dresser or piles dumped on your bed or in a chair. After a while you can't tell the dirty clothes from the clean ones. So they all get tossed back into the dirty clothes pile.
How in the world can I stop you from doing this to yourself? Clean out one drawer for yourself and one for each family member. Then label the drawers so you know where to put the clothes. If you need to get caught up on your laundry then, pack it into the car and go to the Laundromat.
Laundry is a five step process: sort, wash, dry, fold and put away. Cutting out some of the steps will trip you up and keep you from taking the first step to doing the laundry.
Sorting: As you take off your dirty clothes, sort them into a dark basket and a light basket. Use a dark colored and a light colored basket to remind you to sort. Learn to take your socks off right side out. Push them down over your heels and then pull the toes. Poof — your socks are right side out. No more having to turn socks after they are washed. You will thank me later.
Now as a basket gets almost full, you can do a small load and it actually takes less time to do a small load than a huge one. It is no longer overwhelming. It gets put away much faster, too. The socks are easier to mate as well.
Now you have to have a simple routine to accomplish this. I have it included in my morning routine. As I leave my bedroom in the morning, I grab one of the baskets that looks almost full and take it to the basement. I turn on the washer, then come upstairs and set my timer for 40 minutes. This is how long it takes for my washer to do a load. Do not leave the washer running while you are going to be away from home. Just stop the washer and let the clothes soak. Do not leave any appliances running when you leave home. Also have a smoke alarm in the area of the washer and dryer. Many home fires are started in this area of the house. Make sure your dryer vent is cleaned out and checked often.
After the washer has stopped: We sidetracked people need washers with buzzers! Grab some hangers and head for the dryer. Put the clothes in the dryer. Now when the buzzer goes off, you will already have the hangers at the dryer.
Now here is the rule! You have to go to the dryer when you hear the first buzzer. No excuses. Hang up the good clothes first and put the rest in the basket and go to the room where they belong. I have a secret — I do not fold underwear. I just put it in the drawer. Then I mate the socks and fold everything else in the small basket. I have timed myself and I can do this in two minutes. I'll wager you can, too.
I don't have to do a load every day, but I check my baskets every day to see if I do. It is so much easier to do when you just get a routine for it. This is why I have three reminders every day to keep on top of the laundry. It is so easy to forget. This reminder is one of our most loved.
I hope this will help you to FLY through your laundry struggles.
Marla Cilley, a k a FlyLady, is the author of Sink Reflections (Bantam Books Trade Paperback). For more help, please go to her Web site: www.FlyLady.net.