Friday, January 28, 2011

What am I doing today?

Educated guesses only.

This looks like a mess, or that I've let things go, or that I have a major problem on my hands.

But I don't.

I only wash clothes once a week. On purpose. I used to do a load every day. But, I soon realized that walking up and down the stairs and emptying laundry baskets everyday was just not my cup of tea.

This works much better. One day a week I sort the laundry (today it was in the dining room). The boys help me gather laundry baskets and sort clothes, and as soon as my coffee is done the first load goes in. I usually end up with six loads.

The laundry gets folded on my bed, and then sorted into baskets (a sight to see--I will post once I'm done). Luke empties his own laundry basket (Hallelujah for Fours!), Mark puts his clothes from the bed into their respective places, which means all I'm left with are Paul's and my clothes to put away.

This is a system that I have near perfected in the last year and half, and it frees up the washer during the week for non-clothing items such as towels, blankets, and sheets. I don't buy paper towels, and with two messy dogs and two messy kids, there are a lot of extra wash rags during the week.

There is a blizzard here today (something I'll post later), and laundry is about as exciting as it's going today in the Great White North.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, my four puts her own clothes away too, and picks out her own clothes and gets herself dressed. Yeah that's very nice... The thing is, my four is a girl, so she changes her clothes multiple times a day, like a little fourteen year old in training! So that picture you posted is what my house looks like when I'm doing just Claire's laundry for the week! JK, sort of.

Anonymous said...

I only have laundry planned for Fridays and Mondays/Tuedays. I agree that a load a day is almost pointless, why not concentrate on it for just a morning rather than have to constantly be at it every day. Sounds like your system works for you and that's great!

Lorrene

Theresa said...

i think i'm going to give that method a try. i usually do at least a load a day and sometimes it just doesn't get past the washer....and i am perpetually folding something and a basket is always sitting at the bottom of the steps waiting to get put away. YES.... i think i'm going to try your method.

Mallory said...

Theresa! Yes, I have been there as the "perpetual load lady," and then when a diaper blows out of the sweatpants or a kid wets the bed, I never have the washer free! This system REALLY helps with that. Now the washer is ALWAYS open and ready to go with whatever catastrophe the day has in store.

I was going to write, too, that I wonder how it will be with three kids. A new baby adds SO much laundry, and I plan on doing close to a load a day just with newborn craziness, but once baby's bowels are under control, I think I MIGHT have to add a second laundry day, or maybe just a half day. If/when I do it, I would definitely do it two days in a row, just to keep the rest of the week free for blankets, diapers, sheets, towels, etc.

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