Need to tweak my laundry system

[Aerynne]

Since I've been doing my own laundry, I've always just had a laundry day once a week and done all my laundry on that day. Now that I have kids I don't always do sheets, towels, shower curtain, etc, on that day, but just the clothes now. But it's getting to be too much for once a week. I am very good at getting my clothes washed, dried, folded, and put away when they're done- I don't usually leave clothes in the dryer or waiting around unfolded. I don't have enough laundry to get full loads twice a week for whites, darks, and colors. Maybe I will soon. ;) I like to work on a weekly basis, meaning I don't want to do laundry every 10 days or anything like that- I like it on the same day(s) every week.

So, everybody, what is your laundry system?

[3boysforme]

I grab a load, throw it in and eventually fold and put away. Everyday.


I am sure that is not the answer you are looking for though. I do separate my work clothes from the kids and wash them in Woolite, and hang them to dry. The rest is kind of whatever, whenever :bag

[mamacat]

I start piles of like colors on laundry room floor - culd use baskets if you wanted - lights whites one pile darks and blacks another and greens browns red pinks orange in another. Usually wash one load of towels and washcloths a day by themselves. Then each day do at least another load of which ever pile makes up a full load first.Do sheets once a week or sometimes every other week all together

[ShangriLewis]

2 loads of day. Clothes, sheets, diapers. Whatever I just make sure to do two loads a day. I usually do one in the morning and one later in the day or right before bed. I usually have a basket for lights and darks in the laundry room. The kids dump and sort their clothes when their hampers are full. I just do what is full. If the baskets are empty I do sheets or diapers.

[Aerynne]

I could do different ones on different days if the kids sorted as they took off their stuff. The problem is each child room has a hamper in it (and one in my closet for my stuff) and except for in my closet, there really isn't room for sorting as we take stuff off (and if the hampers were in my closet, I think we'd have less success than we currently do with getting clothes INTO the hampers).

[Calee]

Every day here too. Otherwise it gets out of control. Colors one day. Lights and diapers the next. Big loads of bedding, towels, etc either once a week or as needed.

[MomtoJGJ]

Every day here. I will occasionally take a few days off, but then dirty stuff is everywhere and just overwhelming for everyone. If I'm completely caught up and no one decides to throw up or wet the bed when I have my bed stripped and in the washer, then I can do one load a day. But it seems like ALWAYS when I get to that point it doesn't take very long before someone does something to throw it off....

[Rabbit]

We are pretty much getting to the point of only sorting the brand new stuff to wash separately, and washing the kids' hampers all in one go. Dyes don't run the way they used to.

[Buela]

I do a load every 1-2 days, or whenever the hamper is spilling onto the floor. Linens & towels are done on their own day, usually the day I strip the beds.

I separated into the following groups for washing: lights, darks, bedding/towels & diapers. I've never had coloring fading or running issues, I usually wash on cold.

My big hurdle for washing has become the new "time of use" fees for electricity here. Electricity is cheapest between 7pm-7am. I really don't want to be doing my laundry at those times but during prime time the cost is so much higher.

[3boysforme]

We are pretty much getting to the point of only sorting the brand new stuff to wash separately, and washing the kids' hampers all in one go. Dyes don't run the way they used to.

I find this to be true too. Even Jeans don't seem to run (unless they are super dark wash).

My sorting system looks like this:

Kids pants (uniforms and jeans and whatever else)
Kids shirts
Towels and linens
My work pants (jeans too)
My tops

I very rarely sort by color, I don't use bleach so I dont see the need to wash whites separately. Whites get dingy here regardless of how you wash them because we have well water, so I try to limit the whites that we have.

[klpmommy]

I throw almost everything into one hamper, and wash together. Everything gets washed on cold with the same detergent. I have to do at least 2 loads a day or I end up with a mountain of dirty laundry.

Not sorting (although I will wash new stuff separately the first few times) has helped a ton. Actually, when I used to sort laundry (I had more room in MI to do so) I sorted the following: towels, kid clothes, dh uniforms, adult clothes, whites, baby clothes. I didn't sort for colors, it just made putting away easier.

[Mama Rophe]

I throw almost everything into one hamper, and wash together. Everything gets washed on cold with the same detergent. I have to do at least 2 loads a day or I end up with a mountain of dirty laundry.

Not sorting (although I will wash new stuff separately the first few times) has helped a ton. Actually, when I used to sort laundry (I had more room in MI to do so) I sorted the following: towels, kid clothes, dh uniforms, adult clothes, whites, baby clothes. I didn't sort for colors, it just made putting away easier.

This is me too. I don't sort. I do most of my laundry one day a week. (was Friday, but I'm switching it to Monday). I was my sheets, blankets, curtains, etc on Thursdays. If we had a kid who wet the bed, those sheets get washed right away. I will do a few loads here and there to keep up, so Laundry day doesn't get so overwhelming.