An Easy Spin on Laundry
05/31/2009
Then I had kids.
Gosh, has this chore ever changed. During the baby years, I rarely saw the laundry room floor. As the kids got older, I got smarter and enlisted the whole family in this nonstop clothing cycle. Here’s how I handle this task without losing my mind:
• Everyone, sing with me: “One load a day—washed, dried and
p-u-u-u-ut away.” It’s the Johnson family jingle (yet I seem to be the only one who knows the tune). On weekdays, I make it a habit to throw in a load before taking the kids to school.
• Create a daily laundry system. My kids have a hamper in their rooms and bring it—stuffed with their dirty clothes—when they come downstairs for breakfast. They empty their hampers in the morning, and then fill them with folded clothes and take them back up to their rooms. I let them personalize those hampers with stickers and permanent markers. Another handy idea for younger ones: Label their dresser drawers with the names or pictures of the clothes that are to be tucked inside (“shirts,” “pants,” “socks and undies” and “pajamas”) so they can feel proud about getting their PJs in the right spot.
• Be strategic with your loads. Most clothes today don’t bleed so I tend to do loads (except for whites) by child or genre, such as bedding or towels. Washing one child’s clothes at a time simplifies sorting—and you probably won’t later find your son’s underwear in your husband’s sock drawer. But before you try this, be sure the clothing is color-safe.
• Hold sock “weddings.” My children use clothespins to “marry” their socks before putting them into their hampers, and then I undo them before they go in the washing machine. That way, I know both mates are there. Having kids put sock pairs into a mesh bag works too.
• Make it fun. I am teaching my children how to fold, and we have started friendly competitions. We are even planning a family “Laundry- Folding Olympics” this spring, saving the cumbersome fitted sheetfolding for the adults.
Because being organized about my family’s laundry keeps me from lingering
over it, I stay calm—and that makes the whole family happy.
