No matter how beautiful and organized your laundry area looks, if you don’t have a routine for getting laundry to the washer, into the dry and back to bedrooms you will still have a problem.  These tips will help you establish a routine that will...

Collect the laundry
1. Keep a central collection area for your laundry close to where people change.  The main bathroom, near the bedrooms, is often a good choice. Keep three hampers – one each for light, medium and dark-coloured clothing. Make sure everyone knows to empty pockets, because no one else is going to check. You may prefer to have each person have their own bin in their room.

Have everyone in the family sort their laundry and put it in the hamper.

2. Keep a stain remover nearby so that everyone can treat the stains on their own clothing.  Children may need help with the most difficult, like blood.  Use shampoo without conditioner on grease stains. Once stains are treated, fold the clothing to prevent stain remover from touching the hamper. Remember to place clothing in the correct laundry hamper.
Schedule time
3. Establish a day when the laundry will be washed.  Clothing will need to be in the hamper and someone will bring it to the laundry room. You may need to establish a day or time for each member  to do their own laundry.
Set timers
4.  As you’re placing clothing into the washer or dryer set a time on your phone, stove, clock so you remember to switch the clothing to the dryer or take it out of the dryer.  It is easy to forget that the washer or dryer has completed the cycle if it isn’t near where you are working.  Then time passes and you didn’t get much laundry done that day, the clothing in the dryer is very wrinkled  or the damp clothing has an unpleasant oder.

Setting up routines makes it easier to accomplish tasks taking less energy and time to complete them
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Organize an area 
5.   Have a table or space available so you can fold and pile items as they are removed from the dryer. Making piles of clothing allows people to come and pick up their clothes and put them away.  If you have small children in the home place their piles of clothing on their bed, pants, tops, underware, socks etc and help them to learn to put it away in the correct spot.  It is a skill that will last them a life time.

6. Have a place to hang up clothes – a line, door hooks or a free-standing wire rack.  Don’t spend your time folding clothes that get unfolded once they reach the bedroom.  Hang them up straight out of the dryer.

7. Establish a laundry supply shelf or cupboard.  Be sure to have a variety of supplies available so you can easily handle any stain – detergent, bleach, shampoo, stain remover, a bar of laundry soap – and quick hand-washing items.  Include a basin so you can conveniently soak or hand wash items.
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Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. 

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

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