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1. Simplify your inventory (2:54) 2. One load a day (4:57) 3. All dirty laundry comes into the laundry room (5:53) 4. Significantly reduce your number of hampers and laundry baskets (6:40) 5. When each load of laundry comes out of the dryer, deal with it fully (7:15) 6. Fold as little as physically possible (8:35) 7. Don't start another load of laundry if you don't have time to deal with what's in the dryer (9:35) 8. Co-mingle, wash anything together, except darks (10:05) 9. Simplify detergents, etc. (10:47) 10. Socks in the laundry room (12:05)
I've always used a cutoff hockey stick to push laundry down in my old washer. My new washer doesn't fill like the old one I loved. I've always used it to keep the lid from closing after I'm done. It's also handy when I soak towels or really dirty clothes/stuff.
Solution for socks: My mother-in-law told me she bought all plain black crew socks for her boys (and picked one single brand) and I adopted this. It was a game changer! Absolutely no sorting because the socks are all identical and they are tossed in a bin 👏👏I used to have a hard time with all of the patterned dress socks my husband wore to work. The patterns were subtle, it was hard to tell navy from black etc., which made sorting a nightmare! This was my biggest laundry whoa LOL There are some white socks, too. But same idea...all one brand, same style, bin method!
Yes! My kids and I had to escape a situation, and we got out with two sets of clothes and a set of PJs each, eventually getting some towels and one blanket each. So the bright side of a dark time was that I saw how EASY laundry can be when you only have a little to do in the first place.
You're so inspiring! My laundry routine: Day 1: put clothes in washer End of day 1: put clothes in dryer Day 2-3: take clothes out of dryer Day 6: put clothes away.
I live alone and I use my washing machine as a hamper. When it's nearly full I wash all clothes in cold. I only do about 4-5 loads per month. Always love your videos!!
Ditto! I just put all dirty clothes in the washer and run it when it’s full ( I throw a color catcher in if it’s a mixed load because I don’t even sort colors) 🤣
@@ImSimplyAHuman I've washed plenty a non sorted load, even with warm water and no problems. My clothes are so old I doubt there is a drop of dye that could come out at this point.
I do this abit too.especially if i have done a clothes load and have all the towels then on the floor I stick them in the washing machine for when I do have time to complete the load 😊
I don’t mind laundry. I don’t love touching dirty stuff but, I LOVE being surrounded by clean warm laundry. I wish I felt as inspired by dishes or floors.
Maureen Clements I’m with you on that. In my several moves in life- several tiny shoved in weird places and much too many outdoor laundry situations! I am always envious of the beautiful, large, “Instagram” laundry rooms. One of these days....
@@michellekathryn44 i actually don't mind either one. I know where I am at with dishes and laundry. Also, I have learned a lot about attitudes about work from my Amish friends.
My husband does not like the no-fold idea. He is a perfectionist at heart, and can't stand the thought of unfolded things sitting in the drawers. So, staying on top of the laundry day-by-day is the answer for us. Otherwise we are folding for hours and I'm not doing that anymore! (: Thanks for the awesome tips! Just finished minimizing the kids' clothes and organizing their "future" boxes. It feels good to make the box the bad guy because we are not letting the clothing grow beyond that boundary. Game changer. We took the kids clothes from 10 boxes down to 4 and it feels SO GOOD. Thank you for all your great simplifying tips.
I have a tension rod over the washer/dryer. Anything that doesn't go in the dryer goes on a hanger on the rod. When they're dry, they can be moved to the closet. Everything else gets folded/sorted as it comes out of the dryer. Simplifying our wardrobes has made life much simpler too! Thanks for the encouragement and motivation Dawn.
Once our kids were in Middle School, it was a 'right of passage" that they Got to do their own laundry. They each got Laundry 101 lesson. Now that really cut down on the Mom's work.
Yes my son has been doing his own laundry since he was 13, taking out the garbage, mowing the lawns and cleaning his own rooms, he has his bedroom, bathroom and a rumpus/playroom.
Yes! My two boys do their own laundry and have been for a few years now. (I put in the soap for my 7 year old.) They are both 12 & 9 now and know when they are getting low on clothes, they better start a load!
Judy Zwemke once mine turned 12 they were taught and I don’t wash their sheets or towels either. They know exactly what to use to treat different kinds of stains and read labels.
Do they also help out with the family laundry? My husband’s mom had the kids do their own laundry, but never made them help with the family laundry. Fast forward many years and I move in with him, his sister, & a couple friends ... no one ever washed the household laundry - the kitchen towels were so gross & the bath mats were even worse! Everyone’s personal laundry was great, but not so much for those shared objects. I figured out really fast that it’s because none of them ever helped with the shared laundry growing up.
YOU ARE SUCH A POSITIVE. PERSON!!! HAPPY AND FULL OF LIFE!! IM SO GLAD I FIND YOUR CHANNEL!!!! WITH YOUR AMAZING TIPS MY LIFE IS GETTING EASIER AND BETTER EVERY DAY💪💪👌👌🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺💖
I 100% agree! I recently got rid of EVERYTHING and bought a small capsule wardrobe I love. *Loving the clothes* has made such a difference for me. I’m TOTALLY trying the laundry basket trick. We always have laundry on the bathroom floor so I’m just going to put one in there.
I am so glad I found this cannel. I have watched all the hoarders shows during covid. Now i have found the anti-hoarder. This is just as satisfying to watch as hoarders. I am also a minimalist, but i have nothing left to declutter so i have to live vicariously.
Multiple wears of everything (except underwear and socks) is definitely the way to go. If my daughter ever put once worn jeans in the washing basket I would just fold them and put them straight back in her room. Clothes last much longer with fewer washes.
Definitely! People don’t realize that the purpose of undergarments is to keep the most important parts of clothes clean. I rewear until it’s gets a little funky or there’s dirt.
Thank you so much for this! I paused this video half way through, went into my CRAZYYY laundry room and filled 2 garbage bags with clothes to donate!! You motivated me to go get rid of things lol. I have a ton more to go through but watching your videos gives me the motivation to toss things I normally would keep just because “maybe” lol. Thanks so much for posting these amazing videos! They are so helpful!
I hang all the wet laundry on hangers and put them out on the clothes line outside. Once everything is dry, I hang it straight in the wardrobe. Simple!
Have you discovered the Flip Fold? It is a game changer. Not only is everything wrinkle-free but it knocks the air out of folded clothes so they take up less space.
Lol!!! There is a lot of re washing going on here when I forget to put them in the dryer. I think it helps for her that it's all on the same level. When I was in a condo I rarely forgot to change it over cause it was right next to me in the kitchen. But now in a house with a basement it's out of sight out if mind.
I tried the one towel, one sheet set thing when the kids were young....then the stomach flu arrived and the power went out and I couldn't do laundry....so went out to Walmart and bought towels and sheet sets! lol!
I love doing laundry- you throw it in a machine and it comes out clean! Throw it in another machine and it comes out dry! 😂 We hang tops and fold all bottoms. They get hung up/folded right out of the dryer using a hanging rack in the laundry room. Goal is each day you bring your clean clothes to your room, doesn’t always happen but it’s still well organized. Thanks for the video, no matter your system, it’s interesting to hear what others do!!
@@megwelch8474 not that I’ve ever noticed! If you hang them wet, maybe but we do dry most of our shirts in the dryer. This method has worked well for us for many years now!
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane Thanks!! Funny story - I was actually able to get some nice close ups of it after it flew into our window...haha - he was stunned for a little bit, but flew away unscathed after regaining himself!
@@dentonlunsford3191 Oh, that's why your picture's so nice! Haha, they are quite a skittish bird, and it does make it difficult to get a good picture! I've gotten some decent ones of them in our pine tree, but through the windows from inside the house... Well I'm glad he was ok! Ever try those window clings to help birds see your windows? We use the Birds Eye View brand and it has reduced birds crashing into our windows a LOT! They have several brands on Amazon. Also keeping feeders really close to windows so as they fly off they don't get up enough speed to hurt themselves, or far away so they have lots of room to avoid windows... those 2 tips help a lot too, in case you didn't already know that! =D Take care!
This has changed my life, no joke! I tried this and woke up the next morning-no laundry to fold or put away, no piles of clothes lying around in mounds. Just feel more happy and at peace after decluttering and only keeping what we use/need. Thank you Dawn for sharing what works for you and your family, this is just amazing!
Yay fellow minimalist! We live on our sailboat, sailing the world so we definitely consider ourselves minimalists and love to see other minimalistic youtubers! Cheers!
I have recently been able to pass along laundry as a chore to my oldest child. He is having fun, and loves to do a load daily. I put the clothes away if they are not his...Having everything clean and put away daily is so nice. I'm way less stressed out about waiting to do laundry. Now to work on having less clothes. 😀
With just two of us now, I keep COLOR CATCHERS always in my laundry room so the only separating I do is towels, bedding, and clothing..all clothing can go in together with a color catcher....and I use lingerie bags for sweaters and more fussy fabrics.....
Maureen Harrah yes, I keep color catchers but still sort by color, and don’t mix linens with clothing. Each Sunday night I do 2 loads, 1 during the week. The other people in this house are responsible for their own. Color catchers are a worthwhile investment!
@@jobielifehappens7102 You won't be sorry.....In a mixed load when you have a red or other color you are concerned about, you can even put in two. If mine comes out white, I let it dry and use it again.
Maureen Harrah Oh! Didn’t know that! My first load, it came out white, but the second one definitely picked up blue/gray. Thanks again for the great tip!
This system has saved my life! My laundry hamper broke and I just didn't buy a new one. Now we only have one hamper and when it gets full, I run a load. It's working amazingly well so thank you so much!
We did a load a day until it broke and we upgraded to a large capacity. I enjoy the break, even if it’s just a day or two. My kids bring down their own hamper and they are pretty small (4 kids to 14-5). I sort it out and everyone puts away their own. I feels so much better split up. Kids do towels as a group on the weekend. If they don’t put away their clothes, I don’t wash their hamper clothes next round.
Kari Vanhoozer 👍🏻 I was just going mention that same thing... all of the kids do their own laundry starting at the age of 10 in my house. I only do the laundry for 3 people now.
I tried having my sons fo their own laundry, but theirs was always in the way when I needed the machine. I wound up giving them responsibility for helping, so they learned the whole process (my daughter-in-law marvelled that her new hubby knew how to wash lingerie and sweaters!).
I have done (at least) one load a day for years. Yes that helps so much! On occasions when laundry has piled up, or coming back from vacation, doing laundry has felt like a huge chore. As for towels, we switched to Turkish towels a few years ago and have never looked back. They come in lots of fun colors and everyone picked out their own.
Great tips! The main one is having less clothes and towels. You might consider having your kids wash their own clothes. I waited too long before I had my girls do their own laundry. It was like pulling teeth but finally they were doing their own clothes when in high school junior or senior. I should have had them doing their own laundry in 3rd or 4th grade.
My 2 kids (12, 10) have their own hampers. I have mine. They already know how to separate lights, medium, darks, but I still do it for now. 3 loads for their stuff together and then my 3 loads. It isn't a big deal. It's my favourite chore. Just thankful each time that I don't have to scrub by hand like my great granma
We wear our clothes more than once. I put up hooks in all our bedrooms to hang the used clothes. Then I do a load every morning. It helps! I do need to purge and get rid of some more clothes though.
We FINIALLY have our own washer and dryer. I've been doing my own laundry since I was taught how at 7. I've been going to a laurndrymat since 1996. I'm just glad we don't have to go out on hot, rainy or snowy days anymore. I can set the ⏲️ and forget about it. We have to wash in Free and Clear due to allergies. We also don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets because of allergies. Plus they aren't good for your machines because it coats them.
"You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems", James Clear. I work a similar laundry system with less to wash, and it works, I have no more big piles of laundry 👏👏 Before simplifying, there was no chance of me keeping up with laundry, i think it multiplied on it's own.
You previously mentioned that you don’t fold your kids’ clothes and my whole laundry life changed. Since the folded clothes in my kids’ drawers always became unfolded and a mess, I started sorting, but not folding their laundry. I still fold their socks, but that’s it. It take less than 5 minutes to do their laundry now. Many thanks for giving me the permission I needed to reconsider my laundry routine.
All of your ideas and suggestions sound like they truly work and I am going to try to implement most of them! Thank you for a video full of valuable laundry education
I can't imagine only having one set of sheets per bed. That means if someone gets sick and their bed is a mess, you have to do laundry before they can go back to bed!
Everything we wear is dark and casual so everything is in one load. I do a load daily but with teens I have help. The sheets are washed weekly and that is done in a Friday. Pretty easy for me as long as I do it daily. I love seeing you made a video. Your always informative and upbeat. Enjoy the day.
There is only myself and my husband at home so a laundry hamper and basket works for us. Most of the times I do laundry on Thursday when I wash the sheets. I have downsized my clothes and it works great for me because they all have space, unlike it was years ago! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks!
I recently had to purchase a new washer and my OCD is driving me crazy that it doesn’t match my older dryer🤪 I notice your set doesn’t match either, that’s fantastic! I feel better now!!!
I used to live like that before I came to the USA. The weather permitted to do the laundry any time, so I never ran out of clothes to wear. Here I learned that you better keep extra clothes to wear layers in winter time, and enough clothes to were at least 2 weeks in a row in case you could not go to the laundromat... I do go through my closet every change of season and see what I'm keeping and what I'm letting go.
I heard you say, you deserve new things so don’t hand on to clothes that don’t fit. What a blessing!!! I just pruned my ear drop and I’m giving away 6 garbage bags to a neighbor who loves my hand me downs!! Thanks!!!
You look really pretty in grey, i think it matches your hair very nice and makes you look soft and sweet! And i will love to have an indoor laundry room, ours is outside in the balcony and its the dustiest most grows thing ever, we rent our small apartment so changing it is not an option, but since its getting too small for a family of 5 in a tiny two bedroom apartment... we might be moving in 2021.... depending on the craziness thats going on in the world now... anyways.. love how the boys were shy and happy at the same time. Too cute!! 🥰 have a lovely day! 😘
I have a nice laundry room. 4 hampers, one for towels, one for my husband’s darks, one for his whites, and the last for my clothes. It is super easy because a counter is right beside the dryer door, which is lifted from a pedestal, and I fold as I remove from dryer.
When I had a family at home are used to wash all day Saturday finish drying and ironing on Sunday now I’m on my own I wash when I get a load of a certain colour and I don’t do any ironing
It’s doable for the rest of us too Melissa, it’s just about building a routine. I tend to put a load in the washing machine as soon as I get home from work and it’s finished washing just after dinner. I then fold and put away the previous day’s load, which is generally dry by then. Last I hang the load I’ve just washed. I don’t own a dryer, but this would still work if you did. I wash a load of towels and a load of sheets on the weekend, so the after work loads are for school clothes, work clothes, sports clothes, etc.
@@kyliemoloney3218 oh I’ve got routines! I’m good!! I’m just saying in general. When I look back over the last several years when I would go straight from work to one or more kids activities and get home to then do dinner, it wasn’t feasible to do laundry daily unless I wanted it to sit in the washing machine overnight. Plus I am a fold directly from the dryer and put away type of person, so laundry sitting around is more stressful to me than anything. I had 4 kids in 27 months that are now teenagers who do their own laundry. And have always worked full time. So trust me, I have always had routines!!! I am speaking from the experience of being, for example, on maternity leave and being home all day everyday. Much easier to get laundry done daily from start to finish when you are steps from the laundry room all day!!
I’ve been watching you for about a month now and have really enjoyed your videos but THIS one-THIS is the one that has made the biggest difference so far! I have a HUGE laundry room 12x14 and it’s always been full of both dirty and clean laundry, ugh. I watched this video and after washing, folding and putting away mountains of laundry, I started your process. Now I have just two dirty clothes baskets, one for lights and one for darks. Some days just one gets washed and some days both. When the three of us sit down to watch tv together after dinner, the basket comes out, we all fold for 5 minutes and that’s it! Everyone puts their own stuff away in their closet before bed. OMG! Even my 13 year old son says he likes it and it’s easy! Whaaaat??? This has been going on for a week (took me 2 weeks to get the laundry done LOL) and it’s so simple! So, now we notice how many clothes we have and now that all the laundry is done each day, we just don’t need that many...time to go through our closets next!
It’s just me & am 74 but when Flylady said that she no longer folds her underwear.. game changer!!! I just stack them & place neatly in the drawer... sooo easy! I put the freshly washed under what’s already there & DONE!
Agreed. I grew up with my mom doing it twice a week, and she had 7 kids. We all knew that laundry days were Monday and Thursday. We all tried to help with it if we weren’t in school. She said the same thing about energy. That it’s much more energy efficient to run several loads in the dryer on one day while it was already heated up. Rather than heat it up every day for just one load. I do laundry just on Monday’s and it works out great! There are just two of us here now.
I also have 4 children and we are home schoolers. People always thought it was weird that I don't have any hampers in the house. There have always been just 2 tall ones in the laundry room. One for my husband & my clothes. The other is for the kids' clothes. Everyone brings their clothes to the laundry room as soon as they change. My 2 year old understands this system. We also do a load a day. It works great!
I implemented a rule at our house where clothes that aren’t in the laundry room hamper don’t get washed. I got so tired of carrying a heavy laundry basket from room to room gathering up clothes.
I never gathered clothes. My kids learned early on that if they wanted clean clothes, they had to put their dirty ones in the hamper in the laundry room. Same for my husband.
I do a load every other day. And I keep my top loader open and when it's a load full that's when I wash it. And for darks we set it aside in a basket and also wash as needed. Love this video thanks😊
Live alone & college daughter home on breaks. One tall canvas laundry bag (I think it is a 31 bag) in laundry room for odds & ends (ranch house, long from one end to the other) & 2 in my bedroom closet. Whites (which include my sheets) & darks. I work full time, so do one or 2 loads on the weekend. Have a couple of throws in the LR to keep warm & cat & dog on my lap, so they get washed whenever. Use Molly Suds Sport!! For some loads & washing beans for most. Washer to dryer to bedroom - folded or hung. I have some wire baskets for socks & underwear. I’m might try it mix it up a bit differently to try your way (laundry baskets/hampers in the laundry room). Love your you tube!
This completely changed my life. I implemented this so that my kids would only put laundry into one basket that fit on the floor of a large hall closet. It is right outside their bedrooms and their bathroom. All but one child does this without complaint now. The other child just has to learn things at her own pace. Right now she just doesn’t get them washed until they get put into the basket. This has saved me sooo much time and keeps me from forgetting to get the clothes. Thank you!
My kids are involved in laundry. I put a chalkboard sticker on each the washer and dryer. The washer tells them which colors to put in and the dryer is labeled for what to start the dryer on. I do not have them start the washer or anything other than fill it (we have all laundry sorter beside the washer... in previous houses, we had the sorters in the garage). Before I go to bed, I start the wash and I’m the morning, they run thru a cycle. I used to have them sort clean laundry but it’s just too much for them just yet. I am still trying to find the balance of getting the clean laundry put away in a timely manner but the dirty clothes and running a load a day is working great. I’ll be trying some of your habits out to see if they can work for us! Thank you!
I am just now getting around to watching this as I am a new follower. An idea I have is to keep a smallish, clear bag near the dryer. As socks come out of the dryer, I toss them in this bag. Then, about once a week-ten days, I sort socks. (I love to sort socks now.) I don’t use laundry baskets either. We have a lot of the same convictions about laundry!
Me too.I love laundry and cooking. Don’t like the rest of the housework but would do laundry for everyone..totally uninterested in having no excess linen -I love it and I love to iron it!
I love laundry too. I am not big on ironing but we don't have much that has to be ironed anyway. I typically do one or two loads per day vs 1 -2 days of laundry. It makes my life easier that way for now when I can't get much done due to my son doing his school work in the room near our laundry closet.
Love your Channel ! I have always love doing laundry every single day because the feeling of clean clothes gives me peace of mind and my tip to not get overwhelmed is to put your clothes in washer at night and run it early in the morning or wash them and dry them at night so your laundry is done before you start your day and try to fold them right away will save your clothes from wrinkles and piles of washed clothes. 😻
Laundry is a struggle! We have one laundry basket/hamper in the main bath and its size is approx 2-3 loads. My biggest problem, besides motivation, is the laundry is down in our basement and I dont hear it. I tend to prewash if I know it's necessary or use oxyclean in a load, I ALWAYS fold as I pull from the dryer and I stack into whose clothes as well as by items for each of us. I fold everything. We use one laundry detergent, no fabric softeners, I'll use baking soda/vinegar as necessary and Oxyclean when colors show signs of dingy. I love folding and the organization of laundry. I have seen a simplicity in it if I try to stick to a load a day as well as minimizing my clothing....tough to go too long when you run out of undies!
I watched your other video on how you don't fold clothes and it changed my life! I got rid of my kids dressers and purchased bins instead and they will actually do their laundry now! Life changing and has made laundry so much easier for me!
I hang almost everything because it takes less time and energy than folding. I live alone, have one single laundry basket that I use to put dirty laundry in, and I wash everything together once a week, though I have no qualms about doing a load in the middle of the week if there's something dirty that I'm going to need again before the basket's full. Usually I only have one load's worth of laundry when it comes time to do it unless I'm washing the sheets or more than one set of towels. At one time I tried to separate lights and darks for every load, but I had so few that the loads would be tiny, so it would take twice as long to wash the same amount of clothes, so it just wasn't worth it. I will still separate if I somehow end up with a huge load (such as after I have overnight guests and there's a bunch of bedding and towels to wash), but I rarely ever get a load that big anymore (unless I delay washing my towels until I have 2 sets to wash in addition to sheets). I fold laundry on my bed - that's always been easiest for me, and it also means that I have to put at least the majority of it away before I can go to bed, so it's rare that I let it sit overnight unless I'm thoroughly exhausted (in which case it just all stays in the basket and I take care of it the next day, sometimes taking out the things that wrinkle the easiest and hanging them up before I go to bed). I use a combo of Charlie's Soap, borax, and baking soda for detergent, then have half a dozen wool dryer balls (each with 2 safety pins attached to cut down on static) that I put essential oil on and throw in the dryer with my laundry (my jeans take forever, so I set the dryer to max drying time, and the dampness combined with the safety pins on the balls keeps the static down). I'm allergic to all chemical cleaners and artificial fragrances, so it rather limits the products I can use, but I've curated a small all-natural cleaning cabinet that works for me that doesn't contain anything I might react to.
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane Every time the pins make contact with the dryer drum, the static electricity on the balls is discharged, keeping it from building up on the balls or the laundry. Ever since I started using the pins, my laundry only gets static-y if it's been tumbling in the dryer significantly longer than what it takes to actually dry everything (I notice it particularly in the winter when it's a lot drier).
I don’t really sort clothes and they still come out clean and last well! I do laundry every single day and make my kids put their own away. My oldest son (12) has been doing his own laundry since he was 10. Makes my life easier 🙌🏼
When my 3 girls were all at home, each did their own. They each had a color coded laundry basket that was kept in their rooms. Each had an assigned day, and could only do their laundry on their assigned day unless permission was given by whose day it was. This applied to my husband and me as well. Now that it’s just my husband and me, I have two hampers in the laundry room, one for whites and light colors, the other for darks. Since I am retired and my husband isn’t, I do the laundry. Monday and Thursday is whites, Tuesday and Friday is darks, Wednesday is towels and kitchen linens, Saturday is sheets and again towels. This works for us. Some days I do skip that day’s load if the hamper isn’t full enough to make a load.
Ah laundry. I learned when I was 8 how my grandmother in Mexico did laundry. I didn't have a rock at a river but I did have a washtub and a washboard. For a full month I had to wash my clothes that way so I knew what a true convenience a washing machine was. After that, I was taught how to sort comingled laundry, by color, fabric type and weight, and how to spot/stain removal for each of the fabrics. Then I was required to wash all the family clothes, fold dry and put away. Needless to say, I taught my children how to wash their own clothes. I didn't make them use a washboard but I showed them how to spot their clothes. If they wanted clean clothes they needed to do them. This also included my husband's clothing. He put his work shirts with my clothes and forgot there were blades in his pocket. Yeah, I lost three work dresses, 4 I was able to mend. So within 6 months of being married he was washing his own clothes. Very good subject. Thank you for sharing ♥♥♥
Hi Dawn. My system is very similar to yours- we really have a lot less clothes. I do a load a day, commingled. So whatever we wore the day before, our night wear if needed and a hand towel , face cloth and dish cloth. 2 days a week I do 2 loads- the day I change the sheets because w3 only hav3 1 set so I wash, dry and remake the bed. And the day I do the towels - I gather all the towels and do a load. This works great for me- my laundry area is very convenient so it’s very easy for me. I do fold our stuff but because my loads are small it just takes a minute. Like you I just do it, it’s done an$ I don’t think about it.
We're only a family of three and I like doing laundry once a week BUT this gives me some great ideas about getting rid of excess towels, socks, and sheets that we really don't need. I also really love the bins you use!
I think I have finally learned the system I like best. I was doing a load a day of everyone’s like this video, but I hate carrying different things to everyone’s rooms and some are folded and some are hung etc. So my system is actually completely opposite and I have a hamper for every bedroom. (I just started this in the last couple weeks so some things may change.) Basically I have a four month old spitting up and drooling on everything and have to wash his stuff constantly. But hated other people’s stuff mixed in. So when one room’s hamper is full or that person needs something, I was their load, dry it, and get to take it directly to their room to fold and put away (or they do it). I love it as sorting was my least favorite part. If I continue with this system I’ll just use something small or pretty or very functional in their room to hold the clothes so it’s not cluttered looking.
I watched this when it first came out and used her tips on not folding everything and put them in bins. It’s still working for me til this day!! 🤗 thank MM
When my kids were teenagers jeans and sweaters etc were left to be washed after one wear - I used to just hang them outside on the clothes line without washing them and they were totally refreshed. Kids didn't discover my trick for a long time and now that they have their own kids, they follow my example!!!
My laundry is in the kitchen and both open to our front door. I am always interested in ways to prevent build up of dishes and laundry, which happens quickly in our family of 6 on our working farm. Thanks for the video!
I love it!! I’ve pared down our clothing so that we have enough to get through one week and not much extra. So we have to do a load every week per person. Also I don’t combine our clothes - each person has their own laundry day. My 15 year old does his himself.
I throw it all in together. Has been working fine for years. And then once every couple of weeks I’ll choose the highest temperature for a load of towels.
Got rid of regular clothes baskets, but I like the collapsible mesh that you carry like a tote with one hand so I have a free hand to hold the stairs bannister. I’m single and do one load a week on the average. Throw all colors in one load and use a color grabber sheet to make sure the darks don’t bleed.
I have a rolling cart with three sections. I separate clothes based on wash temps. Living on a large piece of property with animals in Florida yields dirty, sweaty clothes year round, so cold water isn’t always sufficient to clean properly. On Monday I start a wash of cold water clothes first thing in the morning. I follow with Tues/warm & Wed/hot. I combine for only 2 loads of cold/warm if there aren’t enough for a separate hot water wash. I wash linens, dog bedding, other items any day Thur- Sun as needed. Starting early & doing just one load per day , I am sure to have enough time to complete the wash before being too tired in the evening to fold the cloths. It also limits the daily amount of water flowing to my septic tank.
Only thing I fold is socks and my husbands undershirts. Loads of laundry are: 1) bath towels 2) microfiber cloths 3) colors 4) whites 5) bras (if the load of colors is large). I use detergent, borax and laundry disinfectant for washing and dryer balls with essential oils in our dryer. The dryer balls help collect hair. I know in a different video you said you don't always use them but my hair ends up everywhere. It has definitely helped since I reduced our laundry loads. I use to divide our laundry between his and hers but he never really had much for a load. For stains I use Folex (it is actually a carpet cleaner but it gets out pretty much everything), just spray and toss in the wash.
I'm not certain but I think it was explained that the laundry room is next to the bathroom, so take a shower, grab some underthings (or take them in to the bathroom before getting into the shower) and then move to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. I think Tom's closet is pretty close to the bathroom/laundry room too.
Absolutely correct, Layla. I spent a couple of decades with the laundromat nightmare dancing through my head every week. Only recently got in-home machines. It seems small, but it's a huge lifestyle change, one that was inaccessible for my entire adult life to this point. If you're laundromat-dependent, daily washing is a ridiculous idea. The best you can do is schedule 2 laundromat runs per week. If you get to do both, great. It's easier than doing it all at once (in some ways). If one day falls through for weather, exhaustion, coughing unmasked yokels in the laundromat, etc., you have the other as back up. But even 2 laundry days per week is a big, annoying time suck you may not have the time and energy for when it's not an in-home chore, but rather an extremely bothersome recurring errand.
I totally wash everything together, and to be honest, it's caused no issues whatsoever for any of my clothes or anything. And, I've done so for years and years. I did add your trick of no laundry baskets. My family didn't love it at first, but it's really been so handy!! Thanks!!
Karen here. Dishes. Even though I use paper cups and plates, and laundry, mostly my husband's work clothes and linens, are my nemesis. Getting this done today! Decluttering.
Love it how you say ‘you do you’. I used to do a load a day and found I was forever swamped and falling back (we don’t use dryer- we hang outside on a line) - then I read about Dana Whites laundry day theory and that clicked for me. Now I’m not behind. I don’t get overwhelmed- and For the first time I can reach into my drawer and pull out what I need! It’s a game changer for me- I do need to lessen the inventory though. Thanks for tips!
1000000% Agree! My husband and I used this approach and it's help SO much! I haven't been stressed about laundry in months!!!! We also did the same with toys and whew! NO more angry mom yelling
Here in the UK most people do not have laundry rooms. The washer is in the kitchen. If we are lucky enough to have a dryer it is most likely in the garage. If the weather is dry washing goes on the line outside. If we run our dryer in hot weather we keep quiet about it and hold on to the brooding guilt until we find a fellow transgressors to admit it to! Hard crispy towels are character building;)
The system is great. We live on a sailboat so we have a minimal amount of clothes because of being a boat. But I don't have a washer and dryer so we need at least 2 weeks worth. We have 2 sets of towels for each of us and 2 sets of sheets.
I have 4 kids. They are 7, 5, 3, and 1. The older 3 all share socks. We have one basket of socks for them. All the socks are the same so there are no "matches". It makes laundry so much easier.
It's interesting that we have come up with the same laundry system separately, Dawn! I, too, am a binner, and I wash every darn thing together. I also don't buy white clothes anymore because little boys are hard on clothes....as I'm sure you know!
Ha Ha.....growing up, my siblings and I (boys and girls) NEVER had white clothes for the same reason! My first paycheck as a preteen went to buying white jeans and tops! Ha Ha! As an adult I still love white clothes...but *dang* they are hard to keep bright white!
Pairing down the kids clothes is miraculous for us. And I also do one load a day-sometimes I even skip a day without worries. Having a laundry day didn’t work for me either... too much going on! I also do bins for the younger kids’ clothes-life saver!
Thank you for watching!!! Looking for support on the decluttering, simplifying & minimizing journey? Need some extra encouragement to reach your goals?? Our membership group might be for you!!
Full details here: www.ithinkwecouldbefriends.com/2020/09/28/minimal-mom-private-group/
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No need to buy a special spot trearment, just use dawn dish soap, its a great degreaser.
Great video Dawn😁
Loving your hair!!!
I been on a “the minimal mom” marathon so this made me happy! 🙏🏽💗
1. Simplify your inventory (2:54)
2. One load a day (4:57)
3. All dirty laundry comes into the laundry room (5:53)
4. Significantly reduce your number of hampers and laundry baskets (6:40)
5. When each load of laundry comes out of the dryer, deal with it fully (7:15)
6. Fold as little as physically possible (8:35)
7. Don't start another load of laundry if you don't have time to deal with what's in the dryer (9:35)
8. Co-mingle, wash anything together, except darks (10:05)
9. Simplify detergents, etc. (10:47)
10. Socks in the laundry room (12:05)
Thank you this was a big time-saver!
Leave the washer lid open between loads to avoid the smells!!
I do this!
@@pjengland286 me to the instruction book said to.
Just hope the cats don't jump in!
I've always used a cutoff hockey stick to push laundry down in my old washer. My new washer doesn't fill like the old one I loved. I've always used it to keep the lid from closing after I'm done. It's also handy when I soak towels or really dirty clothes/stuff.
Yes this does work it allows the air to circulate and elimate the mildew smell.
the mildew smdlls
Solution for socks: My mother-in-law told me she bought all plain black crew socks for her boys (and picked one single brand) and I adopted this. It was a game changer! Absolutely no sorting because the socks are all identical and they are tossed in a bin 👏👏I used to have a hard time with all of the patterned dress socks my husband wore to work. The patterns were subtle, it was hard to tell navy from black etc., which made sorting a nightmare! This was my biggest laundry whoa LOL
There are some white socks, too. But same idea...all one brand, same style, bin method!
Yes! My kids and I had to escape a situation, and we got out with two sets of clothes and a set of PJs each, eventually getting some towels and one blanket each. So the bright side of a dark time was that I saw how EASY laundry can be when you only have a little to do in the first place.
You're so inspiring!
My laundry routine:
Day 1: put clothes in washer
End of day 1: put clothes in dryer
Day 2-3: take clothes out of dryer
Day 6: put clothes away.
😂
😂😂😂
😆 yes! Relatable 100%
Even more so with kids at least at my house with 6 people. I have clean clothes folded on my bed from 2 days ago and I don't think any of it is mine
😂🤣
I live alone and I use my washing machine as a hamper. When it's nearly full I wash all clothes in cold. I only do about 4-5 loads per month. Always love your videos!!
Ditto! I just put all dirty clothes in the washer and run it when it’s full ( I throw a color catcher in if it’s a mixed load because I don’t even sort colors) 🤣
@@ImSimplyAHuman I've washed plenty a non sorted load, even with warm water and no problems. My clothes are so old I doubt there is a drop of dye that could come out at this point.
kokolatte825 even better! Save that💰
I do this abit too.especially if i have done a clothes load and have all the towels then on the floor I stick them in the washing machine for when I do have time to complete the load 😊
@@ImSimplyAHuman I haven’t sorted laundry in many years. Don’t use a color catcher & never have a problem. Also use cold water to conserve energy
I don’t mind laundry. I don’t love touching dirty stuff but, I LOVE being surrounded by clean warm laundry. I wish I felt as inspired by dishes or floors.
The thing that would help most with my laundry would be a laundry room, my washer is in my small kitchen.
Hahahaha
Maureen Clements
I’m with you on that. In my several moves in life- several tiny shoved in weird places and much too many outdoor laundry situations! I am always envious of the beautiful, large, “Instagram” laundry rooms. One of these days....
Same! I love laundry...dishes make me SICK
@@michellekathryn44 i actually don't mind either one. I know where I am at with dishes and laundry. Also, I have learned a lot about attitudes about work from my Amish friends.
My husband does not like the no-fold idea. He is a perfectionist at heart, and can't stand the thought of unfolded things sitting in the drawers. So, staying on top of the laundry day-by-day is the answer for us. Otherwise we are folding for hours and I'm not doing that anymore! (:
Thanks for the awesome tips! Just finished minimizing the kids' clothes and organizing their "future" boxes. It feels good to make the box the bad guy because we are not letting the clothing grow beyond that boundary. Game changer. We took the kids clothes from 10 boxes down to 4 and it feels SO GOOD. Thank you for all your great simplifying tips.
I have a tension rod over the washer/dryer. Anything that doesn't go in the dryer goes on a hanger on the rod. When they're dry, they can be moved to the closet. Everything else gets folded/sorted as it comes out of the dryer. Simplifying our wardrobes has made life much simpler too! Thanks for the encouragement and motivation Dawn.
THANX I GOTTA TRY THE ROD THING 4 I DONT HAVE A DRYER, SO I Hang MY CLOTHS 2 DRY ON A HANGER IN THE SHOWER
Once our kids were in Middle School, it was a 'right of passage" that they Got to do their own laundry. They each got Laundry 101 lesson. Now that really cut down on the Mom's work.
Yes my son has been doing his own laundry since he was 13, taking out the garbage, mowing the lawns and cleaning his own rooms, he has his bedroom, bathroom and a rumpus/playroom.
Yes! My two boys do their own laundry and have been for a few years now. (I put in the soap for my 7 year old.) They are both 12 & 9 now and know when they are getting low on clothes, they better start a load!
I’m working on getting the kids into laundry younger
Judy Zwemke once mine turned 12 they were taught and I don’t wash their sheets or towels either. They know exactly what to use to treat different kinds of stains and read labels.
Do they also help out with the family laundry? My husband’s mom had the kids do their own laundry, but never made them help with the family laundry. Fast forward many years and I move in with him, his sister, & a couple friends ... no one ever washed the household laundry - the kitchen towels were so gross & the bath mats were even worse! Everyone’s personal laundry was great, but not so much for those shared objects. I figured out really fast that it’s because none of them ever helped with the shared laundry growing up.
YOU ARE SUCH A POSITIVE. PERSON!!! HAPPY AND FULL OF LIFE!!
IM SO GLAD I FIND YOUR CHANNEL!!!!
WITH YOUR AMAZING TIPS MY LIFE IS GETTING EASIER AND BETTER EVERY DAY💪💪👌👌🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺💖
Thank you, I really appreciate that!!! 💕
I 100% agree! I recently got rid of EVERYTHING and bought a small capsule wardrobe I love. *Loving the clothes* has made such a difference for me.
I’m TOTALLY trying the laundry basket trick. We always have laundry on the bathroom floor so I’m just going to put one in there.
I am so glad I found this cannel. I have watched all the hoarders shows during covid. Now i have found the anti-hoarder. This is just as satisfying to watch as hoarders. I am also a minimalist, but i have nothing left to declutter so i have to live vicariously.
Our family re-wears clothes as long as they don’t stink or there’s no visible dirt. Makes a difference in the amount of laundry.
I agree! I think we over wash and it's so hard on the material!
Multiple wears of everything (except underwear and socks) is definitely the way to go. If my daughter ever put once worn jeans in the washing basket I would just fold them and put them straight back in her room. Clothes last much longer with fewer washes.
Jeans and sweaters or sweatshirts are a rewear for me.
Definitely! People don’t realize that the purpose of undergarments is to keep the most important parts of clothes clean. I rewear until it’s gets a little funky or there’s dirt.
If the clothes are worn outside in public they need to be washed especially with the convid out there.
Thank you so much for this! I paused this video half way through, went into my CRAZYYY laundry room and filled 2 garbage bags with clothes to donate!! You motivated me to go get rid of things lol. I have a ton more to go through but watching your videos gives me the motivation to toss things I normally would keep just because “maybe” lol. Thanks so much for posting these amazing videos! They are so helpful!
I am very blessed, my Hubby does all the laundry...bedding, EVERYTHING. In most cases we sit together and fold and put away. 😊
I definitely fold my kids clothes. Their shirts get wrinkly and I don’t want them going out looking sloppy.
I hang shirts/dresses and fold pants. But i let my kids pick their clothes so they often become unfolded any way.😒
@@KJ-nv9uz very true🤦♀️
I hang all the wet laundry on hangers and put them out on the clothes line outside. Once everything is dry, I hang it straight in the wardrobe. Simple!
Have you discovered the Flip Fold? It is a game changer. Not only is everything wrinkle-free but it knocks the air out of folded clothes so they take up less space.
I fold in front of the TV or while listening to a podcast.
"Dont start laundry unless you can finish it" welp I guess I'm never starting laundry again haha
Hahaha right! 🤣🤣🤣
Lol!!! There is a lot of re washing going on here when I forget to put them in the dryer. I think it helps for her that it's all on the same level. When I was in a condo I rarely forgot to change it over cause it was right next to me in the kitchen. But now in a house with a basement it's out of sight out if mind.
That’s what I thought! Hahaha
@@ambermik2940 s0
😂😂😂
I tried the one towel, one sheet set thing when the kids were young....then the stomach flu arrived and the power went out and I couldn't do laundry....so went out to Walmart and bought towels and sheet sets! lol!
I love doing laundry- you throw it in a machine and it comes out clean! Throw it in another machine and it comes out dry! 😂 We hang tops and fold all bottoms. They get hung up/folded right out of the dryer using a hanging rack in the laundry room. Goal is each day you bring your clean clothes to your room, doesn’t always happen but it’s still well organized. Thanks for the video, no matter your system, it’s interesting to hear what others do!!
Hi Casie! Ha, just seeing this comment was a yer ago. Curious if your t-shirts get lines on them from the hangers or how you handle this. Thanks!
@@megwelch8474 not that I’ve ever noticed! If you hang them wet, maybe but we do dry most of our shirts in the dryer. This method has worked well for us for many years now!
Hi Dawn! My wife got me to start watching your vids...have to say I enjoy seeing what you and Tom are up to! Happy Fall, everyone!
That's awesome! Thank you!!!
Your cardinal picture is absolutely gorgeous! Happy Fall to you, too!
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane Thanks!! Funny story - I was actually able to get some nice close ups of it after it flew into our window...haha - he was stunned for a little bit, but flew away unscathed after regaining himself!
@@dentonlunsford3191 Oh, that's why your picture's so nice! Haha, they are quite a skittish bird, and it does make it difficult to get a good picture! I've gotten some decent ones of them in our pine tree, but through the windows from inside the house... Well I'm glad he was ok! Ever try those window clings to help birds see your windows? We use the Birds Eye View brand and it has reduced birds crashing into our windows a LOT! They have several brands on Amazon. Also keeping feeders really close to windows so as they fly off they don't get up enough speed to hurt themselves, or far away so they have lots of room to avoid windows... those 2 tips help a lot too, in case you didn't already know that! =D Take care!
This has changed my life, no joke! I tried this and woke up the next morning-no laundry to fold or put away, no piles of clothes lying around in mounds. Just feel more happy and at peace after decluttering and only keeping what we use/need. Thank you Dawn for sharing what works for you and your family, this is just amazing!
Yay fellow minimalist! We live on our sailboat, sailing the world so we definitely consider ourselves minimalists and love to see other minimalistic youtubers! Cheers!
I have recently been able to pass along laundry as a chore to my oldest child. He is having fun, and loves to do a load daily. I put the clothes away if they are not his...Having everything clean and put away daily is so nice. I'm way less stressed out about waiting to do laundry. Now to work on having less clothes. 😀
Loved the boys’ smiles for the camera as they exited the laundry room. 😄
A little vinegar works well for smelly laundry and teen boy laundry. It also works as fabric softener.
With just two of us now, I keep COLOR CATCHERS always in my laundry room so the only separating I do is towels, bedding, and clothing..all clothing can go in together with a color catcher....and I use lingerie bags for sweaters and more fussy fabrics.....
Maureen Harrah yes, I keep color catchers but still sort by color, and don’t mix linens with clothing. Each Sunday night I do 2 loads, 1 during the week. The other people in this house are responsible for their own. Color catchers are a worthwhile investment!
I didn’t know those existed, but I just ordered some! Thanks for the tip!
@@jobielifehappens7102 You won't be sorry.....In a mixed load when you have a red or other color you are concerned about, you can even put in two. If mine comes out white, I let it dry and use it again.
What are COLOR CATCHERS? I haven't seen them. But I always sort by color, lights & darks, towels and bedding in separate loads, etc.
Maureen Harrah Oh! Didn’t know that! My first load, it came out white, but the second one definitely picked up blue/gray. Thanks again for the great tip!
This system has saved my life! My laundry hamper broke and I just didn't buy a new one. Now we only have one hamper and when it gets full, I run a load. It's working amazingly well so thank you so much!
We did a load a day until it broke and we upgraded to a large capacity. I enjoy the break, even if it’s just a day or two. My kids bring down their own hamper and they are pretty small (4 kids to 14-5). I sort it out and everyone puts away their own. I feels so much better split up. Kids do towels as a group on the weekend. If they don’t put away their clothes, I don’t wash their hamper clothes next round.
Great ideas! What works for us: each child cares for their own laundry, beginning to end of the process.
Kari Vanhoozer 👍🏻 I was just going mention that same thing... all of the kids do their own laundry starting at the age of 10 in my house. I only do the laundry for 3 people now.
I tried having my sons fo their own laundry, but theirs was always in the way when I needed the machine. I wound up giving them responsibility for helping, so they learned the whole process (my daughter-in-law marvelled that her new hubby knew how to wash lingerie and sweaters!).
I have done (at least) one load a day for years. Yes that helps so much! On occasions when laundry has piled up, or coming back from vacation, doing laundry has felt like a huge chore. As for towels, we switched to Turkish towels a few years ago and have never looked back. They come in lots of fun colors and everyone picked out their own.
Turkish towels are thinner and dry faster, so no musty odors on them.
Great tips! The main one is having less clothes and towels. You might consider having your kids wash their own clothes. I waited too long before I had my girls do their own laundry. It was like pulling teeth but finally they were doing their own clothes when in high school junior or senior. I should have had them doing their own laundry in 3rd or 4th grade.
My 2 kids (12, 10) have their own hampers. I have mine. They already know how to separate lights, medium, darks, but I still do it for now. 3 loads for their stuff together and then my 3 loads. It isn't a big deal. It's my favourite chore. Just thankful each time that I don't have to scrub by hand like my great granma
Your hair looks great in this video! My best laundry tip was teaching my husband how to do it! 😊
🤣🤣🤣 excellent tip!!!
We wear our clothes more than once. I put up hooks in all our bedrooms to hang the used clothes. Then I do a load every morning. It helps! I do need to purge and get rid of some more clothes though.
We FINIALLY have our own washer and dryer. I've been doing my own laundry since I was taught how at 7. I've been going to a laurndrymat since 1996. I'm just glad we don't have to go out on hot, rainy or snowy days anymore. I can set the ⏲️ and forget about it. We have to wash in Free and Clear due to allergies. We also don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets because of allergies. Plus they aren't good for your machines because it coats them.
"You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems", James Clear.
I work a similar laundry system with less to wash, and it works, I have no more big piles of laundry 👏👏 Before simplifying, there was no chance of me keeping up with laundry, i think it multiplied on it's own.
You previously mentioned that you don’t fold your kids’ clothes and my whole laundry life changed. Since the folded clothes in my kids’ drawers always became unfolded and a mess, I started sorting, but not folding their laundry. I still fold their socks, but that’s it. It take less than 5 minutes to do their laundry now. Many thanks for giving me the permission I needed to reconsider my laundry routine.
All of your ideas and suggestions sound like they truly work and I am going to try to implement most of them! Thank you for a video full of valuable laundry education
I can't imagine only having one set of sheets per bed. That means if someone gets sick and their bed is a mess, you have to do laundry before they can go back to bed!
Agreed, always a good idea to have one backup set.
We just put a beach towel or top sheet on the bed in case of accident!
Lay down a blanket or towels!!
@@jessbest931 Did you miss that she only has one towel per person? One blanket per bed?
@@jodimine1056 Nope, saw that. Just lay down a bath towel or blanket from the bed and throw the sheets in the wash.
Everything we wear is dark and casual so everything is in one load. I do a load daily but with teens I have help. The sheets are washed weekly and that is done in a Friday. Pretty easy for me as long as I do it daily. I love seeing you made a video. Your always informative and upbeat. Enjoy the day.
There is only myself and my husband at home so a laundry hamper and basket works for us. Most of the times I do laundry on Thursday when I wash the sheets. I have downsized my clothes and it works great for me because they all have space, unlike it was years ago! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks!
I’m 68 and thought I was organized and didn’t have too much until I listened to all your videos. Thank you you’ve changed my life
I recently had to purchase a new washer and my OCD is driving me crazy that it doesn’t match my older dryer🤪 I notice your set doesn’t match either, that’s fantastic! I feel better now!!!
I used to live like that before I came to the USA. The weather permitted to do the laundry any time, so I never ran out of clothes to wear. Here I learned that you better keep extra clothes to wear layers in winter time, and enough clothes to were at least 2 weeks in a row in case you could not go to the laundromat... I do go through my closet every change of season and see what I'm keeping and what I'm letting go.
I heard you say, you deserve new things so don’t hand on to clothes that don’t fit. What a blessing!!! I just pruned my ear drop and I’m giving away 6 garbage bags to a neighbor who loves my hand me downs!! Thanks!!!
You look really pretty in grey, i think it matches your hair very nice and makes you look soft and sweet! And i will love to have an indoor laundry room, ours is outside in the balcony and its the dustiest most grows thing ever, we rent our small apartment so changing it is not an option, but since its getting too small for a family of 5 in a tiny two bedroom apartment... we might be moving in 2021.... depending on the craziness thats going on in the world now... anyways.. love how the boys were shy and happy at the same time. Too cute!! 🥰 have a lovely day! 😘
Thanks Marci!!
I have a nice laundry room. 4 hampers, one for towels, one for my husband’s darks, one for his whites, and the last for my clothes. It is super easy because a counter is right beside the dryer door, which is lifted from a pedestal, and I fold as I remove from dryer.
Doing laundry daily is much more doable when you are home all day.
When I had a family at home are used to wash all day Saturday finish drying and ironing on Sunday now I’m on my own I wash when I get a load of a certain colour and I don’t do any ironing
It’s doable for the rest of us too Melissa, it’s just about building a routine. I tend to put a load in the washing machine as soon as I get home from work and it’s finished washing just after dinner. I then fold and put away the previous day’s load, which is generally dry by then. Last I hang the load I’ve just washed. I don’t own a dryer, but this would still work if you did. I wash a load of towels and a load of sheets on the weekend, so the after work loads are for school clothes, work clothes, sports clothes, etc.
@@kyliemoloney3218 oh I’ve got routines! I’m good!! I’m just saying in general. When I look back over the last several years when I would go straight from work to one or more kids activities and get home to then do dinner, it wasn’t feasible to do laundry daily unless I wanted it to sit in the washing machine overnight. Plus I am a fold directly from the dryer and put away type of person, so laundry sitting around is more stressful to me than anything. I had 4 kids in 27 months that are now teenagers who do their own laundry. And have always worked full time. So trust me, I have always had routines!!! I am speaking from the experience of being, for example, on maternity leave and being home all day everyday. Much easier to get laundry done daily from start to finish when you are steps from the laundry room all day!!
When you're that busy it helps to throw a load in in the morning, then once home throw it in the dryer and fold/hang/put away on the way to bed.
@@rld1278I’m sure that works great for some!
Moving laundry basket to laundry is the best idea. I can just throw in a load since it’s all there to sort. This little tip was a big deal for me!
I’ve been watching you for about a month now and have really enjoyed your videos but THIS one-THIS is the one that has made the biggest difference so far! I have a HUGE laundry room 12x14 and it’s always been full of both dirty and clean laundry, ugh. I watched this video and after washing, folding and putting away mountains of laundry, I started your process. Now I have just two dirty clothes baskets, one for lights and one for darks. Some days just one gets washed and some days both. When the three of us sit down to watch tv together after dinner, the basket comes out, we all fold for 5 minutes and that’s it! Everyone puts their own stuff away in their closet before bed. OMG! Even my 13 year old son says he likes it and it’s easy! Whaaaat??? This has been going on for a week (took me 2 weeks to get the laundry done LOL) and it’s so simple! So, now we notice how many clothes we have and now that all the laundry is done each day, we just don’t need that many...time to go through our closets next!
I totally have two laundry baskets ready to be folded sitting 6 feet from me as I’m watching this! Ohhh, the shame! 🙈😂🙃
It’s just me & am 74 but when Flylady said that she no longer folds her underwear.. game changer!!! I just stack them & place neatly in the drawer... sooo easy! I put the freshly washed under what’s already there & DONE!
I have a dedicated day for laundry. For energy efficiency, I can't justify running the washer and dryer for a few clothes once a day.
Agreed. I grew up with my mom doing it twice a week, and she had 7 kids. We all knew that laundry days were Monday and Thursday. We all tried to help with it if we weren’t in school. She said the same thing about energy. That it’s much more energy efficient to run several loads in the dryer on one day while it was already heated up. Rather than heat it up every day for just one load. I do laundry just on Monday’s and it works out great! There are just two of us here now.
Use the small load feature on your washer. Hang dry.
I also have 4 children and we are home schoolers. People always thought it was weird that I don't have any hampers in the house. There have always been just 2 tall ones in the laundry room. One for my husband & my clothes. The other is for the kids' clothes. Everyone brings their clothes to the laundry room as soon as they change. My 2 year old understands this system. We also do a load a day. It works great!
I implemented a rule at our house where clothes that aren’t in the laundry room hamper don’t get washed. I got so tired of carrying a heavy laundry basket from room to room gathering up clothes.
I never gathered clothes. My kids learned early on that if they wanted clean clothes, they had to put their dirty ones in the hamper in the laundry room. Same for my husband.
I do a load every other day. And I keep my top loader open and when it's a load full that's when I wash it. And for darks we set it aside in a basket and also wash as needed. Love this video thanks😊
I love that your washer and dryer don't match!!! That makes you more authentic to me!
Live alone & college daughter home on breaks. One tall canvas laundry bag (I think it is a 31 bag) in laundry room for odds & ends (ranch house, long from one end to the other) & 2 in my bedroom closet. Whites (which include my sheets) & darks. I work full time, so do one or 2 loads on the weekend. Have a couple of throws in the LR to keep warm & cat & dog on my lap, so they get washed whenever. Use Molly Suds Sport!! For some loads & washing beans for most. Washer to dryer to bedroom - folded or hung. I have some wire baskets for socks & underwear. I’m might try it mix it up a bit differently to try your way (laundry baskets/hampers in the laundry room). Love your you tube!
This completely changed my life. I implemented this so that my kids would only put laundry into one basket that fit on the floor of a large hall closet. It is right outside their bedrooms and their bathroom. All but one child does this without complaint now. The other child just has to learn things at her own pace. Right now she just doesn’t get them washed until they get put into the basket. This has saved me sooo much time and keeps me from forgetting to get the clothes. Thank you!
My kids are involved in laundry. I put a chalkboard sticker on each the washer and dryer. The washer tells them which colors to put in and the dryer is labeled for what to start the dryer on. I do not have them start the washer or anything other than fill it (we have all laundry sorter beside the washer... in previous houses, we had the sorters in the garage). Before I go to bed, I start the wash and I’m the morning, they run thru a cycle. I used to have them sort clean laundry but it’s just too much for them just yet. I am still trying to find the balance of getting the clean laundry put away in a timely manner but the dirty clothes and running a load a day is working great. I’ll be trying some of your habits out to see if they can work for us! Thank you!
I am just now getting around to watching this as I am a new follower. An idea I have is to keep a smallish, clear bag near the dryer. As socks come out of the dryer, I toss them in this bag. Then, about once a week-ten days, I sort socks. (I love to sort socks now.)
I don’t use laundry baskets either. We have a lot of the same convictions about laundry!
I am the odd one, I love to do laundry, I could fold laundry all day long.
Me too.I love laundry and cooking. Don’t like the rest of the housework but would do laundry for everyone..totally uninterested in having no excess linen -I love it and I love to iron it!
I'll send you my address.
I love folding and washing laundry too. Hate ironing, but love the results! Worth time spent.
I love laundry too. I am not big on ironing but we don't have much that has to be ironed anyway. I typically do one or two loads per day vs 1 -2 days of laundry. It makes my life easier that way for now when I can't get much done due to my son doing his school work in the room near our laundry closet.
I LOVE doing laundry too!! Gimmie a Room full of dirty clothes vs. a sink full of dirty dishes ANY DAMN DAY!!!!
Love your Channel !
I have always love doing laundry every single day because the feeling of clean clothes gives me peace of mind and my tip to not get overwhelmed is to put your clothes in washer at night and run it early in the morning or wash them and dry them at night so your laundry is done before you start your day and try to fold them right away will save your clothes from wrinkles and piles of washed clothes. 😻
Laundry is a struggle! We have one laundry basket/hamper in the main bath and its size is approx 2-3 loads. My biggest problem, besides motivation, is the laundry is down in our basement and I dont hear it. I tend to prewash if I know it's necessary or use oxyclean in a load, I ALWAYS fold as I pull from the dryer and I stack into whose clothes as well as by items for each of us. I fold everything. We use one laundry detergent, no fabric softeners, I'll use baking soda/vinegar as necessary and Oxyclean when colors show signs of dingy.
I love folding and the organization of laundry. I have seen a simplicity in it if I try to stick to a load a day as well as minimizing my clothing....tough to go too long when you run out of undies!
I watched your other video on how you don't fold clothes and it changed my life! I got rid of my kids dressers and purchased bins instead and they will actually do their laundry now! Life changing and has made laundry so much easier for me!
I can’t help but notice the Norwex products you have in your home. Love it!
I hang almost everything because it takes less time and energy than folding. I live alone, have one single laundry basket that I use to put dirty laundry in, and I wash everything together once a week, though I have no qualms about doing a load in the middle of the week if there's something dirty that I'm going to need again before the basket's full. Usually I only have one load's worth of laundry when it comes time to do it unless I'm washing the sheets or more than one set of towels. At one time I tried to separate lights and darks for every load, but I had so few that the loads would be tiny, so it would take twice as long to wash the same amount of clothes, so it just wasn't worth it. I will still separate if I somehow end up with a huge load (such as after I have overnight guests and there's a bunch of bedding and towels to wash), but I rarely ever get a load that big anymore (unless I delay washing my towels until I have 2 sets to wash in addition to sheets). I fold laundry on my bed - that's always been easiest for me, and it also means that I have to put at least the majority of it away before I can go to bed, so it's rare that I let it sit overnight unless I'm thoroughly exhausted (in which case it just all stays in the basket and I take care of it the next day, sometimes taking out the things that wrinkle the easiest and hanging them up before I go to bed). I use a combo of Charlie's Soap, borax, and baking soda for detergent, then have half a dozen wool dryer balls (each with 2 safety pins attached to cut down on static) that I put essential oil on and throw in the dryer with my laundry (my jeans take forever, so I set the dryer to max drying time, and the dampness combined with the safety pins on the balls keeps the static down). I'm allergic to all chemical cleaners and artificial fragrances, so it rather limits the products I can use, but I've curated a small all-natural cleaning cabinet that works for me that doesn't contain anything I might react to.
I like your essential oil on wool balls idea... I'm curious, how does putting safety pins on them cut down on static?
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane Every time the pins make contact with the dryer drum, the static electricity on the balls is discharged, keeping it from building up on the balls or the laundry. Ever since I started using the pins, my laundry only gets static-y if it's been tumbling in the dryer significantly longer than what it takes to actually dry everything (I notice it particularly in the winter when it's a lot drier).
@@SnowySpiritRuby Huh, interesting. I never heard of that. Thanks for answering!
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane I forget where I read it, but I found that it makes a huge difference.
I don’t really sort clothes and they still come out clean and last well! I do laundry every single day and make my kids put their own away. My oldest son (12) has been doing his own laundry since he was 10. Makes my life easier 🙌🏼
When my 3 girls were all at home, each did their own. They each had a color coded laundry basket that was kept in their rooms. Each had an assigned day, and could only do their laundry on their assigned day unless permission was given by whose day it was. This applied to my husband and me as well. Now that it’s just my husband and me, I have two hampers in the laundry room, one for whites and light colors, the other for darks. Since I am retired and my husband isn’t, I do the laundry. Monday and Thursday is whites, Tuesday and Friday is darks, Wednesday is towels and kitchen linens, Saturday is sheets and again towels. This works for us. Some days I do skip that day’s load if the hamper isn’t full enough to make a load.
Ah laundry. I learned when I was 8 how my grandmother in Mexico did laundry. I didn't have a rock at a river but I did have a washtub and a washboard. For a full month I had to wash my clothes that way so I knew what a true convenience a washing machine was. After that, I was taught how to sort comingled laundry, by color, fabric type and weight, and how to spot/stain removal for each of the fabrics. Then I was required to wash all the family clothes, fold dry and put away.
Needless to say, I taught my children how to wash their own clothes. I didn't make them use a washboard but I showed them how to spot their clothes. If they wanted clean clothes they needed to do them. This also included my husband's clothing. He put his work shirts with my clothes and forgot there were blades in his pocket. Yeah, I lost three work dresses, 4 I was able to mend. So within 6 months of being married he was washing his own clothes. Very good subject. Thank you for sharing ♥♥♥
Hi Dawn. My system is very similar to yours- we really have a lot less clothes. I do a load a day, commingled. So whatever we wore the day before, our night wear if needed and a hand towel , face cloth and dish cloth. 2 days a week I do 2 loads- the day I change the sheets because w3 only hav3 1 set so I wash, dry and remake the bed. And the day I do the towels - I gather all the towels and do a load. This works great for me- my laundry area is very convenient so it’s very easy for me. I do fold our stuff but because my loads are small it just takes a minute. Like you I just do it, it’s done an$ I don’t think about it.
We're only a family of three and I like doing laundry once a week BUT this gives me some great ideas about getting rid of excess towels, socks, and sheets that we really don't need. I also really love the bins you use!
I think I have finally learned the system I like best. I was doing a load a day of everyone’s like this video, but I hate carrying different things to everyone’s rooms and some are folded and some are hung etc. So my system is actually completely opposite and I have a hamper for every bedroom. (I just started this in the last couple weeks so some things may change.) Basically I have a four month old spitting up and drooling on everything and have to wash his stuff constantly. But hated other people’s stuff mixed in. So when one room’s hamper is full or that person needs something, I was their load, dry it, and get to take it directly to their room to fold and put away (or they do it). I love it as sorting was my least favorite part. If I continue with this system I’ll just use something small or pretty or very functional in their room to hold the clothes so it’s not cluttered looking.
I wish the money in my bank account piles up as my laundry basket does.
I watched this when it first came out and used her tips on not folding everything and put them in bins. It’s still working for me til this day!! 🤗 thank MM
When my kids were teenagers jeans and sweaters etc were left to be washed after one wear - I used to just hang them outside on the clothes line without washing them and they were totally refreshed. Kids didn't discover my trick for a long time and now that they have their own kids, they follow my example!!!
Woot. 1st to thumbs up. Love ya, Dawn and family!
My laundry is in the kitchen and both open to our front door. I am always interested in ways to prevent build up of dishes and laundry, which happens quickly in our family of 6 on our working farm. Thanks for the video!
This would be great if I didn’t work 12 hour rotating shifts, washing every day is not going to happen. Plus traveling at least 4 times a year
I love it!! I’ve pared down our clothing so that we have enough to get through one week and not much extra. So we have to do a load every week per person. Also I don’t combine our clothes - each person has their own laundry day. My 15 year old does his himself.
I throw it all in together. Has been working fine for years. And then once every couple of weeks I’ll choose the highest temperature for a load of towels.
Got rid of regular clothes baskets, but I like the collapsible mesh that you carry like a tote with one hand so I have a free hand to hold the stairs bannister. I’m single and do one load a week on the average. Throw all colors in one load and use a color grabber sheet to make sure the darks don’t bleed.
I have a rolling cart with three sections. I separate clothes based on wash temps. Living on a large piece of property with animals in Florida yields dirty, sweaty clothes year round, so cold water isn’t always sufficient to clean properly.
On Monday I start a wash of cold water clothes first thing in the morning. I follow with Tues/warm & Wed/hot. I combine for only 2 loads of cold/warm if there aren’t enough for a separate hot water wash.
I wash linens, dog bedding, other items any day Thur- Sun as needed.
Starting early & doing just one load per day , I am sure to have enough time to complete the wash before being too tired in the evening to fold the cloths.
It also limits the daily amount of water flowing to my septic tank.
So liberating! I grew up with too many unnecessary laundry rules. This helps me believe I can overcome the laundry piles!!
Only thing I fold is socks and my husbands undershirts. Loads of laundry are: 1) bath towels 2) microfiber cloths 3) colors 4) whites 5) bras (if the load of colors is large).
I use detergent, borax and laundry disinfectant for washing and dryer balls with essential oils in our dryer. The dryer balls help collect hair. I know in a different video you said you don't always use them but my hair ends up everywhere. It has definitely helped since I reduced our laundry loads. I use to divide our laundry between his and hers but he never really had much for a load. For stains I use Folex (it is actually a carpet cleaner but it gets out pretty much everything), just spray and toss in the wash.
Where do the kids and Tom dress? Seems inconvenient to get underware and socks in one place and other clothes elsewhere.
I'm not certain but I think it was explained that the laundry room is next to the bathroom, so take a shower, grab some underthings (or take them in to the bathroom before getting into the shower) and then move to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. I think Tom's closet is pretty close to the bathroom/laundry room too.
Goodness, who knew I could have a laundry system. Going to start this today and do smaller daily loads and declutter the towels, linens etc.
Easier for people who HAVE ACCESS to washer // dryer daily
Excellent point
Absolutely correct, Layla. I spent a couple of decades with the laundromat nightmare dancing through my head every week. Only recently got in-home machines. It seems small, but it's a huge lifestyle change, one that was inaccessible for my entire adult life to this point. If you're laundromat-dependent, daily washing is a ridiculous idea.
The best you can do is schedule 2 laundromat runs per week. If you get to do both, great. It's easier than doing it all at once (in some ways). If one day falls through for weather, exhaustion, coughing unmasked yokels in the laundromat, etc., you have the other as back up. But even 2 laundry days per week is a big, annoying time suck you may not have the time and energy for when it's not an in-home chore, but rather an extremely bothersome recurring errand.
I totally wash everything together, and to be honest, it's caused no issues whatsoever for any of my clothes or anything. And, I've done so for years and years. I did add your trick of no laundry baskets. My family didn't love it at first, but it's really been so handy!! Thanks!!
Karen here. Dishes. Even though I use paper cups and plates, and laundry, mostly my husband's work clothes and linens, are my nemesis. Getting this done today! Decluttering.
Love it how you say ‘you do you’. I used to do a load a day and found I was forever swamped and falling back (we don’t use dryer- we hang outside on a line) - then I read about Dana Whites laundry day theory and that clicked for me. Now I’m not behind. I don’t get overwhelmed- and For the first time I can reach into my drawer and pull out what I need! It’s a game changer for me- I do need to lessen the inventory though. Thanks for tips!
A true minimalist! Even her B-roll footage is minimal. Like 10x with that picture of throwing clothes onto the pile. Love this gal.
1000000% Agree! My husband and I used this approach and it's help SO much! I haven't been stressed about laundry in months!!!! We also did the same with toys and whew! NO more angry mom yelling
Here in the UK most people do not have laundry rooms. The washer is in the kitchen. If we are lucky enough to have a dryer it is most likely in the garage. If the weather is dry washing goes on the line outside. If we run our dryer in hot weather we keep quiet about it and hold on to the brooding guilt until we find a fellow transgressors to admit it to! Hard crispy towels are character building;)
The system is great. We live on a sailboat so we have a minimal amount of clothes because of being a boat. But I don't have a washer and dryer so we need at least 2 weeks worth. We have 2 sets of towels for each of us and 2 sets of sheets.
I have 4 kids. They are 7, 5, 3, and 1. The older 3 all share socks. We have one basket of socks for them. All the socks are the same so there are no "matches". It makes laundry so much easier.
It's interesting that we have come up with the same laundry system separately, Dawn! I, too, am a binner, and I wash every darn thing together. I also don't buy white clothes anymore because little boys are hard on clothes....as I'm sure you know!
Ha Ha.....growing up, my siblings and I (boys and girls) NEVER had white clothes for the same reason! My first paycheck as a preteen went to buying white jeans and tops! Ha Ha! As an adult I still love white clothes...but *dang* they are hard to keep bright white!
Pairing down the kids clothes is miraculous for us. And I also do one load a day-sometimes I even skip a day without worries. Having a laundry day didn’t work for me either... too much going on! I also do bins for the younger kids’ clothes-life saver!