The Laundry System that Changed my Life! (Minimalist Family Life)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Why this LAUNDRY SYSTEM rocks: If you walk around my house right now the ONLY place you'll find laundry is in closets, dressers or the laundry room! NO MORE laundry baskets with unknown contents or piles on the couch or the bathroom floor. This has cut the amount of time I spend doing laundry by 50% and has made laundry in our house a BREEZE and something the whole family easily helps with now.
A few extra tips I didn't include in the video:
1) Dresser drawers can be used in place of bins/baskets either by dedicating a whole drawer to a type of clothing (pants) or by using drawer dividers.
2) Don't pack bins too tight or full: You'll have far fewer wrinkles if the clothes fit loosely in the bin.
3) Ditch the dedicated laundry day: In the past I tried to do ALL of the laundry on Saturdays, the only problem was, what if we had something come up on that day? Then I had to cram 10 loads of laundry into another day. One load a day is more sustainable!
4) Your kids will be eager to help: Now that laundry is managable in our house the kids LOVE helping. Whether its distributing folded laundry to its home or making sure their bed is clear each night, they've taken ownership and great pride in caring for their clothes and this is AWESOME!!!
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When you have 3-4 kids and work 5 days a week. This makes sense. Some ppl are critical here. You don't need to adapt everything she said. Just choose the bits you would like to try. Great video.
Haha, my thoughts exactly! ;)
Agreed
I agree. People can be so very critical.
Natalia Blair I get it
@@Thorsdaughter007 Years ago, I started buying socks, whenever they needed replacement, that were all the same: color, style, etc. I never pull out an "odd" one any more.
I now put pairs of dirty socks in mesh bags immediately after they've been worn (the mesh bags live in the laundry baskets in our bedrooms). The bag gets zipped up and put through the wash and the dryer. It then only takes seconds to pair them once they're dry ☺️
I really like the fact that the kids need to bring their laundry to the room. I appreciate your sharing how to train your family to be part of the process of an organized house.
yes more advices about this topic
Dawn i just wanted to take the time to tell you the following...
Last school holiday I watched this video and decided your system made sense and that I would adapt it to the needs of our family. The next lot of school holidays are days away and your system is still working for me. In this period we've had illness resulting in kids vomiting (alot), two deaths in the family, extremely busy periods with work along with all the normal chaos that is life with a husband and three kids. This term has not been smooth sailing by any means! But my laundry is running smoothly and I never imagined this to be a possibility before watching this video.
So a massive thumbs up to you!
I love your family's involvement in your system. Too many kids don't have to lift a finger to do anything, and husbands, too. But you've made it manageable and rewarding. :-)
I think when you have four kids you have to involve them, l have four and they put away their own laundry baskets that they take from the laundry room to their room and put them away. I find if their stuff isn't folded it takes up a lot of space all balled up like that. We don't use the drier much either (because electric is expensive here), so they'd get super creased if not folded...
Just had my first baby and this concept has saved my sanity. Thank you!
This system has totally changed my life as well! I am so so thankful for this as I know the Lord led me to this after praying He would help me with my housekeeping!! I still can't believe I don't have a pile of clean laundry in my hallway every day!!
i liked this video not only because the tips are helpful (I'm going to try some, laundry is getting out of hand in my house), but also because of how you closed out your video: "a thumbs up is the best compliment you can give us." I've never heard that before or thought of it that way. That made me realize I should thumbs up more videos that I enjoy more often. Thanks for that.
THANK YOU for taking the time to share this! We never know how what we say with resonate with others, so this is really helpful!!! Thank you!
Doing a load everyday makes such a difference!
I'm so glad you agree! Trying to gently convert all of the once-a-weekers ;)
That’s what worked for me. On Sunday I do my sorting then I put one load in the machine for a timer the next morning. The next morning I move that load to the dryer and put another load in the washer for the following morning. The next day I move that load out of the dryer, fold it, move the other load to the dryer and move my next load to the washer, setting the timer for the next morning. I’m typically done by Thursday and sometimes I leave that last load in the dryer until Sunday lol. It takes me 10 minutes tops each day. My washer and dryer are in the basement.
CASS! once a day is the absolute best for me!
It's great to see you here! My two fave Youtubbers in the same place!
I'm thinking collab!?!?
I would die from the sunshine overlode!!😍😍😍
Cas! It's great to see you here! I agree. You and Dawn would be an amazing team for a collaboration! You two complement each other really well.
Also if you do not want to pair socks and worry about not finding pairs; buy only one kind of socks. I have only black ankle high socks and a two pairs of fun socks. I have no problem finding pairs and no fuss about pairing socks.
Yes! Brilliant!
Years ago I made the choice to buy one brand and style of sock. Now the only thing I have to do is pull out black or white. If socks wear unevenly or one gets a hole I will never have the issue of a lonely sock. Toss the one with holes and grab another. My kid never cared if hers matched. As long as they felt the same and fit her foot she was good. I will sit be adopting so if these methods.
True. Started choosing similar socks once the old ones were good to retire. For my age at least. It's understandable how colorful children's socks can be :)
It is shockingly hard to find toddler socks that are all the same color. Almost all brands have different color bands around the top or some nonsense like that.
That's what I do
I love the simplicity of your routine and I’m definitely going to take your advice and clear out all unnecessary clutter from my laundry room. But honestly, my favorite part is the “no excuses” rule!! As a stay at home mom, I get so burnt out by the daily struggle of convincing my family that participating in these daily routines isn’t doing me some huge favor that warrants praise, but doing their part to keep our household functioning. This video is about to get 5 more views so you can help me encourage some changes. 😉
I found as my kids got older, everyone is responsible for their own personal laundry. It usually is just one load per person. Most everyone's clothes are dark colors and a few brights, but these usually can be washed together. I only have white towels, so all towels are washed on their own. If anyone has whites, they can put them in with the towels. It works out great. I wash my one load a week. My husband washes his one load a week. Each child washes one load a week, and then I do towels, with dish clothes, etc. Bed linens get washed intermittently when each person tidies their room. It is much easier. I don't separate brights from darks, and I don't have a problem. Everyone is responsible for their own folding and putting away also. So their wrinkles or lack thereof are their responsibility, but a shirt or two in the morning can take a 5 minute tumble in the dryer to get out any wrinkles if necessary. Life is much less stressful like this. Thanks for the video.
This is awesome!!! THANK YOU for sharing, I know it will be helpful for other moms, too!! :)
I think back in the day u had to sort brights from darks bc the detergent was pretty harsh. I really don't think it's a necessary thing anymore unless the garments are new or the fabrics r delicate.
Yep. pretty much the same over here. 1 load a week usually. Husband washes his own, too. It was a condition of our engagement...haha... :-)
This is literally how we do it at my house
Family corporation makes every thing easier
This is great! For us (also a family of 6), it was so much easier to assign one day for each kid. My husband and I have Monday, oldest daughter has Tue, 2nd child has Wed, 3rd Thursday, and 4th Friday. Towels and sheets can be washed on Sat/Sun depending on what we have planned that weekend. It has been a life saver for us. Each child will wash, dry, and put away their clothes. We too hang up as much as possible, and don’t fold. I started this system when my oldest was 8 and my youngest was 2. I of course helped the younger ones, but after a while, they get old enough to do it themselves. Now I do laundry only two days a week (my/hubby and towels/sheets) and it is great!! :)
I personally don’t fold ANY of my clothes...I hang them up! You don’t get creases from folds. I also only keep as much clothes that will fit inside my closet that is already with the structure of my apartment...no drawers to worry about!
Curious...because I've considered doing this...where do you put socks, bras and underwear and nylons? Just in bins? My house is tiny and i need the top shelves for other things. The floor has a rack for the few shoes and boots.
Lizabeth MA I do the hanging system and then the underwear, etc, goes into something like a Rubbermaid or Sterilite 3-drawer in the closet.
You have changed my life! Doing a little load of laundry each day seems simple but it has felt revolutionary in our house of 5. Now my 2 & 4 year olds don’t mind putting their laundry away in drawers (not really folded) because it’s just a little bit each day. My husband even said, he feels like we could minimize our wardrobe more because he finds himself going back to the same handful of outfits now that they’re always available. Feeling so grateful for this simple but effective change. Thank you for sharing your tips!
Yay! Wow! This is SO awesome to hear and I know it will inspire others as well, thank YOU, thank you, thank you!!!! :)
My motto is ‘just do it’. As the clothes come from the dryer I immediately fold them, I do not leave them. It takes 2 minutes max, especially if you have sorted the load properly. I have a fast hanging system for a load of outer clothes- I quickly lay each shirt or pants flat in separate stacks with the shoulders and waistbands up. Then I slip a hanger in the shirt on top then bring the hanger down, insert the next and keep going until the stack is finished. Then grab the entire bunch of hangers at the hook and go hang them in the closet. Do the same with the pants but use pants hangers. I hang all tops including outer tees.
YES! That is such a great motto!!! Thank you for sharing this, I think it will be helpful to others!!!!
Great idea. My only problem is that we live in an old house with small closets, so I'm not sure this would work. I think I could test it out to see if I could do some of the laundry this way to cut down on folding.
Exactly teach the kids to organized.. I can't imagine wearing wrinkled clothes or looking for what to wear from a bin of clothes.. that should the last thing to worry before heading to work
Great tip!
Rosemary Nasralla Do you have a video of your hanging system? It seems ingenious, but I can’t quite visualize it
I freaking love u. I hate that no one wants to admit that not everything has to be perfect. I guessed the first two tips before u started cuz that's what I do. I a newlywed and after that first few months of I must be perfect wore off I stopped folding my husband's socks and underwear and t-shirts and he doesn't give a crap. Why stress doing something nobody cares about?
LOVE this!! Thank you!!!
Exactly. And mismatched socks are so fun! I grew up purposely wearing mismatched socks because my grandpa said I'd be a trend setter. I wasn't. Bit that was the 70s and 80s. Now it's cool to do it. So, I was cool ahead of my time. Lol. When I became chronically ill, I was physically unable to do the laundry, and learned what a time saver it was to not sort and fold. Its a mind shift for sure. Growing up moms taught their kids that everything had to be in its place and neat. Just imagine all the stress they would have let go of had they been a rebel and said no more. Great video.
Kay L. LOL... I have to fold almost everything. Yes, including under clothes. I’m not mad at you 😂😂😂
@@jlmurray2025 I folded everything until my husband decided to go into the draws and shift everything around like a bear at a campsite tent. Only his don't get folded. 😉 And I gladly throw it in the drawers 🤣
Not doing my husband's laundry was in our pre-nup. haha... just exaggerating. It was a condition for marriage, though.
I’ve been doing this for 9 months, and it’s been amazing!!! No more piles of clean or dirty clothes. I was SHOCKED when you said you only had one laundry basket. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Thank you Dawn! 😃
I've been using this system for over a year now, and with four kids it's been so helpful. No hampers in the bedrooms, no dressers which means less messes, and I didn't have to anchor a dresser to a wall for my toddler twins, more room in the bedrooms. The only thing we fold are some big towels. Kids towels are hung in the bathroom.
Kitchen towels, cleaning cloths and cloth napkins and bibs are sorted into categories in those bag organizers from IKEA, so they're hung on the wall.
The kids have two bins for clothes each, tops and bottoms, then each a smaller bin for socks and undies. Sheets are stored in a cloth laundry bag that hangs in a bedroom closet. Pajamas are in each kid's possession in a pajama bag stuffed animal that goes on their beds.
Wrinkles are never a problem.
We do hang a few items that are either too bulky for a bin or like dress shirts.
My two oldest kids sort the laundry right from the dryer into the bins.
My ultimate goal is not to get more done, but to have less to do and this definitely helps.
Oh, I also don't sort laundry for washing. I hadn't even heard of it until I got to college because my parents never did either. I haven't had a need for it.
As a mom of 5, folding laundry is overrated. We hang work and "good" clothes but play clothes...no way! Socks - we wear "no see 'em's" and all socks in our home are black -- they don't look dirty AND no matching necessary. I held myself to the BS of folding and matching and no one gained a thing from that. Now we have time together that we can laugh and make memories without worry about if our socks are matched! Thanks for sharing this video
YAY! I'm so glad to hear this! I know it is foreign to many, and change can be difficult, but I definitely agree that folding is overrated!!
Marybeth Longstreth yes!!!!
Yes!! Folding in the waste of time!
Marybeth Longstreth please someone speak with my hubby
Haha! “We can make memories without worrying if our socks are matched!” Love it. I think way too much about laundry myself
I guess I'm weird, I really like folding clothes but hate hanging them. Theres something therapeutic about folding, its like coloring or something.
Rebekah Edwards yes that's weird! Only bc i HATE folding LMAO.. But I'm weird too bc I LOVE to vacuum and mop LOL
Then you must be related to my husband!!
I thought I was the only one. I don’t mind folding but hate hanging as well. Haha.
I didn't used to be this way, but now I've realized how much I hate hangers and fighting with them. I Marie Kondo'ed my clothes and have it all folded neatly now.
I also thought I was the only one🙌🙌
I am definitely implementing the bin organization method for clean laundry. Especially with my toddler. There is NO REASON to fold so much...you are right! I'm also purging my wardrobe to buy new things in the Fall. Thanks for this!
I have too many hampers that hold laundry for longer than needed. Going to get rid of those!
😱 I can hear Marie Kondo bawling at the notion of no folding lol! Thankyou for this video, it’s great to see different useful methods 😁❤️
😂😂😂
I actually went back to folding as it is calming to me, but I also have a very paired down laundry system like hers for our large family. I only have 1 crate of clothes as does my husband. I use hanging drawers for our children's laundry system and love it. It is similar to her basket system and if I had shelves in my closet is exactly what we would do, but we have a hanging rod so we went hanging clothing storage drawers.
Yes, I can empathize with this! I always felt guilty about not folding until I implemented the system....and remember, Marie Kondo can afford to fold because that is her full-time business.:D
My brain almost exploded. What, don’t fold? I’ve been living out of bags for years and recently started folding my laundry again, and now you’re telling me not to fold. 😳😁 I can totally relate.
I hate folding laundry. So I don't do it.😁😁😁
I'm currently staring at 3 big, tall baskets overflowing with laundry and listening to the hum and swish as my washer and drier do their duty. We are a family of 6 also and I do several loads every day. Some of my kids have a bit much but mostly it's my husband (yes husband, not me!) that has too many clothes. I know what I'm doing tomorrow!
I do laundry for our family of 5 the same way. 1-2 loads a day and totally no need to fold socks, underwear, undershirts and Pjs! I do fold shirts and pants but my kiddos are older but folding baby clothes was never my priority! Love your videos Dawn! 😁
Definitely a unique system! We are also a family of six. My laundry room is my bathroom. My washer and dryer are in a closet in the bathroom. So I have one laundry basket in the bathroom for dirty clothes and one for clean. I do laundry on Monday and Friday. It’s usually two loads of clothes on each of those days. Doesn’t take long at all.
I am a mother of 1 (soon to be 2) and it helps me to get 1 kind of load going every day first thing in the morning.
Monday: Towels and rugs
Tuesday: Sheets (may want to alternate master bedroom sheets and kids rooms)
Wednesday: Whites
Thursday: Colors for warm water
Friday: Colors for cold water
After I'm done with Friday's load, I choose my outfits for the following week. I do not do laundry on Saturdays and Sundays.
I admire your ingenuity in doing what works for you! My four kids are grown and for 25 years laundry has been the bane of my existence. In practice my family spent a lot of time digging through clean clothes baskets looking for socks or whatever, so I wish I would have tossed them into category baskets like you do and stopped feeling guilty. Your system makes a lot of sense for families. I ❤️ the no excuses policy. I suggest putting two bins in your laundry room to constantly purge worn out or outgrown clothes, one for warm season & one for cold season clothes. Then donate or discard the clothes at the beginning of that season yearly. Donation centers don't want coats in April.
I love this laundry system. I've been using it for months now, and it's really helped keep things done and simple and easy!!!! So a huge thank you to the Minimal Mom. You have influenced my life in so many positive ways.
I found that folding and hanging right out of dryer is so much easier for me. Doing one load a day works for me.
Kathy B.
I completely agree. I just fold or hang everything as I take it out of the dryer. It only adds a few minutes to the process and then it's all done. I don't buy anything that needs to be ironed and I hang everything possible.
After drying; if the clothes have sat in the dryer for longer than an hour they are wrinkly so I always do a wrinkle-free tumbling (selecting wrinkle-free on my dryer) and then let them tumble on low heat for at least 15 minutes and then fold or hang them right out of the dryer; all the clothes are wrinkle free this way. Clothes are too wrinkly not folding them!
Discovered your channel last Christmas break and spent two months decluttering my entire house. In February we found out we're pregnancy with our first baby so I'm going back now to watch all of your kid-related simplifying content!
Thank you, for the time you put into these videos! And for opening yourself up for what’s sure to be some critical people! God bless your work to help make us moms more streamlined!
This video got me started on this minimalist journey and the difference it has already made is amazing! Laundry has been my nemesis and I am the queen of piles! It started when I developed bilateral hand pain and folding laundry was super painful. I’d cry! I stopped folding back then... but the avoidance of the chore just got worse and piles got higher. Applying these lessons to laundry and every other thing in my house has been amazing. I feel confident and capable in my home! LOVE you!!! Thanks for this content!
I like these ideas! But most of all, I like how you present your ideas. It is great that you have come up with a plan or system that works for you and your family and at the same time you don't think everyone else should do it "your way". It is freeing and encouraging to listen to you! Thanks for all of the good advice!
Thank you Amanda, I REALLY appreciate this!!!
My goal is to become a full-time RVer with my two boys. One is medically fragile, in diapers, and uses bibs when we feed him. I plan to implement many of these ideas while we are still in our house. Transitioning to a lifestyle where we don’t have access to a washer and dryer every day will be the next challenge! I’m thoroughly enjoying your channel! ❤️
We’re a family of 4. The only clothes that get folding or hung are my own. My husband’s, and both of my children’s clothes all go in a dresser or bins. We used those 3x3 cube things (that you can find at Target, or anywhere really) for years. We’ve started to use dressers for more now. Between living in a cooler climate (having thicker items) and our kids getting bigger (items taking up more room), it’s worked better. But for the younger years, I’d absolutely recommend using cubes for clothing.
As I was watching this video I had three baskets FULL of folded clothes that needed to be put away... not to forget my six and nine-year-old were upstairs putting away their laundry. I immediately pause the video and went upstairs to tell them to stop folding and just put away the clothes. The smiles that came over their faces was so worth it!
This. Is. AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing, I know it will encourage other moms!!!!! 💕
When I was single the best thing was having a hamper the size of my washing machine. That way when it was full I knew I had to do one load of laundry and not two or three at a time, so it didn't get as overwhelming.
I have older kids and we do our laundry on the weekend. Their dirty clothes go to the laundry room also. There is "no left wing" of the house so they can make the trip. All clothes are hanged up no matter what. No one needs to irons, steams or fold. Underwear gets thrown in a cloth bin and socks in one bin in their closet. No folding or matching needed. No need to buy a dresser and it gives them more space in their room. I have made the kids minimalist too!
"There is "no left wing" of the house so they can make the trip." LOL! This literally made me laugh out loud! This is all super great, thank you for sharing!!! :)
My 10 year old Granddaughter wears unmatched socks every day. It is the style among her friends. Saves everyone time! This is in Music City, Nashville, TN.
Oh that's interesting and fun :)
It’s the style everywhere. Tell your granddaughter that I said she’s super cool. My socks never match either.
Linda Twyman my girls were doing that 25 years ago. They said they were wearing rainbow socks. In fact, they would wear 4 socks of different colours. Yes, I can hear all the young mums having a fit over the number of socks, but life is short and 25 years later my girls are all wonderful young women!
Yup my kids too. Just this morning I looked at their little unmatched feet and said Well, so much for the hours spent sorting and matching those!
Saw some for sale in a store that way the other day. he, he... score!
I worked in an emergency room and what your mother told you is absolutely correct! When you come in as a trauma we always are careful to notice (and chart!) the condition of your underwear. Especially whether or not things have been ironed and folded before wearing. So change those wicked ways!!
I do about a load of laundry a day and for what fits in the washer and dryer it doesn’t take more than five minutes to fold. I don’t mind the folding. Everyone then gets their stack and puts it away and done! I also enjoy ironing. Outfits look more put together when they are ironed instead of wrinkled and looking like you just rolled out of bed!
My grandmother used to say "were you just spit out by a cow" whenever I put on something wrinkled. I press my work clothes daily I love the way it makes me fell .I always get compliments on how sharp I dress.
Wow! I just have to tell you Dawn that I LOVE your ENTIRE APPROACH to minimalism! I discovered minimalism a little over 3 years ago. Since then, we have had our 3rd child and I have gotten pretty behind with most everything (you know how things just seem to creep back in if you don't intentionally stay on top of regular purging) I'm starting to get back in the swing of things again and now, after finding your videos, I feel so very inspired to jump back into our minimalism journey again! I did our kitchen 3 years ago and have never had another dreadful sink full of dishes since. Iit's been sooo life changing just in that one area! Purging toys and clothes has also been super high impact too. Alot of the purging that I originally did needs to be done all over again as I had neglected to work on it during the pregnancy. I had been kind of dreading the work ahead of me to get our house re-purged, but now after seeing your videos and getting armed with your awesome new tips I am sooo excited to get back at it! You have shared so many AWESOME tips that I had never heard before! Thank you sooo much for all your videos and the simple no-nonsense approach that you take on it all!
Woot woot love this system. I've tried lots without success. Best tip imho Is the No hampers for the dirty clothes. YES LOVE that tip. Thank you so much for sharing. Righto... New laundry system here we go.
I wash a load daily. To
Include bedding and towels. Each person is a day of the week, so easy and nice! I only have 2 sets of sheets and bedding and change weekly. I wish I had a laundry room, yours is awesome!!!
Question: do the little boys always dress in the laundry room? Do the bins for your husband stay in the laundry room, or do you dump them in the master bedroom drawers?
I adore your videos!! My rockstar husband has helped me put several of your videos in action this weekend, and I started your meal planning system 3 weeks ago with great success 🎉.
Dawn thank you so much for welcoming us into your home and all the advice. Very much appreciated
I am not sure I can apply this conpletely but found it very clever. Adding this vid to my favorites so I can watch it over and over again so I cand figure something similar for our family and combine it with the fly lady system. I REALLY LIKE YOUR IDEAS... KEEP THEM COMING!
THANK YOU! And I'm glad its helpful! I love the fly lady, too, she was my very first inspiration to get my house under control!
Our washing machine quit on us Christmas week, after my husband took it completely apart he finally decided it had really died. When we went to buy another machine the rep said its way better for the machine to do 2 loads a day rather than save it all up and do it over the weekend. So your method makes the machine last longer(he also said the dryer usually goes within 3 months of the washer-glad we're on a budget!
I don't fold either. My kids do their own laundry and put it up (ages 7 & 9). They just put their bottoms in the appropriate bin and hang the dresses & shirts, easy. They love mismatched socks so no need to match them.
YEEEES! Thank you for sharing this, I know if will be an encouragement to other mom, too!!! :)
When I first saw this video, I definitely thought you were crazy for mixing laundry! I have since started doing it because the laundry would pile up otherwise. I was washing in these categories: whites, towels, dog, kid, kid bedding, parent bedding, dads outside work clothes, mom/dad clothes. So by the time I had enough laundry for a load in 1 category, suddenly there was enough in every category and I'd have all 3 laundry baskets full with at least 6 loads to wash on my days off. Now, for the most part, I throw everything in together every day and its so much easier to stay on top of it. The only things that get washes separate are bedding, jackets, greasy work clothes, and the occasional load of whites when I feel they need to be bleached.
My kids would just throw everything on the floor( and my husband). All our bedrooms are connected by one hallway so we keep a hamper in the hallway that we all can put clothes in instead of on the floor.
That's a great idea!!
Hi Dawn! I just started watching your videos a few days ago and I have already started basically getting rid of anything we don't use frequently in our home. I am a mom of 5 (6 if you include my husband) lol. He's actually super on board with giving minimalism a go to as he was the stay at home parent when I was in the Army so he truly understands the struggle of keeping this house tidy. Anyways, just wanted to say thank you for your videos. They have motivated me so much and given me so many pointers already. ❤️👌🙂
I watched this video last week and was so inspired! My husband and I bulldozed through our mound of laundry to where we had nothing. Then for the entire week, at the end of the day, our family of 4 tossed all laundry of the day in the washer (kitchen towels, clothes for the day, burp rags) into the washer. I sprayed anything with Shout if it needed it, and then ran the washer in the morning and dried it in the afternoon. I have not had one piece of laundry chillin in our laundry room! AND after doing this for a week and I can truly see how I can minimize our closets! That's the next task! Thank you for the inspiration and help, Dawn!!!!
WOW, this is SO cool to hear! Thank you for sharing!!!!!! :)
Update:
Its been one month and still no clothes on the floor😁 and I went tgrough my closet a week ago and filled 2 bags worth of just tops/shirts😮. Ive worn things i fogot i had and got a compliment from a friend on my top that is really like 5 yrs old, i just forgot I had it🤦♀️ Thank you so much for the inspiration! I've so enjoyed downsizing and your practical tips!
WOW, I’m looking through the comments and I had no idea that not folding could be so controversial. I LOVE your system. I quit folding kids clothes a long time ago. My system is kind of similar to yours actually. My oldest son is the only kid in my family with a dresser. Everybody else has cubbies and bins (labeled so they can’t forget what belongs in which one). So much easier!
Hahaha, you're telling me!!!!
Great tips! Thank you. We have hooks for towels in the bathroom so they don't get folded anymore!
Amen sister!!! I am new to your channel but a couple of years ago I switched our kids to a no fold system and life changed!!!! Heck, my now 10 year old does his own laundry from wash to put away b/c it's a simple system and he's responsible for what he needs when. (ie. activity uniforms, ect...) And yes yes for one load a day. It's just right to not reach the overwhelm level :)
YAY!!! SO glad to hear this! I know it will inspire others, too!!! Thank YOU!!! :)
This is amazing! I hate folding laundry with a passion. Adopting your bins system will help me so much. Thank you!
Oh good! I hope it works well for you, my husband will still sometimes fold the kids' clothes on the weekend if he helps with the laundry and it's like mid-way through he remembers why I stopped folding and then just hands it all to them and tells them to go put it away ;)
Thank you for sharing!! You are definitely saving moms and some dads too! We are too hard on ourselves, and I love how you say there is no rule that you have to fold underwear or pair socks.
Your daughter looks so cute putting her clothes away! 😘...my son is about her age and is learning to make this a habit.
Each person has their own hamper in our home plus one for whites and linens. Mon-fri each day assigned to one person's laundry. Makes sorting and putting away SO much faster when you don't have to stop and look at whose socks are which
I really like doing laundry. I fold or hang everything. All the socks match. I grew up in a large family and we had a sock box and I could never find the mate. I make sure every sock has a mate and put together neatly in the drawer.
Mossy Oak Mom
Same here. I have 8 kids and I do lots of laundry, but I fold all the clothes as I take them out of the dryer. To me that’s a job done when everything is put away. 🤷🏼♀️
We had a sock box too!!!
Same here! I can never get people with missing socks. How can you lose a sock? Fell off your foot while wearing it?! Seriously...
Well, I've known washers to "eat" the sock. If the basin is improperly filled or there's nothing heavier than the escapee sock, then water enters, the sock goes over the rim between the basin and the chassis. Yep. So, my solution was putting all socks in a mesh laundry bag. Problem solved.
Mossy Oak Mom You poor thing! That sock box messed you up so bad that you ended up liking to do laundry as an adult. That’s got to be one of the most disturbing thing I’ve ever heard. 😉
Our time saver was washing and drying a load before starting a new one. Each child does their own laundry, they're teenagers and started doing their wash in fifth grade. I also wash towels and jeans or "heavy" things in their own load. It works for us.
Yes! This is a great system, thank you for sharing!! :)
You do you. I won’t judge what another woman does if it works for her family.
Amen!! Thank you :)
YOUR KIDS ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE. I LOVE THEM AND THE WAY THEY ARE TRYING TO SHOW RESPONSIBILITY WITH A BIIIIIIIIIIIG SMILE HAHHHHHHHHHHHHH .BLESS THEM.
I only fold clothes once a week (mostly socks and pj’s). Everything else goes on a hangar straight from dryer. My kids put away their own laundry and bring me all the dirty.
Omg thank you for this! I implemented it yesterday and it is life changing, seriously. My kids have about 5-6 outfits each, total. Their clothes live in the laundry room in 2 white baskets. There is now 1 small basket in there as well and they know that's where their dirty clothes go. Their clothes are clean and contained at all times! This is brilliant!! THANK YOU.
I actually like folding my clothes. I do it carefully to prevent wrinkles. It takes a bit of time but I do it while watching tv so it's not that bad and I just love the look of neatly folded clothes so much it's worth it to me. However I don't have kids yet so I wonder if I will keep up folding like this forever lol.
Yes! I'm hearing more and more that you aren't alone...and I do think that it can actually be kind of relaxing...except when it isn't getting done and I'm having to re-wash laundry because nobody knows if its dirty or clean ;)
Whoops, I hit return too soon! BUT, I do think there are many moms who still manage to fold! So I think if it remains a priority to you, it will still happen! :)
U just gotta teach them to fold once their hands get strong and coordinated enough. Kids who do their own chores I think have more respect for retail stores and the people who work there too.
I don't love folding but I make it more enjoyable by listening to music or a podcast on my phone. I take the time to do it because I don't want wrinkles in my family's clothes and it looks neater in the drawers. Some commenters said that they hang everything as soon as it's done from the dryer, than take the hangers and put it in the closet. I live in an old house with small closets so I don't think that would work for me, but it sounds like a good option if you have the space. I agree that teaching your kids to fold and match socks is great for them so they learn how, and it helps out the mom.
Iquey yeah I think the same, and almost every time I go to a clothing store I fold the clothes I unfolded.
Oh this was the video I saw a year ago and it completely changed my laundry space.. I thought I'll never see this precious again.
My laundry space now becomes my wardrobe space and I actually get dressed daily in my laundry space, ha ha. .
My room wardrobe keeps the spares sheets, towels and those that don't get washed frequently..
Lots of time, most ppl underutilised their laundry space so this video really opens up perception of what's possible..
I don't have boxes so I hang all my dry briefs on a huge hooks and socks on a long wall rail.. No folding anymore.
I don't have a drying machine so the shirts and trousers stay on the hangers until its picked to be worn.. Its not messy cuz my weekly basic external garment need are 4-5 shirts and 2 trousers, washed regularly..
Thank you very much for the video, less folding, less walking to bedroom, less stuffing into wardrobe, less stress.
It's so logical that laundry space should have a "wardrobe space/storage/boxes since fabrics' home is either on our bodies or getting laundered...
This is the best video I've seen. Stay awesome...
I would rather teach the kids to fold their own clothes than keep everything unfolded in a bin. Not perfectly folded is still better than not folded at all. That's just my 2 cents, everyone does things their own way and I happen to like things to be neat.
Yes, I know you aren't alone!
Yop i use a folding board to get my kids to fold
sesil 00 the folding board freaks me out. It screams useless perfectionism in world where there are so many others things to learn. I can see it for retail because you are trying to sell a product but at home it's just overkill.
@@gavintiegirl I agree, but still love watching Sheldon fold his laundry in BBT :)
Kati R. Well if Sheldon is the type of person you want your children to turn out like then more power to you but personally I hope my kids never have his severe neuroses. So even tho the folded clothes look great at the stores, I’ll pass for the sake of my children’s sanity. FYI clothes don’t have to be folded to be neat. No one sees the drawers except you and the kids so why the need to be excessively neat? Sounds like more stress than necessary.
Great system if you are living in a big house. My kids share room and we only have a small storage so I couldn't get away with not folding. There is no laundry room either, just a cupboard in the kitchen. I do do a load everyday and kids are encouraged to wear clothes more than once(apart from underwear and socks) and that helps not having my life consumed by laundry.
Good tips but not having a family and doing laundry just for me I love folding.
Socks included, but I have changed multicolored socks into the same black color so I don’t have to search as much to pair them up.
But I have paired down my wardrobe so there is not too much clothes, probably would run out after 1 & 1/2 week.
My dresses of which my wardrobe consist most of do get hung up. But tops, t-shirt, leggings & underwear get folded.
KonMari way which means I don’t have to pull things out or move around to find them. And no floorwardrobe.
YES. People freak out about mismatched socks... there's the answer just buy all the same colour and style! Crisis averted.
This changed my life! Thank you so much! No more folding for hours, I do laundry daily for 10 mins and it’s done! Thank you!!
How can you not match socks?? It certainly eliminates searching for matches in the morning when you're trying to dress a toddler. Towels can go days without getting folded because we go through towels every day. I hang up most of the clothes so folding is down to a minimum - t shirts, pjs, shorts, towels, tablecloths, bedding, winter blankets and baby blankets.
Haha, I didn't mention it in the video, but I've simplified their socks, too, so its easy to grab pairs out of the baskets. But I know it isn't for everyone ;)
I've simplified our socks for our family of five by only purchasing sets of 6 socks for each family member, so they are all the same. Maybe not as fun but it makes laundry easier.
If you have more then 1 kids you should buy same colour for all.
@@alexandra2010ify1 and just marker the sizes in them . That way you know who is what size!
We wash and dry each child's socks in their own zippered delicates or sweater bag. We only buy white socks, and hand each child their bag of socks from the dryer and everyone has the right size and any two socks they grab are a match.
Thank you so much for sharing! I have been doing your method for over a week now and I'm sold! I've made it our own but your building blocks were amazing. We paired down and I wash every day or every other day at the most. All done and dusted in about 15 minutes! I still pair socks and I hang mine and hubby's pants a d coats and that's it. My kids no longer complain about putting their laundry away either! So amazing! Folding was where my system fell over. Not any more!
This is so awesome to hear! And I like how you said that you made it yours, and that your kids no longer complain, I hope this encourages other parents! Thank you for sharing!!!
I had my family (husband and 4 kids) bring their laundry to the laundry room and sort it into 4 different hampers - towels, white, dark and coloreds. That saved me sorting time as I'd just dump in a white load or a dark load etc. But I gave the job over to them as soon as they hit their early teens - each of them does their own laundry now.
How does your family get their clothes out of the bins up there near the ceiling? I'm clearly missing a crucial part of the system.
What a great system! I’m not sure this system would work for my family of 11, but it sure did give me some ideas and gets me motivated to come up with a system that works! Thanks so much for sharing.
Ok. Living in England most of us don’t have the luxury of having a laundry room so count your blessings. If everyone brought their washing to the laundry room & put it into a bin ready to be sorted by MM/Hubby. MM or H, sorts into whites, coloureds, towels, bedding,etc. Have bins labelled. As soon as one becomes full, load into washing machine. 1 wash per night. Either hang outside to dry or tumble dry. When dry, folding and smoothing out as you go, sort into people & places bins. People bins collected by people to put away in their own rooms. MM or hubby takes places bins to places, kitchen, bathroom wherever they come from & puts away, returning empty bins to laundry room. Laundry bins for he children can be little caddies, small enough for a child to hold but it teaches the kids that the laundry caddie is where the dirty laundry goes to take to the laundry room & when they collect it it will have clean folded clothes ready for them to put away. Having 6 kids should be like having 6 little helpers! Reinforce the behaviour you want them to have. Take the time to show & tell them & repeat until they get it right. Keep a star chart in the laundry room so a star can be added each time they do it right & reward them at the end of the week.
This. Is. Awesome!!! I love: "Take the time to show & tell them & repeat until they get it right." Amen!!!
I agree. Apply the same system to your 'other half' if they have trouble contributing to the system too! Don't accept less. Be calm and kind but be persistent.
Getting clothes to dry is the problem. Tumble dryers are very expensive to run and the weather in Ireland can be precarious at best.
Amen!!! I do NOT fold any of my kids clothes! Or pair socks. I haven't done either of those for over a year
I just realized how silly it is of me to be folding my 7 year olds play clothes, he just unfolds them and throws them in the drawer anyway, so why should I fold them!?!?! Not any more....
Lol, love this!!! :)
Oh my lord... getting back to you on how its been going in our house.... i didnt fold kids tshirt, or pant, didnt matched socks... and it was easy breeze to manage laundry... it totally took a heavy weight from me and laundry stress that you cant imagine (or may be can) thr finding amsome socks for kids (one of them complained then i showed him how easy it was to match when getting dressed) it was like an epifany... i gave myself permission to let go of control and it was ok and a bomb didnt exploded... is a midset shift that totally releases you... thank you. This and fly lady and changing our family life...
YAY! I'm so excited to hear this!!!! And thank you for sharing, I know it will inspire others!!!!!! :)
Ahh!! Best video ever!!!! Laundry overwhelms me. I hate my laundry room, and 90% of the time a load is on a living room chair waiting to be folded. My husband and kids would LOVE this system! STARTING NOW! WOOHOO!!!!
Thank you! I hope you find something that works well in your house :)
I stopped folding underwear a little while ago, they now get sorted by person as they come out of dryer and put straight into compartments in each persons dedicated area. I still pair socks, but have recently dedicated this as a chore for my daughters pocket money. We are lucky enough to have a spare room, which was supposed to be my craft room, but I have dedicated a large amount of it as a dressing room for all of us so that, like you, I don't have to traipse around the house with laundry. Everything is in the one room which makes life so much easier.
LOVE this idea!!!
I hang all clothes on hangers. No kids, so it's easy. Underware thrown in baskets, no linen closet so towels folded in a drawer.
We do laundry once every 3/4 days and my time saver is having everyone sort socks separately from the clothes. The socks get washed in the delicates bag and then poured out on the kitchen table to be sorted by owner. Total game changer!! And the reason why we did this at first was when my husbands sock got sucked into the washer’s water pump.
I don’t quite understand the system. Does your husband and the 2 young boys get dressed in the laundry room? Where are your clothes? Isn’t it a pain for your kids to go through the bin of socks everyday?
Good questions! My husband grabs the clothes he needs before he showers in the morning and then changes in the bathroom. But yes, our two boys change in the laundry room. My clothes are in our bedroom. And because we've simplified our kids' socks (I failed to mention that in the video), they only have white socks and black socks, so any two white socks can be worn together and any two black socks, so it isn't a big deal to quickly grab a pair.
I think it’s great to find what works for you! We’re a family of 5 and expats living in India. We have definitely adapted the minimalist approach. I definitely have to fold, that’s just me, but I have picnic baskets for my 3 boys. They put all of their own clothes away and one of my boys hangs the washing out! (No dryer here and no washing line just clothes horses). But socks.....I just put them in a basket too.....they can find their own pair😂
Where is your laundry stickers from in the storage bin? I absolutely love that. You’ve saved me so much time. Still trying to be minimal but it’s hard
Dawn, you are a genius. I wish I had that system 20 years ago when the kids were little.
Honestly I can't help thinking that anyone who freaks out about not ironing or folding really needs to reassess their priorities. I wish I could enjoy such a dull, pointless task - except I have no time for making chores MORE time consuming or difficult. Maybe I'm just jealous I can't enjoy it like a good housewife...
Lol, this made me laugh out loud! I maybe have thought the same thing ;)
I fold because things fit better in the wardrobe or drawers than just bunched up.
I'm not the cultures picture perfect housewife either. I loathe laundry day and all of the ironing etc. It's a miracle if everything is put away and everyone only has a week's worth of clothes in my house. It's safe to assume about half of us aren't OCD about tidyness and hate the mundane tasks.
@@joools1953 that's the only reason I fold ! Otherwise if I had space and more hangers everything would go up in the closet !
I fold clothes not because I enjoy it, (far from it),but because I don't want to wear wrinkled clothes. I don't want to send out my husband or kids with wrinkled clothes either, it just looks sloppy to me. I just listen to TH-cam on my phone, or music, it helps get me through it. 😉
I live in a condo so my stacked washer/dryer is all that fits in that closet so glad my teen and tween are old enough to do their laundry I show them the trick of not folding and I’ll use it too I own a standing garment steamer for quick touch ups learned a lot thanks
I never fold. (Unless the item calls for it) as for socks, I have up trying to pair them as one sock seemed to last longer than the other. So now I just buy black ones so it's hard to tell that I'm wearing odd socks.
I loved this video. As a single mom of three I must say I HATE LAUNDRY! I love that you created a system that works for you and your family. I am going to try your system. Thanks again🙂
I wish I could not fold underwear. We live in a small apartment and if things aren't folded they don't fit into drawers😥. I also wish I could do no excuses. My husband is so lazy he just shoves things off the bed and goes to sleep😓. How did you get your family on board with this rule?
I don't fold any of my kids clothes, our under ware or socks. I have also started buying strictly black socks for myself and my husband, so no more struggling to find pairs. We will be moving into a small house with no space for laundry baskets, and I will be implementing that the washing machine is the new baskets! Great video!
You lost me at not folding...or matching socks!!!
Hahah, its not for everyone!!
not folding means sloppy in my book
Lori Nelson you can buy the same color of socks like black or grey then you don’t have to match it.
That doesn't account for size differences. There is still going to be time waste trying to find the mate :/
Totally it doesn't really that much take time and it's a good way go involve the kids in doing the I chores
I love the way you involve all the family in the process, even your kids from young age as there's no reason why they can't do it. Too many women feel that they have to do everything for everyone.
Binge watching you're videos😂
Dawn, your videos are fabulous. thank you. It is just my husband and myself but I SO enjoy watching you and gleening what works for us. Over the years I have had various laundry "systems". I realize this is not a method for everyone and this will not easily work with several kids. But... My favorite and current and best system for laundry works for us (as we do not have children at home). I have 4 lightweight, see-through laundry bags hanging from hooks in our master closet; darks, mediums, lights, and delicate. When a bag has enough for a load or two. I take the bag to the washing machine and run a load in the evening while we watch a movie or do another activity. This method has all of the clothes already sorted and ready for the washer. I love it. The most difficult system was when we had a laundry chute that collected clothes in a bag in the lower level laundry room. I had to unzip the bottom of the bag and watched all the clothes tumble from the bag. Then I had to sort them. Usually there were more clothes than I wanted to wash at that time. Then I had to stuff them back in until the next time when I did another couple of loads. Awful... I'm just saying.