Join us for the ALL DAY DECLUTTER, this Saturday: cli.re/Take-Your-House-Back-Dawn If you need motivation, accountability and encouragement, will you please allow us to help you Take Your House Back? We know you can get your house decluttered and it would be an honor to help you! I hope to see you on Saturday! - Dawn
Have you thought about asking Tom to see if it’s possible to change the swing on your dryer door to the other side? As it now is, the door is kinda in your way, so to speak, and you are (probably subconsciously) having to take a step back to switch loads each time. It’s poor body mechanics; changing it (if possible) will have a cumulative impact on your fatigue levels. Try it!
Laundry tip: remember a bath towel can be used by a person multiple times. After drying off after a bath/shower, the towel is not dirty, it is just damp. Hang it to dry. This will cut down on tons of laundry.
@@dawnforlifemy apartment has too much humidity. The towels never dry. I think we reused towels before we lived here. I feel so wasteful washing towels after a single use.
I had a huge laundry win yesterday. I have young kids (6, 4, and 2), so we took your advice a few years ago and we store their clothes in the laundry room. I was folding my clothes and asked them to come in and put theirs away. My 4 year old said, "I think my shirt bin is getting too full. I'm going to find some to get rid of." And then her sisters followed her lead. We had a huge clothing declutter, not at all prompted by me. It was awesome!!
This really does illustrate the power of our momma's words and actions. Kids follow your lead. How they see themselves. How they treat others. How they relate to the things in their world. My mom kept everything. She saved our good clothes to be worn for special times, so they hung in a closet until we outgrew them, never worn. I never SAW her decluttering anything. The mentality was to keep. Sentimentality. Frugality. All the reasons people keep things. I saw that. But I never saw the letting go. I heard the reasons to keep, but never the reasons to declutter. She must have gotten rid of things over the years, but I never saw it. She probably did it while I was at school and she never mentioned it. Not my things. She never decluttered our things because her things had been given away without her consent. Mommas bring their own wounds into the story. It shapes how they raise their kids. So I understand my mom's thinking. She was born and raised during the depression. It shaped how people related to things. I had to unlearn some of those things and learn to declutter at 60+ years of age. Momma's words stay with you. They shape you. I think decluttering with kids and in front of them is the best thing for them. They're learning the easy way, instead of the hard way, the benefits of decluttering. Kudos to you mommas! 👏👏👏
Dawn, did you know you can switch the laundry door so it swings away from the washer? It makes switching laundry way easier!!! Hey Tom- add this to your to-do list 😉
Love that Dawn gives multiple options and isn’t apologetic anymore about what works for her family. And you know she cares because she’s always linking to other people’s videos. She really just wants to help-no matter what methods works for another person.
Speaking of cutting down dryer time, if no one has posted this yet, here's a hack I learned (maybe from Dana? haha - don't remember!): put a dry towel in with your wet clothes. It has reduced my drying time by 30% to 50% depending on the load! Also, we opted to putting our donation bin in the laundry room, so it collects everyone's freshly cleaned donations & doesn't take up space in everyone's individual, valuable closet real estate. Thanks Dawn!
I don’t even make a donation bin or bag anymore. Donations go right by the front door like trash. Bags are in the van ready to be filled. Occasionally I’ll use a donation item for rags or pet bedding.
There is something so interesting between different cultures. I am from Eastern Europe and never even thought that laundry time could be such a big of a deal. But apparently it is sooo big for American households. I am not judging, just noticing those big cultural differences. I would never even think back in Europe that I need to come up with some laundry system or meal planning system or any another kind of systems. Maybe it is because the average american household has too much of everything that without some kind of a system you won’t be able to manage it. I am in America for over 12 years and don’t have any systems in my house. Doing laundry when have dirty items, cooking food from what I have on hand. Don’t do weekly grocery shopping, always buying fresh food and eating it the same day ( leaving close to many stores, sorry, not everyone in America has this great opportunity). Never buying more than I need and do not “collect” stuff, don’t have any sentimental feelings for items, only for people. Maybe I am already minimalist? Maybe the society I am coming from never learned how to want always more and more and just be ok with what you have? But I like your videos and will keep watching them just for fun and for your support. Thank you.
I'm curious to know if Europeans statistically have as many children as Americans, and also if they homeschool said children. Maybe that makes a difference too. 🤷♀️
@@hannahmcmillan5712 These are the figures from Google for the UK - Of all families with dependent children, families with one child made up 44% (3.6 million) in 2022. Families with two children made up 41% (3.4 million), and families with three or more children made up 15% (1.2 million). Housing and childcare is expensive and the majority of houses are smaller than the USA so all this limits the number of children we have. We have paid maternity leave of up to 39 weeks, up to 6 weeks paid holiday and of course all healthcare is free, food is cheaper so there are many balancing factors. Homeschooling is not very common.
@@hannahmcmillan5712 most families have like 2 kids and no home schooling is not a European thing for sure. However last three years changed a lot. Maybe you are right and it has some correlation with the size if the family. Also European apartments half size of the smallest house in US. And that naturally stops from bringing a lot to the house. Another factor - public transportation and proximity to many stores on the walking distance. Which is not the case in US.
One big difference I am noticing is the size of the loads. My washer and dryer have quite large drums (we specifically picked them this way), so they handle many more clothes at a time. I see the size of load Dawn is putting in, and I am certain I put in at least 3-4x that amount every time (and I don't overstuff either, but make sure it is mostly full.) I mean, hers nicely fits in a small basket that she holds with one arm!! Mine is a large basket that is filled to overflowing and requires two hands to hold. The loads take longer to fold once done, but I don't have to do it as frequently. Also, depending on the washer sensor, it could actually be wasteful and expensive to wash small loads as frequently as this video if water is filling unnecessarily in an empty space. It's something others may want to consider - the size of your washer.
A tip for those items you want to hang dry instead of going into the dryer: I bought white delicates bags in an assortment of sizes. If it is in a bag, hang it. You can toss them in with the regular load and they are easy to spot when moving the laundry from one place to the other. You can just toss it in the hamper with everything else and you know it won't get lost in the shuffle. It's awesome. I am even doing better at not drying stuff I didn't want to fuss with before. That should help them last longer.
When my kids were still home, finding folded clean clothes in the laundry was my biggest pet peeve. I called them “clearties”. The final solution was becoming an empty nester. I’ve watched you and other TH-camrs dump laundry into the machine. I never dumped things into the washer without checking pockets, etc….. since the fuschia crayon incident of 1976….. okay, I’m old, but I didn’t forget!
I check pockets each and every time and still miss the occasional tissue/lip balm. That really bothered me when I saw Dawn just toss everything in the washer without checking the pockets. 😊
My household is adults only, and pretty responsible with pocket clearing. But the occasional receipt or coin will make its way in. It's annoying, but also rare enough that I don't check pockets before dumping things in. It's really about the individuals in the household. Can you trust them to be consistent about emptying their pockets?
My laundry routine: 1) Do loads of laundry by person to eliminate sorting all together. 2) Keep baskets in rooms. When basket is full, wash. 3) Wash all clothes in cold, towels in hot, sheets in warm on normal setting. 4) Wash kids clothes and sheets with all clear detergent & messy eater stain remover, adults clothes with Tide, and towels & blankets with diva glamorous. All in cold but towels. 5) Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Add one scoop of oxiclean. Add 1/2 sheet color catcher. 6) Dry towels & blankets on normal and all other items on delicate setting. Use dryer balls instead of sheets. 7) If load sits for an extended time, dry at normal heat to fluff for 5 mins (add ice cube optional). 8) Dump clean clothes on beds to be put away before bed. 9) Hang dress shirts. Fold jeans. No fold methods for all other items. 10) Make your laundry room aesthetically pleasing. It helps! Perfect laundry every time.
I've never heard of an ice cube. Plus I don't have any. :) I use a hand towel I get partially wet and wring out. More wrung out of not fluffi g much, more wet if bigger load I'm de-wrinkling. But I absolutely love not ironing. Haven't done it for years.
Best hack you ever gave me was to not worry about folding kids play clothes. I never fold ours and I hang their church clothes. Best time saver ever! 🥰😍
One tip for ‘no dry’ is to put that item into a mesh bag or delicates bag when putting into hamper/washer. And then anyone pulling things from washer knows those don’t go in dryer.
We are a family of 6 and I honestly don't think laundry is that big of deal. Everyone has enough underwear and socks to last 7+ days, kids do their own laundry, I fold stuff while watching TV like every 10 days. I would hate doing laundry every day. It's something I barely think about.
In the UK it is unusual to have a separate laundry room and the predominant style of washing machine is front-loading. I have just gotten rid of my dryer and line dry outside on good days or on home-made drying racks in my conservatory on wet days
It is interesting to know how different it is in other countries. Here in Sweden nobody and I promise you, nobody has the washer/dryer in the garage. Everybody has a separate laundry room and all machines are front loaders. One exception, the smaller machine (mostly for a single household) you can install in a bathroom is top loaded. For us it's so weird that anybody would wash clothes in the garage. Houses built before driers were invented have a room (next to the washing room) with wiring in the ceiling just for drying clothes.
Definitely get your kids involved young. My son wanted to help as a toddler by age 3 he could do a load on his own. Was it folded perfect, nope, but he loved doing it at that age and now at 16 he’s a pro. I don’t have to touch his laundry!
Dawn, you may want to have Tom check the door on your dryer to see if it can be reversed. That way the door can be opened the other direction and make it easier transfer from washer to dryer. Worth looking in to.
I wanted to share my favorite tips for laundry too. 1- if you have a small load going into the dryer or your dryer takes more than one cycle to dry your items, throw in a bath towel with the load. The towel will help distribute the heat and humidity. 2- my stain remover of choice is dawn dish soap and a toothbrush and a little cold water on the spot you need to treat. Thanks Dawn for all you do!
Even better for stain removal, I randomly tried the dawn power wash because the back of the bottle actually recommends itself for stain removal! It’s amazing and gets blood out of clothes easily! Also bought a used winter coat for my son and it had a couple dark grey/black spots that coats get. I sprayed with dawn power wash and the coat came out looking brand new! I love that stuff 😊
I've been using vinegar in my wash for years. And yes, i put it directly in the tub with the soap. I use dryer balls in the dryer and my towels are nice and soft:)
Vinegar binds with soap to remove it, (and the dirt it's captured), out of your fabrics and your pipes! (I learned this from a chemical engineer). I fill the fabric softener dispenser with plain, white vinegar and don't use fabric softener liquid/sheets, which can leave grease spots on your clothes. Been doing this for 30 years. It works great!😊
One tip I would offer for drying (in an apartment dryer anyway) is running clothes on air fluff for one cycle, then hanging up after that. Prevents static (heat is the major culprit there), saves on electricity, but also shortens the dry time compared to just hanging straight from the washer :)
So true. In the movie far away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise is teaching Nicole how to wash clothes using a washboard. She was twirling her clothes in the tub of water thinking they were going to get clean. 🤣 He said you need to “dunk and scrub.” The agitator works like the scrub board. I had a washing machine that didn’t have an agitator and none of my baby clothes would get clean because they’re only rubbing against each other. I only had it for six months before replacing it.
Did you know a lot of the newer model top load washers have fake agitators in them? Meaning they don’t actually agitate they just look like it. And they hardly fill at all because of the new water saver laws. My husband works on appliances and he gets complaints all the time about it. They just don’t make anything like the old things. Real working agitators in the old washers definitely washed clothes way better then the new ones coming out.
I have a GREAT tip that I only recently started doing. I was thinking of ways to simplify my linens, and I came up with the idea to have the SAME towels in every bathroom!! What????? I'm 48yrs old and I've always had different towels for every bathroom, whether it's a full bath or half bath. I liked to decorate each bathroom differently and have different colors. Well, no more! Now I, and every family member or guest, can just open the linen closet for new towels and not have to wonder which towels go where. It also simplifies putting away laundry. Sometimes my husband or kids would need a new towel before laundry day, so they'd go get a clean one from the closet. I'd always get annoyed that they chose the towel for a different bathroom, then I'd have to switch them out, wash the extra towel and get it to the right place before it's needed there. So I got rid of all those colors, went to the store and grabbed enough of one color for two full and two half baths, and enough for guests. I don't even have to have as many as I used to. I also made all our grubby/clean-up towels one color. So if someone asks "which towels can I use to clean up this mess?" I can say "Anything blue!" I'm telling you, my heart is happy with this new system :)
Me too! I keep a small bottle at the washing machine. I have also used that Dawn Power Spray on stains. I have used it because I bought a pack of 2 and feel like it was kind of a waste, lol, so I’m trying to use it and it’s handy. Dawn takes old oily stains out easily even after they’ve been dried. Also hair color!! As a hairdresser, I can’t be w/o it!
Fully completing a task at one time is a really good feeling. When I retired, I decided to stop multitasking everything and life is much more satisfying.
We did too because I worked in an office and hubby worked in a steel fabricating plant, no way was his metal shaving, rust covered, sweat soaked clothes going to nestle next to my dress slacks and white blouses waiting to be washed.
Great tips Dawn I have cut down massively on the amount of washing I do due to the huge increases in energy costs. I still like to wash my towels after each use but I dry them outside or over an airer .
My kids get dressed in the formal dining room, it really works for the flow of our house. Their clothes are in labelled bins inside the buffet, since I don’t have formal dishes or dish-ware, it’s odd but we love it!
Awesome tips. Thanks ❤. I’ve reduced my laundry routine down tremendously over the years by trying out different things that work for our home. #1 thing that made the biggest difference was reducing the amount of clothing I own and streamlining my laundry products.
Moving the washing machine to the main level was a game changer! Basement laundry days I just moved all the kids clothes down there. First thing in the morning I would go down, swap laundry and pick out their clothes for the day. Still a pain, but at least I wasn’t making so many inefficient trips to the upstairs. Two flights just to put clothes away when the kids were tiny. Only to go up and down also to gather the clothes to wear that day! Current situation is a “dressing room” laundry and three of four members of the family’s clothes! Plus a vanity to get ready and a comfy chair for visiting. Funny how this is one of the best gathering places in our house some days😮
A tip that I like is to hang all your shirts to dry in hangers. Smooth it out once then let dry...then when dry just pick up all the hangers and put them in their closets..no folding. Even with your dry rack, Dawn, you can fold the shirt on it with the top hanging down and put hangers on them and still grab all the hangers when dry. I love your ideas too💕 Also someone said if you wash your clothes in cold water you can wash lights and darks together. It works. ❤ and you don't have to wait to get enough of lights or darks for a load.
This is hitting home today! I’m sitting in my living room with 4 loads folded, not put away and 4 baskets of clean clothes not even folded. I clearly need to declutter more clothes and I need to take your process on!
I used to have 3 loads just sitting there and I'd get so overwhelmed I just let it all pile up. One day I had enough and washed everything all over again put it up and swore I would only have 1 hamper to wash and put up a week. Its been so hard to train myself but it's helped me so so much to avoid the pile up. I also stopped folding clothes. Everything gets hung up and underwear goes in one of those criss cross organizers. I would fold everything konmari method and thats why I would dread putting it up, I was making it difficult for myself to succeed
What a wonderful afternoon of worship music and a video from Dawn while doing…laundry! Haha perfect timing! You’ve been such a blessing in our family, Dawn. Having simplified our clothes and house over the last several years since finding you has been such a help to our family! I believe God has used you to help me learn how to manage our home in such a way that it functions better for all of us, and we are able to have more bandwidth to reach out to others as God leads! Thank you!❤
I couldn’t have said it better myself! She has truly blessed me on my simplification journey and it’s bringing the joy back to motherhood and related tasks.
My mom, myself and my daughter have always done laundry once a week. That way there's enough to make it worth the time to do it. My daughter also has energy restrictions (no major appliances used from 5 to 8pm), so she does all her laundry on Saturday. By doing all the laundry at once, we can also focus on mending and ironing as needed.
I can say that I have benefited from all of your videos, Dawn. But this one takes the cake! I immediately applied this idea in my laundry room. I am using the adjustable shelves inside the laundry closet, having each one hold a basket labeled either darks, white, or delicates. Now, when my husband comes home from work, he immediately puts his work clothes in one of these baskets, and at the end of the day, we each do the same with any dirty clothes. It has really made laundry easier! Then, today, I applied, the advice to greatly reduce the inventory of towels. I went through each bathroom and section of the home where I had stored towels and other linens, and filled a big bin with what I now realize I don’t really need. Another layer of the onion! I had already done this with our clothes closet. Excellent advice. Thank you so much for what you do, Dawn! Sending love!
Your laundry method has literally saved my life. I'm a working mom of 2, and I always feel like I could never get on top of my laundry. I always felt embarrassed about it. Last week I decided I'd discipline myself and do one load (sometimes 2) it needed. I even went to target and bought your baskets and got rid of my hampers. I've been able to stick to this routine for almost 2 weeks and I've never done this my entire life! Thank you so much. I love your videos because they are so practical and you're a working mom so I can totally relate to you. I wish I could give you a hug!
My husband is a heavy equipment mechanic, so everyday his clothes have some kind of oil or grease on them. The Best thing we have found is the Spray spot remover from dollar Tree! He sprays his clothes after he takes them off and places them in his dirty clothes hamper. Even if he forgets I spray them before washing them and they come out remarkably clean! I put the laundry soap in the washer before the clothes ! We use less laundry soap than suggested after learning He (high efficiency) washers require less laundry soap! This has been a game changer for us. I've been following you Dawn for over a year now and have decluttered so much inventory.. including clothing and that has made a huge difference in the amount of clothes available to be dirty!
Dawn saying "I love you" at the end felt so motherly/sisterly and made me smile ❤ thank you for your tips Dawn! I strive to create a better life and home environment for myself and family because of your content. Thank you so much!!
Top load vs front load: I’ve had both and I prefer top load. My front load was a lemon of a washer. It never cleaned the clothes well, or spun them dry well. And it was stinky. And I’m a big fan of vinegar in the wash. It’s great at tackling odours, and helps to soften the water if you’re on a well.
When I moved into an apartment, it had been vacant and its front-load washer's door had been neatly closed for two or three months. The washer stank. I figured the washer door ought to be left open, the same as the top-loading washers I was used to, so it can dry out between uses. I left it open. After a few days the smell was gone and hasn't come back. Even leaving it just a couple of inches open works.
Americans are so lucky to have laundry rooms! We just have a washing machine in the kitchen, which is so noisy! And we end up with laundry drying around the house. I'd love a laundry room like this, it's a great set up! Love your videos as always ❤
Right! Our washing machine is also in the kitchen, and use of a dryer is taboo in my country because there is an electricity crisis. So clean laundry is constantly drying in the lounge or bedroom. I feel like hanging takes so long that I'm completely unmotivated to fold when things are finally dry.
Same here, ladies. I'm in the UK. I can only dream of a laundry room. Washing machine is in my tiny kitchen. I have a tumble dryer in a cupboard, but don't use it because of the cost of electricity. I dry clothes outside, weather permitting. Otherwise it's hung indoors. One of my better purchases has been a dehumidifier. Cheaper to run than a tumble dryer, it literally sucks the moisture out of my laundry. Oh, and I always spin my clothes twice. It's amazing how much water comes out after a second spin.
Me, too....I just wouldn't/couldn't wash everything together...Horrifying to me also....I guess it's the way I was taught and some clothes are just dirtier than others. I can't envision myself doing it any different...Not even with today's types of laundry supplies...
Laundry tip: I have a command hook stuck to the side of my washer. On this hook we hang a white lingerie bag. This bag is for items that need to be pulled out while moving the load to the dryer to air dry. Also, on the hook we hang a black lingerie bag when the grandkids visit. This is a good place to corral all of their little socks, and misc pieces. The black indicates that these items can go through a dryer cycle.
We cut out fabric softener completely when we started cloth diapering our babies because the softener is not only bad for the diapers, but it can also leave a residue in your dryer from other loads. Guess what - we noticed NO difference in lint/static and we have a long-hair cat! We only noticed a difference in the softness of towels, but that softness makes them less absorbent so I actually prefer them a little "scratchy" if they work better. Our clothes feel cleaner and don't hold onto bad smells as much, it's less clutter in my laundry room, one less thing to inventory. Never going back!
We have one hamper in our house. When it is full I take it to the washing machine in the basement and sort one load into it and everything else goes into a rolling cart that holds 3 bags. Usually do one load a day. Even my 3 year old helps with laundry. His clothes are in bins with pictures on the front. I do not fold his clothes. He drags the basket to his room and is able to put most things away on his own. He then sits the basket in the designated spot in the hall near the basement door for me to take down with me when I need to. Love this system for us for now.
We live in a small house (768 sq ft), so our washer is in the bathroom & the dryer is in the kitchen. It's a pain, but that's the only choice for now. I used to do laundry once a wk & I had back surgery & my Hubby started doing laundry & would do it every 2 to 3 days. I've gotten to where I like that & so I started doing it too. We put a tote on top of the washer & when it's full, we both know it's time to do a load of laundry. We don't even use our regular hampers anymore. 😊
I love my front-load washer. I feel that it's gentler on the clothes and gets them cleaner than the new top-load washers. I make sure that I leave the door wide open and pull out the detergent dispensing drawer to dry when done. I do put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser but I've only been doing that for towels. I've never had a problem with it ruining the washer. Based on Dawn's smaller baskets for dirty laundry, I just bought 3 smaller baskets for my closet so I can sort the darks, mediums, and whites. When one is full, I do that load. My bedroom is on the top floor and the laundry is on the lower level so it's not super convenient. I hate hauling a large, heavy clothes basket to do all of the laundry at one time. I'm really hoping these smaller baskets and doing one load as needed will work for me.
Borax is also helpful in getting out bad smells. A lot of times guys just have funky smelling clothes. If you don’t get the funk out of them, it breeds on other clothes that are washed in the same or subsequent loads. It might not get all of the funk out, but most of it. Sometimes you can add white vinegar to a pre-wash or to a rinse to help disinfect and help with smell.
For us, we limit clothing that are unnecessarily thick. Because we live in Singapore where it’s hot and humid we have to change clothing quite often in the day and we also hang dry our clothes . We try to buy woven versions of clothing instead of thicker tee shirt or waffle towels instead of extremely thick terry towels
That video she linked to changed my life. Doing clothes by people helped so much. My oldest daughter still does that. I got so sick of rewashing clean clothes over and over, I created a family closet for my younger kids to have clothes with Dad and I. It's so much easier to put clothes away. Then we moved overseas in suitcases and the tiny washer and factoring hang dry time by season... It's a whole new thing! Watching this video got me inspired again. I need to clean the space around the washer more deliberately. I'd LOVE to have baskets like she uses. I'll have to think about that. But currently there's too much random laundry showing up where it shouldn't. So I need to revisit that. But clothes come off the line and pretty much get put away quickly, so woohoo! No more laundry mountain!
I love the idea of using the "no dryer" chip-clip! I started writing on the top of the washer with dry-erase marker "hang wool dress to dry" etc. if there's something in the load that can't go in the dryer.
Microfiber - not sure what type of microfiber cleaning cloths you have, but the type I have and what I’ve seen about them says to wash them in cold or cool water and low heat dryer. It says hot can damage the fibers. I know brands can all be different, but something to check. A lot of great laundry tips in the video!
I use white vinegar in the washer (not the dispenser) for my towels and have done so for years. My washer is 13 years old. I also have a dryer towel. Basically it's a dry towel I throw in the dryer with my wet clothes. It seems to help them dry faster.
I had six kids (Now grown) and we had a hamper in the bathroom. I put clothes in the washer, set a timer. When the timer went off I switched it over to the dryer.(Otherwise I would get busy and forget about it.) My big tip is...fold the laundry and match up socks as you get it out of the dryer!... making separate piles per each child's clothes. I placed the folded laundry in a large blue Ikea bag(I'm like Mary Poppins. Lol) and head back up the basement stairs putting the child's folded clothes on the foot of their bed for them to put away when they got home from school. It worked fantastic. As they got older, they did their own laundry. Well, unless I needed some more clothes to make a full load.
The stain remover from the dollar tree is AMAZING. It's called LA's totally awesome (cause it is.) Laundry pre-wash stain remover. It gets everything out!
Laundry strategies here (2 people). We have one basket right nxt to washer/dryer. No other hampers/baskets. I wash everything together, on cold, with DIY powder detergent. When things get dirty, if dry, it goes directly into machine. If damp, it goes into basket. Run loads as needed, when machine is fullish, & add the basket stuff then. The 3 dryer balls live in the dryer, all the time, so I never have to search for them. Almost everything goes into dryer, & I'll turn timer for 20 mn., when I remove the fussier things that then need to be hung, & return everything else to dryer to finish. I fold everything soon as it's dried. Sheets, towels, bath matt, rugs all are washed on wkend. Only stain remover is mixed as needed. DIY recipe is taped to peroxide bottle. You only mix what you'll use up right away.
We switched back to top load too. I completely agree! Also completing the load through to putting clean away is so simple when you do a load a day. We follow all these same processes. Thanks Dawn.
I have always washed, dried and folded right away. I have never had a back up of laundry to do. Good idea for those who have problems with getting it all done.
Family of 6 here 🙋🏻♀ Well... my kids are grown, and my husband died from cancer in 2020, but your video brings back memories. I used to have 3 full-size hampers in my bedroom: 1 green, 1 blue and 1 white. The kids were taught very young to put their dirty laundry in the correct hamper: green for warm, blue for cold, and white for hot - and I would toss in a load once a hamper was half-full. When the laundry was dry, I would place each person's clothes on their bed for them to put away. Nowadays, it's just me and two of my adult children in the house, and we each do our own laundry. It's such a hoot that I do laundry only once every 7-10 days and have one or two loads.
We also had two hampers in our laundry room. One for dark clothes and one for bright clothes. Each family member had their own basket for clean clothes. Every Tuesday and Saturday was "clean my room and get my clean clothes"-day. I refuse to put anybodys clothes away but my own. My kids are grown but I still remember what colour basket each child had.
When our kids were pre-teens, we went to the do-your-own system, as I tired of the sorting and leaving baskets or small stacks at the stairs for them to take to their rooms, and they tired of always having something there! We have only 4 people so we all chose a day and you were required to wash, dry or hang to dry, and remove your stuff by end of day. It worked so well! And left the machine open often for me to do rugs, towels, linens, etc, as needed. Now in our empty nest years we mostly do our own still. It’s just what we’ve grown used to and it works best for us.
Top vs Front Load washer thoughts. I like the front load washer primarily for my children's sake! The young ones love to help load or move the clothes, and the older-but-not-tall-enough-to-reach-the-bottom-of-top-load-washer-drum can be more independent with their laundry. I had looked up tips online to prevent mildew smell. The best two are 1) when moving clothes from washer to dryer, use a cloth to wipe dry the inside of the door and the rubber part just inside the washer. Do this each time (habit), even if you're starting another load right away. I just use the same microfiber cloth each time until it needs washed itself. 2) Use the washer cleaner pods, powders, whatever like Dawn suggested; and use as recommended. (Usually 1-2 times a month). We don't get "stink" when we do these things.
Your son is so cute and always looks happy to be helping mom in her videos! Think he has the makings of a future youtuber! Probably all your kids! Thanks so much Dawn for another video fulll of fabulous ideas!! 😃
In the UK a lot of houses have their washing machine in the kitchen, as there’s no room for a utility/laundry room. A lot of people also put their clothes etc on the line. I don’t & use my tumble dryer all through the year. Some people criticise me for this & say how expensive a tumble dryer is to run but I don’t find it that expensive. I hate loads of damp washing around the house on clothes horses & radiators & with a tumble dryer you don’t have that. I have separate flannels, 1 for my face etc & one for my bits. I could never wash my face etc on the same flannel that I’ve used on my bits.
I turn any shirts or clothes that are more delicate or that I don't want to look worn inside out before washing. I don't usually bother to put them right side out before hanging them. It keeps my delicate items looking new and any printed shirts lasting longer.
I have the same washer/dryer set. I also had a front loader and decided I didn't like it. I don't use washer cleaner; I just wash towels on hot with bleach. Our son just turned 13 and he has been doing his own laundry for a couple years. About 15 years ago at a MOPS group, my friend Dawn who has 7 kids and a husband that was traveling, shared the mixed laundry method. Game changer! Just throw everything except your special items all at once. Minimal sorting. No waiting for a full load. We have mostly dark clothes anyways so it works well for us.
TIP: SOCKS! Before washing, right-side out, put one sock over your hand then place matching one over it. 1) No more lost socks. 2)Saves sorting later. PAIR NOW, NO DESPAIR. 😊
My laundry system has worked for me for going on 8 years. 🙌 Sunday - I do not laundry, but do set a phone reminder to do a cleaning cycle on the first Sunday of the month. Mon - I wash sheets (ours and children's every other week) Tues - I wash all my cleaning rags and hand towels Wed - my husband's and my clothes (we share a hamper in our room) Thurs - my 11yo washes hers and her 5yo sister's clothes (they share a hamper in their room) Fri - my 13yo daughter and my 7yo son wash their clothes together (they have their own hamper in their own rooms) Sat - catch up or none My laundry room is also our pantry and there is no room for keeping any dirty laundry in it except for my dirty rags since it's next to our kitchen. We use Dropps pods, unscented soap and the booster. Also include baking soda (freshens) and vinegar (softens). I use the SwirlzGirls too (got it for my dishwasher too). And I use dryer balls too. I don't find them super hard to find and I keep them stored in my dryer.
I love, LOVE my old top loader with agitator!! ❤️ I hope to buy parts for it forever, because im never going to let it die! Lol. It does a great job and its fast, and it will soak too! Currently soaking the hubs' shop clothes! Does 2 rinses, I can't praise the thing enough! Im also team 'make make-work projects', so i hang dry all my clothes because im too cheap to run the dryer 😆🤦🏻♀️ Its fine, we're all fine. Lol.
I love doing laundry, it's my favorite household chore! Since there are just two of us in the house, I now do all my laundry in one day, generally. I subscribed to the one load a day, though when I had kids at home. This method keeps on top of things nicely and for those on a septic system, it's a must. I have a front loading machine and love it, it's nearly 20 years old! It seems to get my clothes cleaner and is very gentle on the fabrics. I use vinegar for each load and put it into the softener cup. I once had a repair mad tell me I had the cleanest machine he had ever seen, so I believe the vinegar works! Living in CA now, a top loader uses too much water in my opinion, so am happy with the water usage in the front loader. Your tips are all great! Thank you!
@helenebennie3961 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has an opinion about this! I keep wondering how these machines actually do their job. I normally wouldn't recomment, but find this topic near the top of my "I can't believe this", list. My daughter has this type of machine, and we always use the high water setting as we've washed loads that left the top layer of clothing high and dry. Seriously, the clothing never saw water and soap. I still cannot figure that one out. I also think they cause the fabric to move back and forth against other items, causing the lint you mentioned, but also more pilling and generally more wear and tear. I have yet to meet a salesperson who can explain this machine in a satisfactory way, yet people seem to love them. I'm dreading the day I have to buy a new machine!
I love many of these tips! I think I'm going to try sorting things as they come out of our laundry loads - we have large capacity washer and dryer though so it depends on the time of day when I'm pulling things out. As for losing dryer balls, my tip is to just keep store them right in dryer drum! if they start to look ratty, they can apparently be recharged/refreshed by going in the wash on the next hot water cycle you do. We also have a slightly different system for 'no dryer' items - I bought a bunch of mesh laundry bags in various sizes, and most of those items are fine to be washed in a normal load, and as we switch from washer to dryer, we know that anything in mesh bag gets hung to dry instead of thrown in the dryer!
I LOVE my front load washer. I was skeptical though. I do miss the option to fill my washer and let my clothes soak. I never could understand how clothes could get clean going in a circle, but it does work.
this is pretty much how I do my laundry already. I grew up not having washer/dryer at all, everything was handwash and hang dry, That is truly time consuming. So reading the title of this video confused me cause how can one cut down laundry time this dramatically when everyone have access to washer/dryer already. But reading how different ppl do their laundry in this post had me understand how big of a task it is for some families even if they don't need to handwash their clothes.
I'm from germany. Dryers and laundry rooms are not a big thing here. Most people I know have their wasching maschine in the basement, the garage or the bathroom. And because of the high cost for electricity using a dryer for all clothes could be verry expensive. We are a familiy of 7 and dry our clothes in the garden or on big clothes horses. Thankfully, we have a big winter garden in our house to dry clothes in winter. We have a systhem of washing every 2 days. I always make sure to fold the laundry and put it away, if its dry. I do not allow myself to park dry clothes in a basket, because I forget about them.
I’m always interested to hear about other countries. In the UK we almost always have washers/dryers in the kitchen. Some lucky people have a “utility room” which is usually off the kitchen. A dryer is a bit of a luxury item here, I feel guilty for using mine pretty much all the time.
Many parts of the US are the same. But the areas that are super hot and humid it is just not feasible to do it that way. You’d need a shower after carrying in a load of hot towels. And the machine (and clothes) would get musty immediately
I realized sorting a big pile of laundry made doing laundry feel like a overwhelming task. The solution for me was to sort my laundry into like items as I take them off of my body. Now it's super easy to just grab a basket and wash a load knowing the clothing item we need to have washed is in that load. I also took Dawn's donation bin idea and have one in my closet if I try something on and realize I don't like how it fits boom right in the basket, it's really cut down on random clothes on my bedroom chair
Long ago houses had laundry chutes. So helpful from second story to basement. I agree. Load a Day really helps. Love my Speed Queens with all sorts of customization of loads. Deferred timers are good. Have you tried loading at night and that laundry will be done in the morning? I run my machines (dishwasher and washer) to work overnight. The delayed start timers are helpful.
That magnet is great idea. In many other countries we hang all our clothes, usually outside if the weather is good, or inside if it's raining. I also love to take all the loundry right away, but it's the most difficult chore to finish.
YOUR COURSE IS SO EASY TO USE!!😊 I just bought the take your house back course! Didnt order before because I was sure it was going to be hard to use (im 51, Ive never even been on Instagram, so not super tech savvy). YOUR COURSE IS SOOOO EASY TO USE!!!!!!! 😁😁😁 Love you Dawn. I have been watching you and Clutterbig for a few years. I got rid of tons of stuff, but I just couldn't get myself to keep going and am in a stalling phase cuz i feel like there is nothing else i can get rid of ( not true cuz we still have way too much stuff) I just bought the course for myself fory birthday and my gift to myself is by Dec. 31st to complete the entire course. Thank you for making it sooooo easy to use for us that are a little less tech savvy 😊😊😊😊!
I changed my laundry system a few months ago and will never EVER turn back! We have 2nd floor laundry with our bedrooms and bathrooms so we have 1 hamper in the laundry room that we all put our things in and I try to stay on top of doing 1 load a day unless there is very little to wash. I also no longer hang or fold my son's clothes and everything is at his level to pick out his clothes and even put them away (he's 4). This has been a game-changer! One of my winter projects is going to be downsizing my closet!
There's just the 2 of us since we are empty nesters. We have pretreatment spray in our bathrooms. We pretreatment stains and into the machine the clothes go! I do a load as necessary my never have a big pile! I love that❤
Yes! I fold as it comes out of the dryer and finish the washer to the dryer. It feels so good! I love that everyone is responsible to bring it to you!❤ You're amazing! Thank you.❤🙏Jane in SC
I've used vinegar in every load of laundry for the last 35 years! I put it in the softener and rinse containers. I do use dryer sheets but I cut them in half ( I do the whole box when I open it) - saves money too!
I prefer my top loading washer. I developed the habit years ago of leaving the empty washer open for the length of time the dryer is running. This prevents mold and mildew. I have never had a smelly washer. I also, per Melissa on ‘Clean My Space,’ put about 1/2 cup of baking soda in with non-whites (I always bleach whites).
I switched to a front loader years ago. I love it. It uses much less water and my clothes are cleaner. I never have mold because I keep the door open when I’m not using it. I’m weird though, I love doing laundry for my family of four.
I love your videos, your voice is so soothing and all your tips make me feel there is hope for my little, over cluttered and crowded home. So thank you! 🙏❤❤❤
The best thing I ever did when my kids were small was having 3 medium-sized laundry baskets - whites, darks, and light/bright colors. (Hubby had his own basket for grungy work clothes.) I taught them to sort their clothes as they changed into pj's for bedtime. We had a lovely hall closet with wire shelves. We set it up to be empty on the bottom and those 3 baskets fit perfectly in there, accessible for all. When a basket was full, I knew it was time to wash things. Instead of minimal clothing, I made sure everybody had about 10 days of socks and underwear, shirts, etc., so that nobody ran out before I did each basket (about once a week.) No small loads, because that took more electricity in the long run. Towels and wash cloths were done on a specific day of the week. Once they were old enough to be skilled at folding, they were in charge of their own clean things. The younger 2 were anxious to be like the 2 older ones and quickly learned to fold. Small children would fold wash cloths (most of us used 1 per day each) and their own socks until they joined their siblings. We usually watched something fun while we folded, so it was like a nice break to sit and do this. When we moved to a different house, everybody got their own basket. I would announce what color was being washed and everybody would bring theirs to the laundry room. We homeschooled, so it wasn't hard to snag everybody at once. Now that all kids are grown up, hubby and I have 4 IKEA skinny soft-sided hampers behind a door in a corner of the room. We still sort things as we take them off. It is kinda nice, because each hamper only gets full about every 8-10 days now. Because I'm looking at them every time I take something off, I know when it is time to wash one or two loads.
Join us for the ALL DAY DECLUTTER, this Saturday: cli.re/Take-Your-House-Back-Dawn If you need motivation, accountability and encouragement, will you please allow us to help you Take Your House Back? We know you can get your house decluttered and it would be an honor to help you! I hope to see you on Saturday! - Dawn
I cant wait!
Have you thought about asking Tom to see if it’s possible to change the swing on your dryer door to the other side? As it now is, the door is kinda in your way, so to speak, and you are (probably subconsciously) having to take a step back to switch loads each time. It’s poor body mechanics; changing it (if possible) will have a cumulative impact on your fatigue levels. Try it!
@@LauraMacMillan-cp9ykyes! This. I changed mine myself. Woohoo.
Laundry tip: remember a bath towel can be used by a person multiple times. After drying off after a bath/shower, the towel is not dirty, it is just damp. Hang it to dry. This will cut down on tons of laundry.
Wait..do people actually wash their towels EVERY time they shower???? 😱
@@dawnforlifeyes. My ex-step-mom use to.
@@dawnforlifemy apartment has too much humidity. The towels never dry. I think we reused towels before we lived here. I feel so wasteful washing towels after a single use.
Yes I make mine keep it 1 week just for them. We don't share towels.
@@dawnforlifemy sons gfs family does but there's only 2 people.
I had a huge laundry win yesterday. I have young kids (6, 4, and 2), so we took your advice a few years ago and we store their clothes in the laundry room. I was folding my clothes and asked them to come in and put theirs away. My 4 year old said, "I think my shirt bin is getting too full. I'm going to find some to get rid of." And then her sisters followed her lead. We had a huge clothing declutter, not at all prompted by me. It was awesome!!
nice one, that's how it starts.
Wonderful!
Haha I make mine fold their laundry and they like this just mine 🤣
My 10 years old daughter told me the same about her pants 😅 I felt so proud! My 18's should follow her lead too, bit it's impossible 😭
This really does illustrate the power of our momma's words and actions. Kids follow your lead. How they see themselves. How they treat others. How they relate to the things in their world.
My mom kept everything. She saved our good clothes to be worn for special times, so they hung in a closet until we outgrew them, never worn. I never SAW her decluttering anything. The mentality was to keep. Sentimentality. Frugality. All the reasons people keep things. I saw that. But I never saw the letting go. I heard the reasons to keep, but never the reasons to declutter. She must have gotten rid of things over the years, but I never saw it. She probably did it while I was at school and she never mentioned it. Not my things. She never decluttered our things because her things had been given away without her consent. Mommas bring their own wounds into the story. It shapes how they raise their kids. So I understand my mom's thinking. She was born and raised during the depression. It shaped how people related to things. I had to unlearn some of those things and learn to declutter at 60+ years of age. Momma's words stay with you. They shape you.
I think decluttering with kids and in front of them is the best thing for them. They're learning the easy way, instead of the hard way, the benefits of decluttering. Kudos to you mommas! 👏👏👏
Dawn, did you know you can switch the laundry door so it swings away from the washer? It makes switching laundry way easier!!! Hey Tom- add this to your to-do list 😉
yes, when I had my new dryer delivered I had them switch the hinges on the dryer door- it took them 15 min and made things easier.
Our refrigerator door is reversible too. When we first got it I kept trying to open the wrong side.
This is on my to do list, too!
Yes! I went to visit my sis in FL and told her we could do it, she was so excited 😃
I noticed that too and was going to suggest the same! Having the dryer open up on the side that your washer is on, really helps!
Love that Dawn gives multiple options and isn’t apologetic anymore about what works for her family. And you know she cares because she’s always linking to other people’s videos. She really just wants to help-no matter what methods works for another person.
Speaking of cutting down dryer time, if no one has posted this yet, here's a hack I learned (maybe from Dana? haha - don't remember!): put a dry towel in with your wet clothes. It has reduced my drying time by 30% to 50% depending on the load!
Also, we opted to putting our donation bin in the laundry room, so it collects everyone's freshly cleaned donations & doesn't take up space in everyone's individual, valuable closet real estate. Thanks Dawn!
I tried putting a dry towel in the dryer with wet clothes..... it works!!
I too keep a donation bin now in my laundry room and my room isn't very big. It just sits on the back of dryer against the wall but helps a lot!
I don’t even make a donation bin or bag anymore. Donations go right by the front door like trash. Bags are in the van ready to be filled. Occasionally I’ll use a donation item for rags or pet bedding.
We put anything we don’t want dried in a laundry/delicates bag. Anyone who might be helping with laundry knows what that means.
Same here.
That's a great tip!
I do whole loads of delicates. Darks, whites and brights
Nice! Good idea.
There is something so interesting between different cultures. I am from Eastern Europe and never even thought that laundry time could be such a big of a deal. But apparently it is sooo big for American households. I am not judging, just noticing those big cultural differences. I would never even think back in Europe that I need to come up with some laundry system or meal planning system or any another kind of systems. Maybe it is because the average american household has too much of everything that without some kind of a system you won’t be able to manage it. I am in America for over 12 years and don’t have any systems in my house. Doing laundry when have dirty items, cooking food from what I have on hand. Don’t do weekly grocery shopping, always buying fresh food and eating it the same day ( leaving close to many stores, sorry, not everyone in America has this great opportunity). Never buying more than I need and do not “collect” stuff, don’t have any sentimental feelings for items, only for people. Maybe I am already minimalist? Maybe the society I am coming from never learned how to want always more and more and just be ok with what you have? But I like your videos and will keep watching them just for fun and for your support. Thank you.
I'm a Brit and I agree.
Same here. I'm Spanish and I still don't understand the "laundry problem" or the "clutter situation" that many Americans seem to have in common.
I'm curious to know if Europeans statistically have as many children as Americans, and also if they homeschool said children. Maybe that makes a difference too. 🤷♀️
@@hannahmcmillan5712 These are the figures from Google for the UK -
Of all families with dependent children, families with one child made up 44% (3.6 million) in 2022. Families with two children made up 41% (3.4 million), and families with three or more children made up 15% (1.2 million).
Housing and childcare is expensive and the majority of houses are smaller than the USA so all this limits the number of children we have. We have paid maternity leave of up to 39 weeks, up to 6 weeks paid holiday and of course all healthcare is free, food is cheaper so there are many balancing factors.
Homeschooling is not very common.
@@hannahmcmillan5712 most families have like 2 kids and no home schooling is not a European thing for sure. However last three years changed a lot. Maybe you are right and it has some correlation with the size if the family. Also European apartments half size of the smallest house in US. And that naturally stops from bringing a lot to the house. Another factor - public transportation and proximity to many stores on the walking distance. Which is not the case in US.
One big difference I am noticing is the size of the loads. My washer and dryer have quite large drums (we specifically picked them this way), so they handle many more clothes at a time. I see the size of load Dawn is putting in, and I am certain I put in at least 3-4x that amount every time (and I don't overstuff either, but make sure it is mostly full.) I mean, hers nicely fits in a small basket that she holds with one arm!! Mine is a large basket that is filled to overflowing and requires two hands to hold. The loads take longer to fold once done, but I don't have to do it as frequently. Also, depending on the washer sensor, it could actually be wasteful and expensive to wash small loads as frequently as this video if water is filling unnecessarily in an empty space. It's something others may want to consider - the size of your washer.
A tip for those items you want to hang dry instead of going into the dryer: I bought white delicates bags in an assortment of sizes. If it is in a bag, hang it. You can toss them in with the regular load and they are easy to spot when moving the laundry from one place to the other. You can just toss it in the hamper with everything else and you know it won't get lost in the shuffle. It's awesome. I am even doing better at not drying stuff I didn't want to fuss with before. That should help them last longer.
When my kids were still home, finding folded clean clothes in the laundry was my biggest pet peeve. I called them “clearties”. The final solution was becoming an empty nester. I’ve watched you and other TH-camrs dump laundry into the machine. I never dumped things into the washer without checking pockets, etc….. since the fuschia crayon incident of 1976….. okay, I’m old, but I didn’t forget!
I check pockets each and every time and still miss the occasional tissue/lip balm. That really bothered me when I saw Dawn just toss everything in the washer without checking the pockets. 😊
Lol
My household is adults only, and pretty responsible with pocket clearing. But the occasional receipt or coin will make its way in. It's annoying, but also rare enough that I don't check pockets before dumping things in. It's really about the individuals in the household. Can you trust them to be consistent about emptying their pockets?
Mine was a dark purple crayon on red school uniform shirts, 1986. 😅
Orange crayon incident probably 1988.
My laundry routine:
1) Do loads of laundry by person to eliminate sorting all together.
2) Keep baskets in rooms. When basket is full, wash.
3) Wash all clothes in cold, towels in hot, sheets in warm on normal setting.
4) Wash kids clothes and sheets with all clear detergent & messy eater stain remover, adults clothes with Tide, and towels & blankets with diva glamorous. All in cold but towels.
5) Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Add one scoop of oxiclean. Add 1/2 sheet color catcher.
6) Dry towels & blankets on normal and all other items on delicate setting. Use dryer balls instead of sheets.
7) If load sits for an extended time, dry at normal heat to fluff for 5 mins (add ice cube optional).
8) Dump clean clothes on beds to be put away before bed.
9) Hang dress shirts. Fold jeans. No fold methods for all other items.
10) Make your laundry room aesthetically pleasing. It helps!
Perfect laundry every time.
I've never heard of an ice cube. Plus I don't have any. :) I use a hand towel I get partially wet and wring out. More wrung out of not fluffi g much, more wet if bigger load I'm de-wrinkling. But I absolutely love not ironing. Haven't done it for years.
Best hack you ever gave me was to not worry about folding kids play clothes. I never fold ours and I hang their church clothes. Best time saver ever! 🥰😍
With US congressmen wearing gym shorts to work on our federal laws, dressy “church clothes” will soon be a distant memory
Does no one make their kids help with laundry, especially putting them away?? I do. It's a normal part if family life
One tip for ‘no dry’ is to put that item into a mesh bag or delicates bag when putting into hamper/washer. And then anyone pulling things from washer knows those don’t go in dryer.
We are a family of 6 and I honestly don't think laundry is that big of deal. Everyone has enough underwear and socks to last 7+ days, kids do their own laundry, I fold stuff while watching TV like every 10 days. I would hate doing laundry every day. It's something I barely think about.
In the UK it is unusual to have a separate laundry room and the predominant style of washing machine is front-loading. I have just gotten rid of my dryer and line dry outside on good days or on home-made drying racks in my conservatory on wet days
It is interesting to know how different it is in other countries. Here in Sweden nobody and I promise you, nobody has the washer/dryer in the garage. Everybody has a separate laundry room and all machines are front loaders. One exception, the smaller machine (mostly for a single household) you can install in a bathroom is top loaded. For us it's so weird that anybody would wash clothes in the garage. Houses built before driers were invented have a room (next to the washing room) with wiring in the ceiling just for drying clothes.
Definitely get your kids involved young. My son wanted to help as a toddler by age 3 he could do a load on his own. Was it folded perfect, nope, but he loved doing it at that age and now at 16 he’s a pro. I don’t have to touch his laundry!
Nice!
Dawn, you may want to have Tom check the door on your dryer to see if it can be reversed. That way the door can be opened the other direction and make it easier transfer from washer to dryer. Worth looking in to.
Love the “no dryer” clip reminder! I am going to have to incorporate that idea.
I wanted to share my favorite tips for laundry too. 1- if you have a small load going into the dryer or your dryer takes more than one cycle to dry your items, throw in a bath towel with the load. The towel will help distribute the heat and humidity. 2- my stain remover of choice is dawn dish soap and a toothbrush and a little cold water on the spot you need to treat. Thanks Dawn for all you do!
Even better for stain removal, I randomly tried the dawn power wash because the back of the bottle actually recommends itself for stain removal! It’s amazing and gets blood out of clothes easily! Also bought a used winter coat for my son and it had a couple dark grey/black spots that coats get. I sprayed with dawn power wash and the coat came out looking brand new! I love that stuff 😊
I feel like a towel will get my clothes linty
I've been using vinegar in my wash for years. And yes, i put it directly in the tub with the soap. I use dryer balls in the dryer and my towels are nice and soft:)
How much do you use per load??? Thank you!
I use laundry balls too. I agree with Dawn that finding them to take them out is awful. Especially sheets, towels, and long flowy dresses!
Is vinegar a substitute for something or does it help with the washing? Thank you.
Vinegar binds with soap to remove it, (and the dirt it's captured), out of your fabrics and your pipes! (I learned this from a chemical engineer). I fill the fabric softener dispenser with plain, white vinegar and don't use fabric softener liquid/sheets, which can leave grease spots on your clothes. Been doing this for 30 years. It works great!😊
@@carolmacdonald8437 you’re a genius. Thank you for sharing this tip.
One tip I would offer for drying (in an apartment dryer anyway) is running clothes on air fluff for one cycle, then hanging up after that. Prevents static (heat is the major culprit there), saves on electricity, but also shortens the dry time compared to just hanging straight from the washer :)
I’m all for a top loader with agitator! It cleans clothes much better.
So true. In the movie far away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise is teaching Nicole how to wash clothes using a washboard. She was twirling her clothes in the tub of water thinking they were going to get clean. 🤣 He said you need to “dunk and scrub.” The agitator works like the scrub board. I had a washing machine that didn’t have an agitator and none of my baby clothes would get clean because they’re only rubbing against each other. I only had it for six months before replacing it.
Yes, never want a washer without an agitator again!!! I had to wash baby clothes twice per load!
I love the "plunge and scrub" part of that movie! I have it on DVD. And I love that the movie showed a male CAN do housework.
@@Craftitup64
Did you know a lot of the newer model top load washers have fake agitators in them? Meaning they don’t actually agitate they just look like it. And they hardly fill at all because of the new water saver laws. My husband works on appliances and he gets complaints all the time about it. They just don’t make anything like the old things. Real working agitators in the old washers definitely washed clothes way better then the new ones coming out.
@@jaelmommaj8735wow! Thanks for writing this-
I have a GREAT tip that I only recently started doing. I was thinking of ways to simplify my linens, and I came up with the idea to have the SAME towels in every bathroom!! What????? I'm 48yrs old and I've always had different towels for every bathroom, whether it's a full bath or half bath. I liked to decorate each bathroom differently and have different colors. Well, no more! Now I, and every family member or guest, can just open the linen closet for new towels and not have to wonder which towels go where. It also simplifies putting away laundry. Sometimes my husband or kids would need a new towel before laundry day, so they'd go get a clean one from the closet. I'd always get annoyed that they chose the towel for a different bathroom, then I'd have to switch them out, wash the extra towel and get it to the right place before it's needed there. So I got rid of all those colors, went to the store and grabbed enough of one color for two full and two half baths, and enough for guests. I don't even have to have as many as I used to. I also made all our grubby/clean-up towels one color. So if someone asks "which towels can I use to clean up this mess?" I can say "Anything blue!" I'm telling you, my heart is happy with this new system :)
I use dawn dish soap for pre-treating stains. Works great!
I discovered this too.
Me too! I keep a small bottle at the washing machine. I have also used that Dawn Power Spray on stains. I have used it because I bought a pack of 2 and feel like it was kind of a waste, lol, so I’m trying to use it and it’s handy. Dawn takes old oily stains out easily even after they’ve been dried. Also hair color!! As a hairdresser, I can’t be w/o it!
I can't wait to have an actual laundry room in my home. I want to set mine up like yours.
Fully completing a task at one time is a really good feeling. When I retired, I decided to stop multitasking everything and life is much more satisfying.
We are a “everyone has their own hamper” family. I am having my 6yo and 10yo do their own. So far they approve.
We did too because I worked in an office and hubby worked in a steel fabricating plant, no way was his metal shaving, rust covered, sweat soaked clothes going to nestle next to my dress slacks and white blouses waiting to be washed.
Same here. With 3 boys, it got hard to sort their clothes.
Same here. I almost never have to touch my kids’ laundry at all- the only time is when we are traveling.
Great tips Dawn I have cut down massively on the amount of washing I do due to the huge increases in energy costs. I still like to wash my towels after each use but I dry them outside or over an airer .
@@AZHITW good case for washer in the garage
My kids get dressed in the formal dining room, it really works for the flow of our house. Their clothes are in labelled bins inside the buffet, since I don’t have formal dishes or dish-ware, it’s odd but we love it!
Awesome tips. Thanks ❤. I’ve reduced my laundry routine down tremendously over the years by trying out different things that work for our home. #1 thing that made the biggest difference was reducing the amount of clothing I own and streamlining my laundry products.
Moving the washing machine to the main level was a game changer!
Basement laundry days I just moved all the kids clothes down there. First thing in the morning I would go down, swap laundry and pick out their clothes for the day. Still a pain, but at least I wasn’t making so many inefficient trips to the upstairs. Two flights just to put clothes away when the kids were tiny. Only to go up and down also to gather the clothes to wear that day!
Current situation is a “dressing room” laundry and three of four members of the family’s clothes! Plus a vanity to get ready and a comfy chair for visiting. Funny how this is one of the best gathering places in our house some days😮
A tip that I like is to hang all your shirts to dry in hangers. Smooth it out once then let dry...then when dry just pick up all the hangers and put them in their closets..no folding. Even with your dry rack, Dawn, you can fold the shirt on it with the top hanging down and put hangers on them and still grab all the hangers when dry. I love your ideas too💕
Also someone said if you wash your clothes in cold water you can wash lights and darks together. It works. ❤ and you don't have to wait to get enough of lights or darks for a load.
I’d rather wait. This doesn’t always work
I always give myself a mental gold star when I wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry all in the same day. 😂 Also, I'm a top load washer all the way.
This is hitting home today! I’m sitting in my living room with 4 loads folded, not put away and 4 baskets of clean clothes not even folded. I clearly need to declutter more clothes and I need to take your process on!
My problem would be the 2 grown boys don't put things away
You and me both! Let's do this Sister!
I used to have 3 loads just sitting there and I'd get so overwhelmed I just let it all pile up. One day I had enough and washed everything all over again put it up and swore I would only have 1 hamper to wash and put up a week. Its been so hard to train myself but it's helped me so so much to avoid the pile up. I also stopped folding clothes. Everything gets hung up and underwear goes in one of those criss cross organizers. I would fold everything konmari method and thats why I would dread putting it up, I was making it difficult for myself to succeed
What a wonderful afternoon of worship music and a video from Dawn while doing…laundry! Haha perfect timing!
You’ve been such a blessing in our family, Dawn. Having simplified our clothes and house over the last several years since finding you has been such a help to our family! I believe God has used you to help me learn how to manage our home in such a way that it functions better for all of us, and we are able to have more bandwidth to reach out to others as God leads! Thank you!❤
I couldn’t have said it better myself! She has truly blessed me on my simplification journey and it’s bringing the joy back to motherhood and related tasks.
My mom, myself and my daughter have always done laundry once a week. That way there's enough to make it worth the time to do it. My daughter also has energy restrictions (no major appliances used from 5 to 8pm), so she does all her laundry on Saturday. By doing all the laundry at once, we can also focus on mending and ironing as needed.
I can say that I have benefited from all of your videos, Dawn. But this one takes the cake! I immediately applied this idea in my laundry room. I am using the adjustable shelves inside the laundry closet, having each one hold a basket labeled either darks, white, or delicates. Now, when my husband comes home from work, he immediately puts his work clothes in one of these baskets, and at the end of the day, we each do the same with any dirty clothes. It has really made laundry easier! Then, today, I applied, the advice to greatly reduce the inventory of towels. I went through each bathroom and section of the home where I had stored towels and other linens, and filled a big bin with what I now realize I don’t really need. Another layer of the onion! I had already done this with our clothes closet. Excellent advice. Thank you so much for what you do, Dawn! Sending love!
Your laundry method has literally saved my life. I'm a working mom of 2, and I always feel like I could never get on top of my laundry. I always felt embarrassed about it. Last week I decided I'd discipline myself and do one load (sometimes 2) it needed. I even went to target and bought your baskets and got rid of my hampers. I've been able to stick to this routine for almost 2 weeks and I've never done this my entire life! Thank you so much. I love your videos because they are so practical and you're a working mom so I can totally relate to you. I wish I could give you a hug!
My husband is a heavy equipment mechanic, so everyday his clothes have some kind of oil or grease on them. The Best thing we have found is the Spray spot remover from dollar Tree! He sprays his clothes after he takes them off and places them in his dirty clothes hamper. Even if he forgets I spray them before washing them and they come out remarkably clean! I put the laundry soap in the washer before the clothes ! We use less laundry soap than suggested after learning He (high efficiency) washers require less laundry soap! This has been a game changer for us. I've been following you Dawn for over a year now and have decluttered so much inventory.. including clothing and that has made a huge difference in the amount of clothes available to be dirty!
Dawn saying "I love you" at the end felt so motherly/sisterly and made me smile ❤ thank you for your tips Dawn! I strive to create a better life and home environment for myself and family because of your content. Thank you so much!!
Top load vs front load: I’ve had both and I prefer top load. My front load was a lemon of a washer. It never cleaned the clothes well, or spun them dry well. And it was stinky. And I’m a big fan of vinegar in the wash. It’s great at tackling odours, and helps to soften the water if you’re on a well.
When I moved into an apartment, it had been vacant and its front-load washer's door had been neatly closed for two or three months. The washer stank. I figured the washer door ought to be left open, the same as the top-loading washers I was used to, so it can dry out between uses. I left it open. After a few days the smell was gone and hasn't come back. Even leaving it just a couple of inches open works.
I actually love doing laundry! However, your motto of keeping the clothing inventory definitely helps! Thank you Dawn!..🙏🤗❤️
Same. Doung laundry is relaxing for me.
Americans are so lucky to have laundry rooms! We just have a washing machine in the kitchen, which is so noisy! And we end up with laundry drying around the house. I'd love a laundry room like this, it's a great set up! Love your videos as always ❤
Right! Our washing machine is also in the kitchen, and use of a dryer is taboo in my country because there is an electricity crisis. So clean laundry is constantly drying in the lounge or bedroom. I feel like hanging takes so long that I'm completely unmotivated to fold when things are finally dry.
Same here, ladies. I'm in the UK. I can only dream of a laundry room. Washing machine is in my tiny kitchen. I have a tumble dryer in a cupboard, but don't use it because of the cost of electricity. I dry clothes outside, weather permitting. Otherwise it's hung indoors. One of my better purchases has been a dehumidifier. Cheaper to run than a tumble dryer, it literally sucks the moisture out of my laundry. Oh, and I always spin my clothes twice. It's amazing how much water comes out after a second spin.
I always sort my clothes before washing. Throwing everything in one load is horrifying to me. I’m glad this works for your family.
Me, too....I just wouldn't/couldn't wash everything together...Horrifying to me also....I guess it's the way I was taught and some clothes are just dirtier than others. I can't envision myself doing it any different...Not even with today's types of laundry supplies...
I am horrified that my adult children do not sort their young childrens clothes. All the whites items are gray.😢
@@janiewernerya'll are easily horrified!
@@marciabutler987lol. I thought the same!! 😂
Horrified??? Lol
Laundry tip: I have a command hook stuck to the side of my washer. On this hook we hang a white lingerie bag. This bag is for items that need to be pulled out while moving the load to the dryer to air dry. Also, on the hook we hang a black lingerie bag when the grandkids visit. This is a good place to corral all of their little socks, and misc pieces. The black indicates that these items can go through a dryer cycle.
We cut out fabric softener completely when we started cloth diapering our babies because the softener is not only bad for the diapers, but it can also leave a residue in your dryer from other loads. Guess what - we noticed NO difference in lint/static and we have a long-hair cat! We only noticed a difference in the softness of towels, but that softness makes them less absorbent so I actually prefer them a little "scratchy" if they work better. Our clothes feel cleaner and don't hold onto bad smells as much, it's less clutter in my laundry room, one less thing to inventory. Never going back!
Yup! Softener makes towels less absorbent. We got away from it entirely. It’s just chemicals and costs money.
We have one hamper in our house. When it is full I take it to the washing machine in the basement and sort one load into it and everything else goes into a rolling cart that holds 3 bags. Usually do one load a day. Even my 3 year old helps with laundry. His clothes are in bins with pictures on the front. I do not fold his clothes. He drags the basket to his room and is able to put most things away on his own. He then sits the basket in the designated spot in the hall near the basement door for me to take down with me when I need to. Love this system for us for now.
We live in a small house (768 sq ft), so our washer is in the bathroom & the dryer is in the kitchen. It's a pain, but that's the only choice for now. I used to do laundry once a wk & I had back surgery & my Hubby started doing laundry & would do it every 2 to 3 days. I've gotten to where I like that & so I started doing it too. We put a tote on top of the washer & when it's full, we both know it's time to do a load of laundry. We don't even use our regular hampers anymore. 😊
I love my front-load washer. I feel that it's gentler on the clothes and gets them cleaner than the new top-load washers. I make sure that I leave the door wide open and pull out the detergent dispensing drawer to dry when done. I do put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser but I've only been doing that for towels. I've never had a problem with it ruining the washer.
Based on Dawn's smaller baskets for dirty laundry, I just bought 3 smaller baskets for my closet so I can sort the darks, mediums, and whites. When one is full, I do that load. My bedroom is on the top floor and the laundry is on the lower level so it's not super convenient. I hate hauling a large, heavy clothes basket to do all of the laundry at one time. I'm really hoping these smaller baskets and doing one load as needed will work for me.
Borax is also helpful in getting out bad smells. A lot of times guys just have funky smelling clothes. If you don’t get the funk out of them, it breeds on other clothes that are washed in the same or subsequent loads. It might not get all of the funk out, but most of it. Sometimes you can add white vinegar to a pre-wash or to a rinse to help disinfect and help with smell.
That's what I do. My husband runs. Sweat and bacteria do not mix lol. . Borax in the wash and vinegar in the rinse is awesome. No more smelly clothes.
For us, we limit clothing that are unnecessarily thick. Because we live in Singapore where it’s hot and humid we have to change clothing quite often in the day and we also hang dry our clothes . We try to buy woven versions of clothing instead of thicker tee shirt or waffle towels instead of extremely thick terry towels
I love Shannon's channel. She is awesome. So happy you mentioned her.
That video she linked to changed my life. Doing clothes by people helped so much. My oldest daughter still does that. I got so sick of rewashing clean clothes over and over, I created a family closet for my younger kids to have clothes with Dad and I. It's so much easier to put clothes away. Then we moved overseas in suitcases and the tiny washer and factoring hang dry time by season... It's a whole new thing! Watching this video got me inspired again. I need to clean the space around the washer more deliberately. I'd LOVE to have baskets like she uses. I'll have to think about that. But currently there's too much random laundry showing up where it shouldn't. So I need to revisit that. But clothes come off the line and pretty much get put away quickly, so woohoo! No more laundry mountain!
I love the idea of using the "no dryer" chip-clip! I started writing on the top of the washer with dry-erase marker "hang wool dress to dry" etc. if there's something in the load that can't go in the dryer.
That’s a great idea! Thanks!
Excellent idea
Microfiber - not sure what type of microfiber cleaning cloths you have, but the type I have and what I’ve seen about them says to wash them in cold or cool water and low heat dryer. It says hot can damage the fibers. I know brands can all be different, but something to check. A lot of great laundry tips in the video!
I use white vinegar in the washer (not the dispenser) for my towels and have done so for years. My washer is 13 years old. I also have a dryer towel. Basically it's a dry towel I throw in the dryer with my wet clothes. It seems to help them dry faster.
Do you mean you add the vinegar directly into the washer with the soap? I don’t have a separate soap dispenser.
@@joycewright5386 yep! I don't use the dispenser. Mine is a top loader and once the tub fills with water, I just pour in some vinegar.
I had six kids (Now grown) and we had a hamper in the bathroom. I put clothes in the washer, set a timer. When the timer went off I switched it over to the dryer.(Otherwise I would get busy and forget about it.) My big tip is...fold the laundry and match up socks as you get it out of the dryer!... making separate piles per each child's clothes. I placed the folded laundry in a large blue Ikea bag(I'm like Mary Poppins. Lol) and head back up the basement stairs putting the child's folded clothes on the foot of their bed for them to put away when they got home from school. It worked fantastic. As they got older, they did their own laundry. Well, unless I needed some more clothes to make a full load.
The stain remover from the dollar tree is AMAZING. It's called LA's totally awesome (cause it is.) Laundry pre-wash stain remover. It gets everything out!
Laundry strategies here (2 people). We have one basket right nxt to washer/dryer. No other hampers/baskets. I wash everything together, on cold, with DIY powder detergent. When things get dirty, if dry, it goes directly into machine. If damp, it goes into basket. Run loads as needed, when machine is fullish, & add the basket stuff then. The 3 dryer balls live in the dryer, all the time, so I never have to search for them. Almost everything goes into dryer, & I'll turn timer for 20 mn., when I remove the fussier things that then need to be hung, & return everything else to dryer to finish. I fold everything soon as it's dried. Sheets, towels, bath matt, rugs all are washed on wkend. Only stain remover is mixed as needed. DIY recipe is taped to peroxide bottle. You only mix what you'll use up right away.
We switched back to top load too. I completely agree! Also completing the load through to putting clean away is so simple when you do a load a day. We follow all these same processes. Thanks Dawn.
A load of laundry every day!? That is outrageous!
I have always washed, dried and folded right away. I have never had a back up of laundry to do. Good idea for those who have problems with getting it all done.
Family of 6 here 🙋🏻♀ Well... my kids are grown, and my husband died from cancer in 2020, but your video brings back memories. I used to have 3 full-size hampers in my bedroom: 1 green, 1 blue and 1 white. The kids were taught very young to put their dirty laundry in the correct hamper: green for warm, blue for cold, and white for hot - and I would toss in a load once a hamper was half-full. When the laundry was dry, I would place each person's clothes on their bed for them to put away. Nowadays, it's just me and two of my adult children in the house, and we each do our own laundry. It's such a hoot that I do laundry only once every 7-10 days and have one or two loads.
I feel the same way! After years of load after load of stinky sports shorts and shirts. Whew! Love that !❤
We also had two hampers in our laundry room. One for dark clothes and one for bright clothes. Each family member had their own basket for clean clothes. Every Tuesday and Saturday was "clean my room and get my clean clothes"-day. I refuse to put anybodys clothes away but my own. My kids are grown but I still remember what colour basket each child had.
Thank you! As a new family of 6, laundry has felt so overwhelming.
When our kids were pre-teens, we went to the do-your-own system, as I tired of the sorting and leaving baskets or small stacks at the stairs for them to take to their rooms, and they tired of always having something there! We have only 4 people so we all chose a day and you were required to wash, dry or hang to dry, and remove your stuff by end of day. It worked so well! And left the machine open often for me to do rugs, towels, linens, etc, as needed. Now in our empty nest years we mostly do our own still. It’s just what we’ve grown used to and it works best for us.
I recently began using a folding drying rack or allowing shirts to dry in a hanger- no wrinkles ! I wish I learned this sooner.
Top vs Front Load washer thoughts.
I like the front load washer primarily for my children's sake! The young ones love to help load or move the clothes, and the older-but-not-tall-enough-to-reach-the-bottom-of-top-load-washer-drum can be more independent with their laundry.
I had looked up tips online to prevent mildew smell. The best two are
1) when moving clothes from washer to dryer, use a cloth to wipe dry the inside of the door and the rubber part just inside the washer. Do this each time (habit), even if you're starting another load right away. I just use the same microfiber cloth each time until it needs washed itself.
2) Use the washer cleaner pods, powders, whatever like Dawn suggested; and use as recommended. (Usually 1-2 times a month).
We don't get "stink" when we do these things.
Your son is so cute and always looks happy to be helping mom in her videos! Think he has the makings of a future youtuber! Probably all your kids! Thanks so much Dawn for another video fulll of fabulous ideas!! 😃
In the UK a lot of houses have their washing machine in the kitchen, as there’s no room for a utility/laundry room.
A lot of people also put their clothes etc on the line.
I don’t & use my tumble dryer all through the year. Some people criticise me for this & say how expensive a tumble dryer is to run but I don’t find it that expensive.
I hate loads of damp washing around the house on clothes horses & radiators & with a tumble dryer you don’t have that.
I have separate flannels, 1 for my face etc & one for my bits. I could never wash my face etc on the same flannel that I’ve used on my bits.
I turn any shirts or clothes that are more delicate or that I don't want to look worn inside out before washing. I don't usually bother to put them right side out before hanging them. It keeps my delicate items looking new and any printed shirts lasting longer.
I have the same washer/dryer set. I also had a front loader and decided I didn't like it. I don't use washer cleaner; I just wash towels on hot with bleach.
Our son just turned 13 and he has been doing his own laundry for a couple years. About 15 years ago at a MOPS group, my friend Dawn who has 7 kids and a husband that was traveling, shared the mixed laundry method. Game changer! Just throw everything except your special items all at once. Minimal sorting. No waiting for a full load. We have mostly dark clothes anyways so it works well for us.
TIP: SOCKS! Before washing, right-side out, put one sock over your hand then place matching one over it. 1) No more lost socks. 2)Saves sorting later. PAIR NOW, NO DESPAIR. 😊
I use vinegar in place of fabric softener, and our clothes are way more cleaner, they feel nicer, better colours etc!
My laundry system has worked for me for going on 8 years. 🙌
Sunday - I do not laundry, but do set a phone reminder to do a cleaning cycle on the first Sunday of the month.
Mon - I wash sheets (ours and children's every other week)
Tues - I wash all my cleaning rags and hand towels
Wed - my husband's and my clothes (we share a hamper in our room)
Thurs - my 11yo washes hers and her 5yo sister's clothes (they share a hamper in their room)
Fri - my 13yo daughter and my 7yo son wash their clothes together (they have their own hamper in their own rooms)
Sat - catch up or none
My laundry room is also our pantry and there is no room for keeping any dirty laundry in it except for my dirty rags since it's next to our kitchen.
We use Dropps pods, unscented soap and the booster. Also include baking soda (freshens) and vinegar (softens). I use the SwirlzGirls too (got it for my dishwasher too). And I use dryer balls too. I don't find them super hard to find and I keep them stored in my dryer.
I love, LOVE my old top loader with agitator!! ❤️ I hope to buy parts for it forever, because im never going to let it die! Lol. It does a great job and its fast, and it will soak too! Currently soaking the hubs' shop clothes! Does 2 rinses, I can't praise the thing enough! Im also team 'make make-work projects', so i hang dry all my clothes because im too cheap to run the dryer 😆🤦🏻♀️ Its fine, we're all fine. Lol.
I love doing laundry, it's my favorite household chore! Since there are just two of us in the house, I now do all my laundry in one day, generally. I subscribed to the one load a day, though when I had kids at home. This method keeps on top of things nicely and for those on a septic system, it's a must. I have a front loading machine and love it, it's nearly 20 years old! It seems to get my clothes cleaner and is very gentle on the fabrics. I use vinegar for each load and put it into the softener cup. I once had a repair mad tell me I had the cleanest machine he had ever seen, so I believe the vinegar works! Living in CA now, a top loader uses too much water in my opinion, so am happy with the water usage in the front loader. Your tips are all great! Thank you!
My top loader adjusts the water level according to how much laundry is actually in the machine.
I loved my old front loader too. Now I have a top loader with one of those low twirly things on the bottom and the lint is incredible!
@helenebennie3961 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has an opinion about this! I keep wondering how these machines actually do their job. I normally wouldn't recomment, but find this topic near the top of my "I can't believe this", list. My daughter has this type of machine, and we always use the high water setting as we've washed loads that left the top layer of clothing high and dry. Seriously, the clothing never saw water and soap. I still cannot figure that one out. I also think they cause the fabric to move back and forth against other items, causing the lint you mentioned, but also more pilling and generally more wear and tear. I have yet to meet a salesperson who can explain this machine in a satisfactory way, yet people seem to love them. I'm dreading the day I have to buy a new machine!
I love many of these tips! I think I'm going to try sorting things as they come out of our laundry loads - we have large capacity washer and dryer though so it depends on the time of day when I'm pulling things out. As for losing dryer balls, my tip is to just keep store them right in dryer drum! if they start to look ratty, they can apparently be recharged/refreshed by going in the wash on the next hot water cycle you do. We also have a slightly different system for 'no dryer' items - I bought a bunch of mesh laundry bags in various sizes, and most of those items are fine to be washed in a normal load, and as we switch from washer to dryer, we know that anything in mesh bag gets hung to dry instead of thrown in the dryer!
I LOVE my front load washer. I was skeptical though. I do miss the option to fill my washer and let my clothes soak. I never could understand how clothes could get clean going in a circle, but it does work.
this is pretty much how I do my laundry already. I grew up not having washer/dryer at all, everything was handwash and hang dry, That is truly time consuming. So reading the title of this video confused me cause how can one cut down laundry time this dramatically when everyone have access to washer/dryer already. But reading how different ppl do their laundry in this post had me understand how big of a task it is for some families even if they don't need to handwash their clothes.
I'm from germany. Dryers and laundry rooms are not a big thing here. Most people I know have their wasching maschine in the basement, the garage or the bathroom. And because of the high cost for electricity using a dryer for all clothes could be verry expensive. We are a familiy of 7 and dry our clothes in the garden or on big clothes horses. Thankfully, we have a big winter garden in our house to dry clothes in winter. We have a systhem of washing every 2 days. I always make sure to fold the laundry and put it away, if its dry. I do not allow myself to park dry clothes in a basket, because I forget about them.
I’m always interested to hear about other countries. In the UK we almost always have washers/dryers in the kitchen. Some lucky people have a “utility room” which is usually off the kitchen. A dryer is a bit of a luxury item here, I feel guilty for using mine pretty much all the time.
Many parts of the US are the same. But the areas that are super hot and humid it is just not feasible to do it that way. You’d need a shower after carrying in a load of hot towels. And the machine (and clothes) would get musty immediately
I realized sorting a big pile of laundry made doing laundry feel like a overwhelming task. The solution for me was to sort my laundry into like items as I take them off of my body. Now it's super easy to just grab a basket and wash a load knowing the clothing item we need to have washed is in that load. I also took Dawn's donation bin idea and have one in my closet if I try something on and realize I don't like how it fits boom right in the basket, it's really cut down on random clothes on my bedroom chair
Long ago houses had laundry chutes. So helpful from second story to basement. I agree. Load a Day really helps. Love my Speed Queens with all sorts of customization of loads. Deferred timers are good. Have you tried loading at night and that laundry will be done in the morning? I run my machines (dishwasher and washer) to work overnight. The delayed start timers are helpful.
Speed Queen is the best!
Yes! Only Speed Queen. Expensive but will last many times longer. Just wish I had found it earlier. Everything else is garbage AND no longer cheap.
That magnet is great idea. In many other countries we hang all our clothes, usually outside if the weather is good, or inside if it's raining. I also love to take all the loundry right away, but it's the most difficult chore to finish.
YOUR COURSE IS SO EASY TO USE!!😊
I just bought the take your house back course! Didnt order before because I was sure it was going to be hard to use (im 51, Ive never even been on Instagram, so not super tech savvy). YOUR COURSE IS SOOOO EASY TO USE!!!!!!! 😁😁😁
Love you Dawn. I have been watching you and Clutterbig for a few years. I got rid of tons of stuff, but I just couldn't get myself to keep going and am in a stalling phase cuz i feel like there is nothing else i can get rid of ( not true cuz we still have way too much stuff) I just bought the course for myself fory birthday and my gift to myself is by Dec. 31st to complete the entire course. Thank you for making it sooooo easy to use for us that are a little less tech savvy 😊😊😊😊!
I changed my laundry system a few months ago and will never EVER turn back! We have 2nd floor laundry with our bedrooms and bathrooms so we have 1 hamper in the laundry room that we all put our things in and I try to stay on top of doing 1 load a day unless there is very little to wash. I also no longer hang or fold my son's clothes and everything is at his level to pick out his clothes and even put them away (he's 4). This has been a game-changer! One of my winter projects is going to be downsizing my closet!
I just love your videos!! From body doubling and motivation, to really great and life changing advice, you are so appreciated! 💚
I've been doing a load a day for a few weeks now and I am thoroughly enjoying it! Thank you!
When we designed our home, we installed a laundry chute that sends it all downstairs. Game changer
There's just the 2 of us since we are empty nesters. We have pretreatment spray in our bathrooms. We pretreatment stains and into the machine the clothes go! I do a load as necessary my never have a big pile! I love that❤
Yes! I fold as it comes out of the dryer and finish the washer to the dryer. It feels so good! I love that everyone is responsible to bring it to you!❤ You're amazing! Thank you.❤🙏Jane in SC
I've used vinegar in every load of laundry for the last 35 years! I put it in the softener and rinse containers. I do use dryer sheets but I cut them in half ( I do the whole box when I open it) - saves money too!
If I ever have the luxury of making my own home layout I for sure will make a family closet laundry room.
Having your laundry in the laundry room instead of a hamper elsewhere is a nice tip!
I prefer my top loading washer. I developed the habit years ago of leaving the empty washer open for the length of time the dryer is running. This prevents mold and mildew. I have never had a smelly washer. I also, per Melissa on ‘Clean My Space,’ put about 1/2 cup of baking soda in with non-whites (I always bleach whites).
I switched to a front loader years ago. I love it. It uses much less water and my clothes are cleaner. I never have mold because I keep the door open when I’m not using it. I’m weird though, I love doing laundry for my family of four.
I love your videos, your voice is so soothing and all your tips make me feel there is hope for my little, over cluttered and crowded home. So thank you! 🙏❤❤❤
I love doing laundry just like this. It’s so calming knowing I don’t have a mountain of laundry to face…ever!
Best part of Tuesday!❤
The best thing I ever did when my kids were small was having 3 medium-sized laundry baskets - whites, darks, and light/bright colors. (Hubby had his own basket for grungy work clothes.) I taught them to sort their clothes as they changed into pj's for bedtime. We had a lovely hall closet with wire shelves. We set it up to be empty on the bottom and those 3 baskets fit perfectly in there, accessible for all. When a basket was full, I knew it was time to wash things. Instead of minimal clothing, I made sure everybody had about 10 days of socks and underwear, shirts, etc., so that nobody ran out before I did each basket (about once a week.) No small loads, because that took more electricity in the long run. Towels and wash cloths were done on a specific day of the week. Once they were old enough to be skilled at folding, they were in charge of their own clean things. The younger 2 were anxious to be like the 2 older ones and quickly learned to fold. Small children would fold wash cloths (most of us used 1 per day each) and their own socks until they joined their siblings. We usually watched something fun while we folded, so it was like a nice break to sit and do this. When we moved to a different house, everybody got their own basket. I would announce what color was being washed and everybody would bring theirs to the laundry room. We homeschooled, so it wasn't hard to snag everybody at once. Now that all kids are grown up, hubby and I have 4 IKEA skinny soft-sided hampers behind a door in a corner of the room. We still sort things as we take them off. It is kinda nice, because each hamper only gets full about every 8-10 days now. Because I'm looking at them every time I take something off, I know when it is time to wash one or two loads.
I love your videos, Dawn! ❤