Laundry gets overwhelming fast when everything is dirty at the same time. The biggest thing that helps me is not waiting until laundry day to sort everything. I want the clothes mostly sorted before I ever start the washer.
This is not a perfect laundry system. It is just a practical system for getting through a lot of laundry without making every load feel like a giant decision.
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Start With Presorted Baskets
I like having at least four tall skinny laundry baskets:
- Kids’ clothes
- Grown-up clothes
- Towels
- Bedding
You can add more or smaller laundry baskets if you need them. Some homes may need a separate basket for baby clothes, work clothes, lint-free rags, or a catch-all room basket.
The point is simple: when it is time to wash laundry, I do not want to start by sorting one giant mountain. I want to grab one basket and start.
Sort by Item Size Before Washing
Even if laundry is already sorted by category, I still check the basket before I put things in the washer.
If a load is all baby and toddler clothes, I do not worry about sorting it further. The items are all small enough.
If the kids’ laundry has big kid clothes mixed with baby clothes, I separate those. Big kid clothes go together. Baby and toddler clothes go together.
For grown-up clothes, I like to separate smaller and lighter items from bigger or heavier items:
- Socks and underwear
- Shirts
- Dresses and slacks
- Heavy pants like jeans or canvas pants
This keeps tiny items from getting trapped inside big items and helps the washer move everything around better.
Put the Biggest and Heaviest Items in First
When I load the washer, I put the largest and heaviest things in first.
- Pants go on the bottom.
- Towels go in before washcloths or rags.
- Big kid clothes go in before baby clothes.
- Blankets go in before bed sheets.
This helps keep the load from turning into a pile of tiny items buried under heavy things.
Do Not Overfill the Washer
My rule is to never fill the washing machine more than halfway full.
Even if the washer manual says it can hold more, I do not like filling mine 2/3 full or more. When I do that, I start wondering if the laundry actually got clean or if it still smells afterward. I end up washing a load twice and that slows down my entire process and increases my stress.
Half full loads give the clothes more room to move. It also makes me feel more confident that the detergent and rinse water are actually getting through the load.
My Basic Washing Routine
For most loads, I use:
- 2–3 tablespoons unscented liquid laundry detergent
- Cold water
- Double rinse
- For extra dirty or stinky clothes, I add about 1 cup of baking soda directly into the drum with the laundry.
- For baby clothes, sweaty clothes, rags, or other extra dirty loads, I use super wash mode and large load size.
- For towels or blue jeans, I use heavy duty and large load size.
- For bedding, I use oversize load.
I use unscented detergent because it is easier on sensitive skin, babies, and small kids.
I wash on cold every time because it cleans without setting most stains, and I double rinse every time because I want the laundry clean without leftover detergent sitting in the fabric.
What to Wash First When Everything Is Dirty
If everything is dirty and everyone needs clean clothes, I do one load of each kind before repeating.
- One kids’ load.
- One grown-up load.
- One towel load.
- One bedding load, if needed.
That way everyone has something clean instead of one category being totally finished while another category is completely ignored.
But if nobody urgently needs anything specific, I do the opposite. I wash one category until it is done.
For example, I might wash all the towels first, then all the kids’ clothes, then all the grown-up clothes. That makes folding easier because the clean laundry is already pre-sorted by type.
The Goal Is Less Decision-Making
The goal is to make laundry take fewer decisions and fewer task changes.
- Presort the baskets.
- Wash smaller, cleaner loads.
- Use the right setting for the type of laundry.
- Do one load of each kind if everyone needs something clean.
- Finish one full category if you want folding to be easier.
That is the system that makes laundry feel less like a mountain and more like a set of smaller jobs.
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