Here are eight tips that help me stay organized and on top of laundry, so I don’t get buried in it or sick from it.
Included at the end are two reference links about what’s in dirty laundry and why it’s important to have good laundry practices for better health; plus a link with information on how to clean top-loading and front-loading washing machines.
The information in the links and my experiences working in a commercial laundry facility have helped me create better laundry practices in my home.
I hope my tips help others who are looking for ways to improve their laundry game:
1. Laundry Starts With a Laundry Schedule:
- Laundry is always there and it’s not going away. Rather than wait until there is nothing clean to wear, or wait to be asked, I prefer to be proactive with a laundry schedule.
- I’ve learned that having a set schedule for laundry helps me know what to plan on and it even gives me time off from laundry too.
- Having a laundry schedule also helps prevent dirty laundry from sitting for too long and letting germs, and odors, fester.
- My laundry schedule is Sunday through Thursday which gives me a ‘weekend’ on Friday and Saturday. 2023 UPDATE: My schedule is now Monday through Wednesday, and Saturday, which gives me three days off from laundry!
- If an unplanned surprise should happen on a day off, I’m able to take care of it but that is rare.
- Even though Thursday is a scheduled laundry day, I don’t always have laundry to do that day, but I prefer having 5 days in a row to plan on laundry.
- 2023 UPDATE: My laundry schedule is now only 4 days a week! My laundry machine doesn't run all day, so if something extra comes up, I can add it during any of the four days instead of adding another day of laundry to my schedule.
Here’s what my laundry schedule currently looks like:
- Sunday 3 loads:
- bath towels, clothes tops, and clothes bottoms
- 2023 UPDATE: This has been moved to Saturday. Even though Saturday is now a scheduled laundry day, if we decide to go on an outing or something else comes up, I can move the laundry to Sunday and it doesn't interfere with anything.
- Monday 2 loads:
- microfiber cloths, and mop pads or whites (mop pads and whites are washed every other week so I rotate between the two on Mondays).
- 2023 UPDATE: I now do a load of bath towels every Monday along with microfiber cloths; since mop pads and whites aren't regular every week, I add those as needed and it can be any day of the schedule based on when I need them; i.e., I need mop pads washed before a mopping day.
- The second Monday of the month I also wash our big bed blanket; since it takes longer to dry, I prefer doing it on Monday now instead of waiting for it on Tuesday which is bedroom day.
- Tuesday 2 loads:
- bed sheets and delicates.
- first Tuesday of every month is 4 loads since that’s the day I wash all the bed layering blankets too
- 2023 UPDATE: First Tuesday of the month is 3 loads, since I moved the big bed blanket to Monday.
- Wednesday 3 loads:
- non-bath towels with dish mats (and hot pads when needed), clothes tops, and clothes bottoms
- second Wednesday of every month I include the mat that sits under our countertop water filter with the non-bath towels since that's the day I clean the water filter
- 2023 UPDATE: This schedule has not changed, but some Wednesdays I add another load of irregulars, such a mop pads, whites, or more delicates.
- Thursday:
- any extra items that need washing, like the couch blanket or cat blankets
- or, if I don’t need to do mop pads/whites on Monday, I’ll wash them on Thursday
- or, if nothing needs to be washed, I get an extra day off from laundry, yay!
- 2023 UPDATE: This is now a non-laundry day! Instead of laundry I run a regular cycle with a mix of Borax and OxiClean to keep the machine clean.
2. Laundry Hamper Organization:
- I bought a compartmentalized laundry hamper on wheels and love it.
- It has three bags and I divide them up by clothes, towels, and whites.
- I also have a homemade bag that hangs on the side of the wheeled hamper for microfiber cloths and another stand-alone hamper for delicate/gentle items.
- I keep my laundry hamper for mop pads in the 'office' where I store my steam mop when not in use along with all the steam mop accessories.
- All laundry items have a designated hamper so that the laundry is sorted before it’s even washed.
- This helps because it takes less time to get laundry going instead of waiting to separate everything when it is dirty.
- Plus, it’s healthful to have certain items, like underwear, separated and not comingled with towels.
- I still have to do some separating, but it is minimal and goes quickly (I’ll explain how & why I do this in the next tips).
- This helps because it takes less time to get laundry going instead of waiting to separate everything when it is dirty.
- Plus, it’s healthful to have certain items, like underwear, separated and not comingled with towels.
- I still have to do some separating, but it is minimal and goes quickly (I’ll explain how & why I do this in the next tips).
- It’s an easy system to follow too; my husband knows where to put his dirty clothes and that’s all he has to do to help me with laundry.
- There are never dirty clothes on the floor because that is what hampers are for.
- Leaving dirty clothes on floors can cause more germs to spread.
- There are never dirty clothes on the floor because that is what hampers are for.
- Leaving dirty clothes on floors can cause more germs to spread.
3. Separate Tops from Bottoms:
- When it is laundry day for clothes, I separate clothes into two categories, tops and bottoms.
- Each category is washed separately from the other.
- Anything worn above the waist, including handkerchiefs, goes in tops.
- Anything worn below the waist goes in bottoms.
- Each category is washed separately from the other.
- Anything worn above the waist, including handkerchiefs, goes in tops.
- Anything worn below the waist goes in bottoms.
- The reason I do this is I realized that it is quicker and easier for me to fold laundry when it is all the same items.
- Folding and hanging a bunch of shirts goes quicker than folding a mix of shirts, pants, underwear, and socks, all in the same load.
- Folding and hanging a bunch of shirts goes quicker than folding a mix of shirts, pants, underwear, and socks, all in the same load.
- Not only is separating items this way helpful, it’s also healthful.
- My husband’s work pants are often dirtier, and underwear/socks have more germs, so I like to keep those separate from the shirts.
- Exception: Too many pants at once in my dryer makes them take longer to dry, so I like to wash sweatpants with the tops since it’s only one or two pairs at most, and they don’t get as dirty as work pants.
- My husband’s work pants are often dirtier, and underwear/socks have more germs, so I like to keep those separate from the shirts.
- Exception: Too many pants at once in my dryer makes them take longer to dry, so I like to wash sweatpants with the tops since it’s only one or two pairs at most, and they don’t get as dirty as work pants.
4. Dedicated Folding Station:
- When I worked as a housekeeper I spent time in the laundry room and learned that commercial facilities have dedicated (and uncluttered) folding stations where all the folding happens, so I applied the same concept in my home.
- My dedicated folding station is the tops of my machines since they are the perfect height and they are side by side, which gives me plenty of room for folding and stacking clean clothes.
- Each load gets put away immediately after folding, so that there is no pile-up of clean laundry or anything left in the dryer overnight.
- My dedicated folding station is the tops of my machines since they are the perfect height and they are side by side, which gives me plenty of room for folding and stacking clean clothes.
- Each load gets put away immediately after folding, so that there is no pile-up of clean laundry or anything left in the dryer overnight.
Laundry machines are not storage shelves.- I keep the tops clear of clutter and they are always ready for folding.
- This is also good maintenance for the machines since added weight does not help them perform better.
- Would you perform better if you had added weight on top of you?
- I keep the tops clear of clutter and they are always ready for folding.
- This is also good maintenance for the machines since added weight does not help them perform better.
- Would you perform better if you had added weight on top of you?
- I also keep the washing machine lid open when not in use (it's a top-loader).
- This lets the machine air out to prevent mold and mildew.
- This lets the machine air out to prevent mold and mildew.
5. Efficient Folding Routine:
- There are two things that have helped my folding routine become more efficient.
- First, folding directly on top of the washer & dryer.
- Second, washing items together that get folded the same way (this is why I separate clothes tops from bottoms).
- First, folding directly on top of the washer & dryer.
- Second, washing items together that get folded the same way (this is why I separate clothes tops from bottoms).
- Since I fold on top of my machines, I like to pull out items fresh from the dryer and lay them flat on the machines.
- Whether it’s towels, shirts, underwear, I lay everything flat before I start folding,
- Once everything is removed from the dryer and laid flat, then I start folding.
- I find this to be much more efficient and quicker than removing one item, folding it, removing another item and folding it.
- Exceptions: If a shirt or pair of pants goes on a hanger, I hang it as soon as it’s removed from the dryer.
- Since I fold pants by holding them instead of laying them flat, I fold pants as soon as I remove them as well.
- I have watched the clock and noticed that I am able to empty the dryer, fold and put away a load of clothing laundry within 10 minutes.
- Towels take about the same time and sometimes less time depending on the amount of towels.
6. Organized Laundry Area:
- I think of my laundry area the same as a work desk; it is my area to get work done.
- I want my laundry area to be a space that serves me and works for me, rather than a space that works against me or deters me from wanting to do my work.
- I have shelves above my machines that hold all my laundry supplies, so there is no need for anything to clutter up the tops of my machines, and everything is where I need it when I need it.
- I also make sure all my supplies are organized the way I like it.
- Seeing an organized space helps my mind stay organized.
7. Dedicated Laundry Basket:
- I have one laundry basket and I never put clean clothes in it since it is used to carry dirty items to the machine.
- Dirty laundry is full of germs and clean items should never go in a basket that was used to carry dirty items.
- If I were to put clean clothes in my laundry basket, I would spray it with disinfectant spray first, or just have a dedicated basket for clean items.
- Laundry baskets should be designated for clean or dirty items.
- Just like in a commercial facility where dirty laundry goes in one bag and clean items are transported to linen storage using a laundry cart that dirty items never ever touch.
- Even though I don’t use it for clean items, once a week I wipe down my laundry basket for the sake of household cleanliness.
- I use a cleaning cloth soaked in OdoBan disinfectant, or I spray the OdoBan on the basket and wipe it down.
- I use a cleaning cloth soaked in OdoBan disinfectant, or I spray the OdoBan on the basket and wipe it down.
8. Clean Hands, Hampers, and Machines:
- I always wash my hands after handling dirty laundry to help prevent the spread of germs and bacteria.
- Dirty laundry isn’t just dirty; it’s germy and can be filled with unseen bacteria, especially clothing that touches genital areas.
- I have included a couple links below from nhs.uk and webmd.com that shed more light on what’s in dirty laundry.
- When it comes to clean hampers and machines, I use OdoBan, a hospital-approved disinfectant:
- I spray the hampers when they are empty, and the tops of my machines throughout the week.
- Once a week I use a cleaning cloth soaked in OdoBan disinfectant to wipe down both the insides and outsides of the washing machine and dryer, plus the laundry basket.
Here is my schedule for cleaning the washing machine:
- Friday, weekly machine care:
- wipe down washer and dryer (inside & out) with disinfectant.
- wipe down laundry basket with disinfectant.
- Quarterly, every three months:
- clean the inside of the washing machine with vinegar and baking soda (link below).
- 2023 UPDATE: This year I will be doing it triannually, so only three times since I now do a weekly cleaning cycle of Borax and OxiClean.
Can dirty laundry cause illness? Absolutely!
Learn more from the links below about how to clean a washing machine and what’s in dirty laundry other than dirt to understand why it’s important to have good laundry practices for better health:
- How to clean your washing machine — and how often to do it (today.com article)
- Can clothes and towels spread germs? (nhs.uk article)
- What’s Hiding in Your Laundry? (webmd.com slideshow )
