Big families have tons of laundry, so who better to get laundry tips from? I have 4 kids of my own which puts me on the smaller end of the large family spectrum. So, I polled some of my friends with 4 or more kids to find out how they keep on top of their laundry. Since they all have their own systems, I thought I’d share a few great ideas, then you can pick and choose to create your own system for keeping on top of your laundry.
Do Laundry Every Day
One of the best ways to stay on top of laundry is to do a load or two, depending on the size of your family, every day. If a load or two gets washed, dried, folded, and put away every day, the dirty clothes won’t get overwhelming.
Designate One Laundry Day
For my family, doing a load or two a day just doesn’t quite work for our schedule. Instead, I designate Tuesdays as laundry day. I know I’ll be home all day and can run the washer and dryer constantly, knocking out all, if not, most of our clothes, sheets, and towels.
Make a Huge Laundry Pile and Have a Massive Folding Session
This is step 2 of my laundry day. As I’m taking our clothes out of the dryer, I pile them up in the living room. Then, at the end of the day, I put on my favorite Netflix show and fold, fold, fold!
Don’t Separate Darks and Lights
To save time, wash all your lights and darks together on cold. You could also buy color catcher sheets to throw in with your wash to make sure the colors don’t bleed.
Wash One Family Member’s Laundry at a Time
This tip is one that I use! I do a load (or two) for each family member and only put their clothes in so I don’t have to spend extra time sorting!
Buy Each Family Member a Different Brand of Sock
I learned this from a mom of 5 kids. She buys each of her family members a different brand of sock. They each get a pack or two of the same sock, all the same color. For example, Dad gets black Gold Toe socks, Junior gets white Champion, Sally gets pink Hanes etc… So, instead of figuring out which socks belong to which child, she simple sorts the socks by brand. Plus, she doesn’t have to match socks because they are all the same.
Don’t Fold Socks or Underwear
To save time, just toss the socks and underwear in a drawer and call it a day!
Keep The Stain Spray Near the Clothes
Store your stain fighting spray in the bathroom near the bedrooms. When it’s time for bed, spray any stains you find before tossing the clothes into the hamper.
Hang Shirts Right Out of the Dryer
Keep hangers in your laundry room and hang dress shirts, pants, skirts etc… right out of the dryer to save you from having to iron! I’m so good at this, the last time my kids saw an iron they said, “What’s that?”
Fold Right Out of the Dryer
Some large families take the time to fold the clothes right out of the dryer. This keeps the clothes from getting wrinkled, plus it gets the folding task out of the way quickly.
Get The Kids To Help Out
Large families know that in order to keep on top of the laundry, the kids need to pitch in. Young kids can put their clothes away, stack underwear, sort clothes, and match socks. School-age kids can certainly sort and fold their own clothes and put them away neatly. Older school-age kids and middle school kids can learn to use the washer and dryer and do their own wash from start to finish!
This list is absolutely a mishmash of tips-so grab the ones that will work for your family and your schedule and create your own system for staying on top of the laundry!
