Troubleshooting for a No Hassle Laundry Routine

Last week I told you about the kinda genius laundry routine I adopted three months ago. I wonder if any of you tried it out? You’d still be on week one, so give yourself lots of grace if you’re struggling. Just keep doing the “catch up” (two loads a day – your assigned load plus one more, generally of the same type) until you’re down to the one load a day on your schedule.

Now… about this No Hassle Laundry Routine…

I’ve told many people about my new routine. And either I get a reaction where I can pretty much see the light bulb going off over their heads, or… I get skeptical looks and questions and reasons why it wouldn’t work for that person’s situation. (And some people truly just aren’t overwhelmed by laundry – I heart you, truly! Because now I am not either!).

I honestly can’t see how this laundry routine (or some version of it) wouldn’t work for most families who have an in-home washer/dryer. (The larger the family, the most you’d have to troubleshoot, but in some format, this would still work).

Even so, it did take me about three weeks to troubleshoot my laundry routine so it would work.

And guess what, guys? There’s no “routine” that makes doing laundry disappear.The key factor in this No Hassle Laundry Routine working is that you actually have to DO IT! (Oh, you thought I was going to say something else!? Believe me, if I could wave a wand and disappear my laundry, I would!).

Troubleshooting for a No Hassle Laundry Routine that works for YOU!

Here’s why your laundry routine may not be working, and how to resolve it!

I have piles of laundry everywhere!! Having baskets of clean/dirty clothing adds to the image of clutter and “work to be done.” Instead, use hampers to store dirty laundry, and save baskets only for transporting laundry to and from washer. If you keep the dirties in the hamper or laundry organizer until it’s “their day” you won’t have the impression that you have so much laundry to do.

I don’t have enough time. Nobody does. Yet we still all seem to be wearing clean clothing! So the laundry is getting done SOMEhow… how about making it a bit less stressful!? The trick is to get the day’s laundry load started ASAP in the morning. That way you can throw it in the dryer by lunch, and then fold and put away maybe after dinner.

But I’m not a morning person. I totally hear you! Sometimes, to get a jump on the day, I even start the next day’s load the night before (I am a night owl, so this is usually around 11 pm. Then hubby, who is generally up by 6 will toss it into the dryer for me, so the day’s load is ready to be folded after breakfast!). When we can coordinate like this, the laundry routine works optimally!

I have light and heavy laundry days. Me too! Bookend the week with your lightest loads. It helps. 🙂 Since cloth diapers can only go about 72 hours max, I have to have these loads spaced at the beginning and end of the week anyhow (and they are my lighter loads).

I use cloth diapers – is this really going to work for me? Regarding cloth diapers – if you have a younger baby, you might have to add an extra load to Wednesday or Saturday for a period of time. That is the nature of cloth diaper laundry. It won’t be forever. Once you’ve got an older child or toddler in cloth, they’ll need fewer changes because they stay dry longer. Plus you’ll start potty training, so the cloth loads get reduced a bit.

Cloth diapers get washed Monday and Fridays, and since they take longer to air dry, I found WAITING to fold the Monday diapers until after Friday’s are dry saves me time. I fold BOTH loads together Friday night. I have enough cloth diapers to go 7+ days, so this works out for me and is more efficient. I just leave Monday’s load in a basket by the dryer until Friday’s are done.

I just came back from vacation! HELP! Vacations tend to push everything off track. But it’s actually very simple to keep vacation laundry from overwhelming you. I used to come home from vacation and scramble to wash everything right away. No! Stop that!! That is creating extra work for yourself. Unpacking from vacation only LOOKS like you have more laundry than usual, but it’s the SAME amount of time between loads, right (if you’ve been on a typical 5-7 day vacation)? Just sort the vacation laundry into the week’s assigned loads, put them in the correct hampers or laundry bins, and continue your schedule as usual. You MIGHT end up with 1 extra load of something depending on what type of traveling you do. Do that extra load on Saturday.

My kids’s laundry seems to grow in the summer! Yes, swim lessons and playing outdoors a lot will do that. What fun! What I do is wash all the beach/swim gear on Saturday for a fresh start the next week. Saturday is technically a “laundry free” day, but I sometimes use it for my “catch up” day if needed.

I am bad about sticking to routines. I feel like this laundry routine actually gives me flexibility and more time, and less to think about. It doesn’t feel like a hassle to me at all. Mountains of laundry piling up are a hassle. However, to make this really work you have to stick to the plan. That means ONE load. EVERY day. START TO FINISH – wash, dry, fold, away.

But… but… but… Hey, life does happen. So if you don’t finish that load on Tuesday, finish it Wednesday entirely BEFORE starting Wednesday’s load, and commit to finishing Wednesday’s load the same day.

I am sure every person reading this has something they will need to tweak over the first few weeks to make it work for them. More kids, tighter schedule, new baby, etc. Try it, figure out your “sticky” point, and think about how you’d do it differently.

Make this No Hassle Laundry Routine work for you. You don’t have to follow MY schedule, follow the one that makes sense for you and your laundry needs.

And share! Share this with your friends – see if they have more ideas for you. Share if it worked for you – and if not, why? I love trouble shooting and I’d love to help you figure out how develop your own No Hassle Laundry Routine!