Laundry- can we please talk about it?

Laundry drying

Getting on top of your laundry…

You have probably never given much thought before to this essential part of running a home. I often help my clients get this sorted by setting up better laundry systems with them. Every home is different and you will need clever solutions to your own situation unless you have unlimited space (which is rarely the case in the UK).

Let’s talk though your laundry cycle, making sure you think about how you work best. (You could even map this out on a big piece of paper to discover the problem areas for your home).

 

Who is in charge?

If there’s one person working at/from home, this person is usually responsible for overseeing the laundry process. But we’re in the 21st Century now, so anyone (from 3 years upwards) can help in some way. Secondary school children can learn very quickly how to use the washing machine, hang clothes out and iron them. Dealing with laundry is a life skill…

 

Dirty laundry

Everyone should at least be handling their own dirty underwear and shake their socks out- am I right?! How can you make this easier? Try laundry bags in each room, or a single big basket close by. Do you have big sorting baskets for coloureds, whites,‘specials’ close by, or by the washing machine? Ask yourself how the laundry gets there?

 

Washing

Make sure you have washing powder/ conditioner/ stain removers/ colour catchers all together near the machine. Put up simple instructions for the washing machine for anyone else using the machine– usually only a couple of the many programmes available are ever used…

 

Drying

Your options are:

  • Outdoors- on a washing line/ rotary dryer/ wall-mounted rack
  • Indoors – Use racks or ceiling airers and ventilate rooms well. You could try a dehumidifier (these are great in small spaces and can dry whole loads overnight). Keep drying clothes to one room if possible…
  • A heated airer like these from Lakeland can be economical and fast
  • Tumble dryer- but beware, clothes can shrink

 

Hanging things out carefully minimises ironing (I hate ironing so am a master at this!) Shake well, hanging the heaviest part of the garment at the top (feet-end first for jeans). My top tip? Shake T shirts from the armpits then hang the bottom two corners to accommodate any ‘twisting’.

 

Ironing

Do you have a basket/ bag for ironing? Iron the smallest bits of a garment first. E.g. shirt: Collars & cuffs→ Sleeves→ Front→Back → Hanger

 

Clean laundry

How do they get folded, sorted and back to the correct place? Do you have a table/ surface/ hooks you can use for this? Label some open shelves or wire baskets to make this easier.

 

I hope that the above tips help you get your laundry under control. And remember, don’t rush out and buy storage solutions until you have the process working for you.

 

Please do let me know any of your top laundry tips in the comments below…