• Home
  • About
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Contact
  • Activities for Kids
    • Alphabet Preschool Activities
    • Sunday School Crafts
  • DIY
  • Recipes
    • Gardening
    • Home Management
    • Natural Living
    • Parenting
  • Encouragement
    • Bible Reading Plans

Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

April 15, 2015 By Jackie 5 Comments

A Simple Way to Get Control of Your Laundry

Two weeks ago my parents came over to visit. The kids had just come home from school, I had been busy with some web design projects, there were dirty dishes in my sink, the back porch where they entered was a mess of coats and snow pants, and there were piles of laundry in my living room.

I really wasn’t expecting company, and I was embarrassed about the condition of my home. My mom said a few things that made me feel like I was a little girl with a messy room. (Love you, Mom!)

She said, “Are all of those clothes clean?” and “Why don’t you just fold and put away the clothes when you take them out of the dryer.”

I immediately felt defensive and I gave her some excuses as to why I had so much clean laundry that was sitting in a pile (getting wrinkled). I told her how busy I had been and that doing laundry for 7 people is hard, or something like that.

After they left my defensiveness continued and I posted this photo on Instagram. I felt justified that I had plenty of good reasons for why my laundry was out of control.

However, I didn’t feel good about it. I didn’t want to have piles of clean and dirty laundry. I knew what I needed to do, but sometimes doing what you need to do is easier said than done.

Wash. Dry. Fold. Put Away. Yes, I knew that was what I needed to do but I was so overwhelmed with how many loads I had to do that my plan to do 1 load of laundry per day last year wasn’t going to cut it.

Have you ever struggled with getting control of your laundry like I was (and have struggled many times in the past)? I am here to tell you that there is hope.

A Simple Way to Get Control of Your Laundry

Let me start by showing you just how bad my laundry room looked last week. This picture doesn’t show you the additional piles of clean laundry that were in the living room.

Messy Laundry Room

Scary, right? I’m just trying to keep it real here. While I am at it I might as well tell you that I am a procrastinating perfectionist, but that might be a post for another day. 🙂

So, how did I get my laundry room back in order?

Getting Control of Your Out of Control Laundry Piles

The first thing you are going to have to do is wash all of the laundry in your home. Here’s what I did last week. This took me the better parts of 2 days to complete. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

  1. Gather all of the dirty laundry in your entire house.
  2. Sort it all into piles by color, type, etc. (I lined my hallway with dirty laundry piles but you can use any area that won’t be in your way.)
  3. Start a load of laundry and keep going until all of the laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away.
  4. If you have clean, wrinkled laundry lying around, get it unwrinkled, folded and put away.
  5. When you have finished all of the laundry, give your laundry room/area a thorough cleaning.
  6. Vow to never let this happen again, but give yourself grace if it does. Just do this process over again if it happens.

Alternative: Take all of your dirty laundry to a laundromat and get it all done at once. It may cost you a little bit of money but it will be a much faster process than spending 2 days washing and drying clothes.

Once I completed all of the steps above last week, I put together the new laundry sorter (affiliate link) I ordered. I taught the kids how to use it and so far they have been doing a great job.

Laundry Sorter

Years ago I had a laundry sorter that had a plastic frame and tiny wheels. It broke and my husband tried to fix it. Eventually, we got rid of it because we were just too rough with it apparently.

My new laundry sorter (affiliate link) is so much sturdier. Plus, I am not filling it to the brim, smashing the clothes down, and filling it even fuller. 🙂

Every laundry room also needs a place to put mismatched socks. Several years ago I embroidered this tote bag and I still chuckle at how clever I thought I was.

Sock Bag for Mismatched Socks

It really has been helpful because we always seem to have socks that are missing their mates.

Since the title of this post promises a simple way to take control of your laundry, I better tell you what it is. Actually, I already told you, but I will say it in bold this time.

A Simple Way to Take Control of Your Laundry

Wash, dry, fold, and put away one load of laundry at a time. Do not let the clothes sit in the washer or dryer or in a pile on the floor after they are clean.

While I didn’t like it when my mom asked me why I didn’t just fold and put away the laundry after it was dry, her question was the answer to my laundry issues.

Clean Laundry Room

Guess what? It actually works. I have been able to keep on top of my laundry all week. My laundry room looks just like the picture above as we speak with one exception. We had to get a new washing machine on Saturday.

I knew this day was coming but I had hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. I must have worn it out with my marathon washing sessions last week. 🙂

I will say that I was so thankful I had a clean laundry room when it happened because it was so easy to move out the old washer and bring the new washer in. Plus, it was easy to clean up a few gallons of water off the floor, too. Long story…

My new washer is a top loader with no agitator inside and I really like it. I personally don’t intend to get a front loader again.

Do you struggle with laundry issues, too?

signature

Filed Under: Home Management Tagged With: Laundry

« How to Make a Rainbow Cake with Homemade Food Coloring
Cooking for a Crowd: Pasta Night »

Looking for Something?

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe for Email Updates

Follow Me on Instagram

jackiesblessings

Janna had her first ever basketball game tonight, Janna had her first ever basketball game tonight, and she looked so cute. She is a 5th grader, and she is still learning. I hope she has a fun season. Tonight’s game was different because we had several girls who were quarantined. So, there were two eight-minute, running clock quarters per game. The good news was that we got home nice and early. 😀
Fourteen years ago today, the sweetest little baby Fourteen years ago today, the sweetest little baby boy was born. Today, my little guy is not so little. I can almost look him right in the eyes! My Joseph isn’t one to enjoy the spotlight, and he isn’t into basketball like his brothers. However, my shy, quiet guy is a sweet, kind, handsome boy whose smile brightens my day. I am so thankful that God entrusted him into my care. Being his mama has been challenging in ways I don’t often discuss, but his progress brings me joy. I am so thankful I get to be Joseph’s mama. Happy birthday, buddy!
This handsome boy of mine is turning 17 years old This handsome boy of mine is turning 17 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible that my little 6 lbs. 13 oz. baby who was just 20 inches long is now a big, strong 6’4” high school junior. Joshua is such a kind, caring, hard-working, smart, and talented young man. This year, all of his classes are for college credit, and he is doing a great job with no help from us. He tried a new sport this spring when he and James played golf for North Central. Joshua has also taught himself how to do video special effects and seems to have a real talent for it as well as other computer-related tasks. 
I am so proud of Joshua, and I am thankful to be his mama. I know it can’t have always been easy to be the middle child of five who has food allergies, but I think Joshua handles it very well. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Happy birthday, Joshua!
After spending the day on the Wabash River with Jo After spending the day on the Wabash River with Joseph and the rest of my 8th graders on the annual raft trip, I had to quickly get cleaned up to go to Janna’s Beta induction. This mama is tired but super proud of my youngest two. 💕
This handsome boy of mine is a Junior this year an This handsome boy of mine is a Junior this year and was chosen to be on the  homecoming court. I am so proud of the young man he has become, and I think it is great he was chosen by his peers to represent his class. I think he had fun, but I know he is glad to be done smiling for pictures. 😀 It was fun to get to see all of my current and former students all dressed up. Also, It doesn’t seem possible that it was over 30 years ago that I was a junior on the homecoming court, too.
It was a hot one, but Janna’s first cross countr It was a hot one, but Janna’s first cross country meet is in the books. It was so fun to watch her and my niece run. It brought back memories of a younger Julia running in her first cross country meet when Janna was only a few months old. It is crazy how fast the years fly by. Now she’s in fifth grade. 💕
This handsome guy turned 19 today. So many things This handsome guy turned 19 today. So many things have happened since James’s last birthday. He played his last basketball game, played golf for the first time, graduated from high school at the top of his class, completed ten years of 4-H, and started college at ISU. 
I am so proud of James and all he has accomplished, but I am more proud of his work ethic, the way he treats others, and his integrity. I am so excited to see where life takes him. I know he will do great at whatever he does. Happy birthday, James. I love you!
Going back to school on a rainy Monday may not hav Going back to school on a rainy Monday may not have been ideal, but these smiling faces, along with those of my students, made it worth it. We really had a good day. Joshua is a Junior, Joseph is an 8th grader, and Janna is a 5th grader this year. 
Julia had a great first day of teaching, and I am so glad. James will start at ISU next week, and I think he is excited. He will probably really enjoy this week of being home alone, though. 🙂
As usual, I am teaching some new classes this year. Some of my 9th grade students, who probably thought they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore after having me as their teacher for two years for various subjects (sometimes twice a day), now have to deal with me for Freshman English. 😀 However, several of them seemed genuinely glad I get to be their teacher for the third year in a row. They may have just been saying that to be nice, but it made my day nonetheless. I am praying we all have a great year.
Time is a funny thing. Sometimes the minutes seem Time is a funny thing. Sometimes the minutes seem to tick by so slowly. Waiting for my first baby to make her entrance into the world seemed to take so long because I just couldn’t wait to meet her. Other times, the hours, days, months, and years have passed by at breakneck speeds. My precious baby girl grew into a woman right before my very eyes, and is now 22 year old college graduate who already has a teaching job. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed every moment with my sweet girl, but there have been many times when I have wished I had the power to make time slow down. 
Julia has accomplished so much in the past year. She finished her classes at ISU and did her student teaching. She volunteered to livestream all of her brothers’ basketball games during this past season because there were many times when we could only have two people per player attend the games. She has continued to volunteer at Our Father’s Arms, and she will be spending her evening there even though it is her birthday. She passed her tests, got her teaching license, and in two weeks time, she will be teaching English to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Carlisle. 
I am so very proud of the woman Julia has become, and I am so thankful she is not only my daughter but my best friend. Happy birthday, Julia! ❤️ 
P.S. Julia, I’m sorry this was so sappy. I thought I was just going to write a breezy little happy birthday message, but you know how I am. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Topics

Popular Posts

You Are My Sunshine Footprint Art
“Tire
“Easy
“Cooking
“Crockpot
“Sunday
“Sunday

Facebook

Blessings Overflowing

Pinterest

Visit Jackie's profile on Pinterest.

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe for Email Updates

Copyright © 2022 · Blessings Overflowing · Built on the Genesis Framework · Designed by Strong Tower Design