Proven system for building an effective daily laundry routine. Build upon your daily habits to make laundry an effortless task.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of laundry piling up in your home, a daily laundry routine can help you systematize it and make it easier.
I used to hate having to do laundry, but since I started my daily laundry routine, I don’t dread it (as much).
When you do laundry every single day, it’s much easier to stay on top of things and not feel behind.
You’ll also start to notice what clothes your family likes to wear – you’ll be washing it more often!
So, if you’ve been wanting to declutter clothes, doing daily laundry is a good way for you to see which items you should keep, and which ones you can get rid of!
How to Start a Daily Laundry Routine
The key to creating an effective laundry routine is to use the concept of habit stacking.
According to habit expert James Clear, “One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.” That’s habit stacking!
You can use a habit that you already have in place, and build part of your laundry routine onto it.
But first, what steps do you absolutely have to have in order to build an effective daily laundry habit?
Steps in a Daily Laundry Routine
To start your new laundry routine, you’re going to need to decide where in the day you can do these steps:
- Add clothes and detergent to the washer and start the machine.
- Move clean clothes from the washer to the dryer.
- Remove dry clothes from the dryer and fold or hang them up.
- Put clothes away.
Think about the daily habits you already have in place. Where could you attach the steps above?
Here are some ideas to help you brainstorm:
- When I’m done eating breakfast, I add clothes and detergent to the washer and start the machine.
- When I get home from work, I move the clean clothes from the washer to the dryer.
- When we’re done eating dinner, I remove dry clothes from the dryer and fold/hang.
- When the kids are putting on their pajamas, we also put away the clean clothes.
Create your own habit stacking scenarios based on things you do every day!
What about sorting?
I’ve heard from a lot of people who just don’t sort anymore. They just grab a bunch of clothes and start washing.
I like to use a laundry sorter with at least three compartments.
Instead of throwing our dirty clothes into one big hamper, we put clothes into the correct hamper compartment.
Sometimes things get mixed up, but for the most part this works!
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How to Make Putting Clothes Away Easier
To make this part of doing laundry easier, figure out ways to eliminate the need to fold or put things away.
For instance, most socks and undergarments don’t really need to be folded.
It’s okay to store them unfolded in a basket or drawer.
Here are some other ways you can simplify this step:
- Use a sock basket – no more searching for missing mates or folding!
- Keep kids clothes in the laundry room. That way you can see if they’re getting low on school clothes. I have a basket for each of my sons in the laundry room. It’s just for clothes they wear to school. I also keep uniforms hanging in the laundry room so they’re easy to find and I always know if they’re clean. The kids are responsible for putting away their pajamas, sports clothes, etc.
- Hang up as much as possible. Hanging clothes makes putting things away easier. And, garments don’t get as wrinkled when they’re hung up.
How do I keep my laundry up if I work?
If you work at home or outside the home, a daily laundry routine can make keeping up with laundry a non-issue.
Design your routine by habit stacking the laundry steps with things you do every day.
The example scenarios given earlier in this article are based on a working mom’s daily routine.
What if I still get behind on laundry?
Life happens! And when it does, you will probably end up with a lot of extra laundry. 🙂
If you’re behind on laundry after being sick, traveling, or something else, take a look at what you need to do and decide if it’s worth it to have a laundry catch-up day.
If you don’t have time, just get back into your daily laundry routine by doing a load of essential clothes first.
You’ll be surprised at how quickly you catch up again if you stick to your daily habits!
What if I’m just starting, and I have a TON of laundry to do?
If you’re just starting out, begin by designing your laundry habits.
Decide when you’ll do each step of your laundry routine, and start implementing!
If you really want to, you can do a laundry catch-up day to start.
But often, just implementing the daily routine and then doing an extra load or two on the weekends is enough to have you feeling like you’re totally in control of the laundry situation!
Is doing laundry every day worth it?
My only regret about our daily laundry routine is that I didn’t start it sooner.
By habit stacking the steps to doing a load of laundry with things I do every day anyway, it’s become second nature!
More Laundry Resources:
- How to Reduce Laundry Overwhelm
- Which is Better – Daily Laundry or Laundry Day?
- Martha Stewart’s Best Tips for Laundry
