Breaking Down My Laundry Routine

Having a Laundry Routine will help you manage the chaos of the ever ending laundry pile! Check out these tips for getting it all done without losing your mind! 

Everyone has their own laundry routine, right? I bet you followed the traditions of your own family when coming up with it. Bill and I don’t do laundry on a particular day. Though, truth be told, we know plenty of people who only do laundry on Sundays. I guess we are a bit more fluid. Life would basically get in the way ALL THE TIME. I could never attempt to claim a specific day of the week for a chore. It would never happen.

Instead, we go with the flow – the laundry flow. In the Sweeney house, there are five of us plus a dog. I guess I should point out that I have two boys who love to make forts with every single blanket and towel that I own. If you add that into the mix, it feels more like a family of 10. LOL! Kids will be kids, right? I will miss it one day when they are all off in college. Or so I am told…

Our laundry routine truly works for us and plays an important role in our household. With all the laundry that goes on, we set up our house up in a way to have the laundry at the center of it all. We moved our washing machine and dryer to the main hallway of our ranch. We cleaned out a closet that was there when we moved in and actually made it into a mini laundry room because we wanted to make sure that laundry didn’t feel like a chore. It had to feel accessible. And the laundry room does – thank goodness! Now, that Natalie and Liam are helping with their loads, the location of our machines makes it that much easier.

This post is really about breaking down our laundry routine for all of you. How do we get through so many loads of laundry each week without losing our minds? The first rule of thumb – we all pitch in. Everybody lives here… so everybody helps. Moms, take note. This is simply a lifesaver.

At this point in our lives, my older two children are responsible for their own laundry. They never remember to actually START their loads, but once I notice an overflowing bin, I nudge them to get the ball rolling. To make it easier for everyone, I always buy Tide Pods because our two oldest can manage them without a problem. All they have to do is pop two into the washing machine and call it a day. We have an extra large bin and always fill it up. You need two when cleaning that much at once. 

Safety is always a top priority in my home. So, everyone knows to put the detergent and fabric conditioner back on the shelf as soon as they are done with it. No one is allowed to leave anything on the floor or on top of any machines. This has been instilled in our children from a very young age – especially since I have a four-year-old at home.

Related: Home Safety: A Checklist To Print Today

Children ALways Help With the Laundry routine

In fact, when you decide to allow your children to start helping with the laundry, be sure to have a chat with them about laundry safety. I wrote a whole post about what you should do during this conversation. Be sure to click here for some bullets to help get you started. 

Laundry has always had a bit of a family tie for me.  I am three generations in when it comes to Tide. I grew up with my mother and grandmother – all in the same house. Both women did laundry with Tide. So, when it was time for me to start doing laundry for my own family, of course, I turned to the one brand that I’ve trusted all my life (literally). And if you think about it – my kids are technically fourth generation Tide lovers! How amazing is that? They’ve only known one brand at home – same as me. Love a good tradition!! 🙂

Separating The Laundry

Another part of my routine is that clothes have to be put away immediately and all the separating is done on my bed. Since we don’t have an official laundry room, my bedroom acts as a makeshift spot. Both Natalie and Liam help put Caleb’s clothes away. The only thing Caleb is responsible for is his pajamas since that is the bottom drawer of his dresser. It’s something he can access and it gives him great pride to be a part of the action. Every bit counts! 

Pretty much everything gets hung up in my house. I have a “thing” about putting shirts in drawers. The only types of clothing I like in their drawers are pajamas, tank tops, and pants. That’s pretty much it. Everything else goes in their closets. I follow the same exact rule when it comes to my own clothing.

Related: Talking About Laundry Safety With Friends – Laundry Tips For Families

Changing Our Bedsheets Once A Week

As far as the towels and bedsheets go, we tend to change them out once a week. When we have a light load, one of us will go from room to room and collect.  Truth be told, I feel like we do laundry every single day. You can’t escape it when you have this many people involved in so many different activities. Not only do all three of my children go to school, but they are also enrolled in several sports and dance classes. So, there is at least one change of clothes every single day and then the pajamas. That is three outfits a day per child.

Yes, you read that correctly – my husband doesn’t believe that kids should wear pajamas more than once. Don’t ask. I’ve tried to convince him otherwise, but he is very firm on this concept. When we go away on vacation, we have to bring 7 pajamas per child. That’s 21 pairs of pajamas for a week away. It’s practically an entire suitcase! I pick my battles, ladies. Laundry isn’t one of them. Besides, nothing smells as delicious as Tide and Downy on a fresh batch of clean clothes. It’s almost like a reward!

Recently, I started to turn my interests towards Tide purclean. Have you heard of this line yet?

So, what does your laundry routine look like? Would love to hear!

*I’ve teamed up with Tide to tell you about my laundry routine. All opinions are my own.