In our house, I am the project manager responsible for the weekly laundry duty. My wife and I both work full-time, and long ago it was decided that the ongoing chore of laundry would be my responsibility. Over the years, I have developed a strategy for streamlining this process to ensure my weekend does not become consumed by it.
Wicker Storage Box by Home Gallery Stores - click image for more information
Let’s start with the kids’ rooms. We have two, one is 15-years-old, and the other about 19 months. I use the same strategy for each: two heavy duty wicker baskets in each room. One is white, and the other is a natural wicker color. The white basket is for the white laundry, and the natural wicker basket is for everything else. Special requests are routed to a blue wicker basket in the laundry room.
First thing Saturday morning, I’ll tackle our toddler’s laundry; it goes pretty quickly since it’s only two loads – a light and a dark. The goal is to have both loads complete by noon. At noon, the laundry machine is turned over to our teenager. She is responsible for doing her own laundry and has the rest of the day to accomplish her task. She usually does about 2 or 3 loads of laundry and understands she has to get it done before Sunday.
Rush Grass Laundry Basket in Black - $87.00from: Wayfair
We have a similar setup in our bathroom: two sturdy wicker baskets for the main laundry and a smaller half-sized one for dry cleaning. On Sunday, I typically tackle the laundry fairy early, starting with the basket of white laundry. That way, I can watch the morning football game while I fold – who says doing laundry has to be boring? The hardest part for me is staying consistent with the laundry cycles. I find using the timer on my iPhone works well for notifying me when it’s time to cycle the laundry.
By the time I’m done, I’ve usually completed a load of whites, two loads of darks, a load of lights, and occasionally, a load of special laundry depending on the contents of the blue basket. Every other week, I also do bed linens and probably only spend about an hour-and-a-half total on that process. Oh, and if you are wondering, that dry cleaning basket gets emptied every other Monday when I pick up (and drop off) the dry cleaning.
The best tip I can share with you is this – having family members pre-sort their laundry in two baskets really helps to streamline the whole laundry process. I hope my story has helped give you some ideas on ways to make your own laundry chores just a little easier by using wicker baskets!
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