Laundry can be a very daunting task. So much so that we ignore it and then have to deal with the consequences: piles upon piles of laundry. The truth of this seems to grow in direct proportion to the number of people in the house. It can definitely be overwhelming. But I come to bring you some good news: it doesn’t have to be that way! In this post, I will show you how to set up a laundry schedule that actually works and help you to establish order in your laundry room. I want you to find peace and joy in the midst of your laundry!
The Importance of Setting Up an Effective Laundry Schedule
If you haven’t made good laundry habits to begin with, you are probably stuck in a rut just like we used to be, doing laundry once every week and a half and trying to do it all in one day. That was just awful. Laundry was always piling up and it was very overwhelming. We definitely did not have a good laundry schedule. But when we read the book A Mother’s Rule of Life (see our review here), we went through all of our household chores and decided on a schedule for everything, including laundry.
We realized that if we did one or two loads of laundry each day, Monday through Saturday, we wouldn’t have a million piles of dirty clothes and we would have clean clothes to wear—definitely a plus! We now have a weekly laundry routine as a family of four that is very manageable. Here’s a look at our schedule:
You might see this schedule and think: “That sounds and looks nice, but how and where do you start?” It may still seem impossible. But trust me: I have been where you are at right now. Let me walk you through this and show you, step by step, how you can regain control of your laundry disaster.
Step #1: Know the Territory
A quick word here before going into the nitty-gritty of making your own laundry schedule. I want to remind you of two things:
Your Routine
First, your laundry routine will be your routine. Which means it will be unique to you. Don’t expect it to look like other people’s laundry schedules. Don’t compare yourself to those who have immaculate laundry rooms eternally free of unsightly piles. That is not realistic. You will have laundry that needs to be done and you can do it. Remember: you are unique so your laundry routine will be unique.
A Constant Process
Second, I know you don’t want to hear this and I don’t really want to either, but: you will be doing laundry for the rest of your life. Unless, of course, you are rich enough to pay someone else to do it (or as you’ll see below, someone else in your household takes it over!). Laundry is something that constantly needs to be done—it is a continuous process, like doing dishes or sweeping floors. It is a never-ending project. But doing the laundry can be an act of love. It can become a continuous project of love for ourselves and others.
Step #2: Identify Your Need
How often should you be doing laundry? Well, you need to figure out how many loads of laundry you need to do weekly to stay on top of things. You might do one load every day, or two loads every day, or one load three times a week depending on how many people you have in your household and how many clothes everyone wears.
For our family, we do 9 loads each week. They are:
- Kitchen linens: wash cloths, sponges, dish towels, cloth napkins, aprons, cheese cloths
- Bathroom linens: bath towels, floor towels, wash cloths, hand towels
- Cleaning rags: yeah
- Children’s clothing: everything
- Parents’ clothing: everything
- Bed linens: sheets, pillow cases, blankets, mattress pad covers
- Cloth diapers (3 times a week): outer covers, inserts, and wet bags (read more on cloth diapers here)
Your laundry loads might look different from mine, though. Here is an example of what my folks do:
- Lights: underwear, socks, undershirts
- Jeans and bras
- Pajamas
- Dress clothes
- Delicate clothing
- Bulky clothing
- “Play” or casual clothing
Write down all the different loads you have and how many times a week they need to be done.
Step #3: Assign Responsibility
Next, you will have to decide who will be in charge of the laundry in your household. It might be the husband or the wife or an older child. But someone needs to be in charge of it, even if other people help out. Decide: Who is going to do which tasks? Who will take care of washing, drying, folding, putting away, etc.?
In our household, we discovered that I liked to wash and dry the laundry where my husband really didn’t. On the other hand, he doesn’t mind putting folded clothes away and I have a hard time with that, so it works out great! I wash, dry, and fold all the laundry. I also take care of the stained clothing. My husband is in charge of putting clothes away and washing out the cloth diapers.
Write down a list of names in your household. Beside each name, write down what jobs they are responsible for in your laundry schedule.
Step #4: Determine the Best Time
One thing I learned from my mother (which I think she learned from Fly Lady) was forming new routines by adding them to old routines. I already had a morning chore routine: after breakfast, I wash the dishes and wipe surfaces, etc., so I just added onto that by putting on one load of laundry. When it is done, I throw it in the dryer. I often try to have my toddler help with this part since our dryer is front loading and at his level. Then I fold the dry laundry as a part of lunch chores. This can be done with the kids, or when they are sleeping, or while listening to a podcast.
My husband is in charge of putting the laundry away and it is always the goal to have everything put away before bed. Tada! Laundry is done for the day!
You will have to decide what times work for you. Maybe you throw it in the wash right before you go to bed and dry it in the morning. Or maybe you’re not a morning person so you start around lunch time. Do what works for you.
*A Special Note About Sunday*
We decided early on in our marriage that we did not need to do laundry on Sunday. While we do need clean clothes to wear, if we manage our time well Monday through Saturday then we can rest from the laundry schedule to rest in the Lord. We would recommend implementing this practice in your home.
Decide on what times and days of the week each of your laundry actions need to happen and write them down!
Step #5: Print Out Your Laundry Schedule
It is great to make a laundry schedule, but it is hard to keep track of if it is just in your head, especially with all the other things in life pulling at you (or children literally pulling at you). I want your laundry routine to be as simple and easy as possible for you so that you don’t have to think about it or worry over it. So I have made you a free template to get you started!
Print out your laundry schedule and fill it out! Hang it in your laundry room so that you and other members of your family can see it and know what needs to be done.
Step #6: Choosing The Good
Hooray! You have a laundry schedule!
Now that you have your own laundry schedule, you have to implement it. Plans are good only insofar as they are acted upon. If you don’t choose to actually do your laundry, the plan is useless. You have to choose the laundry. Doing the laundry is really a very good thing. You have to choose that good in your life. No one else can make that choice for you.
This is perhaps the hardest part. But just put one foot in front of the other. Take baby steps and just do one load, one action at a time. The laundry schedule is a tool to help you bring order and peace to your life, but it will only work if you accept it.
I pray that you are able to use this laundry schedule and that it brings you and your household peace!
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