5 Tips To Make Your Life Simple {laundry edition}

David and I have a bit of a tendency to overbook our ourselves and take on lots of hobbies.  We know that this can spread us too thin at times but we just can't help ourselves.  We love this life we are living and all of the possibilities that are waiting for us out there. It's so hard to settle and choose and why should we?!? Since we can't help but only add to our ever growing to do lists, it is important that we don't waste valuable LIVING time on the details.

As you may have gathered from the tag line of this blog, I am on a mission to make life more simple for my little family.  I am actually still working to figure out exactly what my definition of "simple" is (that will need to have a post dedicated to it in and of itself), but I do know that we have adopted some little tips and tricks along the way that really do make our crazy lives run more smoothly.

I am going to start a little series that will consist of short(ish) posts that will list 5 little extra things that we take the time to do each day that make our lives more simple in the long run.  I am excited about this because: a)This is what my new blog direction is about in a nutshell, and b) I love sharing and exchanging tips with other families.  Surely if we put all of our minds together we can find the magic solution to an effortlessly simple, enjoyable life!

Here are the first 5 "Make Your Life Simple" tips that I'd love to share with you!

1) Invest in a 3 compartment hamper system.

It doesn't HAVE to be an actual hamper.  Any 3 compartment system will do.

Sort your clothes for laundry day everyday!  Not having to sort on laundry day makes it all a little less daunting.  I actually like to do 1 load per day (wash, dry, fold/hang and put away - that's the tricky part, isn't it??) so this method really helps.  I can just grab and toss in a load each morning without having to sort through it all every time.

2) Use a vertical line up system while putting clothes away in your dresser drawers.

Ayden's pants and shorts

You can see everything and you don't mess up the pile every time you have to dig something off of the bottom.

3) Stuff your cloth diapers where you can put them away as they are stuffed.

If you have diapers to stuff, of course...

I can't tell you how many times I have stuffed the diapers, stacked them in a laundry basket, and then lived out of that basket all week.  If I stuff them at the changing table, I can put them away as I go and it really feels like I've cut out the middle man (sorry, Mr. Basket!). 

4) Impliment a ONE laundry basket rule.

This is a new one that I am trying out.  I actually have several laundry baskets and adopted the mindset of "keep the laundry going."  It just seemed more efficient to put a new load in as soon as I took one out.  The problem is, life would get in the way.  Every. Time.  and I would end up with basket of clothes at verying degrees of put away readiness that would never actually get put away. If you are only working with one basket, you won't be able to start a new load until the previous one has been put away.  

5) Do ONE load of laundry per day.  

That way all you have to focus on is putting that one load in the washer, then the dryer, then folding/hanging it and putting it away.  Focusing on one load at a time really does make the laundry less daunting (no mounds and piles all at once) and much more simple.  If you know about FlyLady then you are probably familiar with the phrase, "A load a day keeps the CHAOS away" (CHAOS stands for "can't have anyone over syndrome).   I used to be a one BIG laundry day kind of girl and it was a challenge for me to get it all done. Ever since I've been making everyday a little laundry day things just seem more manageable. I'd also like add how, to help on diaper laundry day, I put my diapers in for their first rinse and wash cycles right before I go to bed, then all I have to do when I wake up is the last rinse and dry (I haven't had any problems with them sitting in the washer overnight).  This also helps me take full advantage of a day's worth of sunshine if I'm hanging them out on the line because I get to it right after breakfast.

There you have it!  5 little laundry habits to implement everyday that can make your life more simple in the long run.  There are some days where I forget to do a couple of these and I can really tell when things start to pile up.  I hope these can help you find a little peace on laundry day and I would love to hear any tips you have to make your laundry life a little more simple! 

~Sarah

Click here for more posts from the "Make Your Life Simple" series!

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

Please take a second to:

 Subscribe via email, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter so you'll know as soon as a new post is up!

You can find all of the links in the sidebar.