The clothes are taking over the house! Help!!!

[singalongamumum]

Ok, I need tips- the washing is endless, there are always piles of clothes everywhere, sheets and towels nestle in every corner. I recently bought a tumble dryer which has made a big difference but it still feels like I'm battling against the tide.

I have 2 DCs- 9mo and 3yo- so there are 4 of us in the house. Am I missing something? Is there ANYTHING I can do? I feel like I need a system but have no idea where to start!

TIA

The trick is to sort clothes as soon as you pull them out of the drier - fold them and put them away. Properly away upstairs.

In my head I think it’s going to be more efficient to sort into baskets and then put a weeks worth away in one go but it just doesn’t work like that. At least not for me.

If you get to the drier as soon as it’s finished, things don’t get a chance to crumple. IKEA do a brilliant mini ironing board that you can set up on a table or counter. I used to store it between the counter and the fridge, and pull it out to quickly iron the odd collar as needed. I could go for months if I had to set up a big ironing board!

To deal with the backlog, get a really gripping podcast mini series or an audible book and only allow yourself to listen while you’re folding/ironing/putting away.

I have three kids, washing basket in each room. Try to wash from each basket so there is less sorting to do. If that’s doesn’t happen I sort straight from the dryer into the separate stackable IKEA washing baskets which go straight up to their rooms and on the shelves in their wardrobes. Clothes often don’t make it the drawer and they live out of the washing baskets.

Beamur: “DD will only use a towel once”?! So unnecessary, and a massive waste of resources. She might change her mind when she has to do her own laundry one day! 😉

BertieBotts- what a brilliant idea! I might try that though with six of us in the house it might be quite the undertaking.

When laundry is working well for me (rarely...) I do it by person, hence no sorting at the end of the wash/dry cycle. Basket per person; wash, dry, fold and return to the room it came from!

Maybe. Depends if her anxiety around contamination has changed. I know it's not necessary and all that but she isn't doing this to be difficult..