Keeping My Laundry Acceptably Done

My husband and I can both wash laundry, but over the years it has become apparent that we should not try to share the job. When we rented an apartment with on-site laundry, I usually spent Saturday mornings washing a couple loads of laundry, made much easier by the presence of multiple washers and dryers. Sometimes, he (or we) would take the laundry to his parents and spend the evening with them while washing laundry.

Since then, we’ve managed to snag housing with our own washer and dryer, we had a kid, and my husband started doing work that dirtied clothes quickly. The laundry became my responsibility, and it was never done. By the time I finished washing everything, which took half a day with increased volume and one washer and dryer, there was already half a load waiting to be washed.

One day, I had a mental breakthrough: The laundry will never be done. I quit trying to finish the laundry. Now, doing laundry is just something I do most days. I will never finish making lunch, I will never finish exercising, I will never finish buying groceries, and, now, I will never finish the laundry.

Here’s How:

Most mornings I work on laundry once, and some afternoons I work on laundry, if I’m behind. I don’t always do laundry on weekends, especially when we’re not home, so many Mondays I do an extra load or two. When I do laundry, I take a basket to the laundry area downstairs, sort it into (1) lights (2) darks or (3) jeans, since that covers most of our clothing. I empty the dryer, move the wet clothes into the dryer, put the sorted clothes load that is fullest or has important clothing into the washer, start everything, and fold the dry load.

If I leave a load wet in the washer a couple days, sometimes it needs an extra rinse, which keeps me motivated to be consistent.

This method won’t work for everyone, and might not always work for use. Right now, though, it’s helping me Make My Home Acceptably Clean.