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The Unending, Never Finished Job ... How to Make It Easier 
When you are
trying to get the laundry done in a more timely manner, you review
three things: tools, timing, and technique.
Laundry
Tools: Do you have your laundry room set up to make the
best use of work flow? Put your laundry soap (dry or liquid) next to the
washer. Have a wastebasket next to the dryer for discarding the lint
ball. Have a towel rack hanging nearby for those inevitable pieces of wet
laundry that stick to the sides of the washer and need a place to hang
dry. Have an shower extension rod installed for hanging up clothes warm
from the dryer. Have a table or counter close by for folding the laundry
(if you have the luxury of that extra room, otherwise fold the laundry on the
tops of your washer and dryer). Do everything you can to make doing the
laundry convenient. The easier it is to do, the more likely you will feel
like doing it.
Laundry
Timing: Deciding on your laundry routine is paramount to your
success. Many families do their regular laundry on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays. They do towels on Tuesdays and sheets on Thursday.
Saturdays is reserved for heavy duty washing, work clothes, and miscellaneous
wash. One
creative family puts their laundry in before dinner time, dries it while they do
the dinner dishes, folds and puts it await just before bedtime. Another
family puts their laundry into wash as they are preparing for bed, and then
dries, folds, and puts it away first thing in the morning before leaving for
work and school. It really doesn't matter the pattern of your laundry
routine. It does matter that you have a regular routine to follow. Sometimes families, especially those with both spouses working, save the laundry
for doing on the weekend. This is fine if you always have a whole day for
laundry or make a trip to the laundry mat to make use of multiple washers and
dryers, but this option should be used as a last resort.
Laundry
Techniques: More than any other single thing, most
homemakers struggle with finishing the laundry. They might
get it in the washer, but then they forget to put it in the dryer. They
might even get it to the dryer, but then they neglect to get the laundry out
until it is a wrinkled mess. Or they might even get it out, but then shift
they it from place to place until they finally just pull what they need from the
pile instead of ever getting it put away.
The best way
to get the laundry done, is to think: finish, finish, finish. Get it
into the dryer (use a timer to remind you when the wash will be done). Get
it out of the dryer as soon as you hear that "ding". But most of
all, get it folded and put away. It only takes minutes to make order from
the mess, and only a few minutes longer to get it back into its
"home". But get it done.
Some families
have everyone help with putting the laundry away. This is a wonderful
system of cooperation and appreciation for the laundress. However, the
laundress needs to get it washed, dried, and folded for the others to do their
part. So time yourself. You will find that folding a load of laundry
just takes a few minutes, usually less than four. If it will help, put a
radio in the laundry area to provide diversion while you are finishing, but
finish! Soon doing laundry will become natural part of your every day
routine. You will have gained a new skill, and have a feeling of control
like never before. Try it, it can work for you, too!
Find more helpful ideas in
the "House of Order" Handbook, Chapter 4, "Laundry".
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Thank
you so much for your newsletter. I am old and I am still learning. I
have found many of your ideas great time and energy savers.
