Hate Doing Laundry?

If you Hate Doing Laundry, then these tips will make you the boss of the wash. With the right tips and tricks, you can get through the chore faster (and happier). Check out these tips to cut down on laundry time and increase effectiveness.

How to Turn I Hate Doing Laundry into I Love Doing the Laundry With These Life Changing Tips

Two words strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere: Laundry Day. But, you don't have to be a slave to the machines and mess. With these easy tips, you may just start enjoying, well, as much as we can enjoy, laundry day.

1. Use The Right Water Temperature

Water temperature is one of the most misunderstood functions of your washing machine. Use the handy chart at the bottom of the post to make sure you get the best results each time.

2. Use LESS Detergent (Yes, really)

More soap is better...right? Wrong. Having too many suds can actually ruin your results by trapping soil and allowing it to redeposit on clothes. Try reducing your regular amount a little bit with each load, finding the perfect amount for your washer. Bonus: you'll also save money!

3. Use a Front Load Washer to Use Less Water

Quality front-load washers clean better and are more gentle on your clothes than top-loading washing machines and use less water. Front-load washers also spin faster, removing more water and reducing dryer time.

4. Sorting Is More Than Just Color

When you sort your clothes, you probably go whites, colors, lights, darks, etc. and that's it. Right? You should also pay attention to fabric types. Make sure you keep fuzzy items (towels, robes) away from more delicate clothing that attracts lint. You'll spend less time picking fluffy bits from items like leggings (we've all been there. ugh.)

5. Turn Jeans Inside Out

Washing day is tough on you, but it's also tough on your clothes. Constant churning and friction between items causes color and shape loss. "Turn jeans inside out before placing them in the washer, and leave them inside out until you remove them from the dryer." - Good Housekeeping

6. Don't Wait Between Drying Loads

Drying loads back to back is more efficient than waiting between loads. Your dryer is already warmed up! For even more drying power, dry a lighter load first so that the heat is evenly distributed for the heavier load later.  Bonus: if you have a super small load, you can speed up drying time by tossing in a fluffy towel to keep clothing away from side walls.

7. Don't Wash Your Jeans Every Time You Wear Them

I know some of you just said, what? Now, let's discuss this a bit. If you are working in them all day long and they are dirty and just plain nasty, yes, wash them. However, if you have put them on to go out for a few hours, they aren't dirty, then hang them back up and wear them again. Not only do you extend the life of them, they will also get softer each time you wear them.

8. Don't Wash Your Clothes Every Time You Wear Them

This really is the same statement as above. I tell my kids this all of the time. If we are wearing something for a few hours and then coming home, don't throw it on the floor or in the hamper. If it's still clean, hang it back up. We don't wash laundry when we wear it for a few hours and it isn't dirty.

This is also one of the reasons I taught my oldest, when she was a teen, to do her own laundry. You would be amazed at how much more responsible she became with her own laundry when SHE was the one who had to take care of it. Things were put away, not thrown in the laundry basket after being worn for a few hours, and I didn't hear, "did you wash my ??". She knew if it washed or not because she washed it.

9. If You Say, "I Hate Ironing" Then Get Rid of Clothing That Requires Special Care

Now, having said that, I know some of you have to for your job. Which is totally understandable. However, if you don't, then why have it? It's one thing if it's a few special pieces. Besides that, life is too short to worry about ironing, handwashing, dry clean only, and running on delicate.

10. Create a Multi-Use System

Growing up, my Mom always had us put our dirty laundry in the hamper in our utility room where the washer and dryer were. Then when she or I would do the laundry, we had an area where we would put all of the folded laundry and then we (usually meaning me) would carry it to the bedrooms so everyone could put it their own away.

Well that changed when I got my own place. There is one hamper and that is in the laundry room. That is where the cloth napkins we use for meals, dish towels, bathroom towels, and miscellaneous items go into that aren't from the bedrooms.

In each bedroom, there is a laundry basket in the closet. When I do laundry, which is usually a couple of times a week, I go and pull the basket out of the closet, do the laundry that's in the basket, fold it, or put it on hangers, then the basket goes back to the bedroom for the laundry to be put away. I put empty hangers in the basket so I already have those. And for the socks so they don't disappear, I keep a mesh bag in each basket and everyone puts their socks in there.

11. Set Up a Schedule

As I mentioned above, I normally do laundry a few times a week, give or take. There are weeks though, it seems, I am doing at least a load a day.

However, my goal is to wait and do all of my laundry on Saturdays as well as change and wash all of our sheets on Saturdays. Our main comforters though go through the wash once a month. Towels are changed out every few days and they are also washed on Saturdays.

12. Get the Kids Involved

When our kids were little, while I was folding laundry, I would give them the socks to match up. They wanted to help (yes, back when they actually wanted to help), they learned to match, and they helped do some of the laundry.

Now that they are older, they help put the sheets on their beds or take them off, they fold towels, napkins, and they help hang shirts up (when they are younger), and as with my teen, she learned to do her own laundry.

It never hurts for your kids to learn to do laundry. I was surprised when I met my husband that he knew how to do his own laundry. His Mom also taught him and made him do his own. Those are basic life skills our kids need to know.

13. Hang Your Sheets and Blankets Out to Dry

If you live somewhere where you have the space and are allowed to do it, hang your sheets and bedding out to dry. There is just something about the smell of bedding that has air dried that really freshens up your bedroom and is very relaxing. Now, let me add, this is also dependent of where you live and what smells are in the area. If you live in the country or in certain areas, you know what I mean. We used to leave near a certain farm and if the wind was blowing a different direction, I didn't hang bedding out. There was no way that was happening.

14. Buy Detergent in Bulk

Yes, you read that right. Buy it in bulk. I shop at Costco and I love their detergent pods and their fabric softener. By buying their pods it breaks down to $7 a month for me to do laundry (just for the pods). The softener is a bit harder to break down because I will use more for towels and bedding then I do for regular clothing. But I don't buy it nearly as often as I would be if I was buying it each week or every other week at the grocery store. It's just one of the many reasons that a membership to a bulk store pays off.

And if you are buying less detergent and saving money, it will also make your budget and wallet happy. Plus you won't be running out of detergent or be out of detergent when laundry day comes.

---

Related Articles

Get Your Family to Help Around the House

This originally was a sponsored post through Best Buy on June 10, 2017. This post has since been updated on 8/19/2021.