Feeling Buried in Summer Laundry?
Summer laundry can feel like climbing a mountain! Does it ever seem like it never ends? Just when you think you're done, there’s always more the next day.
Here’s the solution: streamline your laundry process.
Doing the family’s laundry together is not only efficient—it’s also a greener choice. You’ll use less soap, water, energy, and time when you work as a team rather than doing separate loads. Invite your family to a sorting party, then a folding party, and finish with a “put-away parade.” Laundry Day becomes much more enjoyable when shared!
Want your child to learn how to do laundry? Let them be your apprentice. Show them how to load the washer, choose the right settings, and transfer to the dryer. Walk through the process until the pattern becomes familiar. It’s a gift of life skills that will serve them well.
Five Tips to Rock Summer Laundry
Laundry Tip One: Sorting
Does sorting really matter? Can’t I just throw everything in together? Actually, yes—it does matter. Clothes last longer when they’re washed properly.
Separate whites from colors and lightweight from heavy fabrics. Washing whites with colors causes dinginess, and mixing heavy items with lightweight ones leads to wear and tear. I typically do separate loads for: towels, sheets, whites, heavy colors, lightweight colors, delicates, and small rugs. Occasionally, I’ll do specialized loads for down comforters or seasonal items. Sorting only takes a few minutes—especially when you do it together!
Remember to empty the pockets, unroll sleeves, zip-up zippers, and turn T-shirts with silk-screened or iron-on transferred designs inside-out (this will protect the design in the dryer). Knits washed with pants with open zippers can snag! So, close those zippers!
Teach your kids to sort. Even toddlers can learn to distinguish between lights and darks. My oldest son began helping at 18 months—not because I made him, but because he wanted to. Once they can sort, teach them how to check and empty pockets, roll down sleeves, and zip up zippers. Teach them to turn T-shirts inside-out to protect designs in the wash. (Zippers left open can snag knits—so zip them up!)
Laundry Tip Two: Washing
Use the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric. Always check the care tag. My washer has a “sanitize” setting with a steam boost—perfect for sheets, towels, and underclothing. It takes about three hours, so I run this load before bed.
Laundry Tip Three: Timing is Everything!
Set a timer and switch the load promptly. Especially in summer, don’t leave laundry sitting in the washer overnight—it can mildew. Dovetail your laundry with other tasks. Start a load before bed, then transfer it first thing in the morning. I often run sanitize loads overnight to save time during the day.
Laundry Tip Four: Drying
When transferring clothes to the dryer, shake out each item. This keeps laundry from clumping and allows faster, more even drying. Use folding time as a homeschool break—gather the kids, fold together, match socks, and chat while you work.
Laundry Tip Five: Follow Through
After folding, launch your “put-away parade.” Walk with your kids to their rooms and help them finish the job. Don’t expect young children—who are still developing impulse control—to finish on their own. Too often, folded laundry ends up on the floor and back in the hamper.
Teaching children to follow through saves so much time and prevents re-washing clean clothes. That means less sorting, less soap, less water, and fewer trips to the laundromat (if you use one). When laundry is put away right away, it stays cleaner, neater, and wrinkle-free.
These five simple tips will do more than keep your laundry clean. You’ll build skills, strengthen relationships, and stop the cycle of clean clothes getting dumped on the floor. Laundry will no longer be a drudgery—it will be a shared success.
You've got this!
Enjoy the Journey!
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