For Those Who Do A LOT of Laundry.....

**many houseapes** · 04-23-2008, 12:12 AM

For those that do a lot of laundry - what do you do to stay ahead of it all? What are some of the things that you do to save time & cut down on how much you do?

i have enough clothes line to hang 2 huge loads. To be able to hang as much as possible, I hang the shirts on hangers & pin them to the line about 4-5" apart.
Living here in s.tx. I can't leave the dirty laundry setting in the baskets very long b/c of fire ants,etc, so after washing my 2 loads max for the day (if there is that much to do) & I don't have enough laundry to make another completly full load, I just put the partial load into the washer,fill it up as if I were doing a full load-soap & all & let it set overnight or until I accumulate more dirty laundry of that same catagory. When the washer is truly full - then it gets washed. this method has also helped me to not run the dryer - I don't have enough clothesline to accomodate 3 huge loads.

**momof42003** · 04-23-2008, 03:41 AM

We're supposed to stay AHEAD of the laundry?? LOLOLOL.... I have "MT. LAUNDRY" in my house. I never seem to keep ahead of it. I do sort the laundry and toss torn or too stained items. I also have a pile that is too small that goes directly into the give away bag.. That is the only laundry thing I do regularly, besides not do the laundry when I need to. OH well someday I will have no laundry piles.

**Holly** · 04-23-2008, 07:24 AM

I never get ahead. (even only being 4 of us )
We are putting in 3 more clothes lines hopefully this next weekend. That should help for the summer.

**YankeeMom** · 04-23-2008, 07:57 AM

I think we have a lot of laundry. I probably do 10-12 loads/week depending on who's bedding I wash which week.

My lines will hold about 3 large loads of laundry. I find the clothes dry faster than they would in the dryer most days. Especially when it's dry & windy. I can hang out one load, start another in the washer, and by the time the second load is done in the washer most of the lighter stuff from the first load is already dry. I take it down as it dries. I don't wait for the entire load to be dry before I empty the lines. Then I fill in the empty spots with the latest load and go on from there. I can often get 3-4 loads done between 8am and 2pm when I have to pick the kids up from school.

I actually have an easier time getting the laundry done when I can use my lines than when I use the dryer. Mostly because I don't have to wait for the dryer before putting another load of laundry out to dry. The washer only takes about 30 minutes, the dryer takes 60 minutes or more depending on what I'm drying. On the line, the clothes almost always take less than an hour. Sometimes only half an hour.

**Jayne** · 04-23-2008, 09:19 AM

Its only dh and myself and I am always behind!!

**emily_hope** · 04-23-2008, 09:42 AM

I probably do 12 - 14 loads a week and there is only 4 of us. My DH has his work uniforms, plus his umpire/referee uniforms and then what he wears when he does his lawn care business. Then my DDs have their every day clothes and work uniforms. Plus the towels and sheets. I do at least one load each day, some days I do two. That is how I keep up. There is never a day that I don't do some laundry. I try to think of it as a blessing. That we have clothes to wear, towels to dry off our bodies, beds/sheets to sleep on, washer and dryer of our own and the uniforms mean we have jobs. My washer has a delayed start. I can put a load of laundry in in the morning before I go to work and set it to wash the clothes just before I get home and they are ready to throw in the dryer when I arrive. That way they don't sit in the washer wet. This is a blessing to me, also.

**Pianolady** · 04-23-2008, 10:15 AM

Dh is a genius, as he built me custom shelving off the floor for my laundry baskets that is at the perfect height to save my back. We have 4 baskets for our 4 family members, so I can go right from the dryer or clothesline (which he installed wall to wall above the washer/dryer) to their baskets. Each child is responsible for getting the clothes to their own rooms from that point. There's all kinds of storage space under the laundry basket shelf for the dehumidifier and misc. baskets. This is all great, as there is no carrying around of baskets of clothes.

There is also a laundry shoot that goes from the upstairs bathroom right into the laundry room. Quite an efficient setup, and saves me tons of time.

**mommy4ever** · 04-23-2008, 10:30 AM

I have baskets for each child in their room. Each are assigned a laundry day. Summer they double up as the clothes are less bulky. I only hang in the summer, as we have too much snow..lol. the only month I haven't seen snow in is July. But summer runs mid may to Mid sept. I only have 1 umbrella BUT, it holds ALOT, whites I don't dry on the line, no one here likes scratchy undies..lol.

I do laundry 5 days a week. I take weekends off. There is no perfect way. I don't have the bug issues here, so I can let their clothes sit a week.