The Efficient Way of Doing Laundry and Saving Money

Doing laundry is often one of the most dreaded chores in housekeeping. Part of dreading to do the laundry is how the laundry seems to pile up so quickly and having to sort through everything. When you have several members in your household, laundry can pile up even faster. Still, clothes have to be cleaned. It's part of life. There are efficient ways of doing laundry that will make it a less dreaded chore and save you money. How can you do laundry more efficiently and save money in the process?

Have a Laundry Day

Have a laundry day. Depending on how many people are in your household, you might need to have two days a week devoted to laundry. You could have one early in the week and another mid-week. Doing full loads will also help with the electric bill instead of doing a few items at a time. Too often people tend to do only a few items as they need them. Plan ahead as best as you can for what you will be wearing for the week to eliminate the need to wash an item at the last minute.

Get Everyone Involved

Even young children can learn the responsibility of where to put their dirty clothes.Teaching children at a young age will help them to know what to do when they are older and on their own. Have hampers easily accessible where clothes can be placed right away. If you have room, you could have a couple different hampers or colorful bins in each bedroom so clothes can be sorted before they get to the washing machine. Each family member can be responsible for putting their dirty clothes where they belong. You can enlist a 'no dirty clothes on the floor' rule.

Sorting the Clothes

Sort clothes by not only color, but by weight. If you combine heavy bath towels with lightweight sheets, the dryer takes longer to dry the towels than it does the sheets. Of course, always try to have full loads to save on water, cleaning supplies and electricity. Sort clothes also by what requires hot water and what requires cold water. Most items, unless very dirty, do well in cold water. Read labels for specific instructions.

Laundry Supplies

Store laundry supplies such as detergent, fabric softener, bleach, stain removers and hangers on a shelf near the washing machine and dryer. If you don't have space for a shelf or cabinet, purchase a plastic bin to store everything together. This will be more efficient than running back and forth to where you store your supplies if you don't have room where your washer and dryer is. Be sure the area where you store laundry supplies is out of young children's reach.

Putting Away Clean Clothes

As clothes come out of the dryer, let each family member be responsible for folding and putting up their own. As this becomes a habit, they'll be less arguing about who should do what. Older children can help younger children hang items they can't reach. Of course, depending on your family's work schedule and lifestyle, one person may be in charge of laundry more than the others. Still, you can implement a plan that works for you.

Just as your clothes need washed, so does your washing machine. Don't forget to wipe out the interior between uses and run through a rinse cycle every so often.

Being organized with when and how you do laundry can save extra time and money and laundry day won't be a dreaded chore.