I know what you’re thinking. I’m crazy, right? “Love the Laundry?” That never-ending, unrelenting chore that hangs out in the background of our heads day in and day out? I confess, I’ve been among those many of you who have said, aloud, quite seriously “I wish for one single second we could all just hang out naked together so that I could know what it feels like for every bit of laundry in the house to be clean, dry, and put away at the same time. Sigh.” But we can’t. And we don’t. And the laundry wagon rolls on and on, whether we like it or not. So, rather than continue feeling overwhelmed, annoyed, and disgruntled by the business of laundry, I want to share a couple simple tips I’ve learned make it better. Make it bearable. Enjoyable even! And you know what? I do enjoy it! Not in the way I love going on a Sunday hike with my family or eating a good cheese plate at my favorite restaurant, but I have learned to look forward to the laundry. I’ll bet with a little effort, you can, too.
Tip One: Make it Pretty and Functional
Do you love the way your laundry room looks and feels? Does the sight of your laundry hampers make you smile? If you answered no, this tip is for you! Make your space pretty, and you’ll enjoy being there! Replace the torn open packages of detergent with cool glass or plastic containers. This immediately cleans up the space and makes it look and feel intentional. I buy my detergents in bulk and simply store the big boxes to the side of the dryer, where I can easily refill the jars, but don’t have to look at them. Try using a piggy bank or a fun bowl to keep that loose laundry change in one place. Wipe down the machines with a baby wipe or wet rag every day or two to keep them clean and looking nice. It takes ten seconds, but makes the whole space feel better.
Find laundry hampers that you adore, and that will hold up over the years of use and abuse. Steele Canvas is my favorite laundry and storage solution. I found them years ago while searching for an industrial hamper option for my tiny DC apartment, and have been totally impressed and in love with their products ever since. The two that I reviewed back then are some of my very favorite household items, and still get their daily use. For our new house, though, I needed a couple more for the space. The laundry room has a funky corner with a super narrow and angled wall, and the only thing I could find to work was the Steele Canvas Large Bag Caddie, which fits like a charm. The baskets and rolling trucks come in every size and shape you can imagine, are high quality, stylish, and have found their way into every bedroom in my home.
Tip Two: Schedule a Time
Rather than having the laundry hang over every day of the week, and feeling like it’s never-ending, choose a time for it, and keep it in it’s place! With three kids and and an active life, I have found that need two days for the laundry. I do it on Monday and Friday each week. First thing in the morning I throw in a load, then throughout the day I switch the loads, leaving a nice big pile of clean, dry clothes to be folded. The moving loads doesn’t take much time in and around my daily activities (and all of my laundry hampers has wheels, so rolling them into the laundry room is no sweat.) I can usually have all of the clothes washed and dry by the late afternoon, when I sit down to fold. Then I leave a pile of clean, folded clothes at each door. The boys are still young enough they need some help putting their clothes away, but I don’t put them away for them. I wait until they are there to help, and they are learning. I put away the rest (this always feels a bit like the last ten pounds, if you know what I mean), but if I’m following my own tip number three, it feels like a good time.
Tip Three: Rule of Three (accompany the one thing you don’t love with two that you do!)
When it’s time to do the laundry, add two elements to the experience that you love and they will help cancel out some of the negative feelings. It might even become fun! For example. when I fold the laundry, I set up with some great music (or a movie) and a favorite snack. All of the sudden, the huge pile of clothes to be folded looks to me like a mountain of opportunity to chill out and belt my Broadway favorites while munching dried cherries and chocolate-covered almonds. I have started to really like the pause in my sometimes too-hurried days to sit in one place for a while. Baby Plum is usually on the floor with me, playing with her own toys, and the moment becomes a nice break. If all the kids are home, I turn on one of their favorites (Frozen, I’m looking at you.) and we all watch it together. (I use the Rule of Three for other things, too. Like reading a favorite book and sipping a cold Diet Coke while waiting for the car to be repaired, or using my favorite smelling soap (even though it costs more) and blasting Michael Jackson while I do the dishes at night.)
Learning to love the laundry isn’t just about an attitude adjustment, though that won’t hurt. By Making it Pretty and Functional, Scheduling a Time, and applying the Rule of Three to this household task, you create an experience out of the chore. You set yourself up for success and find a way out of feeling overwhelmed and annoyed. It feels good to feel good about the things that we do. So good luck! I’m off to throw in a load.
This post shared in partnership with Steele Canvas, who I absolutely adore. All ideas and opinions are my own.
