Whether you’re a working mom, a sahm or work from home – the best of both worlds if you ask me – laundry is a beast that does not discriminate!  So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the laundry, know that you are not alone. Below are 7 game-changing tips you can use to get your laundry done faster & keep laundry under control. For the most part.

Before I had a family, laundry could be done with the snap of a finger.  Present-day, it takes an ARMY!  Ok, let me clarify – it used to!  So what was the hack or secret I used to get my laundry under control?  Well for starters, there is no secret. I actually did a lot of things to make laundry less overwhelming. But they were very small tweaks. Nothing ginormous.

And the one biggest thing I changed was I had to do laundry my way – sorry Konmari but no to the laser precision folding.  But I will admit, I tried – a few times over the years actually. And I realized the cost of folding like this – my time – just wasn’t worth the bragging rights of having (temporarily) pristine Instagram-worthy drawers.  

Instead, I’ve settled for laundry that is practically almost always done.  Even when my schedule gets hectic.  And clothes that are always put away.  Priceless. 

7 time-boosting laundry hacks to make laundry less overwhelming and more doable //

1 //  Two during the week & save the rest for later

One of the best hacks for keeping laundry under control is the no-brainer tip you already know – do laundry regularly.   You’ve got to keep the flow of laundry moving point-blank. To prevent loads of dirty laundry or countless baskets of clean clothes from sitting around, try one of these laundry routines:

Wash + Fold + Dry One Load A Day – Start a load before work.  When you get back home, put the load in the dryer.  After dinner – or after the kids go to bed – fold that load and put it away.  Small loads are bite-size – literally. And super easy to handle! (This is my routine)

Wash + Dry + Fold All The Laundry On One Day – For stay-at-home moms and work-from-home moms, you can choose any day of the week to do this. Working moms, your day will probably be Saturday. A good idea is to set a firm number of loads you’ll do for example, six. Once you wash the six loads, you’re done!

Wash + Dry + Fold + Two Loads During The Week & The Rest On The Weekend – If you have a mix of busy and slow days throughout the week, wash one load on your slow days respectively and then finish off the rest on the weekend.

Active Wear & Stinky Stuff Go First – If you work out and your kids play sports, chances are, you’ve got some stinky laundry. Prioritize those items & wash them daily.

GRAB THIS EPIC YET SIMPLE // DAILY CLEANING ROUTINE + WEEKLY SCHEDULE PRINTABLE This routine has a built-in laundry routine that is perfect for busy moms!

2 // Keep A Separate Basket For Towels

If you feel overwhelmed by laundry every time you look in the wash room, take note, it could be your eyes playing tricks on you. Towels and other bulky items give your mountain of laundry scary vibes!  Keep those items separate from your regular laundry so that you can get a much better idea of how much laundry your really have to do. Not to mention, folding big blankets is rich.  Think about it – you can fold and put away towels any time in just a few minutes – even on your worst day. So for a quick win, wash some towels!

You may want a two or three bin laundry sorter or just a separate basket to keep those items in.  

Shop This Solution To Keep Laundry Sorted // 3 Bin Laundry Hamper + 4 Bin Laundry Hamper

3 //  Get Rid Of Clothing You Shouldn’t Be Washing

Say what1?  This is huge if you have kids!  Declutter while folding – or before you even get to the washing machine . You know those pants that look like high waters on your kid?  Yeh, stuff like that. This is an easy way to keep closets decluttered and prevent your laundry baskets from being flooded with clothing that no one should be wearing anymore – yourself included.  

Bottom line – get rid of clothing that is too small, in bad condition or just won’t be worn again.  When it’s time to fold your clothing, make an extra pile for clothing that should be donated. But please, throw away clothing in bad condition – don’t donate it. 

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ // 15+ Smart Mom Hacks To Keep Your House Clean With Young Kids if you want to take a realistic, practical approach to keep your house clean!

4 //  Don’t Get Too Crazy Sorting  

If you’re sorting your laundry so precisely that you can challenge a rainbow, I say more power to you – but that’s not really necessary.  I do make exceptions for brand new items just because they typically bleed the first few washes but other than that, mixed loads are okay.   

When washing mixed loads of laundry, use cold water and use dye catcher sheets as a backup if you’re a little nervous.  They work phenomenally and will save you a ton of time on the front end! 

Shop This Solution To Protect Mixed Loads // Dye Catching Sheets 

5 // Slash Your Drying Time With Some Balls

Wool balls will do the trick!  Shave your drying time and money from your energy bill by tossing these bad boys into the dryer with your wet clothes.  They also do double duty on wrinkles so you can kinda consider them as a chemical-free alternative to fabric softener.    This is my favorite laundry hack to be honest!

If you don’t have any wool balls, you can also use tennis balls – although I will warn you the noise level may be a bit ridiculous!  Or you can even throw a dry towel in with your wet clothing to expedite drying.  

Shop This Solution To Decrease Laundry Drying Time // Wool Dryer Balls

YOU SHOULD READ // How To Clean Your House Super Fast if it takes you all day and night to get your house cleaned!  You’ll learn the strategies and techniques you need to get the job done faster!

6 // Use Mesh Bags To Keep Socks Together When Doing Laundry 

I think we can all agree that socks are the dark side of doing laundry.   I don’t know if it’s the part where you have to match them together or the part where you realize you’re mixing one, or two or five socks that kills souls the most!

So let’s take the guesswork out of this with these laundry hacks: 

Buy multiple packs of the same type of sock.  If all the socks are the same, that makes pairing super fast and easy! 

Keep a basket full of all the single socks.  Don’t put them into your drawers without a mate.  After a month, if the sock mates don’t turn up, toss em’. 

Shop This Solution To Keep Socks Together // Mesh Bag Set 

7 // If You Really Hate Folding – Don’t

Despite all the hype around Marie Kondo’s origami folding and whatnot, real people just don’t have time for all that!  Not that I wouldn’t love to see that type of precision in my underwear drawer – I’m just not the person to make it happen.  So what do people like us that are really just trying to get the laundry washed and done do?  

Hang up clothes until you can’t hang anymore!   This is the ultimate laundry folding hack!

That’s right, start off by hanging clothes.  And once you’ve run through all your hangers, then start folding.  

Do you have small kids or babies?  I rarely fold their clothes to be honest.  I hang most of their clothing and then the pieces that don’t get hung are placed in a cloth storage box – loosely folded.  Ok, not folded at all lol Pajamas, playtime clothing, etc. – nothing important so it totally works for me – and might work for you too!

Shop These Solutions To Decrease Folding Laundry  // Hangers For Adults + Hangers For Kids + Hangers For Babies + Cloth Storage Cube + Folding Board

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ // The Smart Girl’s Guide To A Clean & Organized House – 5 Drool-Worthy, Must-Have Things You Need To Get Now!  Who should read this?  Anyone that wants to learn smart ways to set up their home so that it stays clean. 

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