Task: Organize Dirty Laundry and Set up a laundry washing schedule
Sample steps for completing this task:
1. Organize/sort your dirty laundry and plan/purchase appropriate containers. Once you decide what you will use, immediately add this to your need to pick up list.
SORT YOUR CLOTHES AS THEY BECOME SOILED. IT SAVES TIME FROM HAVING TO DO THIS EVERYTHING YOU WASH.
"Sorting as you go ..... may encourage you to do laundry more often because it's all sorted and ready to go!"Source: Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster
Sorting Ideas:
You might organize all the laundry by color, giving each color group its own container. Family members just drop soiled article in the appropriate bin.
I have some laundry color tags that I put above the appropriate basket when I use this method. Then, I assign each color a different wash day. I have used this method in the past, but right now am using a variation of the tip below from FlyLady. You can also get colored coded baskets themselves--white for whites, blue for dark colors, etc.
From FlyLady: "Try this: have three baskets in the closet or wherever you keep dirty clothes. One for whites, colored, and one for good clothes that you don't want to wash with the other things. As you undress, place the dirty clothes in the proper basket. Then hang up the items that can be worn again. The "Do It Now Principle" kicks in. Even little children can be taught this! (You can do this for each person's room).
You can use a multi-compartmented hamper or several laundry baskets. You can get colored coded baskets themselves--white for whites, blue for dark colors, etc.
Tips:
Designate a basket for clothing that needs repairs.
You might also set one up for clothes that need dry cleaning.
Also set up something for unmated socks.
Clip clothespins to the side of each laundry hamper in the house.
Teach family members to use them to mark stains on dirty clothes
2. Designate a laundry center for the basket for clothes that need mending, that need to go to the drycleaners, unmated washed socks, where you will fold clean clothes and where you will put them once they are folded (in a spot in each person's room, a holding basket, etc. Some people have a wash room and laundry center for this, but I never really have had one, so this is my suggestion.
3. Set up a laundry washing schedule (Day and Time). You are more likely to keep the "laundry monster" under control if you make--and stick to--your schedule. I have found this to be so true.
If you have your laundry sorted by individual colors, you might assign each color group a day. You might assign days by individual: Umm/Ab day, kid 1 clothes day, kid 2 clothes day, etc. You will have to take into account how many days you will realistically wash and other activities that are going on on a given day. Once you have decided, add this to your Weekly Household Schedule. Also take into account, that you should put up clothes as soon as they are dry, so allot a day/time of day when you can realistically do this.
Fridays are my sheet washing days, so I marked this on my schedule and then just pull of the sheets that day.
4. Set up a schedule for when you will mend/get clothes mended and iron. Add this to your Weekly Household Schedule.
5. Write your procedures/how to's out (How to wash clothes, how to fold clothes, how to treat stains.) Make or
print out a quick reference sheet of how to treat certain stains. Place this list on your bulletin board or in your binder. Cleaning 101 (see link below) has some stain treating remedies. If other family members will be washing, plan a time to sit down and discuss procedures and common stain treatments.
Resources:
Lots of handy personal tips from this site: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/laundry.htm#lug
Cleaning 101: Laundry Fact Sheet Notebook
As time permits, read more laundry time saving tips from around the 'net/library books.
Binder Fillers:
Laundry Section Divider (TJ)
Stain Removal Chart from Martha Stewart.com
ghaseel -
laundry
clothing -
malaabis
dress -
fustaan
shirt -
qamees
soap -
saabun
gloves -
quffaz
blanket -
ba-taw-niyyah
