Last Updated on December 30, 2020 by HodgePodgeDays
Do you have an overflowing laundry basket that never seems to empty? The never-ending story of the laundry pile is one that dominates the lives of most busy mums, but it doesn’t have to be that way! You can reach the end of the basket and free yourself from the shackles of the washing machine.
Here are some top time saving laundry tips to for busy mums:
Buy More than One Laundry Basket
Do you have just one laundry basket that sits in your bathroom and holds everyone’s dirty laundry? This is a rookie mistake, and one that will be costing you precious time on a daily basis.
Sort your laundry as you go by having three different laundry baskets: one for whites, one for dark clothes, and one for colours. Then rather than have to rummage through one big basket to load your washing machine, you simply have to empty the relevant basket into the machine when it is full.
Add Name Labels
If you have more than one child, then one great time-saving tip is to sew or iron UK children’s name labels into all of your children’s clothes. It doesn’t matter whether you iron or just fold your clothes, this will speed up the process of sorting laundry, and you’ll never have to struggle with putting the right clothes into the right wardrobe again!
Many Hands
Who says that doing the laundry has to be mum work? Many hands make light work, and even the smallest family member can be involved in helping clear the laundry mountain. Toddlers can be tasked with matching socks, whilst older children can help to separate laundry piles by colour and fold clothes once they are dry.
Pre-Soak When Needed
Gym kit, football kit, swimming costumes… some clothes have a distinctive smell once they’ve been worn, and if you leave these pieces sitting around then the smell will only deepen and get worse.
You can avoid this by pre-soaking any particularly sweaty or dirty clothes as soon as you take them off. Simply place them in a sink or bucket full of warm soapy water for thirty minutes to remove tough and stubborn smells before you pop them in the washing machine. This tip won’t necessarily save you time when doing your laundry, but it will save you from having to wash the same pieces over and over again to get them clean.
The Right Tools for the Job
Doing the laundry will be much easier if you always have the right tools for the job. This means that your washing machine should be cleaned regularly to ensure it works at optimal levels, and you should have a good supply of detergent, stain remover and fabric softener to hand at all times. There’s nothing worse than running out of soapy suds on laundry day!
Airing your clothes outside during the summer months tends to be faster than trying to dry them inside, and will also make them smell cleaner and fresher. If you don’t already have one, invest in a clothes line for the summer
If in Doubt, Cheat
Finally, they may be a tad more expensive, but if the thought of ironing a pile of kids school uniform every week fills you with dread then why not buy the non-iron versions instead? These may need lightly ironing once they are dry,but buying the right pieces will cut the labour intensive work of keeping your kids looking smart in half. Why work hard when you don’t have to?