Aren't you all so thrilled that Day 1 of the #CovidCleaningChallenge is laundry? Sorry, not sorry. There really is a reason. Everyone has to work on Monday (except me because I'm on maternity leave still! HA!) and laundry is easy to accomplish when you're working. Throw it in, fuggetaboutit for an hour and fold on your break.
You can do it. Plus, crawling into super clean bedsheets is the most rewarding thing at the end of the day!! Here is the checklist:
I'll be the first to admit, I used to SUCK BIG TIME AT LAUNDRY. You can ask my husband. Pretty much he never had underwear or socks and would constantly buy more. I think he hated me for that. But before Henry arrived, I told myself to just BE BETTER and this is what I did to completely change my laundry game.
Let's see how boring this post is... LOL
Step 1 STRIP SHEETS- I suggest stripping your sheets and blankets first thing in the morning right after you get out of bed for work. They take the longest to dry so it's good to knock it out in the morning. For me that was three loads. I was able to make the bed by around lunchtime.
Tip: If you don't already, make your bed every morning especially while you're home all day. It will make you feel better and not surrounded by clutter.
Step 2 SORT CLOTHES AND DESIGNATED ROOM- Sort your clothes and leave them on the floor. Don't try to hide your mountain of dirty laundry, you savage. Leave it out! But seriously, close the door in case you have dogs that love dirty laundry or you will have half as many socks and underwear! The point is- you'll be more apt to finish quickly.
Step 3 PRIORITIZE- If it's unrealistic to do every single load- just do it at your own pace and prioritize what you want to accomplish! A few loads is better than none at all! For me, I had the three loads of bedding plus three regular loads and it actually took me finishing up on DAY 2. Count how many loads you have to do and set a goal.
Tip: Put a basket (or bag) on top of your laundry machine for mismatched socks. My mom taught me this as a kid. (Thanks mom!) She had a bag with Barney on it, and I'm pretty sure she still does. Every time you do a load, you will find a new sock- I swear it's remarkable. Losing socks is like the 8th wonder of the world. Don't let the sock beat you. Be better than the sock.
Step 4 DESIGNATE TRANSPORTATION BASKET
One basket and one basket only. This may seem weird but I find if I just have clothes everywhere I never put them away. So, I use the same basket to load dirty clothes, fold and put away. Once that load is put away, I load up the basket again.
Exception: I have a separate basket for Henry since I use baby DREFT. If you have kids, each kid can be in charge of putting away their basket too.
Step 5 FOLD- FOLD THAT IIISH! Don't leave it in the machine and listen it ding over and over and over again. Just get up, pause Love is Blind and fold it!!! If you want to start folding Marie Kondo style, you can little-by-little change your drawers without a huge project. For a lesson on how to fold clothes, visit Marie Kondo's Konmari method.
Step 6 REPEAT- Repeat, repeat, repeat! Goodluck!!!
Tip: Buy multiple laundry detergents to switch up the smell and make you excited to fold laundry. Here's what I have:
-For my sheets I rotate between the two types of Downy unstoppables.
-My friend bought me this really nice linen wash from The Royal Standard... so when I wanna feel fancy- I use that! -I also have some "Rockin Green" powder for Active Wear or blankets that my dogs lay on cause they stank. If you put this stuff in the bathtub and let your active wear soak, the water turns black. It's absolutely the most #oddlysatisfying thing I've ever seen.
-For all of Henry's clothes, I use Dreft. It smells like a baby and is sensitive enough to use on his skin. I get this delivered on autoship via Amazon.
-Lastly, I'm a Tide girl and Downy girl. I also get that autoshipped from Amazon every other month. I love that the box is cardboard and is more eco-friendly and better for the environment!
I hope you enjoyed my laundry method for the #COVIDCLEANINGCHALLENGE. Make sure you tag me in your before and after pictures!! Xoxo <3 Christina