I find so much joy in cleaning my house. I really do. We have a cleaning service that comes once a week to do the deep cleaning, but the day-to-day is one of my favorite things, and sometimes as a treat, Chris will take the girls out of the house so I can clean uninterrupted. Bliss!! The only exception to this has always been laundry. The biggest ever-present thorn in my side–LAUNDRY!
So when we set out to renovate our laundry room, I knew I wanted it to be a place I could find happiness in. I wanted to fall in love with the chore. My surroundings definitely impact me, so the idea of making the laundry room a place I'd like to hang out in was high on the priority list. Plenty of storage, space, and light, and, hey, let's double the machines, so it all goes by faster.
Calacatta Gem Tile | Harbor Gray Tile | Wallpaper | Washer & Dryer | Laundry Basket | Cabinet Pulls | Cabinet Knobs | Sconce | Gold Light Fixture | Cabinets (Bagley Maple Cottage)
Because here's the thing--I've tried every laundry schedule out there. Put a load in the morning, and put it away before bed. Doing each person's a different day (did this one for years). But with double machines, the schedule that works for me most is having a laundry day and making it an event!
Save a few podcasts, light the candle in the laundry room, making the announcement--"It's laundry day! Everyone get their clothes in!" I like to do it on Tuesdays because I work from home that day, and it frees up the weekend. I'm swapping the clothes from washer to dryer for most of the day, and by the time the girls get home from school, they're in charge of putting their folded clothes away. It works beautifully, and I actually don't hate laundry anymore. I kind of like it. :)
The rolling laundry baskets in the laundry room have been so incredible I've been thinking of getting more for the girls' rooms so that they rotate in and out. Currently, each of their rooms has these nice hamper baskets (we've had them for years!), and they're really beautiful. But they're really heavy. I like that they double as decor. Right now, I go to each room with a rolling bin and pick up the clothes (I don't mix the girls' clothes in the wash, so it's a straight-forward in and out and on to the next) and roll it to the laundry room and then back when I'm finished.
Laundry Basket | Wallpaper | Bed
If you don't have a rolling bin, I highly recommend incorporating one into your laundry system. It has made the process, dare I say...fun? Fun! I rounded up a bunch of cute laundry baskets and rolling ones below! Number 13 has me drooling.
Cute Laundry Baskets
1. Folding X-Frame Hamper $20
2. Rolling Triple Sorter $35
3. Grid Laundry Hamper $54
4. Round Seagrass Hamper $59
5. Greenstell Laundry Hamper $64
6. Seville Canvas Hamper $69
7. Wire Laundry Basket $74
8. Metal Storage Cart $123
9. Curved Seagrass Lidded Hamper $126
10. Kobo Wheeled Basket $148
11. Steele Bushel Canvas Laundry Bin $149
12. Ivory Shagreen Hamper $179
13. Mobile Canvas Bin $198
14. Scallop Rattan Double Hamper $388
Shop Laundry Hampers
Do you have a laundry system that works for you and your family?
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Laundry day here too!
I like getting it done in one (or two days😅) because then I don’t have to think about it again for a week.
Beautiful room and a great attitude for a chore you didn’t enjoy!!
I too, have had great success with passing the laundry chore to my kids! My youngest started doing his own laundry when he was about four years old. They put everything in together and wash on cold and have for three years now and it has been such a relief for me to just be in charge of my own laundry! Now I never get overwhelmed by the size of the task (I usually only have to run a load a week!) and my kids will have years of experience doing their laundry before they go to college. Win-win!
Natural light in the laundry room is key to making the chore enjoyable.
We are currently in a house with basement laundry. It is not my favorite. Way back in our first apartment that did not have a washer and dryer in the unit, I invested in a rolling hamper with a handle and never looked back. I can use the handle to maneuver the basket up and down the stairs and I appreciate it. I will definitely look at rolling hampers when I am back in a ranch with a laundry room. The 18-year-old does laundry as needed - or I throw a load in for them when I see their hamper is starting to overflow (their clothing collection is massive), the spouse does his on Friday, and I do mine on Sunday. I have a minimal wardrobe so I can do all my laundry in 1 load. I do all the towels and linens for the household every couple of weeks. One of my cats, Paisley is my assistant. She likes to sit on the washer while I am loading it or moving stuff to the dryer and then has a special spot to lay when I am folding linens, it is our special time.
I taught my kids (2 boys, now in their 20's) to do their own laundry when they were in 1st or 2nd grade and things have always worked great. Everything together in cold water. - it was not hard and they were very successful. They were also in charge of putting it away, and I let them take the lead- mostly they just had one basket for clean and one for dirty and never really put stuff away, just took clean things form the clean basket. They mostly wore T shirts and athletic pants, so it worked fine for us! In any case, hopefully at least your eldest daughter is doing her own laundry by now, especially because there is such a large space to do it in.
I too started doing laundry when I was in elementary school. It’s an easy chore kids can take ownership of
We just started a new routine where the kids bring their laundry down every night before bed to their baskets in the laundry room (age 5 & 8), and it eliminates the need for hampers in each room! Then, when it’s time to do laundry, the laundry is already in the laundry room and gathered.
Sheets and towels are a different story, but this has been working out great for us lately!
Beautiful choices! I was wondering where did you get that lamp you have in polly's room?
It's old from urban outfitters!
All of your kids are old enough to do their own laundry, and unless they are in a million activities it should be one load each. I have 3 boys. They each did their own laundry on a different day, and I did the adult and household laundry in between. The idea that one person should be in charge of laundry for 5 made me overwhelmed and always behind. Giving the kids their own work to do, even while requiring minimal supervision, helped a lot. None of my kids owned anything that could be ruined in the wash. Bedding was a separate event, but I still had them do it.
This should really be each families own decision. I never did my own laundry until I was out of grad school (yes, ridiculous). Why? I was in sports, activities, had a part time job and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I didn’t have time to do laundry so my family just mixed it in with theirs.
Oh, come on! My kids were 3 sport varsity athletes (who now play in college) who got great grades (AP and honors classes etc) etc, and had jobs and they started doin their own laundry in 1st or 2nd grade! Time management is an important skill for kids to learn.
Agree. There's such a difference between "here's how we do it" and "everybody should do it this way." Didn't do my laundry until college: honors/merit scholar, out of town most weekends for my h.s. activities and we were on a farm. Being out with calving cows in -20 weather taught me more than time management... :-o
I love all these baskets! I have a big basket in our laundry room, but its fabric and the shape hasn't held up. I will need to invest in one of these rolling ones soon!
Such beautiful laundry baskets! I appreciate how you highlight really lovely everyday items.
This wouldn’t work for everyone, but we keep all of our boys’ clothes in the laundry room closet. Their hamper is in there as well and the laundry room has an attached bathroom with a shower. So they can get undressed, shower, and dress again all without leaving the one room. This has been amazing bc it means that there are never clothes on their bedroom floors.
They do their own laundry when their hamper gets full. They are 11 and 7. Then when it comes out of the dryer, they can just put it away bc the drawers are right there! Now do they fold it? No idea. For my own peace of mind, I do not police the insides of their drawers.
I do the rest of the laundry as each hamper gets full. I fold them immediately out of the dryer (and I fold on top of the dryer) and put them away right away. This is the least vexing way to do it for me- I used to wait and fold things “later.” But it is way more fun to fold things right out of the dryer vs late at night when they’ve been sitting in a crumpled heap on the bed.
I have a top loading Speedqueen and I love it so much. It’s actually a commercial grade machine which will (allegedly) last 20 years or more. I highly recommend this for anyone who needs to replace a washer. It gets things cleaner than our previous front loader with none of the everlasting mold concerns.
I love my Speedqueen!!
Kelly- how long have you had your speed queen set?.. do you think the quality is much better than the average whirlpool or LG etc. set?
Yesssss to the top loading Speed Queen! I have 4 kids who love digging in the dirt & investing in a really good washer/dryer set was a huge upgrade to my chore life. They also pitch in with their own laundry, except for the baby ;) Even my 5-year old can haul baskets around and put away his own clothes.
Yes, we have a laundry day - it’s Thursday, because I’m working from home and I don’t want to spend my weekend doing laundry 😉 It’s only 3 of us (so it’s a bit easier) and we’re trying to minimize laundry piles - wear it more than once.