12 tips on how to get the laundry under control once and forever

One of the biggest complaints I hear as a professional organizer when working with busy women is, "I just can't get on top of the laundry, there are always piles and piles. When my kids need clean gym clothes or the purple blouse for purple day at school those are the clothes that are always dirty".

If this sounds familiar to you here are some tips on how to get the laundry under control once and forever.

·Have a set routine or schedule for doing laundry. Maybe washing in the evening to take advantage of 'off peak hours', or tossing in a load as soon as the kiddies head out the door for school. Sending shirts, blouses, skirts and other things to the laundry might work best for your lifestyle.

·Who said only one person has to have the responsibility of doing the laundry for a family. It isn't so; make a plan to get everyone involved in sorting, folding and putting the clothes away.

Several years ago I had gone to visit my friend who lived in another state. While she was at work I started to tackle her hugemongous pile of clean laundry. I soon realized her four children who were just hanging out jumping on the bed were all old enough to help. The older ones I had separate shirts from pants and socks. The younger ones I assigned to match pairs of socks.

My friend later told me her children disliked me for years because I made them help me fold the laundry. I found that funny but I was also shocked, in our home it was the norm for children to help, they are certainly capable of helping with the laundry and what an easy chore to assign them from the time they are very young.

·Decide how many categories of laundry you need. Maybe one basket for darks, medium darks, delicates and one for lights. This may be all you need or maybe you only need one for dark and one for lights. Keep it simple.

·Sort on a daily basis. If your laundry room is close to the bedrooms, have family members put their dirty laundry in designated baskets for lights and darks. If your laundry room is on different level, consider having a light and dark hamper on each floor if there is room. Assign the responsibility of getting these clothes to the laundry room every night to someone other than you. This can be a rotated job.

·Towels don't need to be washed after every use. You were clean when you used your towel. But they do need to be hung up on a towel rack.

·Designate a place in the laundry room or some other place in the home for clothes that need to be dry cleaned or hand washed. Often these are left on the floor because they don't know what to do with them.

·Have a different colored basket for each person in the family or label the basket with their name, or take a picture of them and tape it on the end with clear packing tape or tie a colored ribbon to each basket.

·Children can sort clothes right out of the dryer. If you want the 'laundry master' to pull the clothes out of the dryer and put in each ones basket that's fine too. Give your child the responsibility of folding/hanging their own clothes, this saves you a ton of time and decreases the chances of them throwing every little thing into the dirty clothes hamper.

·It could be routine for them to check the laundry room after school or after dinner to see if they have any clothes to take to their room to fold or hang up. They may complain some, but they will get used to it and knowing the expectations will make it a routine they can live with.

·Make it easy for them to put their own clothes away. If the clothes are to be hung, place the rod low enough for them to reach. For smaller children; a basket or drawer liner inside a drawer easier to use than making a neat pile in the drawer. (Socks can be tossed in a basket, same with underwear).

·Take stock of how many clothes you and your children have. If the drawers are chucked full and there is nowhere to put away the clean clothes then it is time to evaluate the amount of clothes you own. If children have out grown clothes and you are saving for younger ones put the clothes in plastic bins with a lid and label on the outside the size of the clothes.

·I worked with one woman who had a separate drawer in the laundry room for each child and when she took the clothes out of the dryer she put the clothes in the drawers and the children came to the laundry room to get their clothes.

Get everyone involved with the laundry and start teaching children young. It is never too late to start good habits. I know from personal experience as a mother of five and as a professional organizer it does take extra time to teach but the rewards and the time saved is worth all the effort.

Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors and their families create space and end clutter in their homes and offices by setting up custom made systems.

Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find solutions to your organizing needs. She offers free tips in her blogs, articles and videos for your home and office organizing solutions.