15 Ways to Make Laundry Easy (Even When You’re Drowning in It)

Laundry. The word alone is enough to generate a few grunts and rolled eyes. With three pre-teens and teenagers in the house (including two very smelly boys) plus two adults and a dog, our washing machine hums along almost constantly. One load finishes and another appears as if by magic. The cycle — pardon the pun — is truly endless!

Making laundry easier is a survival skill at this point. And with a few simple systems in place it doesn’t have to feel so relentless. Here are 15 tips that have genuinely helped me make laundry easier — even with a full, busy household.

Why Laundry Feels So Overwhelming

If laundry feels like a never-ending battle in your house you’re not imagining it. These are often reasons why laundry can become so overwhelming and tends to pile up. Try to avoid these traps and get your laundry system under control so you can simplify this regular chore with the tips below.

• You don’t have a system in place — its too random and haphazard. Clothes, towels, etc end up all over the house and don’t have a proper place for them to be.
• You don’t have help from other family members — you are doing it all yourself (been there!).
• You and your family have too many clothes to keep track of and organize.
• You procrastinate doing it because, hey, let’s face it, doing laundry isn’t exactly fun.

15 Ways to Make Laundry Easy

The good news is a few simple shifts can make a real difference in how laundry feels day to day. Here are 15 tips that have genuinely helped me stay on top of it — even with a very full household.

1. Keep a central laundry basket

Keep a hamper in or near your laundry area for miscellaneous items that always seem to populate the house (i.e, pulled-off socks, dirty kitchen towels, or abandoned PJs on a rushed morning).  

A centralized laundry basket will corral random items so they aren’t scattered everywhere. It also eliminates having to move clothes from areas around the house to separate baskets and back to the laundry room again.

Remind your family members to use this centralized basket as a catch-all for dirty clothes that land anywhere other than their bedroom. Once the basket fills up – throw items in the wash.  Even a speed wash while watching Netflix after kids are in bed will suffice.

2. Don’t bother to separate

Yes, you read that right!  Abandon traditional laundry thinking and don’t bother separating your clothes. Mixing most items is fine as long as they are washed in cold water so colors don’t bleed (don’t worry, cold will still effectively clean).  Washing in cold is actually preferable as it increases the lifetime of clothing and is more energy-friendly. The only time you really need hot water is for sanitizing.  

The exception to mixing laundry is delicate fabrics or bulky items. These items deserve their own wash and dry cycle to keep the integrity of the item in place. Use a mesh bag to hold fragile sweaters and lingerie items.

3. Do it daily

Some people prefer to do laundry on a specific day of the week or even month (how many pairs of underwear would you need for this?).  Personally, I have found doing at least one load a day saves tremendous time other than doing it all at once.  This keeps the flow of clean clothes going and you don’t need to overbuy underwear, socks, etc to use as a long-lasting supply.  More clothing creates more clutter and stuff in your home.

The mountain of dirty clothes is when laundry becomes overwhelming and you lose motivation to do it. By doing even one small load a day you will have more control.

4. Clean out your closet

Limit the need to do excess amounts of laundry by keeping your clothing itself to a minimum. You may think, “then I have to wash twice as often,” you’ll be surprised how much time you save by not having so many clothes to keep track of. Give your closet a good clean out every so often so there it is more about quality than quantity.

5. Get out stains immediately

Treat stains immediately and toss them in your central hamper so this item gets attention straight away. Don’t let stained clothing sit around and possibly become too much to clean. By doing this you don’t have to remember to clean the stain or it becomes too hard to remove, thus resulting in more work.

6. Only start what you intend to finish

There is nothing worse than a load of forgotten laundry sitting wet in the washer. No explanation needed for how annoying this can be. Pending how long it sits there, now you have to do double the work and wash the load again!

Avoid the ick-factor of moldy clothes and washing machine plus the extra work by only starting a load you can finish. This means knowing you must be able to move the load from washer to dryer. And this means making sure the dryer is free (so that load must be fluffed and out).

7. Run a load at night

Almost every weeknight I’ll make sure a load is washed and dry in the evening, so by the next morning, there are fresh clothes in the dryer. Even my kids know this drill and can “fluff” the load for a warmup and grab what clean item they may need from the dryer.

Running a load at night can also be useful for the random items you collect during the day (see tip #1). It is smart to have clothes drying while you sleep so they are ready for folding the next morning. This could be your “one load a day” tactic to avoid the laundry overwhelm.

8. Utilize the speed cycle

The speed cycle on the washer is your friend. Avoid feeling overwhelmed by laundry by making the task faster. In 30 minutes or less much of your clothing and household items can be efficiently cleaned. The shorter cycle saves energy, even more so by washing on cold. This is another good option for the daily load, the one you do at night, or the miscellaneous items from the central hamper.

9. Delegate family members to help

I admit I am not the best at this. I tend to just do things around the house myself. But I’ve become better at asking for help and getting my children involved.

My spouse will do his own laundry or pitch in as needed for transferring and/or folding loads. My children are aware that when their basket is full they can bring it to the laundry area and then take it back up when clothing is cleaned. These little efforts help the overall system so you aren’t so bogged down by all the laundry steps.

10. Use hangers more than drawers

Hanging clothes eliminates the need to fold. Especially for children’s closets, having most of their clothes hanging in the closet is easier for them to find it and dress themselves without a huge mess. After a load is dry take the clothing straight from laundry room to bedroom to hang up and you can skip the folding step entirely!

11. Assign a laundry basket to each family member

Avoid laundry overwhelm by giving each family member their own place for dirty clothes to be kept. This limits the need for extra sorting and you’ll know exactly where the clean clothes go when ready (making the whole process much faster). Have each family member responsible for his/her basket and know everything is theirs in that load.

Bonus tip: Return clean clothes to the assigned basket and that person will know the clothes are ready to be put away and who they belong to.

12. Only wash when truly needed

It is not necessary to wash your clothes nearly as often as many Americans do.  Activewear and intimates need more frequent washing; but, jeans, pants and sweaters can be worn several times before needing to be laundered. 

Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi’s, famously has said he never washes his jeans.  “Never” may be a bit extreme but you can lessen time taken up by laundry (not to maintain the quality of your clothing) with more infrequent washing. 

13. Do laundry along with something else

Laundry is pretty mindless, making it a task that can easily be done while doing something else. Listen to a podcast, binge a Netflix show or catch up on the phone with a friend while running loads and folding clothes. Make it (semi) fun!

14. Organize the laundry room

Keeping your laundry room organized might be the most important tip. Even if you don’t have a laundry “room” (in our last home the washer and dryer were in the garage) you want to keep laundry supplies easy to use and readily available. Cheap baskets from The Dollar Store are great for keeping supplies in place.

Essential laundry supplies to keep on hand

• Detergent (opt for non-toxic products when you can )
• Fabric softener (use sparingly, it’s not necessary for all items)
• Stain stick (essential for messy kids)
• Essential oils (useful as a scent booster)
• Dryer sheets (or wool dryer balls, you can also add essential oils to these)
• Machine drum cleaner (it’s recommended to do this at least once a month)
• Foldable drying rack (for clothing that should not be machine-dried such as swimsuits, delicates, and sweaters)

15. Create a laundry room you actually like

When your laundry space feels good to be in you’re more likely to actually use it. A few simple touches go a long way — no renovation required.

• Place a cute rug on the floor
• Use baskets for holding supplies like detergent, stain sticks, and dryer sheets
• Install a pretty, creative tile flooring just for the laundry room
• Keep the room bright with a decorative ceiling light
• Make it smell nice with a plug-in that matches your favorite clean scent
• Add an element of decor such as a green plant or framed photo

A Few of My Favorite Laundry Room Finds

A well-stocked, organized laundry space makes the whole process easier. These are simple picks worth having.

• Plastic storage bins – perfect for corralling detergent, fabric softener, stain sticks and dryer sheets so everything has a place
• Laundry hamper – a good hamper for each family member keeps dirty clothes contained and sorted
• Foldable drying rack – essential for delicates, sweaters and anything that shouldn’t go in the dryer
• Laundry pods container set – this set of 3 containers includes labels for pods, scent boosters, dryer sheets, etc.

Laundry Will Never Be Fun — But It Can Be a Lot Easier

Laundry is one of those life necessities there’s simply no getting away from — especially with a full household. But with a few simple systems in place it doesn’t have to feel so relentless or overwhelming. Small shifts add up and before long you’ll find yourself staying on top of it without the dread.

Pick one or two tips from this list to start with and build from there. Laundry may be necessary, but it doesn’t have to be hard.