September 1, 2009

Sanity Saving Laundry Tip

The back door without clothes and...


...With clothes! :)



Winter is coming; in the Pacific Northwest this means lots of wet weather. How do I keep my sanity while dealing with what seems like an endless supply of wet, muddy clothes? One of the things I implemented while the boys were young was the concept of "outside clothes" and "inside clothes". What a wonderful time saver. Another benefit was that it enabled me to keep a relatively clean home with a little less effort.

The system works like this:

Dedicate some clothes for "outside" only and let the kids wear them and get as wet and muddy as they like. When they come inside, hang them on a clothes horse, or something like it (we use a giraffe rack on the back door), to dry out until the next day. When the next day arrives they put those same clothes on dirty, but dry. Use them over and over again and only wash once every week or two!

"Inside" clothes are just that, only used for inside the house! These will only need a wash after a few days wear, unless your children are perpetual "spillers". If they fit into this category, take heart, they will eventually grow out of that tendency. Develop this system to fit your family's needs and you will be amazed at how much less "piled up" the laundry bin gets.

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