Quick Tip: How to Stay on Top of Laundry While Working from Home

Sarah Brumley

Sarah Brumley

I don’t know about you, but laundry is one of my least favorite household chores. If you love it, then you might not need this episode, but if you’re like me – not to worry. I’m offering you my favorite strategy for staying on top of laundry while working from home. Sound like something you need? Well then, let’s get started.

Links for This Episode

Podcast Episode Recommendations

How to Stay on Top of Laundry While Working from Home

Well, hey there and welcome back to another quick tip episode of the Mama Business podcast. I’m your host, Sarah Brumley, and I’m glad you’re joining me today.

Today’s episode is a little different then our usual business-related topics, and for good reason. I know that Mama Business is more than just running a business – it involves keeping track of all the things – at home and at work. And sometimes we just need to hear from others in similar situations as to how they manage all the things. What are the tips, what are the tricks, what are the strategies that help them stay ahead of the game and not end the day feeling like they got nothing accomplished.

So today I’m gonna just take a moment to talk about how I keep on top of the household laundry, even while working from home. Because I know that laundry can feel like a never-ending chore and yet, it’s one of those pretty important things we need to keep up with. And don’t get any false illusions, because there are plenty of days when the babysitter shows up and I’m feeling like it’s the same pile of laundry, sitting in the laundry room, that was there last week. But for the most part we are able to do a pretty good job of keeping on top of it, and I really think that’s because we have a good system in place to do so. Nobody ever goes without clean clothes, the sheets are always washed, and our towels are always clean. And I kinda think that’s the mark of success when it comes to laundry, right?

My System to Stay on Top of Laundry Each Week

So without further ado, let’s just jump into the system I use which comes down to giving every person and every type of laundry it’s own day on the weekly calendar.

For example, on Mondays we wash towels. On Tuesdays I wash diapers because we are still doing cloth diapers, and sometimes that gets placed on a different day, just due to extra dirty diapers or whatever else it might be, but that’s pretty standard. On Wednesday, I wash sheets. On Thursday I wash my own clothing. And then on Friday it’s either a diaper day or Kevin’s clothing. And then on Saturday and Sunday my kids and my husband get to share the days in order to get their things taken care of. So my older daughter typically washes her clothing. And then she will do a second load of laundry with her sheets and towels together. And depending on how my week has gone, sometimes her sheets or towels end up in the washer if I am feeling super productive.

So, that’s my strategy. It’s pretty simple, but the key to the strategy is knowing that every day has a purpose.

That means that every day I wake up and I think hey what’s going in the washer today and one load goes in the washer. The beauty of this is that even if that load doesn’t make it to the dryer until my husband gets home in the late afternoon, I still know for certain it’s still going to be 100% and totally washed by the end of the day.

And likely if it’s sheets they’ve gotta to go back on the bed that night, and if it’s towels we’re gonna need them in the morning. So, all of it gets taken care of in that day.

Eliminate the Extras and Stay On Top of Laundry

Now, I do want to say that one of the keys to this is that we don’t have any extras – and maybe this is a bonus tip for you if you’re feeling overwhelmed by laundry. We don’t have any extras. There’s a reason for that because if we don’t have any extras, then we don’t end up with them piled up somewhere. We will wash our sheets and wash our towels and everything else will be done in one day.

The only exception to this is my son who is a toddler and can sometimes require a middle of the night change of sheets, so we do have extras for him. But of course his are small, which means that they don’t take much to wash on their own or just throw in with another load of laundry.

When it comes to folding or hanging items, that happens in the evenings as well. More often than not, we’ll do some folding while we watch an evening television show or whatever it might be. But, knowing that it’s only one load – or if I was really productive, two at the most – then it makes it manageable and because it’s only one person’s clothing or one type of linens being washed, it’s very easy to get them back to where they need to be without a lot of sorting.

Take Action: Stay on Top of Laundry While Working from Home

So, those are just a few of my quick tips to help you get on top of that laundry, even as a work from home mom. Because, with one load a day, you’ll end the day feeling accomplished, not beating yourself up over what didn’t get done. And, you’ll know that clean towels day is just around the corner.

It’s never perfect, but it is refreshing to be able to get more done than you thought you would be able to.

And that brings us to the action part of this episode. And we all know that action is where the dreams turn into the reality. And today’s action step is this:

ACTION: If this strategy sounded like something that might be useful to you, then why not try it out in your own home? Write out the days of the week on a sheet of paper, divvy up the days based on they types of laundry you have, and then post it prominently so that you and anyone else that’s helping you out in your home, knows what to expect when it comes to laundry in your home. I’m guessing this will make a big difference and, possibly, free up a lot more of your time and energy going forward.

Whatever you decide, mama, just know that I’m cheering you on. Have an amazing day and I’ll chat with you again next time.

Don't Miss Out!

Listen to These Episodes