We/I have too many clothes.
I’ve known this, and the first clue in the Messy Master Bedroom Mystery was related to this concept as well.
But I had a slap-in-the-face moment this morning when I went looking for baskets.
See, I’m trying a new method. Not new as in earth-shattering-no-one-has-ever-thought-of-it-before, but new as in now-that-I-actually-have-empty-laundry-baskets-why-not-try-what-so-many-normal-people-do.
Since I (sometimes theoretically, but mostly in reality) do my laundry all in one day, I’ve recently decided to sort laundry into baskets for family members as I fold it. Several readers have suggested this method, and my own mother did it this way.
It works much better than my previous fold-it-and-stack-it-in-various-piles-until-said-piles-tumble-over method. At least the initial folding part does.
The putting away part needs some tweaking.
The boys did better at putting away their clothes when I would hand them small stacks. Taking two entire baskets into their room at one time . . . resulted in them accidentally switching baskets, each son putting his brother’s clothes into his own drawers, and then repeatedly donning too long or too short pants . . . each and every day . . . . for the next week.
But I really can’t say much about their lack of putting-away-skills, since my own are rather lacking.
I’m guessing that it was last Friday when I experienced the how-in-the-world-am-I-completely-out-of-undies panic.
My mind was boggled, until I glanced down and saw . . . . my basket. My basket that had been moved into the master bedroom several days before, but was still full of folded clothes.
So, I did what one would expect . . . I dug out a pair and left the basket full. On the following days, I dug out more pairs, one at a time. Only today, when I needed the basket, did I actually spend the two-minutes-or-less that was necessary to empty it.
There are two parts to this Clue:
First, even though I knew I had too many clothes, it’s still an eye-opener to see that I could go an entire week without touching the items that I washed from the week before.
Second, I need to work on this new everything-folded-goes-into-a-basket system. Moving an entire basket of clothes from one spot to another is much easier, but not quite so effective, as moving small stacks, one at a time, that might as well go straight into the proper drawers.
Make sense?
Solutions that allow me to postpone the inevitable aren’t really solutions for me.
Because I love to postpone the inevitable.
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Nony, I love your blog! You make me laugh whenever I read it and I've picked up some great ideas from you. Laundry is at the top of my list to figure out right now… We're working on it. 🙂
I um… am embarassed to admit this. I didn't put away 3 whole loads of clothes from last week. (I do all my laundry mondays & try to put all them away) We had plenty of clothes. I know my son has too many clothes, as does my husband. I was the only one digging for clothes. Each of the boys (hubby included) had PLENTY of clothes, even with THREE loads not put away. :/
Have you considered doing laundry twice a week? Then the baskets would have half as much stuff for the kids to put away. I use this method too, but instead of laundry baskets, I use those collapsible canvas cube cubby things. I've got a 4 tier shelf in my laundry room and each level fits one of those cubbies perfectly. I put the kids' folded stuff in them (color coded for each kid) and when the cubbies get full I yell at them to come get them and empty them and to be sure to bring them back. The bringing back thing usually doesn't happen, so I have to keep reminding them. It's not perfect but it works well and it doesn't give them so many clothes at once that they get overwhelmed.
Also, you are not alone! haha – my hubby and I have a cubby we share that I put socks and undies and his t shirts in. We picked stuff out of it all week til I finally got around to putting them away today.
I wasn't going to comment at this late stage, but then I saw your note further down that you like comments on older posts. Hurray for me, because I often find a blog and read through old stuff!
Anyway, when I take a load out of the dryer, I put it in a basket and carry it to the living room. Then I take each item out of the basket and sort it (before folding). Each kid has his/her own basket (different colors), I usually share one with my husband, there might be a basket with towels on one side and socks on the other, etc. It doesn't take much time to do that. Anything that needs hanging up doesn't make it to the basket; I hang it up right out of the dryer and put it on an over-door hook (1 for me, 1 for husband, 1 for anyone else).
I continue to do that with each load, then when I'm ready to fold something (hopefully while watching TV), I'll take one basket and an empty basket to fold into. Often I'll sort the clothes again first into pants, shirts, etc., so when I'm folding it all goes into piles that will in turn be easy to place in the drawers.
My bigger kids have to fold and put away their own clothes, but I get them to their basket. Do baskets of folded clothes sometimes sit around for a while? Yes! Does it sometimes take a while before sorted clothes get folded? Also yes! But it's reasonably organized and I like having something useful to do while I'm watching TV.
I'm having some luck with Flylady's methods, but I don't get the emails anymore and I have kind of figured out how it works for me. I think that's really what you've done as well.
I'm enjoying your blog!
THIS. Because by the time I have sorted and folded everyone else’s laundry I am too tired to do anything with my own.
I proved this last night, when one of my daughters mysteriously took some of my clean & folded clothes down to the bedroom – I put them away with no problem. It’s the transporting it when I have already spent an hour on laundry that kills me.
I HATE folding and putting away laundry. But I have found a trick that has worked for me for the past few months: I fold the laundry in front of the dresser with the drawers open that way it gets put away as I fold it. Although this only works if each family members laundry gets washed separately (which I do). I do sometimes ending up doing 2 small as opposed to 1 large load to keep clothes separate but as my major issue is with the folding, for me it is worth it.
Can I also say that I love your blog. I have been reading it backwards like u suggest and have followed a modified version of your daily checklist. It is amazing how with just a little bit of effort daily my house is so much more livable. I have had my parents over last minute without having to freak out before hand! Thanks for the motivation.
I am not sure if you have found a work around for this since it was written a long long time ago. But what I have done for a few years now. Is as I fold I put my stuff away and a basket for every other member. I also as I fold put towels and kitchen towels away as I fold. This keeps the chaos down to a min. The girls need to be reminded and reminded again. Hubby has a basket too. His lives in a special corner of our room and is put in his closet when he leaves for underways.
Perhaps you have already figured out the problem, as I am “reading backwards “.
They don’t get put away (trust me, I know from YEARS of experience, still accruing) because you already have them in ‘contain ‘-ers!