How to Stop Spending Time on Laundry

Our Laundry Routine

I've spent a lot of the past couple years trying to figure out how to stop drowning in laundry. The constant piles that just get bigger and bigger are so overwhelming to me. I hate passing them knowing they won't go away until I can block out a chunk of time to fold. I've tried scheduling in time regularly, having a laundry day, or folding the clothes straight out of the dryer. However, it always is the last priority when life gets busy. I think because we can technically live straight from our piles of clean clothes, it just always if the first chore to be tossed to the side.

This cycle drives me crazy, so I have been trying all the laundry tips I can find. I finally found a method that has been a game changer.

Everyday, we wash the clothes we wore the day before.

It's so simple, why have I not been doing this sooner?! It seriously makes the time spent on laundry pretty much nonexistent.

We do 3 loads a day.
1. Our clothes
2. Kids' clothes
3. Whites
About every other day, we wash towels.

It's so easy! The loads are so small. We just take them straight out of the dryer and put them away. It cuts out the "sit and fold into piles" stage.

I know it seems like more loads would be more work when you can just wait until you have more to wash at once. But, staying on top of it before there it piles up keeps me from having to fit it into the week.

FAQ's:

Doesn't that take a ton of laundry detergent?

We use Thieves Laundry Detergent which is highly concentrated. It that requires a very small amount per load! One bottle of it lasts 2-3 months.

Isn't that a waste of water?

We do run the water 3x a day, but I don't wash the clothes on the longest cycle. Especially because I'm washing them so soon after we dirty them, they haven't been sitting long. ;)

What if you skip a day?

I'm not going to lie, it can be easy to get behind on this method, and let everything pile up again. Especially after trips or vacation! I try to remember that even if it feels like I don't have time to throw my 3 loads in, it will take even more time if I don't get it done.

When we get behind and the laundry piles up, I just try to push through and get back to empty laundry baskets in one day. That way we can start over on track!

Tips:

To dry clothes faster

Dryer sheets are some of the worst toxin and harsh chemical laden supplies in our homes. They can have more than 25 volatile air pollutants including carcinogens and benzene.

You also have to keep buying them over and over again. But, they speed up drying time, and make our clothes smell great.

Our replacement solution is wool dryer balls. It blows my mind how much faster our clothes dry with them! We also just drop of few drops of essential oil on them and throw them in with our clothes. This helps our clothes smell great without toxic chemicals and synthetic fragrances!

To Prevent shrinking

I used to air dry almost all my clothes. If I put them in the dryer, they seemed to shrink every single time! :( This is the most simple tip ever, but someone told me about drying on low heat, and it has been life changing! ;) Our dryer's low heat is perfect to still get the clothes dry without shrinking them!

To Get rid of Odor

Who doesn't leave a load in the washer a little too long now and again? #momlife ;) I hate when I do that, and the moldy smell is so hard to get rid of. I recently started adding a few drops of Purification oil to the fabric softener compartment with white vinegar when I rewash the load, and IT WORKS! The clothes come out smelling so good!

Purification is also amazing for stinky work out clothes too! Some of my other favorites to use to make my clothes smell great naturally, are Orange, Citrus Fresh, and Lemon. :)

To make it easy, I put about 20 drops of the oils I want in little 10 ml dropper bottles and keep them in the laundry room. Then, I just squeeze a dropper full into the fabric softener compartment, and top with white vinegar!

To Remove Stains

I got this recipe from my friend Cheryl! It's a perfect way to fight stains without harsh chemicals! The photo below is just in a 10 ml bottle, because that's all I had. I just cut the recipe into 3 bottles! ;)

Stain Stick:

30ml roller bottle
1. 1 capful Thieves Cleaner
2. 1 capful Thieves Laundry Soap (or Thieves dish soap in a pinch)
3. Fill rest with water

To save money on toxin free laundry detergent

This little bottle of laundry detergent is enough for 128 loads and lasts us 3 months! Many products from Young Living's Thieves line are highly concentrated and can be diluted to last a long time! It's pretty awesome that we don't get charged for water.  
Here are the instructions to dilute the detergent to make it last for months! 

1. Pour entire Bottle of Theives Detergent into glass drink dispenser. (mine is $12 at Walmart) 
2. Fill up empty detergent bottle with water and pour into dispenser 
3. Add 3-4 capfuls of Thieves Cleaner to dispenser 
4. Stir!

These are just the tips I've gathered that have been helpful for us! I know there are tons of laundry hacks and schedules out there, but I thought I'd share incase you're on the hunt for some fresh ideas like I was! ;)