The Art of Laundry Management: Streamline Your System for a Clutter-Free Home

Here is a little fun story about laundry.

When I was 19, I came home from college for the summer. My parents were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. My dad decided to take my mom on a surprise trip for a long weekend. Now, my mom is organized, but she likes to do laundry when it's needed and doesn't stay on top of it. My sister and I spent the morning before she was going to leave making sure all the laundry was done so she could pack quickly once my dad came home from work to wisp her away.

I remember thinking how fun would that be to have only 20 minutes to pack up before going on a trip. Because this is something I always wanted: to have certain systems in place to make sure I'm always ready to go.

One thing I do is stay on top of my laundry. I have one laundry basket in my closet that my husband and I share, and I wash our laundry every 2-3 days. I usually only have to do one load to be "caught up." This also helps me never feel like I'm behind in laundry, nor do I ever run out of clean clothes.

My kids each have a basket in their room for their clothes, and we have a small basket in the laundry room for the random laundry that get added to it, like dish towels, rags, and dog blankets. With our whole household only having four laundry baskets, our space isn't cluttered with baskets. And if it isn't in the basket, it is put away where it belongs.

Something I've noticed in clients' homes is the amount of laundry baskets they can have. While I understand the need for a laundry basket, when there are baskets for everything to fit in, your space is cluttered with laundry baskets. Where do you store the baskets when they are empty? Sometimes with organizing, we get excited about containers and products we can buy to help us feel more organized, but that can backfire, making our space more cluttered.