Laundry. Big Families. Need I say more? It’s a never ending battle. You finish that last load, and POOF! More appears. I don’t know why everyone around here insists on wearing clean clothes?! If you’re in the same boat, these laundry tips for large families can truly save your sanity when you can’t stand the thought of going to the laundry room to wash one. more. load.
Practical Laundry Tips for Big Families
So here’s the rundown of our household. My husband and I have three boys, and one girl. The laundry is endless as are the mud and grass stains.
I read a quote once that said:
“If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the piles and piles of laundry will disappear all too soon and that you will, to your surprise, miss them profoundly.”
I keep reminding myself of this, because it’s true. I don’t love laundry but I do love the people who make all of the laundry.
Let’s talk about socks. Chances are, if your family is anything like mine, you are convinced that there is a “sock monster” eating socks. Where do they go? No one knows. We found that our kids would take them off, and they would never make them to laundry at all OR there would be major confusion about who’s socks were who’s! We were simply buying too large of a variety of socks.
Our family solved this problem by buying each child one type of socks only. When someone needs new socks, I buy the exact same kind, every time.
Here’s an example: My oldest boy (12) wears short black socks, my 11 year old boy wears white crew socks, and my 8 year old boy wears short white socks. My daughters are easy to pick out, as she is the only girl.
This is good for two reasons:
- You always know who left their socks on the floor! Praise!
- My children can easily locate and match their own socks.
If your children wear the same size socks you could just buy one type that everyone in your house shares. We don’t do this, because our kids like different styles and I like being able to tell who left their socks on the floor. In our house, it will cost your a quarter for each sock mom finds! I’m getting rich from my 12 year old!
Getting organized:
We have a hamper in our laundry room for each family member, labeled with their name. Our kids are responsible for taking their dirty clothes to their hamper, and they each have a laundry day.This is a day when I ask them to do a load of theirs from start to finish. They don’t do their laundry everyday, but I find that it is helpful for them acquire that life skill, and understand the work that goes into laundry each day. This way, when they are tempted to change their clothes 6 times in one day, they can better understand why mommy’s eye is twitching! I have them wash everything on cold, and keep it a simple as possible. This requires letting go of my need for things to be “perfect.”
Looking for more ways to manage your laundry?
Many hands make light work:
Fold clothes together. You’ll find that even your little’s can be involved. We will bring our laundry to the living room, fold clothes and talk about the day. Sometimes my kids roll their eyes, but I think they secretly love it. If not, that’s o.k. with me too. One of the best things about having a large family is the “many hands.” We’re a team, and get things done faster when we work together. I benefit from this as a parent, and I think my kids do too. You’ll be surprised what kids can do!
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