Doing laundry for busy families, big or small, can be time-consuming and more often than not, the load can pile up quickly and make washing day a daunting chore.
So to help you get it done in the laundry, we’ve crowdsourced some simple tips from real parents that have been game changers for their washing day routines. Get ready to be inspired.
Coreena, Mum of 3
Having multiple dirty clothes baskets in my kids' bathroom to encourage them to pre-sort their own clothes has been a game changer for me. Saves me so much time and I can easily prioritise what loads need to be done first.
Sarah, Mum of 2
I've got a few up my sleeve that makes wash day more of a breeze for me. The ‘handwash’ cycle means cold delicate cycle – never actually handwashing, which means I can even use that cycle for my cashmere jumpers if I place it into a washing bag. I also love to hang our clothes in the sunlight, as the sunlight stops bacteria from growing on the wet washing while it dries.
Tom, Dad of 2
A lifesaver for us has been putting all of our little kids' socks inside a delicates bag - that way they don’t go missing or get stuck in the seal of the washing machine!
I also like to time our laundry to be washed by 8 am the next morning so that I can hang the washing before I take the kids to school, which means the clothes will be dry when I get home from work.
Chantelle, Mum of 4
To cut my washing time in half, especially for our kids' endless school, weekend and sports uniforms washing days, I save time by having a hanging rail in our laundry, to put things straight out of the washing machine onto hangers to dry, and then put straight into their wardrobes. That way I don't have to hang the washing, wait to dry, take it off the washing line or clothes rack, put it on hangers and then put it away!
Linda, Mum of 4
We have an unspoken rule in our house now that my kids are getting older. If mum or dad washes your clothes, you need to take them off the line, fold and put them away. We keep it flexible too - if my kids want to sort their washing and put the load on, we work as a team and rotate responsibilities.
It makes laundry days far less stressful with everything else on my plate and teaches my kids life skills for when they move out and how to be a team when it comes to house chores for their future significant others and their own children.
