Works-for-me-Wednesday – Laundry Schedule

My post for yesterday’s Frugal Tuesday was on line-drying your laundry.  And while it can be a bit overwhelming at first, I have found line-drying to be very rewarding.  My girls even enjoy helping me with it!

On today’s WFMW, I will show you my schedule for doing the laundry.  When you line-dry, you only have so much space to hang your clothes, so what works for me is spacing my laundry into “laundry mornings,” rather than having one laundry day.

My laundry mornings begin on Saturday, because I tend to iron on Mondays when my Hubz is off of work.  Ironing around my girls gives me the shakes, so I need someone to “corral” them!  Beginning on Satuday allows plenty of time for my jean items to be dry enough for ironing.

Saturday

• AM – Wash and hang jeans
• AM – Wash and hang “darks” clothing
• PM – Bring in jeans, fold the ones that are dry, leave the damp ones hanging in your laundry room (or wherever)

Sunday – this is a light laundry morning because we are frantically getting ready for church

• AM – Hang still-damp jeans outside
• AM – Wash towels/underwear/socks
• PM (afternoon) – Dry towels, etc. (in dryer); fold and put away
• PM – (evening) – Bring in jeans

Monday

• AM – Wash and hang “colors” clothing
• PM (afternoon) – Wash “lights” clothing, remove “colors,” and hang “lights”
• PM (evening) – Remove “lights” clothing

*Remember to be folding as you go!

Tuesday

• AM – Wash and hang pajamas
• AM – Wash and hang (or dry in dryer) any other clothing items you have (dedicates, etc)
• PM (afternoon) -Make sure all “straggling” clothing items are folded, socks have a mate,  or hung, and put away in the proper place(s).  This will insure that you do not get any of those dreaded “laundry piles” that never seem to go away!
• PM (evening) – Bring in pajamas and any other laundry.  Fold and put away.  Remove laundry line (if it is retractable), and bring in your clothespins.

While this schedule may seem daunting, it truly is not.  I do not spend much more time on my laundry than I did before I began line-drying; the only extra time is spent actually hanging the clothing to the line.  While the clothes are on the line, I am doing other things around my home: home-schooling my girls, playing, cooking, blogging, ect.  I am not constantly “doing laundry.”  In fact, there are times I forget I have pieces out on the line!

One of my key things to staying organized is folding as I go.  I know I have said this throughout this post, but it is KEY.  Otherwise, you may leave yourself with piles of unfolded, wrinkled laundry, and then all of your work will have been for nothing.

I want to encourage you to try this!  Do not try begin line-drying all of your laundry at once; instead, try one load at a time.  Add a new load each week.  And, by all means, do not feel you have to give up your dryer!  I just want you to consider this as one means of cutting your utility costs, as well as, conserving our resources.

Other resources I find helpful are:

Laundry Tips for Families by Taylor @ Household Management 101

Making Laundry Detergent by Jenn @ Frugal Upstate (there are links to the “recipe” for detergent, as well as, lots of tips I love… especially adding vinegar to the wash to soften the clothes!)

How to save money when doing your laundry by Jenn @ Frugal Upstate

Do you have a laundry schedule?  Does it work for you, or do you need to make some changes?

Photo by wendy crockett