Laundry Woes

Somehow, the laundry basket in my room is full.  I used to sort the laundry into four laundry sorting baskets, filling up our bedroom.  (We are blessed with a laundry closet, but have no laundry room.)  Every week, the baskets all got full.  The task was overwhelming.  The room was a mess.  And having a day planner did NOT help at all.  Sigh.  What kind of problem isn't solved by a day planner?  Does.  Not. Compute.

So I limited myself to ONE large laundry basket.  Each kid has a hamper in his room, and during afternoon chores, my 6 year old (and soon my 3 year old) will bring the laundry from the bedroom hampers to my hamper in my bedroom.  For sorting (which is pretty minimal - reds/purples/oranges, dark, light, white...but I combine as needed for efficiency), I have four mesh bags in different colors.  When I sort laundry on my bed, the biggest (or most necessary, if it contains the only remaining unstained school uniform :/) load goes in the wash while the others go into the mesh bags and back in the hamper, to avoid resorting.  It's worked okay, as laundry doesn't get overwhelming to sort and the hamper gets full, reminding us to clean the clothes.

But...this weekend the hamper is overflowing.  It sucks.

So, new HOUSE RULES are clearly necessary.

LAUNDRY HOUSE RULES

1. One batch DAILY.

Laundry gets down any time we are in town.  One batch per day, unless there is truly not enough to wash.  If we are going to be out of town more than once in a week, two loads must be done in ADVANCE of leaving town.  Laundry is already part of my daily checklist, but I REALLY cannot skip it!

2. Put it ALL away.

This hiding of clean laundry instead of putting it in the closets is NOT working.  I taught Loki how to put jammies away today and am making Ander in charge of the clothes that go in the boys' dressers.  I'll do hanging stuff, but if Alan or I wash clothes, the laundry is coming out and being put away immediately.

3.  If you can't put it away, assign someone to do so.

Husband needs to learn to ask me to put it away if he doesn't have time.  This finding it later is getting old.

My family is going to HATE these rules.  I already hate them.  But they are happening.

I have declared it so.

Etcetera.