There are many different methods of dealing with laundry. I fully believe that a crucial step in every routine is sorting dirty laundry.
In my laundry routine, I choose to sort dirty laundry as I put it in the hamper.
We have a very small laundry room with minimal floor space, so I keep our laundry baskets in the master closet. I use this style of laundry hamper that I bought from Walmart for less than $5 each.
When it’s time for clothes to go in the dirty pile, they are quickly sorted into these hampers:
I know that one of these full hampers = a washer load in my machine. So I can easily eyeball the laundry hamper and see if a load is ready to go. (Also the lack of white t-shirts in hubby’s drawer is a big clue…)
I prefer to do a load (or three) per day, rather than use a whole day catching up on our laundry. I check the baskets each morning and see if any are full. If they are, I line up the full baskets in the hallway until it is their turn to be washed.
I love it when a routine is so stream-lined I don’t even have to think about it. And my dirty laundry storage is a simple way for me to free up brain space for something else.
This definitely works for me!
Head on over to WFMW at We are THAT Family for a boatload of tips!
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: CrystalandComp
February 17, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Seamless, simple, seriously wonderful!
I envy you.
Twitter: MamaLaundry
February 17, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Crystal, you are so sweet and too kind.
Seriously. My laundry may be on the up and up, but my 2 year old told me today: “Mama, I want to put my shoes on. There’s crumbs stickin’ to my feet! I don’t like it!”
I guess my kitchen floor is on the agenda for tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Lauren
I like this, and my hubby will LOVE it!
Twitter: MamaLaundry
February 17, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Hey Carmen! Gotta love it when the hubbies are happy!
Hope it works for you.
-Lauren
I do something very similar. It really works! Love it!
.-= mandy´s last blog ..WFMW–Shopping Bags =-.
Twitter: MamaLaundry
February 18, 2010 at 2:34 pm
So glad it works for you, Mandy
I love this – I also do my sorting this way. We are fortunate enough to have enough room in the bottom of the master closet to have our mini hampers for each category. As we take off the dirty clothes, they go right into the appropriate hamper. no need to sort an extra time! Wonderful help for me
thanks for sharing your hallway method
I think I’ll try that out too!
~ Emily N. from “too Blessed to Stress”
Twitter: MamaLaundry
February 18, 2010 at 9:28 am
Hey Emily! So glad this method works for you too! I love combining two steps in one.
I’ll have to check out your site. I’m immensely blessed…but stressed. I could use some tips!
Thanks for commenting.
-Lauren
I came across your blog a few weeks ago and read all of your posts in one sitting. Laundry is one of my favorite “chores”, so I loved reading all your tips. I sort my laundry similar to you in the collapsible mesh hampers. Question for you though…do you do anything to occasionally clean your sorting hampers? I’ve thought about it and the best thing I could come up with is washing them in soapy water in the bathtub and then rinsing and letting them dry. Do you have any other ideas?
~Christa
Twitter: MamaLaundry
March 31, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Hey Christa! So nice to meet another one that likes laundry. Or at least doesn’t mind it.
That is the only way I can dream up to wash them also. I don’t really mind hand-washing…it’s just finding the time to do it. The instructions on the tag of mine say to spot clean only, but I see no reason why they can’t be submerged in a tub of soapy water.
Good thinking! So glad you commented.
-Lauren
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