Laundry Routine: Creating a Weekly Laundry Plan

For most of us, we can get by without having to plan what we are going to wear each day.  As long as we have 5 days’ worth of clothes in the closet, all is well in Laundry Land.

However, there are certain days that we need to wear a particular outfit.  And you know the scenario: It’s an hour before you need to leave the house.  The one appropriate outfit you have to wear is dirty and there’s no time to wash it.  So what do you do now?

Or it’s 30 minutes before your daughter’s softball game.  She has every piece of her uniform except her softball pants and they are nowhere to be found.  You’ve literally looked in every corner of the house.  What do you do now?

This is the better question: How can you prevent this? What can you do ahead of time so this chaos can be avoided?

I’m not going to sugar coat it: this requires planning and forethought.  In some cases, you can fly by the seat of your pants…but this isn’t one of them.  Create a workable laundry plan and end the clothing chaos.

 

Getting Started with a Weekly Laundry Plan

Do you have a designated time each week where you review the upcoming week’s schedule?  Saturday mornings or Sunday evenings are great times to analyze the coming week’s events and plan accordingly.  If you already create a weekly meal plan, it is so easy just to tack on 10 extra minutes and think about your weekly laundry plan.

When brainstorming my laundry plan, it looks something like this:

Davis has a T-ball game on Tuesday evening at 6pm.  His uniform needs to be ready by bedtime on Monday night.

My husband has a business meeting on Thursday morning.  His clothes for the meeting need to be ironed and in his closet by Wednesday evening.

We have a big birthday bash for a family member on Saturday afternoon at a nice restaurant.  Everyone’s clothes (mine, husband’s and kids’) need to be ready by Friday evening.

Sunday we have church.  All church clothes need to be ready by Friday at noon.

 

 

To brainstorm you own laundry plan, start with these simple questions:

• Besides work/school, what events do I need a specific outfit for this week?
  Examples:
  -Gym classes
  -Church on Sunday
  -Volunteer project
• What events do I need a specific outfit for this month?
  Examples:
  -A wedding
  -Baby Shower
  -Seminar
  -Vacation weekend
  -Date night with your spouse
• After you’ve answered these questions for yourself, answer them for each member of your family. If your children are old enough, certainly involve them in getting their own clothes ready for specific events.

 

Obviously, laundry plans among families are going to look wildly different.  But the premise stays the same: Name the event, determine the person it involves and decide a deadline by which to have the clothes ready. I personally give myself a deadline of 24 hours before the needed time to allow for distractions/emergencies to pop up.  Because you  know they almost always do.

If you’re a person that functions well from a to-do list, you need to ensure these items make it into your calendar and then you can check when completed.

For some, the clothing battle is a daily, uphill climb. Make it easier on yourself and spend 10 minutes this weekend looking over your schedule.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much easier the day is when you have a laundry plan.