There are many different methods and devices to sort dirty clothes. For our family and my laundry routine, it works best for me to sort dirty clothes as they go into the hamper. I would never survive if all clothes landed in one big hamper and I had to sort them every time we needed to do laundry. W-a-y too much work for me.
So using mesh bags is my method:
You can use standard laundry baskets if you have enough floor space. I really like this method, but we don’t quite have enough room for 4 of these:
There are also decorative baskets. But in my experience they do not hold up as well for a family that uses them constantly.
Laundry Sorters are another option. I need more than three compartments for my crowd, however. But for just two people they would probably work well. There are 4-compartment sorters out there, just not as easy to find.
And then there is the no-basket method: keeping clothes sorted by pile on the floor until it is time to wash them. So you have a pile of whites, a pile of jeans, a pile of darks, etc. that you keep sorted on the floor. I’m not a huge fan of this method because 1) dirty clothes are all over the floor = bleh 2) it’s hard to tell when you have a full load 3) it takes up a lot of floor space and 4) it just isn’t nice and neat!
What method do you use to sort dirty laundry in your family? Send me pictures if you’ve got them – I’d love to see how you sort!
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We just put it all together in a hamper and sort when washing. This is the same method we used when our kids were still children. Each one had a hamper in their bedroom.
I use laundry baskets that I bought at Dollar Tree to sort. I don’t find them to be sturdy enough to transport clothes, but they work great for sorting clothes in the laundry room.
I started reading your blog earlier this year. I now use the mesh bag method and love it. Everybody has a laundry hamper in their room. Everyday or every other day, I take the laundry out of the hampers and sort it into the mesh bags that I keep in the laundry room which is in the garage. I used to hate having the washer/dryer out there, but I’ve learned to appreciate it. I have plenty of room for my sorting bags. And any laundry mess never overtakes the house!
I am blessed and have a laundry chute from the second floor to the basement where it dumps into a large laundry bin, from there I sort it into a three part laundry bin, then off to the washer it goes!
My husband and I tend to keep our laundry in our closets, and the kids take theirs directly to the laundry room (my husband’s choice, since he has been the main laundry person in our house). However, I despise the huge pile ‘o laundry, so I’ve had the kids keep their laundry in their rooms since I’ve been doing most of the washing over the summer. Our routine has changed somewhat since we have gotten new font loaders, and I’m thinking of having the kids sort their laundry into the drawers of the washer/dryer pedestals. We’ll see how that goes – and how many times I forget to look in there for laundry!
We have a three compartment sorter in each bedroom (girls’ room, boys’ room and master). One is for darks, one for whites, and one is for reds/pinks/purples/oranges since I am paranoid they will bleed into other clothes. I use mesh bags to get the laundry downstairs. We fill them up from each compartment, pull them closed and throw them down the stairs. The kids think it is so much fun! And my daughter who is 9 can do that easily. Then I put them in the appropriate larger laundry container in our laundry room. We have the same 3 compartments plus one for bibs and dirty cleaning rags. Anything wet gets hung on the sink to dry. I fold right out of the dryer and then they take them up and put them away. The two year old carries hers to her big sister’s bed to put away for her. I hang up the boys dress shirts and sweaters for them. I change loads three times a day after meals. I take up the master bedroom laundry (including the baby’s clothes) and linens and put them away. That’s our system!
Shaina, that is an excellent system! Thanks so much for sharing it. It’s always helpful to read how other people to do things. 😉
-Lauren
I use five different laundry hampers to sort our clothes: whites, lights, darks, my husband’s work clothes (separate because he works with machine oil), and my toddler daughter’s clothes. My daughter’s hamper is in her room; the other four are scattered around our master bedroom, more or less out of our way. I decided many years ago that it was a waste of my time and energy to sort clothes from one overflowing hamper. It’s SO much easier to sort as they are used up. Every morning, I take a quick glance to see which hamper is full or close to it. I try to do no more than 2 loads a day since that’s about all I can tolerate. I forgot to mention that I also have a small hamper (actually a trash can) in the kitchen for our dishtowels. I wash those every week or so when I mop the floor. I use the hamper/trash can as a mop bucket. My washer and dryer are in our kitchen which is the #1 thing I wish I could change about my house. The only positive thing is that at least it’s in my sight all the time and I’m not as likely to forget that I have laundry going.
I have laundry baskets in each of the kids’ rooms. My loads are whites (stuff that needs bleached.. kitchen towels, rags etc) lights darks jeans, regular towels (not needing to be bleached) and sheets.
I wash all my darks together… reds, blues blacks etc. I do wash brand new darks by themselves the first wash or two so they don’t bleed.