I have trouble keeping up with the laundry sometimes. I know I’m not the only one with this problem. It’s not so hard to get it washed and dried, but folding it and putting it away seems impossible – overwhelming, even. I know, I know…if I just folded each load as I took it out of the dryer, it would probably be no big deal. But for various reasons (disgusting basement laundry room, two little boys who need my attention every 30 seconds, etc.) that just doesn’t work around here.
But SOMETHING had to change.
So, after seeing a “laundry basket dresser” on pinterest, I developed a system. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly an improvement over the giant mountain of clean laundry on the dining room floor.
I used this empty closet in my still-barely-functional-not-yet-finished bathroom and constructed three simple shelves. I screwed a 1x2 into the studs on either side wall, and then set two 1x8s across the opening.
There is one shelf/basket for each family member. When the clothes come out of the dryer, I carry them upstairs and sort them into the right baskets.
(Bart’s closet is downstairs, so those his basket is combined with other downstairs items, like bibs and dish towels.)
Then, during bathtime, I can pull out one basket and fold it. Folding one family member’s laundry at a time prevents the “there were 17 different stacks of clean, folded clothes, until my baby/toddler/dog just knocked them over and now I have to start over” scenario.
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Hanging clothes are put on the back of the door, and the occasional wrinkly shirt can be hung at the end of the shower curtain rod. Since farmer Bart takes a minimum of two showers a day, those wrinkles are steamed out in no time.
Adam’s basket is on the floor so that he can reach it easily himself. As he gets older, I fully expect HIM to take the full basket and put the contents where they go.
Like I said, it’s not a perfect system, but it’s keeping the clean clothes off the floor and making it much easier to find what we need. I still get behind sometimes, but concentrating on one basket at a time seems much less overwhelming.
Shared at: Whisperwood Cottage
