Do you find yourself struggling to keep up with the laundry? After seven kids I’ve seen and washed it all. When my children were little I was always searching for laundry tips to help manage “Mt. Laundry.”
Table of Contents
Laundry Tips for the Busy Mom
I’ve never been a fan of having clean laundry in baskets all over the house because I feared it would end up on the floor and I would have to wash clean clothes! Since I focus on doing a few loads as possible every week, I needed to find a way to get the clothes washed, dried, and put away on a regular basis.
Save Time on Laundry
Create laundry priorities. Is it important that your sheets are washed weekly, every other week, monthly? Do you need a clean towel every day or can you go a few days before replacing your towels? Does your husband have work clothes that need to be washed every night? You might be creating more work for yourself by doing extra laundry.
Simplify. Buy the same socks all the time, maybe stick to 2 colors, black and white. You’ll save time not having to match up socks, because they all match. When my boys were little they each had Haines brand socks. Each child had a different size so it was easy to match them up by the color of the seam on the toes.
When the boys got older we kept things organized by brand. One boy liked Nike socks, the other Adidas. It was easy to match them up after washing a load of whites.
Use a mesh laundry bag and put all your dirty socks in them to wash and dry – never lose another one!
Does your washer have a timer? If so start a load before bed and set the timer to finish when you are waking up. You can put a load of clothes into the dryer first thing in the morning and have the laundry folded and put away before breakfast.
Label your laundry bins (lights, whites, darks). This allows everyone in the family to sort their own laundry so you don’t have to.
Create a laundry schedule. During the fall I like to watch college football, so Saturday is my laundry day. I wait until Saturday so I can fold laundry and watch football. The rest of the year I do laundry throughout the week so I’m not spending a Saturday folding clothes.
Involve the Kids
Even your littlest kids can help with the laundry. When my kids where young they all had laundry jobs. If your children have chores when they are younger it becomes a habit and you’ll have less complaining when they get older.
Toddler – Helps put the clothes into the washer, takes all clothes out of the dryer and puts it into the basket. (make sure the dryer has cooled a bit before enlisting the help of a little one)
3-year-old– Collects the laundry every morning after breakfast and brings it downstairs to the laundry room. She is helped by her 5 year old brother but is about ready to handle this job on her own.
5-year-old- Helps collect the dirty clothes. Puts away all of his own clean laundry except the hanging items.
7-year-old- Takes clean clothes basket up to folding area. Puts away all of his own laundry.
Tweens and Teens – Fold laundry and put all their own laundry away. They can also help younger siblings put away their own laundry.
I like to include my children under age five in the laundry sorting in order for them to learn their colors.
The key to being able to have your little ones help with the laundry is to keep it simple. We have two baskets upstairs that get dumped into a big basket downstairs. They can do this without any help because it is easy. We color sort later while I supervise.
Kids can put their own clothes away
In order for your kids to put their own clothes away you need to create a system that they can use. If all of their clothes are on hangers and the rod is 5 feet high a young child cannot put their laundry away.
When my kids were little we used an inexpensive metal cubes for their clothes. As you can see from the above picture each boy has a bin for socks and underwear. They are all labeled with their name or initial so there is no confusion as to where things go.
Above their bins are cubbies for their pants or shorts. This makes folding and putting away a breeze even for little boys. In this picture my oldest boy didn’t have a cubby for pants because he had extra room in his drawer. Finally we have a bin for pjs. These are rarely folded but rather thrown into the bin.
I cannot stress the importance of involving even your littlest helpers. Once my kids are in middle school they do their own laundry. They’ve never protested this chore because they’ve been doing laundry almost their entire lives.
Give up on perfect. If your children are helping you every shirt may not be perfectly hung, the towels might not be facing the same way in the closet, and the shorts might be wadded up in the drawer.
When my kids were little I actually gave up on folding clothes. Best. Decision. Ever.
It’s okay.
The important thing is that your children are learning and eventually they will be able to do the laundry for you. Getting the family involved makes laundry easier in the long run, so start today!
Save Money on Laundry
When I think of cutting back on the budget I usually think of groceries, cars, and bills. However there are real savings in the laundry department. From making your own laundry detergent to hanging your clothes out to dry, you can save money on laundry.
One of my favorite laundry tips is to check your dryer vent regularly. It can clog and cause your dryer to work inefficiently. To unclog your dryer vent you can use a leaf blower to blow out all the lint and other fun items that collect there.
Read more of the best money saving laundry tips here.
Keep your Laundry Room Organized
In many homes the laundry room is off the garage or the kitchen. It easily becomes a catch-all place for everything no one wants to put away. Here’s how to keep your laundry room organized.
First, determine its purpose. Obviously the main function of the laundry room is for washing and drying clothes, but your laundry room might also be a mud room/ bathroom/ storage closet/ garage / pantry.
After you’ve determined what needs to go in your laundry room you’re ready to get started.
Here is my laundry photo from a home we owned a few years ago, I highlighted some of the things that don’t belong in my laundry room.
Before photo
Take everything out of the laundry room that isn’t supposed to be stored there and put it where it belongs. It is important that you actually put away these items, because if you don’t they will end up back in your laundry room in a few short days or weeks.
After you’ve taken care of the excess it’s time to clean your laundry room!
Have you ever moved your washer or dryer just a few inches out of place? It is usually filthy. Wipe down appliances, mop the floors and thoroughly clean out your dryer’s lint filter. If you have a lot of stuff in the laundry room you’ll want to wipe it down too because it will probably have a thin layer of dirt/ lint on it.
After you laundry room is clean it’s time to organize what’s left in your laundry room. I’m a huge fan of wire shelves to organize in closets and storage spaces.
Wire shelves are inexpensive and are easy to move around if you need to repurpose them.
Another clever idea for storage is to use an over-the-door shelf to help organize laundry supplies. Read more at Better Homes and Gardens.
Laundry room necessities
- Waste Basket – For lint disposal as well as all those treasures we find in our kids’ pockets.
- Small Container – Keep small change, lego pieces, receipts and pocket treasures you don’t want to throw away in this container and empty it on a regular basis.
- Wet Bin – I use a dish pan (about $1 at Walmart) for wet items so they don’t lay on top of the dirty clothes.
- Mesh bag – These are necessary for delicate items and are also great for washing baby items too!
- Drying rack or bar– If there is any place to put a drying bar or rack in your laundry room I highly recommend it. I prefer racks that fold up flat for storage.
- Clothespins – Clothespins can do so many things, even if I never hung out one piece of laundry I would have them in my house because I use them all the time.
- Detergent, stain remover, and other products used for getting things clean.
Those are just the basic laundry items I keep in my laundry room. After you’ve gathered your basic items organize them in your room in a way that works best for you. All these great ideas are wonderful, but if they don’t work for you, they don’t work!
Here’s my laundry room after I cleaned it out and reorganized it.
After photos
Below my counter are two bins for our soccer gear, one for shin guards and socks/ the other for cleats.
There is also a spot for reusable grocery bags, rags, soda.
The counter is clean and ready for folding! Although it isn’t very fun to fold clothes in this room when the dryer is running. Maybe it will be fun in December? 😉
Nice clear walkway to the garage and a mat for people to wipe their feet.
For a while my dryer was piled with junk and trinkets that were either pulled out of pockets or dropped off by people who were too lazy to take it all the way to the garage. I’m hoping to curb the laziness and I put a small jar (which is hard to see in this photo) above the dryer for me to keep the treasures I find in pockets.
Every week I empty the jar and the kids put their treasures away. Unclaimed treasures go into the garbage.
The bin on the dryer is for dirty rags. It disappeared for a few weeks this summer and the kids were putting the rags in with the rest of the laundry. Gross.
The blue bubble hanging above the washer holds stain removers and other laundry items. It isn’t the best method, but it was laying on the floor of my laundry room so I put it to good use.
The space to the right of the dryer is open and allows me to hang delicate items that don’t go into the dryer. It is easier than getting out the drying rack if I only have a few things.
It’s amazing how much more motivated I am to do laundry when my laundry room is clean and organized. For more laundry room motivation check out Angie’s DIY laundry room makeover.
More laundry tips to get ahead of the laundry game.
Once you get a laundry plan together, the best way to follow through is to keep your laundry and laundry room organized. Here’s a round up some of the best laundry tips I’ve found on the web.
- Organize Every Square Inch of the Laundry Room
- Containers for Organizing Clothes
- Organize the Laundry Room with Baskets
- Five Steps to Sorting Through Your Wardrobe
- 10 Steps to Get Your Laundry Pile Under Control
- Easy Access and Storage for Winter Accessories like Mittens, Gloves, and Hats
- 31 Days to a Laundry Routine
- Organize & Inventory Children’s Clothes (with free printables)
- Organize Your Laundry Room with a Laundry Basket Dresser
Final Thoughts on Laundry
- Dryer sheets are a bit like bacon, you don’t know what you are missing until you try the real thing.
- Laundry is a pain and it is never going to be finished. We have to stop looking at it as a job to be completed and focus on maintenance.
- Dryer sheets aren’t just for laundry. They have many different uses and you can save money by putting them to use after you’ve used them in the dryer.
Nicole Annas says
I do two loads of laundry a week. Great post by the way!
joyce says
I do at least 5 loads a week. sometimes more. I hand dry most of em. What I always dry are undies and socks etc. I add vinager to all my loads. helps keep em bright and smelling good. Its a total boost to any detergant.
Miranda Neathamer says
I probably do about 8 loads a week.
Laura says
11 loads of laundry a week.
Becky J says
I do about 6 to 8 loads of laundry a week.
Missie says
I do about ten loads a week, depending on if there are any hand washables or special clothes. And there are only four of us. Sigh.
melanie says
I do about 5-6 loads of laundry per week!! That’s only for a family of 3 too, Hubby is in law enforcement though and only has so many uniforms and they need to be washed frequently. Laundry used to be my most hated chore but now that I get it done more frequently it doesn’t pile up and isn’t as stressful.
Renee @ Made By Renee says
i do 2 loads every other day 🙂 there are only 3 of us but one is a toddler…
Amanda says
ooh girl trust me! i do plenty of laundry a day! try at least four loads a day! i have to wake up get thekids ready for school,make them breakfast,oops they spilled jelly ontheir shirt, loadnumber one. i have to dress them now in their school uniforms ooops load number two,then they comehome and the first thing i notice is their new stains waiting to be washed load number 3! now wait hubby comes home from his job at the junk yard with oil stains all over him! even his shirts! there is load number four! laundry is so hectic and you have to take care of it the same day or else you will never be done and it will just snowball in to this giant and before you know it, if its not taken care of no one has anything to wear! and who do they blame? me.. themom,the housewife, im not complaining though, i love being a housewife! but when i fold laundry i like to turn netflix on andwatch the first season of Weeds ….that is if the kids arent whining about wanting to watch spongebob! i’ll try to do laundry when theyre asleep next time! thanks!
Sarah says
It’s just me and my husband in our little apartment, but he does have his Navy uniforms to wash every week so we do about three to four loads a week. 🙂
Steph says
roughly 8 loads a week, but that varies based on the health of family members, and who the baby “hit” after mealtime.
Joanna says
I do between 10 and 14 loads a week, minimum
Susan says
I do an average of 22 loads of laundry a week.
april says
with 5 in the house, we have any where from 10 upwards to 15 if it’s a wash the bed stuff week. During cheer season, we have 3-4 extra loads a week just from cheer stuff having tobe washed separate and several games a week.
MaryBeth says
I do about 3 loads per week, but it is just me and my husband for now!
Cat says
somewhere between 6 and 10 loads a week – depends on if the kids are going through diapers (cloth) fast or slow that week.
Amy says
I only do 2 a week! But my husband does his own so that helps.
Machele Cave says
about 10 loads…. I try to do 2 loads a day on weekdays
nicole says
We do about 12 loads a week. I try to have a “laundry day” on Wednesdays to get the non clothes (sheets, curtains, etc) washed.
Geraldine Erikson says
I try and do 3 to 4 loads a day sometimes more or less on weekends. Our house of 7 little poeple goes through a lot of everything. We have a rule if you are watching sports in our house you are folding laundry. The little boys match socks and the bigger kids fold. We use all hanes socks and they just need to match the toes colors.
Rebecca says
I usually do about 10-12 loads a week depending on my motivation on laundry days! lol
kristina Olson says
I do about 14 loads a week if not more!
Christina morse says
As the mother of four boys ages 14, 12, 4, and 2, I do a minimum of two loads of laundry a day, so a minimum of 14 for the week. This does not include the days I wash sheets or wash towels, bathroom rugs, and shower curtains. I have to do laundry daily or I’d never be able to stay on top of it. My husband is also an EMT and his clothes must be washed separately in case of bodily fluids that have been splashed, so this adds an extra load on the days he works – he works 24 on 48 off. Lets just say a moms work is never done!
Shawna says
I have four children plus my husband and myself. I wash at least 10 loads of clothes a week. But that’s not including bedding. Your website is a very big help to me and I’m glad I found it!!!
kim says
I am a stay at home mother of 3 small children and my husband. I am constantly doing laundry with us also using cloth diapers!! I do about 2-3 loads a day an average of 17 loads a week!! With the children constantly changing sizes and the seasons changing it feels like my mountian of laundry will never be fully done. But I liked what you said in the article that laundry is about maintance and will never be a job complete. I was thinking of it as a never ending battle, a bit overwhelming!!
Rebecca says
We do about 4 a week, It was a lot more when I was working.
Robin says
We probably average 6 loads and there are only three of us, but one is a teenager.
Julie says
We have an easy 14 loads per week. There is never less, but sometimes more ;o)
kristin says
We have a 9 month old, and we cloth diaper. I’d say we do about 14 or 15 loads a week!
Amanda says
I have a husband and 1 year old. We do anywhere from 3-6 loads in one week.
vickie m. says
who washes curtains every week?? i normally wash on wednesdays and sundays-typically 5-6 loads total. and i’m sorry, i don’t understand the bullet: “Allow children to use 2 sets of clothes/week, minus socks and underwear, of course. So, after they go to bed at night you’ll have an hour to wash their clothes and be ready for the next day.” i must’ve missed a post…
Becky says
I didn’t get it either…and imagine how terrible their clothes would look (and quickly!) if they were washed that many times per week!
Karen says
I have a family of four and I’m the only female in the bunch of us. So, I do about 10-12 loads of laundry every single week, sometimes more depending on what season it is. I have one laundry day to get it all done also. So, I basically just do laundry from sun up to sun down on Sunday’s.
lindsay says
We do 11-13 loads a week..
Although we’re potty training right now so let’s bump that up an extra load per day…ahhh the joys of parenting.
Amy Bravo says
It’s only my husband and me but I have to do about 5 loads of laundry a week–we have a small stackable washer and I am a nurse, so I wash my uniforms after every shift (I don’t even want to think about the germs I pick up at work! 🙂
Akehia says
It’s just me and my husband, and I do about 2 or 3 loads a week, max.
Tammi says
I do between 4-6 loads a week, not a lot compared to others I’m noticing. I try to keep on top of it as often as possible, when the bin is full it’s time to wash!
Rachel says
We do between 7-8 loads a week usually.
Frances says
In our house of 8, 14 minimum loads per week. Summertime has more loads of towels. Winter has smaller but more loads because of bulky items. Laundry is one of those chores that CANNOT be skipped. 2 loads per night is my goal.
Jennifer Williams says
We are a family of six and I am not sure why but we have at least 10-12 loads of laundry a week. It is crazy insane.
Dawn G says
Oh wow, I had to try & figure it up. We do at least 15 loads a week. We have 6 in our family.
Sheena Gossett says
Since I have to use the laundromat I only do I load a week – a 75 lb load.
When I had my own washer I did about 2 loads a day so probably 10-14 loads a week. I miss having my own washer.
Julie says
I do probably 10 loads of laundry a week, a couple of loads each day. I do not like to do laundry so the thought of facing a “laundry day” would really make me unhappy. I really liked your recommendation to focus on maintenance because laundry is never going to be done. That is a good way to look at it. I used to not fold anything when my three oldest boys were living here which really did save time, I will have to consider hanging my youngest boys things when he moves into a room with a closet in August. Thanks for the reminder.
Heather B says
I prefer liquid fabric softener. I use Downy Free and Clear because of my eczema baby, but I discovered I prefer the no smell. However I just discovered these spiky ball things. I don’t really know the name, but I found them by the mesh laundry bags at a Target type store. You don’t use liquid or sheets just these balls. They were $4.95 for the set and it says it will last for thousands of washes. I was a little nervous that my clothes wouldn’t be soft, but they are!! I’m totally sold on this new frugal method!!
Heather B says
oops, I didn’t realize this was a giveaway. So along with my tip. I do 5 loads a week. Towels, Sheets, kids clothes, adult colors, adult whites.
Kim says
I do on average 10 loads a per week. My daughter washes her own now…so, about another 2 for her. I still wash my sons clothes…who is 21…although he does know how to do it himself. ;0 I just started making my own laundry detergent….and I really like it. : )
Veronica C. says
We are a family of four and do about 6 loads: sheets, towels, kids clothes, husbands work clothes, and then husbands regular clothes w/my clothes.
Kristen S says
It’s me, the boyfriend, and our 18 month old daughter. I do 6-7 loads a week, average a load a day. If it weren’t for the cloth diapers, then we’d only do about 4 loads a week.
Allyson @ A Heart for Home says
We do about 10 loads per week. This includes 4 loads of cloth diapers, 2-3 loads of towels, rags, bibs, etc., 2 loads of whites (usually each load includes 1 set of sheets – this way our beds get changed every other week), and 2 loads of darks.
Christine says
Love the tips! Thanks! I do 3-5 loads each week, depending on what we do that week (outside a lot, swimming etc). I have 2 boys, ages almost 3 and 5, so I’m sure you can guess I’m usually closer to 5 loads most weeks. My husband takes most of his work clothes to the dry cleaners and it is totally worth the time and hassle of doing his dress shirts! 😉
Karin S. says
With cloth diapers, we do about 7 loads a week. Great tips! I don’t know why I thought I had to fold me prefolds – eliminating that step has made laundry much faster!
Tanya B says
I do between 4 and 8 loads a week depending on time of year and if it’s a sheets week or not.
I also have a recently acquired laundry tip- If you use dryer sheets wash your lint trap in hot soapy water about one a month. The dryer sheets cause a waxy buildup on the screen and block the air flow thereby making your dryer work harder (and not last as long!)
Liz says
I do about 4-5 loads per week! That is only for 4 of us! Yikes!
andrea says
For 4 of us, I do about 7 loads a week.
sarah w says
i do 3. one whites monday, coloreds wednesday, and towels on friday.
Staci Bishop says
I do about 6 loads per week around here and we’re only a family of 3. Seems high. Wonder what the average is?
sandi says
I do about 10-12 loads a week. 4 kids make for a lot of laundry.
The Mommy says
Family of four and we do 5-7 loads per week. When we were cloth-diapering that would have been increased by three.
Christy says
I usually do one a night, plus two on Saturdays. So roughly eight loads a week!
Beverly S. says
We usually do 10-12 loads a week. Laundry is an everyday chore at our house with 3 busy kids. I’m always looking for tips to make laundry easier. I already had switched to ARM & hammer detergent due to my daughter’s perfume/dye allergies. I love it is budget friendly too.
Amy says
We recently started washing laundry more often when we moved to our new place in April and had washer/dryer hook ups in our house instead of having to go to the laundromat. I do probably 11 loads of laundry a week. 1 small load of whites, 2 small loads with the guinea pigs linens for his cage and 2-3 loads of clothes, towels and sheets. The rest are diapers. There are 5 of us in our household an almost 11 year old, 27 month old, an almost 3 month old, and a guinea pig.
Tricia says
Not quite sure how many loads I do in a week…lol. As soon as I have enough for a load, I run a load. It normally gets done as the kids are going to bed and then I can “unwind” by folding. That would be my laundry tip…it truly helps!! I use to always get discouraged that the basket never stays empty. As you suggested, it will never stay empty, just focus on maintaining. If I had to guess how many loads I do in a week, it would be about 9.
Love reading your tips!
Tricia
April says
I do around 10 loads of laundry a week, including our bedding. I wash sheets every week because of allergies. And we have 4 daughters, so I guess that’s not too bad!
Leilani says
We do 5-6 loads a week, 5 is the minimum with our regular clothes, my husband’s Navy uniforms, and a load of baby clothes. The 6th load is usually linens or something extra like dog stuff or bathing suits and towels and beach gear.
My best tip to stay on top of it all is to put the load away as soon as it’s done. That way, you never have a pile of clean clothes piling up waiting to be put away…it adds up quickly, trust me 🙂
Sarah J says
We do around 4 or 5, we are a family of 4. I usually start laundry Wed or Thursday and do it over one or two days. That way I can always look at the an empty laundry basket (even if it is just for an hour). That helps me have a feeling of accomplishment.
tiffanie h says
i never feel like i can catch up on laundry but i try to do about one a day
Diana says
It is just me so I do 1-2 loads a week. Sorry to make anyone jealous 😉
sybil says
I probably do about seven per week.
My favorite pieces of advice are: wash items for each family member, or stuff that goes in the same room, in separate loads. That way when you fold them you aren’t running all over the place to put them away. Also, turn clothes ride side out before washing to make folding go quickly. And . . . Fold to your favorite show! I set my laptop on the table and watch hulu or netflix while I fold.
Colleen says
I do 1 to 2 (normally 2) a day, so 7 to 14 loads a week. Probably more like 12. I have 5 (now adult) children – 3 of which still live at home. Laundry is probably the only thing I really keep up on.
Lynn says
12-15 per week for us. We are a family of 6 but my teenager does his own so I’m not counting his. He only does it about once a month anyway! 🙂
Jill Keyes says
I do a average of 10-14 loads a week,, there r 5 of us.
Heather says
We are a family of six. I do 9 loads a week in the fall and winter. In the summer when there is also a daily load of swimming suits and towels I probably do 12-14 loads a week. Gosh that seems like a lot of laundry but it really isn’t bad.
Tara says
I do 8 loads of laundry a week, unless it is sheets week, then it becomes 14 loads (3 sets of sheets and comforters)..gee, never thought I did that many, seems like a lot, but it has to get done. 🙂
mary mitchell says
I do about two loads a week. You have some very good tips, keep up the good work.
Piper says
I do about nine loads a week. If the weather is nice, I hang them to dry and then toss them in the dryer with a dryer sheet for a few minutes to get them soft and static-free :p My husband hates the feel of laundry fresh off the line because of the stiffness 😉
Cortney says
I have never really counted but I think I would be around 20 basic loads per week for a family of 6. This count doesn’t include things like curtains.
Mabel says
I do about 5-7 loads a week.
Stacie says
Probably like 5 loads a week! before kids it was 3 loads every 3-4 weeks!
Susan says
I do about 2-3 loads a week. I use wool dryer balls–about 6 tennis ball-sized ones in my dryer cut drying time, especially with things like sheets/blankets and towels. And, I never have to buy or use dryer sheets again because they soften my clothes. Cheap and eco-friendly!
April Brown says
I probably do 10 loads of laundry a week. at least.
Jessica W says
I think I do about 8 loads a week. I never really counted before! I thought it was a gazillion at least. 🙂
Liz Elmore says
We have a family of six. I do at least one load every day to stay on top of it. I start the wash before breakfast and while the kids are eating lunch, I fold and put away. The kids wear the same pajamas and use the same towel three times before washing. This helps a ton. Sundays I wash bedding so we can start the week out fresh. Once I learned to make this my routine, The laundry hasn’t beaten me! I am on top of it and I don’t dread doing it anymore. Like you said, maintenance.
Andrea says
I do between 8-10 loads per week!
Ruth says
I have three favorite tips for laundry: I absolutely love my dryer bar, when I use sheets I rip them in half, and I am obsessed with my clothesline. Thanks so much for the great view of ‘maintenance vs completion’. I get bogged down trying to completely finish the task, and will try to look at it as something to maintain.
samantha r says
I do 4 loads on a good week but sometimes 6-7….depends on how many blowouts other potty problems we have. (I have a 2.5 year old and a 5 month old)
Heidi says
I have 6 children… with towels, and sheets and all the clothes, I average about 20 or 22 if someone is sick or wets the bed!!! Uggghh!
Brandy says
With a military husband and 5 kids I do 2 loads a day and then 4 on Saturday for bedding. So roughly 16 a week! Whew, I’m exhausted just saying it! 😉
Kristy says
I usually do about 4 loads of clothes, and 3-5 of linens.
But we are potty training so the loads of clothes goes up to at least 7 until we are done….
Megan says
5-7 loads a week.
Jennifer P. says
I do about 5-7 loads each week, if I’m lucky. It could be upwards of 10 if I’m not so lucky.
Breana says
I have a family of 6 & do about 2-3 loads a day. I have started using a laundry line. It makes the drying faster & I get a little fresh air during my chores! 🙂
Emily says
I end up doing 5-6 loads per week. 😉
Rachel Garcia says
Great tips!
I would say I do maybe around 10 a week
Krista says
I’m trying to cut back, but I usually wash about 7-8 loads/week. This includes diapers. I think I was up to 14 loads when my daughter was a newborn.
Melissa says
I do two loads of my clothes (lights and darks) and one load of towels. My husband still prefers to wash his own clothes!
Jen says
I do 4-5 loads of laundry every week. My kids do their own laundry once a week. We all hang our loads to dry. I make my own “fabric softener sheets” that go in with the wash and are hung to dry. We toss the clothes into the dryer for 5 minutes with that sheet and it softens everything right up.
jeannie says
I seem to do too many loads each week. I probaly do about 12 -13 with the six of us and my husband work clothes (he works construction so they get really dirty)I can’t seem to get that any less.
Sue says
I do about ten loads of laundry a week – more during baseball season!
Jennifer H. says
I do 4-5 loads per week for my hubby and me.
Damsel says
I do 6 or 8 loads each week. Thanks for the contest!!
Kimberly says
I do at least 4 loads of laundry a week. These are such great tips, now if only I can remember to use them!
Mel says
It FEELS like I do about 100 loads a week, but realistically it’s more like 5-7 loads a week – for 3 of us, but one of us is a very messy toddler! 🙂
Amanda R. says
I do about 5-6 loads a week.
Christina Self says
I do at least 6 loads of laundry a week!
Missy says
I do a couple loads a day. My washer just went out so i am headed to the laundry mat tonight…not excited at all. I put a load of laundry in Saturday night before bed and was going to flip it to the dryer when we got up for church. When we got up the house was flooded…basement. i have a mess. Washer never kicked off and gallon and gallons of water poured thru my house. So i have even more to do. Thanks for the post. You have a great website.
Angela H. says
I do about 8-10 loads a week. I make a day of it and set the kitchen timer so I don’t get distracted and forget to switch loads when they’re done. As soon as they come out I dump them on the bed and fold them/put them away while watching TV. 🙂 Makes it less boring.
Emily says
I do 1-2 loads daily; put one in before we all leave for work/school/daycare, then switch it after we get home, and hopefully another before bedtime. 🙂 Always tired, and always more waiting in the baskets upstairs! We have 4 in our home – 2 adults, 2 school-aged boys – and we have a big digging area & a hose outside. Recipe for disaster! 🙂
shawnna says
I do a minimum of 5 loads a weeks. Sometimes closer to 8 loads including diapers and sheets.
Sarah says
We have a 4 month old so I feel like the loads are multiplying every week! Probably, 7-8 loads a week.
stampedwithgrace says
I do about 2 loads a day plus cloth diapers every other day.
Serena Morrow says
I do 12 loads per week. That is three loads of sheets, two loads of towels, and seven loads of clothes. I hate laundry. I’d rather go to the dentist for a root canal.
Hannan says
I have 2 under 2 and both in diapers. With an active toddler getting all sorts of things on herself, and a baby who likes to poop and spit up…the laundry can be sporadic! Without having guests over I’d say I average 4-6 loads per week. With guests (extra towels, sheets) I can get 7 loads in a week. But I like doing laundry, so no complaints here! OH, and I can totally second that folding seems much faster when you’ve got something to watch!
Christina V. says
Family of 4: minimum of 11 med to lrg loads per week – not including bed sheets that are done about every 2 weeks … ( … not all beds at the same time 🙂 …)
jen says
10 loads a week. Lots of kids, lots of dirt.
Nora says
4-8 depending on the week and season. I sometimes need to extra loads for blankets, pillows, kitchen rugs, etc
Cheryl says
Usually do about 4 loads of laundry a week.
Sue D says
I probably do 3-4 loads of laundry a week
Cherrill says
I do 4 loads per week and 6 every other week.
Tami says
I do at least 6 loads of laundry a week – 2 loads of towels, 2 dark clothes, 1 light clothes and 1 load of my husband’s work clothes….more if it’s a week that I’m washing sheets and blankets, coats, sports uniforms…etc.
Teresa D says
Hi there! We do about18+ loads per week. By the way, I’m a strange one…I love to do laundry and if I get to hang it out on the line, it’s an even better day. The kids call me the fast folder and they are the delivery guys & girls. Of all the household chores this is the one I like to do mostly myself. However, my oldest blessing will pick up the slack if she notices I haven’t started a load first thing in the morning. We are grateful for the dirty laundry and all the blessings that make it pile up!
Jen U says
I do 3 – 4 loads per week now. Just me and my two littles. And I have a large washer so that helps. one darks, one whites, one sheets, one towels.
Carrie says
We average 14 loads a week…for a family of 7 (with 5 kids under 7yrs old). I’m def thankful for my high capacity washer!
Sharie says
How or more importantly why do you ladies do so many loads a week??? Only lady seems to wash everything as soon as it gets dirty when spraying some pre treat on it and tossing it to the clothes basket would do. I can understand if you use cloth diapers, that in itself is a load at least every other day.
We are a family of 4 and even when my hubby was still active duty and wearing all the pt clothes I still only averaged 1 load a day, now I’m at 1 load every other day since I don’t have a sea of green pt shirts and black socks from him!!! Even when I had a top loader, I still averaged 1 load a day. There are the off days when my son has an accident in his bed so there’s his sheets and mattress pad but I’ve got a front loader now so I can put all that in at one time or I’ll wash the floor rugs but still…………….
Just my 2 cents is all.
Kathy T says
That is a hard one, especially during the summer when my kids are in and out of the house. During this past winter, when 8 of my 9 kids were at home, we were doing about 20 loads a week. During the summer with only 5 of my kids consistently home, I think we are doing about 12.
Deanna G. says
9-14 loads a week.
April says
I do about 5 loads a week. Too many it feels, but normal for a family of 5.
Rachel says
We do about 5 loads a week . . all because I’m not following the rule about letting kids use 2 sets of clothing! I have a preschooler and a toddler and they are ALWAYS getting clothes messy.
Cierra says
I do 3-4 loads a week right now and that will go up in August after baby #2 is born! 🙂
Heather says
I probably do 5-7 loads of laundry a week for our familiy of 5, but I should do 10-15 if I was ever going to get “caught up”.
Tyra says
We do about 7 to 8 loads of laundry a week. If we skip a day, we get soooooooooooo behind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels like it multiplies over night!
Amy H says
I do probably 8-10 loads a week.
Noel J says
I’d say we do between 8 to 10 on a normal week. This week we’ve done 18 but we were giving 4 large garbage bags full of hand me downs for the kids from family and those have to be washed before putting them in the stockpile bins.
Linda Dietz says
As a reverse from my childhood, (when we used the dishrag & bath towels for a whole week before being allowed to get a fresh one!) I think I launder the life out of our clothes! I have no children at home, but I miss doing their laundry! When doing laundry, I give thanks for: family… those whose lives are represented by the clothes I am washing & drying, for clothes to wear…$ to buy them, that I don’t have to drag the clothes down to the river & beat them on a rock, health & energy to do the laundry. Yea for Laundry!
Jennifer says
I think I do between 6 and 7 loads a week – but I have four little kids and we do cloth diapers part time.
sonya Reed says
I do about 5 loads of laundry weekly and there’s only 2 of us!
Karen says
I do about 7 loads a week.
Elizabeth L. says
I do somewhere between 2 and 4 loads of laundry a week. But seeing how I”m single and not a mom, I consider this to be pretty normal. 🙂
I do love dryer sheets though! They have a ton of uses and make my clothes smell much better!
Courtney says
I do anywhere from 10 to 14 loads a week. 4 boys produce a lot of dirty laundry!
cassie says
I’m not real sure but I am guessing 10 to 15 which includes cloth diapers about every other day.
Mariposa says
I have a newborn and use cloth diapers, so I do AT LEAST one load a day… probably more. Just a few weeks ago it was more like 2 loads a week! 🙂
rebekah says
I do at least 14 loads a week….hmm….can i get this number to decrease? I even line dry to save money…cloth diapers…but maybe I need to start making sure that all of this really needs cleaning!!
Kathleen B says
I do about 7-8 loads of laundry a week. I try to space it out to one or so a day….keeps me sane!
Paul D. says
My wifes laundry tip of the month is to tell me laundry needs done. lol
I do to the laundry but it is no big deal to me, I don’t mind doing it and we split household items up and this is just one I do. I like watching football while folding the laundry. I do like the idea of kids only wearing 2 different outfits in the summer, they don’t do anything but go out and play anyway.
satha says
i do 2-3 loads a week.
Darlene M. says
I usually do between 6 & 8 loads a week. Unless I was sheets and blanket then it’s more.
Jamie says
I do between 8 and 14 loads of laundry – depending on if I wash bedding or not.
Valerie W says
I do 6 loads of laundry a week. however with my hubbie and working different shifts, it all goes down in one day 🙂 good bonding times.
Stephanie Martinez says
I do 7 – 8 loads a week. The tip avout the socks is a good idea.
Jaimie K says
I do about 3-4 loads per week I’d say. I guess that’s not counting cloth diapers… so 5-6.
Victoria R says
I wash at least 21 loads a week. That’s for 2 adults and 3 young children, 1 in cloth.
Nicole Morrison says
With three boys (ages 5 years, 2.5 years and 4.5 months), three dogs (one with bladder issues and one a 70 lb. Mutt puppy), a hubby, a cat and myself….I do about 14 loads a week! Folding though needs to be caught up with every weekend! My kids are notorious laundry mountain climbers…all the nice, clean clothes and linens are then piled by my evil boys and jumped off of. 🙁 I hate doing the laundry!
Ashlee says
We do at least 7 loads, usually more. That’s for only 4 people. It’s never ending!
Carol E. says
I would say 9-12 loads a week. Ouch, I keep rethinking that number but it keeps coming up the same.
Erin Smith says
Hubby works in a steel mill so lots of grease…I would say I do approx. 10 loads per week for the 4 of us. My laundry tip is kinda gross…but a lot of us are mommies so we encounter gross on a daily basis. If your child has an accident on the bed sheets pour a little white vinegar in the water while the washer is filling. This will take all of the nasty urine odor out! Works great for those wet swim suits and towels we didn’t have time to take care of right away too….whoops!!
stacy says
We do 4 to 5 loads a week.
gingeroo616 at aol dot com
Lauren says
I do between 5-10 loads a week….I’m really now sure how this happens with only 3 of us?! OY!!!!
Sabrina Smith says
I do six loads per week for two of us.
Michelle says
I do 3 to 4 loads each week for the three of us. My son, age 2 1/2, LOVES to help put the laundry in the washer and to transfer everything from the washer to the dryer, one item at a time. 🙂 Involving him makes it much less of a chore for me.
Janey L. says
Between 10-15 loads…depending on cloth diaper usage and how many times the kids have to change their clothes!
Brittney - Our Greener Acres says
I do anywhere between 7 and 10 loads a week….depending on how many accidents there were and how much we played outside. =D
Angela B says
We do between 5-8 loads per week depending on the week. Great post and thank you!
Kathleen says
I do probably 16-20 loads per week (cloth diapering family of 6 with my oldest child being 6 yrs old!). I have the philosophy of it doesn’t need to be folded, don’t fold it. We each have a small basket for things that don’t need to be folded and another for towels. I’ve got rods up to hang anything that needs to be. Great tips though!
Cricket F. says
Well, with a coal miner husband, an agricultural mechanic, and the youngest working for the local co-op I have plenty of laundry. Three wonderful men, all who come home hot, sweaty, and very stinky. But I am blessed, so I don’t much mind the 2 or so loads a day that I do.
Nikki says
I do about 6-8 loads a week.
carolyn says
I do about 6 loads a week, family of 4 with two boys ages 5 and 8….so lots of dirt there.
Connie A. says
It’s starting to go down as more of the children are grown. I used to do 4 loads before 4:00 PM x 5 days a week. (for 10 people) Now, I’d say that for myself, I do about 8 per week. I have 3 teens that do their own and a husband who has laundry service for his uniforms. My biggest problem now is to get things put away. Sometimes I just pile it on the dining room table and nobody gets to eat until their laundry is put away.
patti lekas says
we do at least 2 loads a day with 3 teenagers two little guys a husban d and a couple of grown kids back in the house
Andrea Watts says
Too many lol! I do about 6 a week.
Christie says
Hi, I have a family of 4 and we do about 4-5 loads a week, maybe a little extra in the winter when the clothes are bulkier. My tip would be to wash sheets every other week instead of every week. Most of us were taught to do laundry by our mothers or grandmothers who grew up washing sheets every week, but in previous generations, most people also only bathed once a week. In our hyper-clean society, the sheets stay cleaner longer and so you can go longer between washings. The sheets don’t wear out as fast either.
Bekah says
I do at least 5-7 loads per week. Thank you for the laundry tips!! I love your blog!!
Gina says
What a great post ! I have 4 kids, a husband, myself plus 3 dogs and 4 cats. I am CONSTANTLY doing laundry, maybe 4 loads A DAY !!! SInce there are 6 of us, we each have a day of the week where the bed linens and comforters get done so I am not doing everyone’s sheets/blankets on the same day. It really helps !My washer just broke today and it is locked with a load in there….UGH !!!! No service repair until next Wednesday . I can only imagine how smelly and moldy those clothes are going to be when they can open it. Until then, I am at the laundromat doing laundry, unfortunately. I just got back a few minutes ago. That $25 gift card could really come in handy right now…:)
Stacey says
I probably do about 17 loads of laundry each week. There are 8 of us- The husband, me, 5 sons (16,11,9,6,4) and 1 10 month-old girl.
Allison G. says
I do about 8-10 loads per week.
Cathy LeBlanc says
Oh my gosh! great tips…my favorite is the one about turning on an episode of 24 while folding laundry. I seriously do that =) I wash, dry, fold, and put away a load a day…well, that’s the goal, anyway. I wash the husband’s on Mondays, mine on Tuesdays, the kid’s on Wednesdays (except, now that number 4 entered the picture, the kid’s clothes are going to have to be a 2-day process), towels on Thursday, and sheets on Fridays. Saturdays I play catch up. If I stick with it, then it’s not too bad, but if I miss just one day! wow, it gets out of control…
Shondra Neal says
We typically do about 4-6 loads of laundry on Sunday unless there is something specific needed during the week.
Holly Oberg says
We do maybe 6-10 loads a week. Even though it is just the two of us, we have a teeney tiny stackable washer and dryer in our apartment (but happy to have one at all!) This week has been a bit more since one of the cats decided to knock over the sock basket and then pee on them, I got a bunch of hand me down maternity clothes from my sister in law (she gave them to me clean, but I’m allergic to their detergent), and some of the blankets need to be cycled through (because the other, black, cat keeps sleeping on them). Interesting to see how many loads we’ll be up to when I pop in January and we start CDing our first baby.
Leslie says
I do at least 10 laundry loads a week, if not more. ICK!
Erynn says
We do about 10 loads of laundry a week. (4 boys!!)
caren coon says
I do 6-8 loads of laundry a week I no longer have a hamper so I am forced to keep up with laundry : ) I have the kids dump the dirty clothes straight into the washer and when it full enough for a load I start it. It works great for us although I know this wouldn’t maybe work as well for a large family . It has been great for us a family of 4 : )
Christie Robello says
I have men in my life. My husband who is in landscaping so he always comes home dirty and three little boys who always seem to get dirty even when there isn’t any dirt. LOL. I do about 3 loads of laundry per week. I tried to make our own laundry soap but it came out clumpy 🙁 So now I just find coupons and not be picky with my soap. I cut the dryer sheets in 1/2 too. I try to line dry but as soon as the clothes are dry I throw them in the dryer for a few minutes just to get the stiffness out.
Aloha,
Christie
Melanie says
I do at least 6 a week. Reds, Colors, Scrubs, Kids clothes, Whites, and usually have to do the kids clothes twice a week.
Heather F. says
Atleast 5, as many as 10.
Angela Wells says
I have enough underware that I only have to do laundry every other week and my husband does his own!
Ashley V says
I do between 5 & 6 loads of laundry a week
Elvira Clay says
Wife to Bryon and mom to four kids. My husband wears at least 3 different sets of clothes everyday, Mon-Fri. (he has two part time jobs, M-F and two very different dress codes and when he gets home he can’t wait to change); the kids go a little easier on me with only 1-2 outfits a day. I usually end up doing 12 or so loads of laundry a week…more lately seeing as we’ve seen our share of stomach bugs in the past month.
Virginia says
With a new baby in the house, plus two other kiddos and a hubby I do 6-7 loads per week. Love all these great tips!!
Mags N. says
I do between 3-4 loads a week.
Candra Gantt says
It seems that I am always doing laundry~ I would say I do @ 22-25 loads a week
Karen Greenberg says
I do about 10 loads of laundry a week.
Mindy Mc says
I do around 4 loads a week.
NerdMom says
I do between 9-12 loads a week!
Brooke says
I do between 8 and 10 loads per week.
Also, a tip for after the laundry is done: buy $1 laundry baskets for each child and throw their dried clothes in. The older ones fold and put theirs away, and this makes it easy to sort through the younger ones’s clothing.
Karen says
Our family of 5 usually about nine loads a week…3 or 4 for diapers, 2 or 3 for sheets and towels and 3 or 4 for clothes.
Carrice says
We do about 8 loads of laundry a week. There are 5 of us and between linens and clothing that about covers it. I use the dryer sheet to dust my laundry room after a few loads and it keeps the lint down.
Happy Laundry!
Linda says
With a family of give plus one additional resident, we have about 9 loads a week, not counting sheets or blankets.
Dawn Johnson says
Wow! I probably do about TWENTY loads of laundry per week, no joke! W/ a husband and three sons, the dirty laundry seems to multiply when I’m not looking! I try doing the towels on the “quick” cycle and drying them outside. A bit of time saving & energy???
Sarah Young says
Too many!!! LOL! I would let my better half do some but worry he will do it “Gene-O style” a throwback to his college days when it was fill the washer up and let it rip…LOL! Instead, I slug through anywhere between 7 and 9 loads a week!
Keep up the great work!
Tonya says
I do 4-5 loads per week.
Carys says
We do 4-5 loads a week most weeks.
Bonnie says
I do about 12 loads a week (including sheets and comforters)
Christina G. says
I probably do about one to two loads a day. I should probably bump that up so I don’t fall behind. I did just recently buy three “lampers” laundry basket/hamper. Whites, Darks, and towels. This way everything for my hubby and I are sorted already and it takes away one step if you already have the clothes sorted. I don’t have this done for the little ones yet but I plan too soon.
Peggy says
hmm… depends on the season…. maybe 6
melissa says
Thanks for the info…
I keep lost socks in the appropriate persons sock draw. I do close to 5black loads a week. My DS changes his pajamas 3 times before we get dressed and head out for the day… so frustrating!! He is 5not this week!! :+) hubby is a mechanic so ALL his stuff gets washed separately. And DS has sensitive skin so his undoes get washed separately w free detergent and no softner or dryer sheets! The toddler ‘s clothes I also was separately. Wheeeew lol
Thanks again for the tips!! Felt like all I did today was laundry…
Brittni says
About six a week.
Lorie says
I do about 6 loads of laundry a week with my husband myself and two toddlers.
Patty says
I do 1o loads per week. I sort them by lights, darks and jeans and when the hamper is full, I wash a load.
LauraBeth says
I usually do about 8 loads a week, depending on what’s going on around here with our family of 4. I have a single hamper outside of our bedrooms, and sorting bins down in the basement in our laundry area. The hamper fills quite quickly, so I’m forced to take the clothes to the basement daily, usually right after bedtime for the kids, sort and throw in a load of whatever type of laundry has the most stuff in it’s bin. Our HE washer has a lovely “delay start” feature, so I just delay the start-time until the next day an hour or two before I want the washer to be done (so nothing sits and sours). I usually stand there and quickly fold the one load that is done and carry it back up to put away. I also have little buckets for my kiddos (2 & 4 years) to take care of putting away their own socks, underwear, and PJ’s (I rearranged their dressers so those items are in the bottom drawer). The rule is that the buckets have to be emptied before bed or we don’t read any books. At this age, they actually enjoy it, so it’s not a big deal.
Rachel R. says
We do 2 – 3 loads a day in the summer, and 3 – 5 a day in the winter. We don’t do laundry on Sunday. Often there are 2 – 5 extra loads in the week because of spills, special cleaning projects, sick kids, and muddy stuff from outside or the barn.
There are 8 of us, my dad, me, Dh, 2 teen daughters, young boy, preschool girl, and a toddler. We use cloth instead of paper a lot (hand towel instead of paper towel). One teen has asthma, so we do bedding twice a month on most of the beds.
Our washer is suppose to be “full size” but it seems smallish to me.
Morgen Teal says
5 people in our house. With two preschoolers and a toddler we do about 7-10 loads a week (none are full potty trained. Still working on night training and it takes a LOT of laundry!).
Brooke says
I do at least 10 loads per week!!!
deirdre says
10 I should probably do more like 12 or 13 I am always short for the week….
Oddyssey says
Laundry = my Arch Nemesis! I’m not even sure how many I do a week… I do as many as are needed. It’s not DOING the laundry that drives me nuts so much, it’s the PUTTING AWAY/FOLDING/HANGING UP part that I can’t stand. I’d say 10-15 total per week…. but it all depends on what the baby “allows” me to do! LOL
Oxy Clean really helps with my DH’s clothes, being so dirty from work (hydraulic fluid, oil, etc.) But someone mentioned vinegar?? I’ll have to try that one, it’d be sooo much cheaper than the oxy clean, how much do you use and do you just put it in with the detergent? I have one of those High Efficiency machines, does that make a difference?
Judie K. says
I do approximately 4-5 loads of laundry a week. It really depends on my mood. Laundry is my nemesis!
Shannon Hall says
I do at least 8 loads of laundry a week…love the tips! 🙂