How to Create a Laundry Routine That Actually Works
Laundry is one of those chores that never seems to end. Just when you finish the last load, another pile magically appears. I am pretty sure you’re nodding your head right along with me.
Having a laundry routine can help you stay on top of the washing, drying, folding, and putting away without spending an entire day doing it.
But what’s the best way to set one up, and how do you make sure it works?
The good news is, I’ve got a simple approach that will help you keep the laundry under control without sacrificing your entire weekend.
And whether you’re washing clothes for a houseful of people or just yourself, these home cleaning tips will help you create a routine that works for your life today.
How Do You Create a Laundry Routine?
The best way to create a laundry routine is to start by looking at how much laundry your household produces each week. From there, decide whether washing one load a day or setting aside specific laundry days works better for your schedule.
Once you have your days figured out, your next step is to create an actual washing routine that includes pre treating stains, washing, drying, folding, and putting everything away.
The goal is to find a schedule you can stick with so laundry becomes just another part of your week instead of a chore that takes over your entire weekend.
The Laundry Panic
When my boys were little and our house was full and chaotic, I had a pretty crazy approach to doing laundry.
I would usually wait until someone came to me in a panic, telling me that something they needed RIGHT NOW was buried somewhere in a hamper full of dirty clothes.
Then I would be off to the races, digging through laundry, washing whatever was needed, and finally staring at the dryer, wishing it would hurry up already.
Crazy when I look back on it now.
The stress I caused myself was so unnecessary, but for years, that was how I handled laundry. Flying by the seat of my (dirty) pants, doing my best just to keep up.
Luckily, I eventually realized there had to be a better way.
Instead of waiting until someone ran out of clean clothes, I needed to get ahead of the laundry. And the easiest way to do that was to create a routine that kept clothes washed, folded, and put away.
Finally, no more 10 p.m. emergency laundry sessions because someone suddenly remembered they needed their favorite shirt for school the next morning.
How to Create a Laundry Routine That Works for You
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to laundry.
What worked when I had four boys running around the house is certainly not what works for me today as an empty nester.
And that’s the secret to creating a laundry routine you can stick with. It needs to fit your household, your schedule, and the amount of laundry you’re dealing with each week.
The following steps will help you set up a routine that keeps clean clothes in your drawers and dirty clothes from taking over your laundry room.
Step #1. Figure Out How Much Laundry You Have
Before you can create a good laundry routine, you need to know how much laundry you’re dealing with each week.
And no, I’m not about to tell you that you need to count every sock or pair of underwear. What you want to know is how many loads of laundry your household produces during a typical week.
Include everything you regularly wash, such as:
- Everyday clothing
- Towels and washcloths
- Bed sheets and pillowcases
- Workout clothes
- Work uniforms or school clothes
- Kitchen towels and cleaning cloths
For the next week, stick with your normal washing routine, but as you do, keep a tally of how many loads you wash.
Tip: If you’re already behind on laundry, don’t count those extra catch-up loads. We want to know what a normal week looks like.
Once you have that number, you’ll have a much better picture of how much laundry your household produces each week.
Step #2. Choose Your Laundry Schedule
Now that you know how many loads of laundry your household produces each week, it’s time to figure out when you’re going to wash them.
Start by looking at your weekly schedule. Do you have a little time each day to tackle one load, or would you rather choose a couple of days to get several loads done?
The trick is to find a routine that works with your day instead of making your entire day revolve around laundry.
And remember, the best routine isn’t necessarily the one with the fewest laundry days. It’s the one that helps you keep up without constantly feeling like you’re falling behind.
Here are three ways to make that happen.
Daily Laundry Routine — One Load a Day
If you have a busy household that produces quite a bit of laundry, doing one load a day can be a lifesaver.
This was the routine I used when my four boys were little, and it was the only way I could keep my head above water(pun totally intended!).
Instead of letting dirty clothes pile up all week, I washed one load of clothing every weekday and saved towels and bedding for the weekends.
And here’s the part that made it work. I didn’t set aside a big chunk of time for laundry. I worked it into things I was already doing.
How My Daily Laundry Routine Looked:
- First thing in the morning: Start a load of clothes.
- After breakfast: Move everything to the dryer.
- Once dry: Fold the clothes and put them all the way away.
- Weekends: Wash towels and bedding.
By lunchtime, that day’s clothing was usually washed, dried, folded, and put away.
If you work during the day, you can easily adjust this routine to fit your evenings.
- When you get home: Start a load of laundry.
- While it’s washing: Make dinner.
- After dinner: Move the clothes to the dryer.
- Before bed: Fold everything and put it all the way away.
This way, you’re fitting laundry into things you’re already doing instead of having to set aside extra time just to get it done.
Weekly Laundry Routine — Designated Laundry Days
If your household produces fewer loads, you may find that choosing two or three laundry days each week is a better fit.
This is actually the routine I use now that I’m an empty nester.
With fewer people in the house, I don’t need to run the washing machine every day. Instead, I’ve found that two laundry days each week are enough to keep us caught up.
How My Weekly Laundry Routine Looks:
- Thursday: One load of clothing.
- Sunday: One load of clothing and one load of towels.
I chose Thursdays and Sundays for a reason. Those are my two slowest days of the week, and I know I’ll almost always be home. That makes it easy for me to get the laundry done without trying to squeeze it into an already busy day.
Tip: Thursday and Sunday aren’t magic laundry days! Look at your own weekly schedule and choose one or two days when you know you’ll regularly be home and have time to get the laundry done.
The goal is to make laundry part of your regular weekly routine, not something you have to figure out all over again every single week.
Once-a-Week Laundry Routine — One Laundry Day
Another option is to choose one day each week to wash everything.
This can work especially well if you live alone, have a smaller household, or simply prefer getting all your laundry done at once.
The important thing is to choose a day when you have enough time to complete the entire process.
How It Looks:
- Saturday morning: Wash and dry clothing.
- Saturday afternoon: Wash towels and bedding.
- Before the day is over: Fold and put everything away.
Of course, your laundry day doesn’t have to be Saturday. Choose whatever day works best with your schedule.
Just be sure you’re not washing more loads than you can realistically finish. Otherwise, you may find yourself staring at a basket of clean laundry three days later, wondering how it got there.
My advice? Start with the routine that seems easiest to follow and give it a try. If it doesn’t work, change it!
Your laundry routine should make your life easier, not become another chore you dread.
Step #3. Create a Start-to-Finish Laundry Routine
Now that you have your laundry days figured out, let’s talk about what happens on those days.
Because washing clothes is only part of doing laundry. You still have to dry them, fold them, and get everything put away.
And if you’ve ever found yourself digging through a basket of clean clothes that’s been sitting in your bedroom for over a week, just trying to find your favorite shirt, you know exactly what I’m talking about!
The trick is to make each part of the process a little easier so you can get your laundry done without spending more time on it than you need to.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to do that.
1. Gather and Sort
Collect the laundry you plan to wash and separate anything that needs special care.
Tip: If you have a house full of people, give everyone their own hamper. That way, you can wash clothes by person instead of mixing everyone’s things together.
No more sorting through a mountain of clean clothes trying to figure out whose jeans belong to whom. And no more uproar because someone ended up with their brother’s favorite shirt!
2. Check for Stains
Pretreat anything that needs a little extra attention before putting it in the washer.
Tip: Let your family know that if something has a stain, they need to put it directly on top of the washing machine instead of tossing it into the hamper.
That way, you’ll see it before starting the laundry and can give the stain the attention it needs.
3. Wash
Once your clothes are sorted and stains are treated, it’s time to start the washer.
Tip: Set a timer on your phone when you start a load of laundry, especially if your washing machine is in the basement or somewhere you can’t easily hear it.
You know that moment when you open the washer the next morning and realize you completely forgot about yesterday’s laundry? UGH! Now you’ve got a load of musty clothes that need to be washed all over again!
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4. Dry
Move your clothes to the dryer or hang them up to dry, depending on what each item needs.
Tip: Always, always, ALWAYS clean out the lint trap before starting a load. And while you’re at it, double-check the temperature setting.
There’s nothing worse than drying towels on high heat and forgetting to turn the temperature back down for your favorite shirts.
Before you know it, nothing fits, and you’re blaming those Oreos you ate last night when the real culprit was your dryer!
5. Fold and Put Away
Once everything is dry, it’s time to fold or hang up the clothes and get them back where they belong.
Tip: If you’re doing laundry for other people in your home, make putting their clothes away THEIR responsibility.
When my boys were little, each one had their own laundry basket. They would bring me their dirty clothes, I would wash and dry everything together, fold it, and put it right back into their basket.
Then I would set the basket outside their bedroom door.
My job was done! Their job was to put everything away.
And if they decided to leave their clean clothes sitting in that basket? Well, that was their choice.
I still use this same routine today with his clothes. I wash, dry, and fold everything, but putting it away is his job.
The point is, just because you’re doing the laundry doesn’t mean you have to do every single part of it for everyone in your home.
A Laundry Routine That Works for You
The best laundry routine is one that fits your life today. Whether you’re washing one load every morning or tackling a few loads on designated days, the goal is to make laundry something you do automatically instead of something you’re constantly trying to catch up on.
Start with a schedule that makes sense for your household, work it into things you’re already doing, and give it a try.
And remember, what works today might not work five years from now. That’s okay! As your life changes, your laundry routine can change right along with it.
Now, if only we could figure out how to get those socks to stop disappearing in the dryer!
Frequently Asked Questions About Laundry Routines
That depends on how many people live in your home and how much laundry you produce. A large family may need to wash clothes every day, while someone living alone might only need one laundry day each week. The goal is to wash often enough that dirty clothes don’t pile up between laundry days.
Neither option is better for everyone. Doing one load a day can be easier for busy families because it spreads the work throughout the week. Washing once a week may be more convenient for smaller households. Choose the approach that fits your schedule and the number of loads you need to wash.
Try connecting laundry to things you already do. Start a load while making breakfast, move it to the dryer after eating, and fold everything while watching your favorite television show. You can also choose laundry days when you’re usually home and have fewer commitments.
Just move it to the next day! If you’re following a daily routine, you might need to wash two loads the following day to catch up. Missing one day doesn’t mean your entire laundry schedule needs to change.