How to Create a Family Laundry System That Actually Works: A Practical Guide for Busy Households

As a working mom of two, I often find myself unable to keep up with the piles of laundry that face me every time I enter my laundry room. My kids are busy with school and activities, I am busy with part-time work and household management, and my husband works full time. Laundry often falls to the wayside in favor of meal prepping, homework, and hobbies.

And I know I’m not alone; families everywhere struggle to keep up with laundry in their homes. So, what’s the solution? I’ve found that implementing a family laundry system has helped our household have a more collaborative approach to this dreaded chore, preventing me from burning out among the never-ending supply of dirty clothes.

This guide includes everything you need to know to get your family on board and make laundry woes a thing of the past.

Assessing Your Family's Laundry Needs

The first step is to assess your family’s laundry needs. This will vary depending on the size of your household and your daily laundry volume. My household of four (plus two dogs) generally creates one to two loads of laundry per day, including everyday wear, sportswear, towels, sheets, and dog blankets.

Next, identify your household’s peak laundry times. In my house, we tend to have more laundry on days when my kids have after-school activities, such as soccer or tumbling, or on Fridays when the week’s dirty clothes are gathered up.

Finally, consider your available space and your home’s existing laundry infrastructure. How many laundry baskets can you fit in your laundry room or area? How much space do you have for drying and folding? My washer and dryer are located in my basement, so I have plenty of space for washing, drying, and folding—but that doesn’t mean I want to tackle a week’s worth of laundry in one go.

Designing a Customized Laundry System

After you’ve evaluated your family’s laundry needs, peak laundry times, and available space, you can start the task of designing a customized laundry system for your family.

Establishing a Laundry Schedule

First, consider how often you need to wash different types of loads. For example, we wash our towels every Saturday and our sheets every Sunday. We try to fit loads of clothing around that to avoid spending the entire weekend doing laundry.

Assign a specific laundry day to each family member. For example, my daughter’s clothes get washed on Tuesdays, my son’s on Wednesdays, and mine and my husband’s on Thursdays. We keep Mondays and Fridays as free days for washing whatever needs to be cleaned. Sometimes, that might be a mixture of everyone’s clothes, and at other times, it might be sportswear.

My kids are old enough to do their own laundry with some supervision. I still have to remind them of their days most weeks, but the physical work is off my hands so that I can focus on other tasks. If your kids are younger, you can do the bulk of the work, but let them turn on the machines or help move laundry from the washer to the dryer so they’re familiar with the process and can take over fully when they’re older.

Sorting and Organizing

Proper organization helps make laundry less of a hassle. Consider implementing color-coded hampers for each family member. In my house, my daughter’s laundry basket is black, my son’s is gray, and mine is white. This helps us easily distinguish whose laundry belongs to whom.

We also use labeled baskets for different types of clothing, such as whites and delicates. That way, we’re not accidentally washing a delicate item on a heavy-duty setting and accidentally damaging the fabric.

Setting Up the Laundry Space

To create a successful family laundry system, start with a neat and organized laundry room. Maximize your available space by utilizing vertical storage systems, shelves, and drawers to their full potential. 

If your laundry area is small, one of the best things you can do is toss out all your bulky laundry jugs and replace them with HeySunday laundry detergent sheets. I traded my liquid detergent for these sheets and was amazed by how well they clean my clothes while taking up minimal space in my laundry room.

Next, incorporate folding stations and drying racks. If your space is small, consider using collapsible tables and drying racks that can be unfolded when needed and folded away when not in use. My laundry space is large enough to accommodate a permanent worktop for folding, and I use foldable drying racks for my delicate clothes that can’t go in the dryer with my HeySunday dryer sheets.

Involving the Whole Family

Laundry should be a shared family chore rather than a burden that falls solely on your shoulders. Regardless of your children's age, there are age-appropriate laundry tasks you can assign to help them learn how to do laundry. 

Children 18 months to 3 years old

• Move wet clothes from the washer to the dryer
• Move dry clothes to the laundry hamper
• Match pairs of socks
• Fold washcloths and small towels

Children 4 to 5 years old

• Hang shirts on hangers
• Fold pants
• Sort laundry by color

Children 6 to 7 years old

• Remove sheets from beds
• Fold towels
• Put dirty clothes in the hamper
• Put away clean clothes
• Clean out the dryer lint trap

Children 8 to 13 years old

• Turn on and run the washer and dryer
• Add detergent and dryer sheets
• Put clean sheets on beds
• Put away clean clothes and other laundry

Children 14 to 18 years old

• Treat stains on clothing
• Fold sheets
• Iron clothes

Help your children learn these age-appropriate tasks by demonstrating how to do them and then letting your child try them themselves. Always supervise younger children, but empower your kids to take responsibility and learn these tasks with minimal input from you.

Creating a chore chart can help you track your children’s responsibilities. Consider rewarding them for doing all their chores, either with an allowance or by taking them out for a treat (like ice cream or a trip to the zoo).

Tips and Hacks for Efficiency

The key to a successful family laundry system is to make it as efficient as possible. Follow these tips and share them with your family.

• Use mesh bags for small items, such as socks and underwear.
• Hang clothes directly after washing to minimize the need for ironing.
• Create a list of items that should not be put in the dryer to prevent damaging clothes.
• Make a cheat sheet for the different washing cycles on your machine.
• Implement a "one-touch" rule to minimize handling.
• Utilize technology (e.g., laundry apps, timers) to streamline the process.

Maintaining the System

As you implement your new family laundry system, you’ll notice what works for your household and what doesn’t work. Regularly review and adjust the system as needed (and don’t forget to ask your family for input to involve them in the process fully). 

As you begin following the new laundry system, be sure to celebrate milestones to maintain high motivation levels. Take your kids out for pizza to celebrate your first successful week, or consider rewarding them monetarily for completing all their weekly laundry chores. 

Conclusion

Laundry shouldn’t be a one-person task in a multi-person household. There are many benefits to a family-inclusive laundry system, including reduced stress for the primary caregiver and increased responsibility for children from a younger age. My own family laundry system has changed my life for the better, and my kids actually enjoy the responsibility of washing their own clothes.

So, what are you waiting for? Take the first step toward implementing your customized laundry system and enjoy a happier home life.