Doing laundry efficiently

In some ways, working full-time means less housework. After all, more hours out of the house means fewer opportunities to dump toys, leave smudgy fingerprints on the windows etc. But some chores remain unchanged and laundry is one of them. Here's how I do it.

We I do approximately ten loads a week.

Every day I have Ashley's bedding and PJs; Bella's PJs; daycare/school clothes x 2; work clothes x 2; at least one teatowel.

Each week we have about 12 towels (I try and use towels for 2 days so that's approx 3 towels a week each), our bedding, Bella's bedding, a load or two of cloth nappies, and random other stuff that crops up.

I've identified my best laundry opportunities:

1. In the morning before I leave for work (so it can wash or dry while I'm out)
2. As I walk in the door (while I'm still in efficiency mode and have an hour to kill before dinner)
3. Before bed (after dinner, bath etc is over- the laundry can wash or dry overnight)

I have a terrible habit of dumping the clean, dry clothes onto the couch that I have affectionately nicknamed Mt Washmore and then rushing off to do more pressing housework and leaving the washing on the couch for sometimes days at a time. This was all the washing I did just before and immediately after our holiday (I didn't want to leave unwashed clothes in a closed-up house for 3 days in summer so i washed like a woman possessed and then I started washing our clothes the very evening we came home so I had no time to fold yet)

{Mt Washmore}

I decided last week that I'm going to embark on a new system where I don't let the washing out of the laundry except to put it away. I think I have a pretty good laundry for one that's so small (I asked our architect to redraw the plans with a bigger laundry- he made it about 8cm wider. Idiot!!) so I think it can work. I also got some tips and advice from readers of my Facebook Page. Several of them use the same system with success so I believe it can work for me ;o) I can do it, I can do it! haha!

Here's the non-style pic of my laundry- in use! I keep my powder in an Ikea jar not just coz it looks cute, but to avoid the powder spillage that happens everytime I open the Omo box... I'd rather just do it once per box (note powder on the floor in this pic... i had just emptied the last of the Omo box into the jar)

What hints or tips do YOU have for getting the laundry done?

Laura xx