Yes, you read that right. There are seven people in our house and I don’t do laundry. Gone are the days with mountainous piles of laundry waiting to be folded on the couch. I have added hours to my week by not doing laundry. You want in? First, a story.
This summer our family was eating ice-cream on our small town’s Main Street when we saw an older couple we knew. We continued to slurp our melting ice-cream as we chatted. The lady said, “You must have a lot of laundry with five kids!” I smiled and said, “Actually, they all do their own laundry, even the four year old.” Her eyes bugged out and she could hardly believe it. “Oh wow! I did my kids laundry all the way through college.” What? That’s really a thing? Mom does your laundry in college? Wow, just wow.
So, homeschool mom, I’m here to tell you that if you’re still doing your kids’ laundry and they’re older than four years old, you should stop! There is no reason you can’t delegate this task to your kids, especially when they are home with you all day. Besides, it’s a great life skill, and you definitely want them able to do their laundry by the time they go to college! If you keep doing their laundry, they may never want to leave the nest, and we can’t have that, can we?
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Why is this a life hack?
According to Wikipedia, a Life hack “refers to any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency….” Not doing laundry that isn’t yours has the potential to increase your weekly productivity as you rediscover those lost hours!
All moms, but especially homeschool moms, need to decide if they are wasting time with the urgent but not important. That pile of dirty laundry? Definitely urgent if your kids don’t have clean clothes to wear. But important in the grand scheme of things? Nope.
Rationale
I think there are at least three key reasons why you should consider not doing your family’s laundry anymore.
- Your kids are home all day.
- Having kids do their own laundry teaches responsibility and life skills.
- Mom shouldn’t be doing everything.
Homeschooled kids have the time to do chores that kids in school may not have. There is no long bus ride twice a day. Schooling is more efficient, leading to extra hours in the day. Since the kids are home all day, they can be expected to contribute to the family in this way.
You’ve heard it said that we are raising adults, not kids. Learning to do your own laundry is just one life skill among many that our kids need to acquire. The earlier the better! My four year old loves her laundry day.
If mom is working harder than the kids, you need to reconsider how your responsibilities are set up. This is one of the secrets of homeschool peace, in matters of curriculum and chores.
Our system
My old system went like this:
All the dirty clothes would be put into laundry bins in the laundry room, where I would wash it all as I had time. Then, I brought the clean laundry upstairs and dumped it in a big pile until I had the time and energy to fold, sort, and put it away. Sometimes it stayed in that pile for a day or two (don’t tell anyone). Kids kept getting dirty and making more laundry (go figure!). Repeat cycle.
Now, when you have babies and toddlers, this is just life. But, in a few short years, those toddlers turn 4 years old, and you can get them involved in doing their own laundry! (There is no magic age for this – you know your kids. But they usually can handle more responsibility than we think).
My Laundry System Now:
We’ve been using this system for several years now, and it really does work! I am not overloaded with laundry to process anymore. Freedom!
Here is what I require (or don’t require) of my kids with their laundry chore. But this is not the only way to do it. Your system and expectations may look different. Find your groove!
- Invest in laundry baskets for each child. We mainly use the tall skinny plastic ones because they take up less floor space. Each child has their basket in their bedroom closet.
- Each of my kids has a specific “laundry day” each week.
- As part of morning chores, the child that has laundry for that day will load their dirty clothes in the washer, put the soap in, and start the cycle. Depending on the day, I may transfer it to the dryer. They will unload the clothes out of the dryer into their laundry basket, then “fold” and put away before bed. I use the term “fold” very loosely. We’re still working on that.
Here are some baskets to consider:
{Edited to add: Here’s our newest favorite hamper – lightweight, easy to carry, and great price!}
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I don’t fold laundry. Just sayin. Each type of item has its own drawer. Throw it in and done. Teaching child the same, now that they’ve been doing their own laundry for nearly 2 years.
I’m with ya, Shelley! Better to be clean and put away than sitting in a pile waiting to be folded.
Do the kids sort their laundry by color or put everything in one load?
We’re pretty simple around here. One big load per kid. Most of their laundry would be considered darks anyway.