10 Laundry Hacks for Busy Moms

School. Sports. Homework. Chaos. Sounds familiar, right? Yea, me too! I love back to school, but with that comes even busier schedules and more hectic days- and while I wouldn’t trade it for anything, I do like looking for ways to make my mom jobs easier. With three kids, I feel like I am always doing laundry, but then add in sports and practice uniforms and that almost doubles! Laundry is not my best friend, (is it anyones??) but thankfully these little hacks can make that seemingly never ending job a little easier so we can focus our precious time and efforts so much better. So sit back and relax as I make your laundry days just a little bit brighter!

First, Make Sure Your Clothes are actually DIRTY!

This might seem like it goes without saying, but it doesn’t.  Before kids I’d wear something once and then wash it, but once we had a family that all changed! Some things can be re-worn or reused and not be washed every single time- such as kids PJ’s or towels. We like to use PJ’s twice and towels two or three times before I wash them. This helps cut down a little on the day to day build up.

Keep your Washer Clean, Simply

When you do finally have a pile of dirty clothes, be sure to wash them more efficiently by keeping your washer clean. Clean it super easily by adding 2 cups of vinegar to your wash cycle and letting it run through every few weeks. This will help keep your washing running more smoothly too.

Cut Down on Dry Time

In a rush to finish your load of laundry? Who isn’t?!! Help speed up drying time by tossing a clean and dry fluffy towel to your dryer. The towel will help soak in the moisture faster and keep things moving easier so you need less drying time.

Use Quality Products

When you are doing as much laundry as I do, you want to get the most bang for your buck. It’s tempting to try to save money and buy the cheapest products you can buy, but often times that will backfire on you because 1) they won’t work as well and you may need to rewash things or have dingy clothes, and 2) you’ll end up needing more so they won’t last as long! Instead, buy premium products that work right the first time. We love P&G products in this house and have for years. They are made well and work right the first time! We really love the whole line of P&G Fabric Care products. The full regimen works Better Together to clean, condition, freshen, and control your laundry.

Keep your clothes so fresh and clean by starting off by washing your clothes with Tide: Tide works in the wash cycle to help remove everything from things can see – like dirt and grime to things you can’t see – like oils and perspiration! Next, Rinse with Downy: Downy works in the rinse cycle to help protect fibers from getting frayed and fuzzy, keeping your clothes smooth and soft. After that, you will want to Freshen with Downy Unstopables: With just a shake, pour, and toss, you can fresh up laundry day (and beyond) in a bold way. Downy Unstopables In-Wash scent Boosters give your laundry up to 12 weeks of ammmm-amazing freshness (from wash until wear). Finally, Dry with Bounce: Bounce works to control static, repel pet hair and give your laundry a fresh clean scent

Keep plenty of your favorite P&G laundry products on hand by saving money when you buy them by shopping at Big Lots! Big Lots carries all of these fresh laundry soaps and fabric softeners at great prices so you don’t have to skimp and be temped to buy the cheaper products. Find a Big Lots near you here.

Keep a Bin for Lost Socks

I find that we are frequently losing a single sock when I do laundry, so instead of just tossing it out I started throwing them into a basket near by. They will sit in there for a while but more often than you’d think, I find the match later! Random socks sometimes end up inside the sheets on my kids beds or stuck inside a pant leg- and later when I’m doing more washing, it’ll appear.

Sort Before you Wash

I don’t know about you, but I really hate sorting dirty laundry. Who wants to dig through all of those dirty clothes? Yuck! Save yourself the process of sorting by training all the members of your family to sort their clothes when they take them off each. Buy and label a divided laundry hamper, or buy 2 baskets (one white, and one for colors) to help remind everyone where their darks and lights go. It’s a simple change that can save you oodles of sorting time each week.

De-wrinkle fast!

I cannot tell you how many times I have left a forgotten load of laundry in the dryer. Overnight. For a week. Yes it happens- all the time over here!! If you are guilty of this too, don’t rewash it all, instead just throw in a wet washcloth and add it into your load. Then let your dryer run again for about 30-50 minutes to release the wrinkles.

Treat Stains the Right Way

The best way to fix a stain is to treat it before it sets. Quickly scoop up solids and blot liquids with a clean white cloth from the outside in to avoid spreading. Treat stains before washing, and always make sure stains have been removed before putting items in the dryer since the heat will help to sets stains into fabric, making it even harder (or impossible!) to remove. Check out this handy chart of common types of stains and how to remove them.

Wash Everything in Cold Water

Save money and the environment by washing your clothes all in cold water. This will save on your electricity bill, is greener, and won’t set stains that don’t come out on the first wash.

And the Best Hack of them all….

Teach your kids to help with the laundry! My 7th grader primarily does her own laundry now and it’s great! I help when she gets busy but she does most of it, including the folding and putting away, on her own. This trick obviously depends on your kids ages and abilities, but it is helpful when they can do some on their own- and a good life skill as well.

No one likes doing laundry, but thankfully these 10 hacks can help make this chore a little easier and quicker! 

What additional hacks would you add to the list?