Wash socks in mesh bags, fold them last (or get all new socks)
Finding, pairing, and agonizing over what to do with a lone socks is one of the most annoying parts of folding laundry, and no one can convince me otherwise. Put them in mesh bags for easy retrieval and sorting before washing—you can even train family members to put all their socks in a dedicated bag instead of their hamper.
If you forget or the system fails, always pluck socks out of the larger pile and save them for last. If space allows, toss socks (unfolded) into a box for each family member near the shoe closet for them to pair up when needed.
To rid yourself of both these problems? Replace colorful, patterned socks with monochromatic white, gray, or black ones so they all match, and you’ll never be annoyed by a missing sock again.
Stop folding so much
Imagine a world of drastically reduced laundry folding responsibilities—it’s possible! Sure, towels, jeans, cotton tees and professional work clothes still need to be folded. But fitted sheets? Socks? Underwear? Pajamas? Athletic gear and swim trunks? The entirety of your child’s Old Navy wardrobe? Negative. You can stop folding these things right now.
With a shelf and some inexpensive baskets or canvas storage boxes from Walmart, you can transform your (or your kid’s) closet into a safe space of lightly rolled, gently tossed garments. Everything will still have its proper place, but will be more loosely assorted within those places. And everyone will survive.
Use individual laundry baskets
From where I sit with three children under age nine, this sounds like a pipe dream, but it may work for your household. In this laundry utopia, each family member has their own hamper, and more importantly, laundry basket. Each person’s laundry is done separately and placed in their dedicated basket to eliminate the need for extensive sorting. (Bonus if your kids are old enough to do their own laundry, they should.)
Create a schedule and follow a “no excuses” rule
Based on your family’s rhythms, figure out which day or days the laundry must be done and consistently do it on those days. This habit will reduce the amount of oh shit moments when your daughter has soccer but her uniform is buried under five pounds of wet towels. After clothes are washed, institute a “no excuses rule” that all clean clothes must be put away that day. There may be some groans at first as you realize you can’t get into bed because of all the damn pants strewn across it, but that consequence, over time, will train you to do the task even sooner. And this is the goal.
Title: How to Make Folding Laundry Way Less Annoying
Sourced From: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-folding-laundry-way-less-annoying-1848516606
Published Date: 2022-02-10 22:00:00
