Chores
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Check pockets for items before laundering garments.
A single tissue can damage clothes in the washer, coins may ruin the machine, and pens can burst in the dryer.
3 people, independently
Use an indoor drying rack in your bedroom if your lease bans hanging clothes to dry outdoors.
This allows you to avoid high costs for building dryers.
one person who lived it
Remove clothes from the dryer while warm and slightly damp, then hang them to finish drying.
This helps avoid wrinkles.
- Do not overload the dryer.
one person who lived it
- Dry shirts inside-out on hangers to remove wrinkles and preserve neck and shoulder lines.1
Hire someone else to do your laundry if it is not expensive.
It is worth the time saved on sorting, washing, drying, and folding.
one person who lived it
Read care labels on clothes before drying to avoid ruining them.
Reading labels is better than risking the need to replace damaged clothes.
- Some find it unreasonable to read every label when moving laundry from washer to dryer.
one person who lived it
Own multiple sets of bedsheets and towels.
You can change linens without needing to do laundry immediately.
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Use a smaller container for dirty clothes to force washing before the pile becomes unmanageable.
Large bins often lead to piling up until clean clothes run out.
- This does not work if you throw laundry on the floor.
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Air dry clothes whenever possible to prolong their life.
Air-drying extends the lifespan of most clothing items.
2 people, independently
Starch white clothing to maintain brightness and ease stain removal.
It gives whites a 'pop' in color and makes stains come out easily.
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Skip the dryer for expensive or favorite clothes to prevent slow fabric damage.
The heat pulls the fabric apart and ruins it slowly.
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Keep bras on closet door handles.
It is more convenient.
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Pretreat stains in cold water until they disappear before washing in hot water or drying.
Heat sets stains, especially blood.
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Wash clothes on cold water.
It preserves color, removes stains better than hot water, and cuts down on electric bills.
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Play a video or watch a cozy or funny show while folding laundry to make the task more enjoyable.
Folding is very boring.
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Ensure air-drying clothes on a rack do not touch themselves or other items.
Contact prolongs drying time and can cause clothes to smell musty when dry.
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Set up a specific chair, rack, or hooks for clothes that need airing but not washing.
This keeps 'wear agains' off furniture and floors, allows air circulation, and holds tomorrow's outfit.
3 people, independently
Use only white bedsheets and pillowcases.
You can visually see when they are dirty; dark sheets may hide skin buildup and dandruff.
one person who lived it
Use less detergent than usual to prevent residue buildup.
Excess detergent stays in clothes after rinsing and attracts dirt when worn.
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Use a peg rail in the bathroom or bedroom to dry damp items, lay out future outfits, and set aside rewearables.
It is tidy and uniform.
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Avoid overfilling the washing machine to allow clothes to move freely.
Clothes need room to move to get clean; overloading also wears out top loaders faster.
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Hang a large nylon laundry bag with grommets on a hook in each person's room to keep their loads separate from washing to folding, eliminating the need for sorting.
Each person's laundry stays separate without mixing, which reduces work.
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Check the pockets and corners of fitted sheets when folding laundry to find hidden socks or pillowcases.
These are good places for random socks and pillowcases to hide.
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Steam all work clothes at once rather than individually to save time.
Steaming every time you want to wear clothes is annoying; doing them all at once is described as wonderful.
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Separate laundry loads into garments that require folding or hanging versus those that do not, to cut down on the frequency of post-wash handling.
Folding and hanging things up is often the most hated part of laundry.
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Wash whites, darks, towels, and miscellaneous items in separate loads and put away each load immediately after it dries.
Putting away each load as it dries takes only about 5 minutes.
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If you do your own laundry frequently, put dirty clothes directly into the washer instead of a hamper to prevent piles from accumulating.
It prevents having to sift through other people's unmentionables if they wash less often.
- This approach assumes you have exclusive or primary access to the washer; it may not work if others rely on the same machine.
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Place items that should not go in the dryer into a mesh laundry bag during washing.
This makes transfer to the dryer easier and prevents accidental drying of wrong items if you forget to separate them immediately.
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Hang and fold clothes immediately at the laundromat if you struggle with executive function.
One approach that helped: avoiding the task later at home ensures it gets done
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Wash blankets separately from regular clothes.
They become fuzzy and collect pet hair.
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Fold undergarments and towels at the laundromat to consolidate space in your basket.
To fit everything in efficiently
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