7 Tips for Managing Your Family’s Laundry, According to Parents and Pros

Doing laundry should be a pretty quick and straightforward task in theory, but for busy families it can feel like the washer and dryer are always on, yet the hamper is never empty.

You’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed, though. Even laundry and cleaning pros confess it’s a lot to handle, which is why they’re revealing their top tips for managing family laundry—both as experts, and as real-life parents.

Sort Laundry Right Away

Every extra minute counts in busy households, and doing laundry becomes much quicker if you set up a system that sorts clothing for you beforehand—whether that’s having a multi-section hamper, or one for each color category.

“Have different hampers for whites, darks, towels, and bedding, all right in the laundry room—not in different bedrooms,” says cleaning and laundry pro Tanu Grewal. “This way, parents can spend less time gathering and sorting everyone’s laundry.”

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Have the Kids Help

The more family members you have, the more laundry there will be. But if your kids are old enough to pick their outfits, you can explain what does (and doesn’t) need washing, when to wash multiple-wear items like denim, and have them fold and put away their own clothes.

“Teach kids that anything smelly, stained, and worn all day needs to go in the hamper, while the t-shirt they tried on and decided not to wear can go back in the closet,” Grewal says. “Not washing clean clothes can really help lighten the load.”

Set a Schedule

Weekends should be for having fun and relaxing as a family, not spending your two precious days off standing in the laundry room. To open up Saturdays and Sundays for more exciting activities, cleaning expert Jade Piper suggests setting up a laundry schedule for the entire week.

“Instead of lumping laundry all into one overwhelming day, give each category its own moment,” she says. “Monday could be for lights, Wednesday for darks, Friday for sheets, and maybe Sunday for towels.”

Group Loads by Lifestyle

Even after separating clothes by color, a family-sized laundry load is likely still above washing machine capacity. To keep things simple—and care for clothing items better—laundry expert Rechelle Balanzat recommends breaking things down by activity or item type.

“Activewear, school uniforms, workwear, and delicates each require different cycle settings and detergents,” she explains. “Sorting laundry based on how the clothes are worn minimizes fabric damage and makes the process more efficient.”

Set Washes Up for Success

Between towels, sheets, and multiple loads of clothing, your machines are probably already working overtime. Balanzat suggests taking a few steps, like using the lower water temperatures, to make sure every load of laundry is working as as efficiently as possible.

“I always pretreat stains immediately,” she explains. “The sooner you address a stain, the better your chances of removing it completely.”

Also, be sure not to overload the machine; without proper room to move about, clothes will stay dirty, or not get as clean as they could.

Keep a Hamper by the Front Door

Washing heavily soiled team uniforms and sportswear takes a higher wash temperature and longer cycle than regular clothing, and if they’re not addressed right away, sweaty smells can get stubborn.

Instead of letting these items get buried at the bottom of hampers in her kids’ rooms, Piper has established a clear spot for them to be dropped off.

“Having a dedicated bin right by the door when you have active kids helps,” she says. “Anything from soccer practice, dance class, or PE gets dumped straight into the bin the second kids walk in. From there, it goes right into the wash before the smell has a chance to settle in.”

Have a Clean Laundry Basket

Even if you stick to a schedule and follow all our experts’ tips, sometimes you just run out of hours in the day. So to keep clean clothing fresh and alleviate the pressure of a pile to fold, try Piper’s personal favorite trick.

“As a working mom, there are times I can’t fold right away,” she says. “I have another laundry basket for clean but unfolded clothes, so they don’t end up scattered across beds, chairs, or couches.”

Plus, if your kids are old enough to sort their own laundry, they’re old enough to fold it; the clean bin can become a household staple that you can ask kids to lend a hand with when the day-to-day is just too much.