Is there something you do in your home, that you’re embarrassed to tell others about because you know they’ll roll their eyes?
Or make fun?
Or simply think you’re crazy! 😉
Yeah, me too.
And it’s so silly because all of us have been raised in different families, different cultures with different ways of doing things. So of course, things should be…different.
Yet, there’s this fear of being judged.
I’m not gonna lie. I was worried about sharing one of my biggest secrets until I interviewed Laura Wittman (the OrgJunkie herself) and she told me she did it too. And just like that I realized…I am not alone in my craziness. 😉
Today I’m revealing one of my big organization secrets, that really shouldn’t be a secret — because it’s made my life SO. MUCH. EASIER.
Maybe you’ll see it and think: “No big deal girlfriend.”
Or maybe you’ll think: “Seriously? How could you do that?!”
Either way here’s what I’d LOVE to know from you when you’re done watching.
What is something you could experiment with doing differently from the norm? Something you heard someone else do and your first thought was: “no way!”
This could be the very thing that could simplify your life. 😉
Don’t be shy to spill it in the comments.
Thank you so much for your time and support week after week.
With so much love,
Mridu
My husband and I started doing this after we were married when we didn’t have enough quarters for the pay machines in our apartment building. One I’m gonna try is leaving a spray bottle of vinegar and water by the tub and shower so it can be sprayed down after each use, this apparently cuts down on soap scum and dirt making it unnecessary to scrub the tub after each use, just rinse before reusing.
Glad to hear I’m not alone with the laundry! In fact, I think there’s an entire nation out there doing it like that… and facing unnecessary laundry shame. 😉 Great idea about the spray bottle! Thanks for sharing Angela! xo, mridu
What if you have white clothes that require bleaching or need soaking prior to actual washing? I guess I don’t see the problem with separating whites from colored because I use two net clothes bags and put the like clothes in each as they become dirty. One thing that really bugs me is that I will use my slow cooker and know I need to wash it right away only to find that it is still sitting there a day or two later.
Use the slow cooker liners.
THEY ARE AWESOME.
I do this. I also wash up the day befores laundry every morning. Put in dryer when kids nap, put away that evening. Kids put away own clothes.
Girl, you do what you gotta do to sometimes. I find no shame in mixing colors, darks and whites. I generally separate mine because I usually have enough for a load — but if I have half a load of each, they all go in together!
My “dirty” laundry secret? I usually wear clothes twice before washing. Now obviously, under garments are NOT included in this. Nor are gym clothes or other clothes I’ve dirtied up or sweated in. But anything else? Goes back on the hanger. Saves detergent, gives more longevity to my clothing AND saves time.
Ok, we might be the same person. 😉 I swear I’m a clean person but you don’t even want to know how many times I wear my jeans before washing. LOL! It happens! 😉 Thanks for sharing Molly! xo, mridu
I like to put sheets in by themselves or only with a large towel or two so smaller items won’t get stuck in the pockets of the bottom sheets. It makes for a lot less frustration!
I’ve been doing that with my laundry for years. Mostly because I hated going to the laundromat when I didn’t have a machine at home. Always assumed I was a weirdo!
Dishes are one of the chores I just cringe at doing. I’ll have to think hard about how to approach it differently.
Ok, now I’m so sure there are SOOOO many more people are doing laundry this way…yet no one seems to know about it. 😉
And yes, dishes are a pain. One recent change I made in this area (that’s made a huge improvement) was changing my dishes from stoneware to….Corningware. I know, not the most exciting dishware but they are so much easier to handle, wash, take in and out of the washer, that it’s saved me tons of time. Just a thought! xo, m
I got lighter dishes too, they fit better in my cabinet and are easier on my back to load and unload in the dishwasher.
One thing that I have changed is create a blueprint like you have talked about in your classes. So rather than have 3 different places to store dirty laundry, now I have one pretty basket. Laundry doesn’t stress me out any more because I know exactly where my laundry is and instead of doing 4 loads of laundry-now I only do 2. Thanks Mridu!
SOOO smart lady!! Love it! And thanks for sharing this tip bc I bet a lot of people have been doing it the same way (laundry in different spots). So excited you’re laundry’s so much easier now. It’s such a time saver!! 🙂 xo, m
Each bedroom has a hamper. I try to only wash one hamper’s contents at a time, so there’s less sorting. The clean basket goes right back to that person’s room and into their drawers.
Love it!! Great system Melissa. 🙂 thanks for sharing! xo, mridu
I have been doing this for almost a year now and it has been a savior! On top of that, each person has their own laundry baskets ( a dirty one and clean one). I dump one person’s clothes in the machine and when done, put it in a clean basket that has been labeled with their names-that way I also can keep track of any one sided socks that appear every so often. If I don’t have time to fold it right away, at least it’s all in one spot for the person to look through until I can fold it. This method is so easy that I even have my 8 yr old boy and 5 yr old daughter doing their own laundry from time to time!!! They like to push the buttons. 🙂
I LOVES me this method! In fact, it’s exactly what I do. 😉 (with the exception of the labeled baskets….whaaaaat??) This is fantastic Shelley! Thank you for sharing!! xo, mridu
Does everyone put their towels in with their clothes or do you have a separate basket for the bathroom?
I do my towels and sheets separately. In this video, I was only referring to clothes. 🙂 xo, mridu
Have no problem with laundry, don’t want to wash dark jeans with light colors and could stain; and underwear should not be washed with like jeans.
Papers everywhere is my troubled spot. Don’t see a easy way to handle it. ??
I think the way I sort the laundry makes things a lot easier when it comes to putting it away, which saves me time. I do wash lights and darks separate because our kid’s white clothes need that bleach to keep them from being dingy! But other than that my laundry loads are the kid’s clothes all together, whites, towels & sheets, my clothes, and my husbands clothes. I decided a couple years ago that since I get my husband’s clothes clean and dry for him, he can fold and put away on his own! So I have a basket just for putting his clean clothes in until he takes care of them. When my kids are a little older I will do the same for them. And the only thing I wash in hot are the whites and sheets and towels.
I think just coming up with some kind of laundry system really helps keep a family from falling behind. It doesn’t really matter what it is as long as it consistent and not waiting until all the clean clothes are gone and then trying to tackle everything!
Nope can’t do the dump all in one load. Lol maybe I am as the kids say a bit OCD but I refuse to wash my dishtowels with my underwear or sock ect. Think about it…your clothes washed in cold water don’t get sanitized…and think about the germs you collect. I still wash my things separately and I still sort. And yes my dishtowels have their own load cuz I don’t want to wipe my dishes with my underwear. Lol
I have three baskets in the laundry room…one for whites, one for any clothes that need to be hung (hubby’s work clothes) plus jeans, and a third for the rest. It’d be great to save a step somewhere. I’ll need to think on this. Maybe to combine whites and “others”….
Theresa, that might help simplify. If you’re worried about mixing in whites, just start with a few you don’t care about so much (like socks and undies) and see how it goes before you do ’em all.:) xo,m
I totally get it Mridu, This is a suggestion to simplify.
In a perfect world every one of us would have 3 baskets to sort our laundry, and the space and time to do it all … perhaps someone to do it for us (too much? lol)
I have found out a few years ago that having one basket for my jeans, t-shirts and underwear is enough. It’s all i wear. I wash everything in cold water. And of course separate the occasional t that needs attention and new dark jeans that will make everything blue.
Bedding and towels I do same day that I change the bed, so I don’t need a basket for that.
No shame!
Oh yes…someone to do the laundry for me…Now you’re on to something! 🙂 Thanks for sharing how you do laundry. Love how you’ve simplified things so much! xo, mridu
What’s the secret to prevent fading? I tried this and turned all of my sons white socks pink (from the Reds) with purple tie died spots (from blue/blacks). I have always washed with cold water because that’s what my family always did and when my dad hooked up my new washer in my first house he said no hot water hook up because it’s not necessary and would just run up the electric bill. So how do I stop coloring my clothes (had to go buy all new socks…the boys were mortified and would NOT wear the pink ones…lol). Thanks!
Dyed. Stupid phone
Sometimes vinegar in the wash can help set colors. May wash separately 1-2 times as Mridu suggested to be sure colors don’t escape onto other items.
Oh no!!! Angela, sooo sorry! Ok, I should have mentioned that I’ll wash anything that might leave color alone first….like jeans…and purple socks! Usually clothes leave color only once (but maybe wash them separately twice to be sure) — and then I start mixing them all together. Ugh…feeling so bad. Hope you have some girls in your life that can make use of those pink socks! (I’d have the same issue in my house with my two boys). 😉 Good luck sweet friend! xo, mridu
LOL! I do that too! Once I had three kids, plus hubby’s, plus mine, plus ALL the extra towels and bedding, it was a must to simplify! The only thing I don’t do is combine ALL the kids clothes together. They each have their own hamper and I wait until a hamper is relatively full, walk it downstairs, check for stains, and dump! 🙂 It’s made me a MUCH happier person! I still hate laundry, but at least it doesn’t take two loads for each person x 5 anymore! I also don’t have to waste a bunch of time sorting out whose clothes are whose when I’m folding. Thanks mom for the brainstorm idea of giving each of my kids their own hampers!
Awesome! Sounds like you’ve been enjoying this laundry simplification tool in your life too. Soooooo good, right? Hope the separate hampers make it even easier for you. Thanks for joining the conversation Jennifer! xo, mridu