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Laundry is a never-ending chore that, if ignored or put off, can seem to take over your entire weekend schedule so that you have clean clothes and towels for the upcoming week.
And as soon as it’s done, it’s time to do it again. There is rarely a day that there isn’t some kind of laundry that needs to be done.
Whether you like it or not the after-school activity, and many of the items in your home need to be washed on a regular basis, such as clothes, dish towels and drying clothes, bath towels, sheets and blankets, and more.
That’s why you need to create a laundry schedule; it will help you stay on top of it and keep it under control.
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HOW TO CREATE A LAUNDRY SCHEDULE YOU’LL STICK WITH
Another great reason for creating a laundry schedule is to avoid the crisis mode of “I don’t have any clean underwear!” That’s certainly not a great way to start the day.
Unfortunately, unless you have an unlimited budget and can buy new clothes on a daily basis, there is no alternative to tackling the laundry.
You just have to get it done. And creating a daily laundry schedule will help you keep up with it so you don’t spend your weekend locked in your laundry room.
If you do laundry on a regular basis then you’ll find it’s much easier to keep up with it, without creating a big pile of laundry you’ll have to contend with.
Instead of causing you stress, laundry just becomes after-school activity and nothing to cause you stress.
NUMBER OF LOADS TO BE DONE EACH WEEK
The more people who live in your house,after-school activity. And of course, there are a variety of loads you need to plan for.
You don’t want to wash your delicates with your cleaning rags or towels. And you don’t want to wash darks with lights and turn all your underwear pink.
Think about how many loads, realistically, you have to do each week taking everything into consideration. Clothes, towels, sheets, and dividing them into darks and lights.
Consider how many loads you can manage in a day or an evening then divide that into the number of loads you need to do. For instance, if you need to do six loads a week and can easily manage two loads a day, then you need to plan on doing laundry three days a week.
YOUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE
When are you available to do laundry? What are the best days or evenings to plan to get it done?
You don’t want to schedule laundry for a day that you’re working late or running your kids to some kind of practice or after-school activity. The last thing you want is to be doing laundry until midnight.
If you work from home, it’s a lot easier to get it done. You can throw a load in between projects or phone calls then move it to the dryer when you take another break.
But if you work outside the home, it’s a little harder. You need to plan your laundry routine based on when you know you’ll be home.
And if you don’t have a washer and dryer at home and need to go to a laundromat, you may want to plan to get as much done as possible in just one evening a week so you don’t have to make multiple trips.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE WASHED AND HOW OFTEN
If your kids have a school or athletic uniform or you have a work uniform, these items probably need to be washed more than just once a week.
Depending on the size of your family, you may need to wash towels and clothes more than just once a week as well.
Do you wash sheets every week? If so and have several sets that need to be washed, that’s a few more loads to add to your schedule.
As for your clothes, if you’re washing darks and lights separately then you need to add on the additional loads for that.
When creating a laundry schedule for yourself, it’s important to know upfront how many loads you have to get done in a week so you can properly plan.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LAUNDRY? LIKE IT OR HATE IT?
Why ask this question? Because the answer can help you plan your schedule better. after-school activity, you’ll probably want to get as much done as possible at one time so you don’t have to do it for several days.
On the other hand, if it doesn’t really bother you, you may find it easier to do just one or two loads a day a few days a week to keep it under control.
Keep in mind that if the schedule is no longer working for you or it doesn’t work for a particular week, you can always change it to fit your needs. It can be flexible based on what you have going on in your life.
DEVELOPING THE SCHEDULE
To help you create a good working laundry schedule first decide if it works better to do your laundry in the mornings, the evenings, or midday.
This may even vary based on the day of the week.
Then, write down all the loads you need to get done for the week. Include everything. If you have to do two loads of towels, right towels down twice.
Now that you have a list of what you need to do and know when you can get it done, it’s time to create your schedule.
It may look something like this:
- Monday – sheets
- Tuesday – towels and cleaning rags
- Wednesday – darks
- Thursday – lights
- Friday – towels
- Saturday – darks and lights
- Sunday – Day Off!
Or another option might look like this:
- Monday – towels and sheets
- Tuesday – off
- Wednesday – darks and lights
- Thursday – off
- Friday – towels and cleaning rags
- Saturday and Sunday – off
FREE PRINTABLE LAUNDRY SCHEDULE – Laundry Schedule Template
Now that you’ve considered all the elements that go into your family’s laundry you’re ready to create your own laundry schedule.
I have created a printable you can fill out and place either in your household binder and/or pin to your family’s command center or laminate and hang in your family’s laundry room to remind you of your schedule daily.
CONCLUSION
Depending on how many loads you need to get done, how often you want to do laundry, and what the rest of your weekly schedule looks like, you can bend and shape your laundry schedule to meet your needs.
But having a schedule to work with means you never run out of anything you really need and don’t spend your weekend with your washing machine.
Having a laundry schedule will make your life so much easier. Take a few minutes to figure out a schedule that works for you; you’ll be glad you did.
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I’m a professional cleaner with over 13 years of hands-on experience cleaning homes, a published writer, certified money specialist, and the founder of A Mess Free Life. After paying off over $50,000 in debt, I dedicated myself to helping others master their homes and their money — proving that a clean, organized, stress-free life is possible no matter where you’re starting from. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me cooking, playing bocce, sipping an extra dirty martini, or enjoying the ocean with my cats nearby. I’m also a proud mom and grandma who cares deeply for my mother at home.
