Laundry Help for the Laundry Doing Impaired

So, time to get dressed. You take a pair of jeans out of the closet, try them on. Uh oh, its a fat day. Throw those on the floor. Take out a more forgiving pair. Ahk! It’s a sweat pants day, people. Throw those icky skinny jeans on the bed! Now for a top. A nice tank. Hmm…. too chilly out today. A sweat shirt? Nope that ones got a stain. Alright, alright, the next thing you know half your wardrobe is all over the room! Don’t panic, I can help. See I’ve been dealing with this since the day my mom decided I could pick out my own clothes. Okay maybe its just a girl thing, but guys if this happens to you don’t be embarrassed, keep reading, really!

First off, we need to do some damage control. Go around your room, the bathroom, and the laundry room (and wherever else you strew your clothes!) dump them all in one central location. I use my bed, but you can use a good clear floor, or table.

Gather up five laundry baskets. Yes, five. This is an emergency people! One for dirty jeans, one for dirty colors, one for dirty white, and one for dirty towels. And one for the clean stuff! You’ll also need a basket or box for stuff that will be going to Goodwill. YES you’re going to have to part with some stuff here. Clutter is part of the problem! Now don’t get overwhelmed. Just pick up ONE clothing item at a time and decide which basket it belongs in. Hm jeans, do a sniff and spot test– do they smell funky? Is that a blob or mustard there? When in doubt WASH IT! Don’t forget to throw a few things out to make room for the new! If you haven’t worn it in 5 months, or its damaged and you just can’t find the time to repair it, get rid of it! If its not in season put it to one side, we’ll deal with that later. Once all your clothes are sorted, start one load. Whatever load you want really– if you are incredibly indecisive I’ll help you out. Throw the jeans in. Now stack the other loads one on top of the other (unless this is impossible!) by the washer. You want them OUT of your laundry space!

Now that you have a load going you can concentrate on your clean pile. Go threw and sort! Lay out pants, tops, and skirts that need to be hung up. Fold and sort into piles all your shorts, tops, pajamas, and undergarments that can be put away in your dresser. Make sure you are listening for your laundry to be done! Take a break to switch the wet into the dryer, and a new load into the washer, as quickly as possible! Hang up your hanging items, and put away your dresser clothes. As loads get done drying, immediately hang them or fold them and put them away. Once all the loads are completed and put away we can start on preventing another fiasco like this.

First off, organize your closet! Putting black pants together, khakis together, skirts in a row, and blouses with blouses and tees with tees will make finding things so much quicker and easier. It also makes it easier to inventory your stock. See what you need, what you have too many of and what goes with what in the blink of an eye! I also bought a hanging shoe/sweater organizer (http://www.amazon.com/Whitney-01812-6-Shelf-Sweater-Organizer/dp/B0000CNQYI/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_b) to put my jeans in. They fold up nicely and look great. Easy to pick the wash I want in a flash! Put shoes on shelves in the top of your closet where they can be easily seen. Purses can go in a bin at the bottom of the closet. Accessories, belts, hats, gloves etcetera in another bin. Should you need more hanging space, you can buy one of those hanging rods to double your space. You can find them anywhere including K-Mart, Wal Mart and Target.

Now that your closet is organized get in the habit or NOT throwing your clothes every which way. Seriously, it took me three weeks of unadulterated HELL before I trained myself that if I was not wearing something to put it, oh I don’t know– back on the hanger!! You can take baby steps, if you aren’t going to wear something, but feel you simply don’t have the time or energy to put it back up right that instant put all of it in a designated spot, a chair or a “clean clothes” hamper, and promise yourself that you’ll put it all back up the instant you get home. Another thing I’ve found incredibly useful in keeping my clutter off my floors, a valet stand. Yes yes they’re traditionally for mens suits but they work so nicely for me too! Check this one out: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Clothes-Valet-Stand/1738525/product.html. You can lay out an outfit complete with shoes an accessories to see how it looks and keep it neat for the next day!

Now it’ll take lots of patience, practice and self discipline but with these tips and tricks you should be well on your way to a clean clear closet! Keep it up!