Laundry can be a huge time sucker and it’s the task many Moms dread most. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some tips to help you tame the laundry beast.

Minimize

Minimize the amount of laundry you do by creating new standards of “dirty”. If you wear a pair of jeans for two hours then put on your shorts, are the jeans dirty? Not in my house. Pajamas put on a clean body at night after a bath and worn once aren’t dirty either. Ditto for a towel that blots a freshly scrubbed body. Teach your kids that dirty means it has food or obvious dirt marks on it. The exception? Underwear of course!

Minimize sorting by putting a hamper in each bedroom that has 3 slots. One for whites, one for darks, one for mixed colors. For kids that are very young, try cutting out a large circle from construction paper for each category. Tape these on the wall above the hamper to show where to put each color. Alternately, you could buy inexpensive colored bins that match laundry colors.

Train your kids to bring you their dirty laundry at the beginning of each day or at some other time you choose. Don’t turn socks right side out for laundering. Show your family members how to take off their socks without bunching them into an inside out ball. If they don’t choose to listen to your sock lessons, let them turn their own socks right side out.

You may be able to minimize sorting even more by washing more clothes together. Many times light colors can go into the wash with mixed colors if you use cold water and the items aren’t brand new. Typically only cheap clothing fades anyway so buy your kid’s clothing from the nicer stores. It will last longer and wash well.

Some important questions to ponder: Do underwear need to be “folded” or can they be neatly placed flat in drawers? What about small T shirts and shorts? Do socks need to be matched up or can they be thrown into plastic boxes in a drawer and matched up by the wearer? Important questions, these!

Delegate

In some homes, the person who dirties the laundry is responsible for taking the laundry to the washing up area. If clothing doesn’t make it there (meaning it’s stuffed under beds, in corners of closets or otherwise lying on the floor), it doesn’t get washed. Natural consequences work well for laundry. The first time your daughter doesn’t have her favorite shirt that she just has to wear to the mall, she’ll remember to get it to the laundry room. When hubby has no boxers, he may be motivated to get them in the hamper too. Developing “laundry on the floor blindness” is helpful for a Mom!

Older kids can be taught how to use the washing machine and dryer. Kids ages 2 and up can help with folding and getting clean laundry to their dressers. Even a toddler can “match corners” to fold washcloths and put their undies and socks in dresser drawers. Most youngsters think folding laundry is fun. Keep this myth going with them as long as humanly possible!

Don’t Procrastinate

Some tasks don’t take longer to complete if you procrastinate a bit. Vacuuming, for instance, takes roughly the same amount of time to complete whether you do it daily or weekly. Laundry is not one of these chores. Doing a load of laundry a day is preferable to tackling a mountain of dirty clothes that have set in stains, bad odors and maybe even mildew. Be sure to finish the job completely- putting the load into the dryer quickly so the clothes don’t sour. Then remove from the dryer promptly for folding so they don’t wrinkle.

As long as we continue to eat, sweat and move about, we’ll have to deal with laundry. Hopefully these tips will help you spend a little less time dealing with the repercussions of being human!

Here are some tips to help you tame the laundry beast.

Carrie Lauth is the host of http://www.NaturalMomsTalkRadio.com. For more housekeeping with kids tips, visit http://www.natural-moms.com/homekeeping_organization.html.

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Mom - do you dread cleaning the house? I did - mainly because I thought it was so time consuming. I never seem to have enough time to keep up with housework. I often times feel overwhelmed and frustrated cause I never get my house clean just the way I like it. But,I have found a way to solve this dilemma.

How? Well, I have given myself permission to work on specific areas of my house for a pre-determined block of time. It has been truly helpful. I know I can not clean my whole house in an hour or two, but while working in increments of time, I am able to make a significant amount of progress. I noticed that if I commit to spending “x” amount of time cleaning specific areas of my house each day, then my house stays in the shape I want it to be.

How did I do it? I used my handy dandy timer.

I set my timer at 15 minute increments and I concentrate on one area or room in my house for that length of time - just doing the task that I think needs the most attention first. When I hear the timer buzz, I am automatically done fixing up that area of the house. Then, I move to the next area and again set the time to 15 minutes.

This trick keeps me from getting stuck in one area for too long and from doing unnecessary tasks. It forces me to work on each area a little bit each day without getting frustrated and overwhelmed. Sure, it’s not the same as deep cleaning but, if you get used to the routine, in time, that area will be clean like the way you want it.

If the task seems greater, I set the timer for a longer period - say an hour or an hour and a half. I even get the entire family in on it and assign each person a task to complete. Every one is pre-occupied with their task for that hour and when all is said and done, the house is so much cleaner and neater then when we first began.

Now, you may be wondering … how does the timer help?

I have noticed that when I set a time limit on a task, it puts me in gear to work swiftly. I tend to accomplish more in a short period of time - I am more focused because I know what results I want to get. I guess my subconscious mind is telling me to hurry and get as much as possible done in the time allotted.

Also, using a timer lets me know that there is an end in sight. This really pushes me to do the best job I can, because I know that it won’t last forever. And when I’m setting the timer for a short time for each area, it also lets me know that I’ll at least get something done to every part of the house by the time I’m done.

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Yesterday, I posted a video clip on “Women and Housework”. In this article, you can pick up some tips that can help you make your mate want to help you more around the house.

When you get into a marriage, you get into a partnership. You and your hubby need to work together to keep your household running sanely smooth. Sometimes, couples run into the problem of figuring out who does what.

Sadly, most times, moms get stuck with the task of taking care of the kids and keeping the house clean while their better half works outside of the home. In today’s difficult times, moms need to get a part-time job to help out with the family finances. Gone are the days when most families can survive with one income. As a working mom, I know how difficult it is to juggle housework, taking care of kids and earning an income. Getting your partner to help with housework can certainly make our life easier and less stressful. Below are some tips you can apply when trying to get your mate to help out around the house:

* Look for things that you can do together or alongside each other. You not only get to spend time together but you get work done. Consider this, the pleasure of your company might make an undesirable chore more likable.

* If you need help with something specific, say so. Most husbands are willing to perform specific tasks when we are busy and they are not. If you can, ask him to do something that he enjoys, or at least doesn’t openly hate to do.

* Talk about how your day went without whining too much. Husbands often don’t see how much their wives do in one day, and this can make them think that we should accomplish more than we do. Letting them know about all of the things we have to contend with could evoke some sympathy, possibly even inspiring them to volunteer their assistance.

* If you prefer a more structured approach, assign specific chores to everyone in the house. You could make a chart that tells which chores everyone is to be in charge of. Brain storming with your husband when doing this is necessary. If he is included in the decision making process, he will be more willing to follow along.

* Praise him a lot when he helps around the house for positive reinforcement. Do not nitpick. Doing so will only make him less willing to help. While it’s acceptable to offer some constructive criticism, it is important to find something positive to say as well.

* Offer to help him out when it comes to his regular chores. If you show him that you are willing to help him clean his car or do the yard work, chances are, he will surely appreciate it. Then he might be more likely to offer to help you out when you are working around the house.

Getting your partner to help with housework could be effortless, or it may need some coaxing. By letting him know how hard you work to try and get everything done and asking him to do specific tasks rather than expecting him to know what to do on his own, you can often get some willing assistance. And the final result will be a neater, cleaner, and happier home.

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I bumped into this clip this afternoon while surfing the web and I thought I’d post it here for some discussion. I must agree that since I got married, I have done way more housework. Watching the video made me sad a little bit - especially hearing that women kind of turn into slaves.

*sigh* That’s not what I wanted to be when I grew up!

***Update*** Here’s a super short survey about housework. Please take 30 seconds to answer this survey for me - Click Here!

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Time flies by so quickly. Can you belive that it is time once again for your annual spring cleaning? The weather has been really wacky - they say it’s global warming but that is no excuse not to get into your spring cleaning routine. so, let’s get started.

In some places of the world, the windows may be frozen shut - in others, they are not. In any event, it would be great to be able to open the windows and let in the fresh air! But it is not as simple as that. You will need to wash those windows. But, what if you are not in the mood? Here’s a quick tip … grab your favorite upbeat cd. It is surprising how the music will put you in the cleaning mode.

Ok, so the windows are washed, it‘s time to take down the drapes and dust those blinds. Are you ready? Take out those spring curtains, iron them and put them up. Doesn’t that look good? Now let’s get going … time to work in the kitchen to clean up those shelves. Keep that music going - it’ll help you stay motivated and will make time fly by even quicker.

Alrighty then, time to get more physical! Take out your vacuum. If you have some disco cd’s - that’ll even be better. You can dance while you vacuum - how fun is that! You can then proceed to tidying up the bathroom. Dusting and polishing is next on the agenda. Do some knee bends as you clean and polish the coffee table.

You are almost done - hurray! It’s just the kid’s rooms that need tidying up. As you work your way through their rooms, picking up toys; you are done! Dance your way back to the kitchen and have a a tall glass of iced tea.  You deserve it. Wasn’t that an awesome workout? I bet you didn’t know Spring cleaning can feel so good. 

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