Does it seem as though you are always overwhelmed by laundry? This is an area of the home that can really get out of hand if you don’t stay on top of it.

We wear our clothes every day and unless you have a ton of clothes that will allow you to never wash but once a month, laundry can really get out of hand. Actually, I am almost afraid to know the number of clothes that can pile up in a month.

This is the third day of the weekly cleaning challenge to get me back on track to keep my home clean. Today is all about keeping the laundry at a minimum and these tips have worked for me in the past.

The strategy is to basically keep it simple and duplicatable on a weekly basis.  These five tips will be an issue of the past and will keep the laundry monster away for good.

1. Set A Day During The Week For Laundry

This is the first step to not being overwhelmed by laundry. Depending on the family size you may want to include more than one day throughout the week.

An example is Wednesday because it is the middle of the week, and a second day of the week could be Saturday morning due to family size.

The only added tip I would give to weekend cleaning is, do the bulk of the washing during that one day of the week (i.e. Tuesday or Wednesday) so that on Saturday there are only a few items to clean.

It’s the weekend and that time should be spent having fun with family and friends.

2. Do Not Over Separate Clothes

What do I mean by this? Keep it simple and either wash all the colors and whites together or only separate colors and whites. It’s not necessary to separate all the light colors from dark colors or other fabrics into different wash cycles.

Cleaning companies have advance in technology when it comes to laundry detergents and fabric softener, that now removes the need to have to separate so much of your colors and fabrics.

3. Get The Right Accessories

This tip will help tip #2 become possible. If you have delicate fabrics that would typically get its very own separate wash, buy a mesh laundry bag to put your items in and then throw it in with the rest of your wash.

This saves costs to the dry cleaners, energy, and water consumption; a win-win for the environment. I have several blouses that I use mesh bags for and my tops are clean with no issues.

4. Immediately Fold Each Load

This one can be tough especially if you are guilty of leaving the basket full of clothes and never get around to folding them.

This my friends is the other side of being overwhelmed by laundry.

All the clothes are washed but nothing is put up! Can you see that monster creeping up and laughing at ya?

Never get around to folding and putting the clothes up so they sit there until the next time to wash and more gets added.

Since on laundry day, there will be more than one or two loads of laundry to wash, each time the dry cycle finishes, immediately start folding the clothes and put them up.

Just get it over with and wash day won’t be an all-day cleaning chore.

5. Sort And Throw.

As you are folding and seeing items that are very old or damaged instead of folding them and putting them away, get rid of it.

Make it a habit to go through clothing monthly or quarterly to see what items can still be kept and what can be thrown out.

Choose how often to go through your family’s clothing and sort out clothing that is really old, worn out, too small, or maybe too big.

Especially if it is items that you no longer wear. Do this especially with your children’s clothing as they are constantly growing. This allows more room to purchase new items.

This also makes it a great opportunity to donate lightly worn clothing to a local shelter that helps families without a home or other outreach program. Check with your local police department or religious organizations in your area that are looking for clothing and blanket donations.

Life for us moms can get very busy and with these five laundry hacks, you are sure to keep that monster away and never have a pile of laundry to do again. Just remember to find your groove stick to it and don’t overdo it.

Have you decided to challenge yourself to get things done throughout the week that you have been putting off? Leave it in the comments below.