Laundry Day for Homemaking: A Simple System That Works

Laundry is a never-ending cycle in a lively home, and without a simple system, it can easily become overwhelming. One of the best ways to stay on top of it is by designating a specific Laundry Day in your weekly homemaking routine.

Now, you might be thinking—what if I prefer doing one load a day instead of tackling it all at once? The good news is, Laundry Day works for both approaches! Whether you love getting it all done in a single day or you prefer a load-a-day system, setting aside a dedicated day for the bulk of your laundry tasks—like washing extra linens, mending, ironing, or tidying up your laundry area—keeps your laundry system running smoothly.

No matter your style, this routine can bring more peace and order to your home. Let’s dive into two simple approaches to laundry that work for busy homemakers like you!

Quick side note: Raise your hand if you’ve ever shrunk, faded, or totally ruined something in the wash (yep, me too!). That’s why I made this Laundry Symbols Cheat Sheet and a Laundry Essentials Printable—two simple guides to help you avoid laundry mishaps. Download your free printables and keep them handy!

Choosing the Right Laundry Routine for Your Home

Two general ways to approach laundry is to either 1) tackle it all in a day, and 2) spread it out over the week. Choose your own adventure, and try it for a few weeks to see what works best for your home:

Option 1: A Simple Laundry Day Approach

A dedicated Laundry Day may be best for moms who:

• Like to batch homemaking tasks in focused sessions
• Those who like to have a “start” and “finish” to their tasks
• Want to free up days of the week to focus on other needs (i.e., homeschooling, cleaning, quality time)
• Do not want to think about laundry each day of the week
• Singles, couples, or smaller families who don’t generate much laundry

If you are the type who prefers this approach, your goal will be to get a week’s worth of laundry finished in a day. In order to tackle what needs to be done, it’s best to dedicate being at home for the day. Here are some tips to help you get it done in a day:

• Presort the night before (bonus: start a load the night before)
• Start a load as soon as you wake up
• Set a timer so you know when to switch loads
• Aim to have four loads finished by noon if you wake early
• Try to fold right out of the dryer if possible- this prevents wrinkles and piles
• When finished folding, wipe down appliances or tidy the laundry room
• Delegate tasks to your children (i.e., switch laundry loads, help fold and put away, etc.)
• Between loads, work on any mending and ironing that needs to be done
• Have a basket or bin for each family member to put away their own laundry

Sample Flow for Finishing Four Loads Before Noon

How to Begin Laundry Day When You’re Already Behind”

If you are currently very behind on laundry, you won’t be able to tackle all the washing, mending, and ironing in one day at first–that’s okay! It will take some extra effort on the front end to get an accurate picture of how this system will work–but it’s worth it. Here is how you can get a jump start:

1. Pick your day that you will designate as Laundry Day 
2. Sort all current dirty laundry into piles (whites, lights, colors, towels)
3. Dedicate 3 days to being at home and getting completely caught up
   • Reward yourself when it’s all done!
4. Once you start this process, all new dirty clothes go to the dirty hamper–not to your existing laundry piles
   • This will help you get an accurate picture of what a week’s worth of laundry actually looks like on your next Laundry Day

Know that the first 2 weeks of this will be challenging (because of the monster piles that you have to tackle)–but just press through! Once you adopt your new system, life will be simpler. Laundry will be less overwhelming and much more manageable. Press through the first couple of weeks, and keep your eye on the prize!

If you try this method for several weeks and find that it does not work for you, I recommend trying the second option that I discuss below.

Option 2: A Daily Laundry Routine with a Dedicated Laundry Day

The second approach to laundry is where you complete one load per day, but still have a dedicated laundry day for extras. Some of the extra tasks that you may do are: 

• Wash towels and sheets
• Wash rugs
• Mend clothes
• Iron your husband’s work shirts
• Remove stains
• Wipe down appliances
• Organize and tidy the laundry area
• Change out clothes when seasons change

This approach may be more suitable for:

• Larger families (more people means laundry piles up quick!)
• Stay-at-home moms who prefer to chip away at it daily
• Families with limited wardrobes
• Ladies who have an aversion to any kind of clutter!

For this to be doable, it’s important to have a daily routine in mind that helps you get it done (see my blog post on how to create effective daily homemaking routines for your home). Decide ahead of time when you will start, switch, fold, and put away each load. And then try to stick to it! If it helps, set an alarm or timer to remind you when its time to switch or fold the load until it becomes second nature.

Sample Daily Laundry Routine with Dedicated Laundry Day 

A Second Sample Daily Laundry Routine

Simple Laundry Tips That Works for Any Homemaker

Whether you like to tackle laundry in one day or chip away at it daily, we want to do the job well. Here are a few of my favorite simple laundry tips that work for anyone, regardless of your approach:

• Bring all dirty laundry to laundry room each morning and sort it (better yet, assign this to one of your children as one of their chores)
• Start a load first thing in the morning, before the day gets going
• Wash towels and sheets in hot water and add vinegar to the washing machine. This freshens the linens and breaks down some of the dead skin, sweat, and musty odors that accumulate over time
• Treat stains with stain remover before you put it in the hamper. It may even be helpful to keep a bottle handy in the bathroom when clothes are removed.
• Label your linen closet so that people know where it all goes (I’m a fan of labeling everything for this very reason)
• Hang clothing in the sun to brighten whites, kill bacteria/viruses, remove odors, and fade stains
• Do not overfill the washing machine. Doing so will prevent the clothes from being thoroughly washed (and they may come out of the dryer with a bad odor)
• Mend before washing so that the tear does not worsen in the laundry
• Never wash blue jeans with whites or light colored items.
• Blood on clothing can be removed if immediately soaked in cold water. Hydrogen peroxide can also remove blood stains.
• Avoid heat on stained clothing. It will set stains and make them harder to remove.
• You can remove grease stains with a mix of dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar.
  • Sprinkle baking soda on the fabric. 
  • Spray with vinegar. 
  • Add a bit of dish soap and scrub into the fabric. 
  • Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the grease, and then add to the washing machine.
• Make folding a family affair! Especially on days that you get behind. Invite everyone into the living room to work together on folding while you listen to a family audiobook.
• Teach your children from a young age how to turn clothes right side out before putting it in the dirty clothes hamper. Help them understand that this is helpful to those who are doing the laundry, and that it is good for them to learn to consider how to bless others who are serving them.

Cultivating Joy While Tackling Laundry Tasks 

Ultimately, it is going to take a bit of trial and error to see what laundry system works best for your home and personality type. As I said above, pick one of these two options and give it a try for a few weeks. If it doesn’t work, try the other way for a while. Pick the brains of other moms that you know. Figure out what works for you!

Ultimately, we have it pretty easy when we compare ourselves to women in ages past (or even currently in other parts of the world). Most of us do not have to boil our clothes or wash them by hand. Instead, we can throw a load in the washing machine and walk away. This is a modern gift to the homemaker, and gives us much more time to accomplish other things in the home. Steward this time well, and be grateful for modern technology!

Speaking of gratitude, remember that you have laundry to wash because you have a family–what a wonderful gift from God! Cherish the days that they are all under your roof. Remember, these days are fleeting. One day, there won’t be piles of your children’s clothes to wash, because they will have their own families and homes. Be grateful for the time that you have with your children, and embrace all the work that entails. Learn to love the good works God has given you today. Cultivating gratitude is one way to find great joy and fulfillment in your role as a wife and mother. 

Keep up this good work of faithfully serving your family, mama! Your children will surely rise and call you blessed.

What laundry system works well for you? Share in the comments below!