Soapbox: Taming the Laundry Madness aka How I Stopped Sorting Laundry, Lost 20 pounds*, and Became a Millionaire*

Seems like these days, everyone is promoting "Hacks" on their blogs and websites. There are Cleaning Hacks, Parenting Hacks, Breathing Hacks, and every single time I get lured into them by their promising titles.  I'm a sucker, because I want easy answers to my life problems.  *I'm going to be upfront, I didn't actually lose 20 lbs or become a millionaire..... well yet, there's still hope.*   I just didn't think I could post about laundry without a snazzy title and an outlandish claim.  

I have been told on several occasions that I need to share my "Laundry Hack". I'm kind of known around these parts for my unorthodox laundry method.  It all started right after we moved to The Chalet. We were remodeling and finding a dust free spot to organize and sort the laundry was challenging.  One time I actually went out to my car and popped the trunk and started folding laundry out of the back of my car, it was the only dust free place I could find.

My big secret to doing laundry:  Stop Sorting, Use Shout Color Catchers.  The End.

It seemed crazy that I was gathering all the laundry from the hampers in each room, sorting them by color, washing the clothes, and then resorting them by each family member to fold and put away. Too much sorting!  The laundry was already sorted by person, because everyone has a hamper in their room so why not do laundry by person/room and not by color?

So one week I just grabbed Mr. Boys hamper and tossed it in the washing machine without any other laundry. I realized he had hardly any whites, he is a pretty colorful kid. I risked it and threw it all together in the wash using cold water.  When it was done, I grabbed the basket and just walked it over to his dresser and it took just a few minutes to fold  and put away his clothes in the dresser. 

Then I discovered Shout Color Catchers, they absorb any extra dye that might leach from the clothes and make sorting a thing of the past.  I have washed AK's reds and pinks with her ballet whites, and they all come out good as new.  So now I don't sort at all, I wash laundry by each person, or really by each hamper. 

Clean underwear on the head is an optional accessory for doing laundry.

Then I realized with my new method, my children are capable of doing their own laundry so now they load their own clothes in the machine. (I usually hover around at this part because otherwise odd things end up in the washing machine, such as, but not limited to: sporks, chili peppers, Legos, Barbie Shoes or crayons)  We toss in a Shout Color Catcher, some detergent (it's crazy easy for the kids to use those Detergent Pods) and we are good to go.  I usually move it to the dryer and then the kids get their laundry from the dryer to fold and put away.  

Even if I end up folding their laundry it usually takes about 10 minutes to put away their laundry, since it's all being put away in one place.   They aren't the best at folding, but they are getting better over time.  Then once a week I do the random loads, towels, sheets, cleaning rags.  

For me, this method works and has saved me lots of time.   I'm dying to know your best tip (hack) for saving time doing housework... share in the comments below! 

*Disclaimer:   As of publication date, I haven't lost 20 lbs or become a millionaire.   Stay tuned for updates on that front. Nor have I been paid or endorsed by Shout Color Catchers.