My unconventional laundry system was one of my most VIRAL videos on YouTube years ago. Many kids later, I've updated my systems and remodeled our laundry room. I'm sharing my greatest laundry tips, tricks and hacks today with a video AND free printable below!

When you have ten people in your family, laundry is a big part of our life. One of my systems is to do at least one load PER DAY! Preferably first thing in the morning. This task is literally built-in to my Block Schedule Planner in the daily morning checklist! This keeps it from piling up in overwhelming amounts! Chip away at it everyday, and never be buried under a mountain. My kids are also huge helpers and are very hands-on with their own laundry, but I go into detail about all of that in this week's YouTube video.

We broke this into two videos for you! First, check out Part 1 with my complete laundry system and favorite products. Then come along on a full tour of my laundry room that I designed myself in Part 2! My laundry method isn't traditional but it is life-changing, so I've outlined it below for you and even included a free printable cheat sheet!

Part 1:

Part 2:

What did you think? I know that was A LOT to take in at once and I don't expect you to have every detail memorized just yet, so I put together a little laundry cheat sheet for you!

Now you're going to have to refer to the video for my explanation of WHY this alll works and will change your life. But as a quick refresher, let's go over the basics:

Sorting By Texture

Laundry machines are much more robust than they were in our parents' generation, so there isn't as much of a need for separating by color. (Whites are the exception! I keep my whites white by washing them together, but we will get to that.)

We're going to keep our clothes looking new by separating the dense heavy thick items like jeans and fleece hoodies from the delicate items like spandex and silk. That way, everything gets its fair share of action in the washing machine without getting beat up or overshadowed!

• Heavies – This includes heavy materials, such as thick pants, fleece pajamas, sweatshirts, and denim. I will also throw in lightweight play clothes don't need a lot of TLC.
• Lights – Here's where I'll put lighter weight shirts, leggings, school clothes, underwear, and any soiled play clothes that need a little extra lovin'.
• Delicates – This is for items that really don't need a heavy wash, but need to be cleaned. I include fancier clothes that need to be washed on gentle, leotards, athletic gear, and swimsuits.
• White Clothes – This is the one and only thing that I sort by color! If it's mostly (or pure) white, keep them together away from everything else. This is how you'll keep your whites whiter!
• Towels and Washcloths – Towels, cleaning rags, and bibs tend to get stinky after a while. What's the best laundry hack to combat this? Vinegar! Put a cup of it in the load just like you would your detergent. It will help to clean the fibers and strip them of any of the buildup on them that causes the stank. This and washing in hot water will get them clean and smelling fresh every time!

Laundry Products

We don't buy expensive clothing or fancy designer brands. Most of our closets come from affordable places like Walmart and Amazon, but that doesn't mean I don't want to take my very best care of them. I will spend the extra money to invest in good-quality laundry products so that my clothes are well taken care of and last longer!

• Stain Remover: We fully believe in hand-me-downs in our house. However, the only way to make the clothes last from kid to kid is by sticking to this laundry hack and using stain remover! As I'm sorting through the laundry, I'll keep my handy dandy bottle next to me and spray as I go.
• Extra Soiled Clothes: I'll also use Clorox 2 in the washing machine if I've got a really dirty load of clothes. It's totally worth it when it helps to get rid of the stains and keeps my clothes nice and bright!
• Detergent Pods: I really like to use Tide pods when I wash my clothes. Yes, I know they're expensive, so I'll stock up on them at Costco when they're on sale. They help regulate how much soap I use at a time, so it really saves me money since it keeps me from using too much soap.
• Oxiclean Powder: Add a scoop of Oxiclean powder directly into the drum with the clothing on your load of whites to keep them whiter longer!
• Pet Hair Catcher: As you saw in the video, I have a secret weapon when it comes to cat and dog hair. Throw one of these bad boys in the wash and let them catch all the extra fur!
• Hampers & Canisters: I have saved the rest of my laundry room favorites to this Amazon Favorites List for you here!

Water Temperature

With the exception of towels and whites, I wash everything in cold water! Warm or hot water will set stains, so I always play it safe and wash them in cold. This will also help keep your colors from running (if you have an older machine and are worried about that). It also helps you save money because it's not using hot water that had to go through the hot water heater.

Whitest Whites

I get asked how I keep my whites so white all of the time, so you're about to get some great white laundry hacks!

• Wash whites only with other whites.
• Wash in the hottest water possible.
• Use a quality liquid detergent (as I mentioned above).
• Wash with a scoop of Oxiclean powder.
• Use a healthy portion of bleach (fill to the max fill line). I definitely prefer Clorox bleach. For whatever reason, the store brands just don't get my clothes as white!
• Wash on a presoak cycle (hence the liquid detergent).
• Be amazed at how white your whites come out every time!

Laundry Basket System

I don't know about you, but putting away the clothes after they come out of the dryer is the absolute worst part of laundry for me! Creating a laundry basket system was a game changer for our family. Each person has their own laundry basket, which is labeled with their name and the size of clothes they wear.

My younger kids are able to help take the clothes out of the dryer and put them into the appropriate baskets. Once the laundry is done, the kids are in charge of getting the baskets up to their rooms. They have to fold and put their clothes away as part of their chores.

Free Laundry Cheat Sheet Printable

Now I know that was a lot to take in, so we created a laundry cheat sheet for you! Keep in mind that your washer and dryer may be different from mine. This is my personal cheat sheet, and it may not work the same for your machines. Hopefully, it will give you an idea of how I organize my laundry system so you can adapt it for yourself. We even included a blank version so you can build a system and cheat sheet specific to you!

GRAB YOUR FREE PRINTABLE HERE

I hope you love this laundry cheat sheet we put together for you!

Thanks for watching! Come back for new videos and blog posts every Thursday!