Housecleaning: Laundry Tips for Parents of Babies
You never considered yourself a disciple of the "Martha Stewart School of Timely Laundering Followed by Precise Ironing." But now that piles of laundry are creating some seriously hilly terrain throughout your home, maybe it's time to embrace Martha's love of all things orderly... at least just enough to make sure you have clean underwear.
Here are some tips to make laundry more manageable (and to avoid wearing an evening gown for diaper duty because it's the only clothing you have that's clean):
Start today and make it your weekly laundry day. Smaller loads that need to be washed immediately can be thrown in throughout the week, but try to have "appointment" laundry time.
Use a baby-friendly laundry detergent for the whole family's wash. That way you don't have to separate out your little piggy's spit-up-stained shirt from your big piggy's (aka, your partner's) pizza-stained shirt.
Do laundry when friends are over. With people fussing over how cute your little one is, your arms will be free to fluff and fold uninterrupted. (If you have really good friends, you might even be able to convince them to do a load for you.)
Sort laundry into piles for each family member as you fold. Then you can avoid lugging a heavy laundry basket from room to room (you've got a baby to lug from room to room as it is).
Remove stains and smells with stain stick or spray. It'll buy you extra time till the next day's load, so you're not doing laundry all day. (And pick up an extra stain stick for the diaper bag, while you're at it.)
Comforter and pillows need cleaning too? Add three or four tennis balls in the dryer with them to maintain their fluffiness.
Finally, remember, even though baby isn't on the go yet, it's never too early to start babyproofing your laundry room!
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