Ok, so why would you care about our family laundry routine? Maybe you’re trapped under a mountain of dirty clothes. Maybe you just can’t figure out how you’re supposed to work, take care of kids or both and still make sure your family isn’t walking around in their skivies. Maybe you just want to see how the rest of the world does it. Well buckle up kids we’re about to take a journey into the Alligood world of laundry.
For starters, my method has changed over the years. For the longest time (i.e. until this year) I honestly thought doing all my laundry (ALL OF IT) in one day was the best idea. Except it would literally kill an entire day. Nope, no thank you. Worst idea ever.
Then I got a tip…throw in one small load a day. Oh right, I can handle that. Every morning I bring down a small basket of either our clothes, the kids clothes, towles, whatever it may be and throw it in before we head out the door. Some days I’m prepared enough to put it in early enough to transfer it to the dryer. Some days…not all of them…lets get real. But the point is, I do not leave the house in the morning without getting one load going.
This has helped us so so much. Typically I’ll fold in the afternoon if I’m home, or while the kids are in the bath, or after they go to bed. Either way by the end of the day one load of laundry is done, folded and put away. I linked my favorite easy peasy laundry basket below. And since we’re doing it every day the loads are usually pretty small.
Ya’ll know I’m a bit of a crunchy mama so I’m gonna let you know about my favorite natural mama laundry products. Even if you’re not crunchy and even if you’re not a self proclaimed natural mama this is for you too. What we use to clean our clothes, in my opinion, is one of the most important things we should look at when it comes to protecting our family from chemicals. We wear clothes all day every day and unfortunately many laundry soaps and detergents contain harmful chemicals that will not only linger but will build up in the fabric. The same fabric that touches every part of our bodies. Not to mention our skin is our largest organ so, yes, this is super important.
For us, our very favorite (after years of trial and error…and even making my own) laundry soap is Thieves. It’s a super concentrated liquid that gets our clothes clean without the chemicals. It has NO fragrance making it ideal for babies and kids. We even used to to wash our cloth diapers. While you won’t get a scent left over on your clothes (thank goodness, since that after scent is just the chemical fragrance stuck to your clothes!) we opt for wool dryer balls in the dryer.
We keep 6-10 dryer balls on top of our dryer with a few of my favorite laundry essential oils. I’ll drop 4-5 drops of oil right on the balls and toss them in. The oil never gets on the clothes and it gives off a nice natural scent. My favorites are lavender for sheets, lemon for towels, stress away for work clothes, purification or citrus fresh for kids and sports clothing. Head here (Essential Oils 101) for more info on how to choose essential oils for your family.
Stains? No problem, no chemicals needed there either. I pre-make a stain spray in a 2oz spray bottle with a capful of Thieves cleaner, a few extra drops of lemon oil and distilled water. Spray and let sit before throwing in the wash.
If you’re more of a DIY mama like me and have time checkout my post on how to make your own laundry soap powder (DIY Laundry Soap). So there you have it, my tried and true method of keeping up with the never ending laundry. But be warned, while this makes it easier…it never actually ends.
Links to my favorite laundry tools-
Wool Dryer Balls// https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M4MJ9Z9/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Laundry Basket// https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-1-75-bu-ultra-square-laundry-basket-white/-/A-14757136
Thieves Laundry Soap// https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start
Essential Oils// https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start
Thieves Cleaner// https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start
XOXO,
Amanda
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