12 Best (& Simple) Laundry Hacks For Big Families

Does it ever feel like Mount Laundry is having a good laugh at your expense?

If you’re part of a large family, you get the struggle—the never-ending cycle of sorting, washing, drying, and folding. Those laundry hampers just never stay empty!

We’re here to help with these laundry hacks for big families. From tackling piles of dirty clothes to organizing clean laundry, we’ll simplify your laundry routine with this mom-approved guide.

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Simplifying Laundry for Large Families

Ready to tackle that bottomless pit of a laundry basket? Give these laundry hacks a spin!

1. Keep a Laundry Basket in Each Room

Ditch the family laundry hampers that fill up faster than you can blink!

Instead, place a laundry basket in each room. This way, each family member can easily toss their dirty clothes in their own hamper as they go about their day. It is super convenient, saves time, and stops the laundry mountain from growing.

Besides, it encourages young kids to take ownership of their laundry. They learn to manage their belongings while making your life easier. Win!

2. Stick to a Laundry Schedule

You might think it’s best to tackle all your laundry in one marathon session, but sometimes, it’s a lot easier to break it up into specific days.

Try washing white clothes one day of the week, then colors or darks another day. Save bed sheets and towels for weekends when you have more time.

Squeeze in delicates and baby laundry in between. Just make sure you have enough clean uniforms and undies for everyone.

Consider how fast and often your family churns out dirty laundry. Do you need to do laundry daily, every other day, or a couple of times a week?

Consistency is key. Set a laundry routine that works for your family and stick to it. A reminder on the fridge or in the laundry room can help everyone stay on track.

Life happens, and schedules sometimes get disrupted. If you miss a laundry day, don’t stress – just catch up when you can.

3. Clear Out Closets

More clothes equals more loads of laundry—it’s basic math.

If you have many options for an outfit change, clothes end up on chairs, floors, and eventually in the wash, even if they’re still pretty clean. Plus, kids (and even teens) love to play dress-up.

The best time to do a laundry cull is at the start of each season. Declutter drawers, free up closet space, and keep only the clothes that really get worn.

The secret is learning to mix and match! And fewer clothes will mean much less laundry to do. 

Sure, we’ve been taught about germs and hygiene, but the truth is, not every clothing piece needs washing after just one wear.

Take those bulky sweaters or jeans, for example. They can handle a few wears before retiring in the laundry hamper. In fact, washing them too often can wear them out quicker.

So, remind everyone what counts as dirty laundry to save time, energy, water, and laundry supplies. Bonus: You keep your favorite clothes in better shape for longer.

Matching socks can drive you crazy, especially with a big family! So, why put yourself through that?

Get younger kids same-sized, same-colored socks for daily use. You wouldn’t believe how much time this simple trick saves when you don’t have to sort socks for each kid.

Of course, children also love their fun, colorful socks. So, give each child a laundry mesh bag to put their dirty socks in as soon as they take them off.

On laundry day, they can simply grab their bag and stash away their socks without fuss. No more missing socks!

Dirty towels seem to wander off and end up in the oddest places in a bustling household. And the most frustrating part? No one can tell which towel is whose!

Our tip? Give each kiddo their specific towel color to bring some order to the chaos.

Kids are more likely to look after their stuff when they know which one belongs to them. Plus, towels don’t get tossed into the washer unnecessarily.

Not a fan of colored towels? If you prefer white ones, label each with the kid’s name with a Sharpie. You can also have the names embroidered or stitch them yourself if you’re feeling fancy.

If laundry feels like an endless battle, getting organized can be a game changer. Check out these organization tips to make laundry less of a chore:

• Set up three color-coded laundry baskets for sorting whites, colors, and darks.
• Use a storage rack or open shelves to keep all your laundry essentials within arm’s reach.
• Place your laundry detergent, stain removers, and dryer sheets in clear canisters. That way, you know where everything is.
• Install shelving or have separate bins for clean clothes and laundry items that need ironing.
• Invest in a rolling laundry station so you can fold your clean clothes anywhere in the house (read: in front of the TV).
• Assign a wire mesh bin for lost socks to keep them together until their match turns up.

Another perk of having many family members? More hands to help around the house!

Make every child responsible for their laundry. Since everyone has a hamper, they can lug their dirty clothes to the laundry room and sort them into whites, colors, and darks themselves.

After laundry, you can do the sorting per child. Then, have them collect their clean clothes to fold and put away on their own.

If your children are old enough to handle laundry duties, that’s perfect! Assign them wash days that fit their schedules and responsibilities. They can sort dirty laundry, start the washer, and switch loads.

Big families mean big piles of laundry, and in a busy home, every minute counts.

HE washers have larger load capacities, meaning you can wash more clothes in one go. With fewer loads, you’ll have more time for other important chores or enjoying downtime with your loved ones.

What’s great is that HE washers are gentle on clothes yet powerful on stains. This is fantastic for a large household where clothes are constantly in rotation and must withstand frequent washings.

Plus, HE washers use less water, detergent, and energy per load than traditional laundry machines. That’s more good news for your wallet and the environment!

If the thought of sorting clothes sends shivers down your spine, you’ll love this hack!

Stop buying whites!

With a troop of kids, keeping whites pristine is a mission impossible. Chocolate? Ketchup? No problem when there’s no white clothing to stain!

With no whites to worry about, you’ll always have enough dirty laundry to fill a load. And you can just chuck the laundry pile in the washer without needing to pre-soak stains.

Feeling swamped by laundry and can’t seem to catch a break? Let the professionals take care of it!

Laundry services are lifesavers during emergencies, handling your laundry with care and efficiency. Everything comes back to you clean, fresh, ironed (if you prefer), and folded.

Best of all, many laundry services offer convenient options like pickup and delivery. You don’t even have to leave your home to get your laundry done.

It doesn’t need to be a permanent solution, just a temporary fix to help you get back on top of things while you establish a smoother laundry system.

Who doesn’t love neatly folded clothes arranged in color-coordinated rows? If only they could stay that way forever (sigh!).

With a big family, things get messy fast. It’s simply not practical to obsess over having picture-perfect drawers all the time.

As long as things are functional, it’s okay if they don’t look like they belong in a home and design magazine. Keep things tidy enough that everyone can find what they need.

After all, the goal is to simplify your life, not chase an impossible standard of perfection. And, what’s wrong with a lived-in look?

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These clever laundry hacks for big families can make an enormous difference to your laundry routine. The best part is they can work for any size family!