Simple Home - Why I Declutter Every Time I Do Laundry

Laundry is easier to control when you declutter each time.

After 12 years of hard use, my washer and dryer simultaneously died. They'd been subjected to abuse when I cloth diapered two babies. Then they'd suffered even more when we found out that we needed to obsessively wash everything in our house to help deal with immunodeficiencies. So it was their time. In the meantime, I've been waiting almost a week for my new set to be delivered. To get by, my wonderful mother has helped with whatever I couldn't wash and rinse by hand (Of all the prairie-style routines I have employed over the years, handwashing bothers me the least). While I've been doing this, it has reinforced my ideas about the need to declutter with every load.

I declutter every time I do laundry.
I declutter every time I do laundry. It isn't a major ordeal, and most of the time, I don't even notice I'm doing it. My daughter has also picked up the habit when she helps me sort and fold. So why do we do this? Because it keeps our clothes and linens simple, usable, and fresh. I rarely have to do a massive declutter for those things because they don't have time to build up in closets and drawers. I know what I have and what condition it is in at all times.


I wash everything before I declutter it.
Even though I make mental notes while I sort the laundry (holes, stains, rips, too small, etc.), I always wash everything before I declutter. Then it is ready to be sorted into decluttering categories. I believe in limiting my household waste, partly to help the environment, and partly because we don't have trash pick up. If something can be donated or recycled, I make sure it gets to the right location. Holey socks and dance tights and stained t-shirts can be recycled if they are clean. I always have a bag ready for anything that can no longer be worn. When it is full, I drop it off at the local thrift store that accepts textile recyling.


I know how things fit right before they are washed.

If it's too little, it's gone!

Here's the thing about kids and clothes: Kids are constantly outgrowing things. If I declutter each time I do laundry, there is less risk that an ill-fitting outfit winds up back in a closet or dresser. Jeans are too short? Time to donate. Skirts are too tight? Throw them in the donatation bag as well. This also saves my kids some frustration because they know whatever they pick out to wear will most likely fit.

I don't have to worry about seasonal changes.
It's already been in the 70s and 80s at my house. That means its time for the winter clothes to be packed up. But kids don't usually wear all of the same clothes from one winter to the next (there's that growing thing again!). So as I have been doing to the laundry this month, I have pulled out the winter pieces that I know won't fit next year. I have them bagged and labeled and waiting to be donated in September, unless I know someone I can give them to right now. Why don't I donate them now? Because thrift stores and volunteer organizations are ready for spring too. They don't need a lot of out-of-season clothes cluttering up their storage space.


I don't have to put away as much laundry.
I have to admit, this one is kind of my favorite. When I do a load of laundry, I don't always have things to toss, and that is great. But when I do find things I know we can no longer use, I can just toss them in a bag instead of working to hang or fold them just the right way. It saves a lot of time when I am only putting away things that are good and usable. It also keeps our clothes storage thinned out. We don't have to worry about cramming things into drawers or coming up short on hangers because we never have excess.


I don't like surprises.
Probably the most important reason why I declutter with every load is because I don't want to be caught off guard. If I remove a pair of my husband's stained up jeans, or downgrade them from work clothes to farm clothes, I know I need to purchase a new pair of jeans for him. Or if I tossed several holey socks and pairs of underwear in the recycling bag, I know it is time to pick up some more. It's not an infallible system, but we rarely have a clothing emergency because I know our supply so well.

Getting started in this process can be tricky if you are not used to it. You have to make it a habit. It may take a few extra moments in the beginning, but soon it will become routine. You'll also find your spaces tend to thin themselves out without you having to do a major clean out.

What do you prefer, decluttering little by little or all at once? Leave a comment, and let me know what works for you!