The best tip for corralling dirty laundry

There an issue around in my house. No, I’m not talking about how I’m the only one who remembers to turn lights off, although that is an issue. I’m talking about dirty laundry that magically appears on the floor but never makes it to the laundry basket.

It annoys me to no end. When I remind my husband and my four year old and they nod in understanding. And yet, before I know it, dirty socks magically appear on the living room floor and dirty underwear appears in the bathroom.

I’m passionate about putting systems in place that help me and my family succeed at keeping a relatively tidy house. In this post, I’ll walk you through the simple thing I do to minimize the amount of dirty laundry scattered around the house.

The secret for corralling dirty laundry

The secret for corralling dirty laundry is so simple that you’ll think there must be something else. The secret to making laundry a little bit easier:

Put a laundry basket where dirty clothes show up frequently.

“What, that’s it?” Yes, it’s that simple. If you want to increase the likelihood that dirty laundry will make it’s way to the laundry basket, you have to make it easy to get there.

Have to walk upstairs, down the hall and into the closet to put dirty clothes in the basket? How about walking down to the laundry room in the basement every time you have dirty clothes? “Nope, not going to happen.”

Need to walk five feet to throw your stinky socks in the laundry basket conveniently placed by the couch? “Sure, I guess I could do that.”

If you’re thinking, “A laundry basket out in the open? What an eye sore,” I’ll ask you: Is it more pleasant to have dirty laundry scattered through the house?

So often, we get caught up in the perfectionist mindset and determine that if we can’t do it perfectly, we don’t want to do it at all. Isn’t having a clear floor more enticing than one littered with dirty clothes?

Where to put laundry baskets

Think of the areas in your house where clothes might be taken off. Aim to have a laundry basket in the most frequent areas. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Each family member’s bedroom
Bathroom(s)
Living room (My boys love to take their socks off when watching TV.)
Entry way/mud room (Does your family take off socks when they take off shoes?)
Kitchen (Messy eaters, anyone?)

In our house, we have a laundry basket in each of our bedrooms, plus one in the living room (where we also keep a changing table with all of the baby’s clothes).

This small tweak makes a BIG difference

The goal is to make it so easy to keep your home tidy that you and your family don’t need to think twice. You just get up and do it in a matter of seconds.

The easier it is to do something, the less willpower it requires and the more likely it will get done. Implementing this small tweak can make a big difference in the tidiness of your home.