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Erin
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| Posted: Feb 18 2011 at 6:30pm | IP Logged
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With 4 weeks to go till my due date I have fallen into a new folding plan. I'm afraid the folding keeps mounting up, and when I become too overwhelmed I grab a basket for each child over the age of 7 and toss their clothes into individual baskets. The plan is; I fold dh, my and three youngest children's washing, dh folds linen and my 9-17 yr olds fold their own. I strongly suspect my teenage boys are not folding but tipping into cupboards, at this stage I don't care.
So what folding shortcuts do you use?
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 18 2011 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
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The girls and boys are each responsible for their own laundry days. They bring down all baskets (each child gets one basket with that child's name sharpied on the basket) and sort their clothes. I supervise. I am adamant about socks and underwear being turned the right way for washing!!!!
Each empty laundry basket gets a swipe with a clorox wipe from the older children and they are left to dry in the hall by the washer/dryer. Now they're empty, clean and waiting for clean clothes.
After sorting, clothes are washed and dried and as they come out of the dryer they are tossed into the appropriate child's laundry basket - so socks for the 3 yo go into the 3yo basket and so on. It was a MAJOR help to sort clothes into baskets as they come out of the dryer! Each child is responsible for folding their own clothes. All children fold their own clothes except the 3yo who is responsible for stacking her undies neatly and matching her own socks - big sister does the rest.
Each child is responsible for putting their own clothes away and there are room inspections (done by dad) the evening laundry goes up.
Stray dirty clothes that didn't make it down for laundry = a monetary fine.
Clothes piled in heaps, dumped, on the floor, left in baskets = a monetary fine.
I delegate kitchen linens, towels, and outside/farm linens to the older children...whoever DOESN'T have dishes duty that night has folding duty.
The only folding I do is for dh and I.
That's it for my folding methods, Erin.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 18 2011 at 8:01pm | IP Logged
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I had an idea for you, Erin, that might streamline folding a bit.
I'm not sure where/how you store clean clothes - dressers, closets, shelves? What if you provided a couple of bins or boxes for at least the socks and underwear? Then those items don't really have to be folded, they just need to be sorted into the right bin in and made accessible to that child - stacked in a closet, under a bed, on a shelf.
Undies can be stacked, socks tossed in....and there could be a pajama bin to grab from. I was thinking of doing this over the summer using inexpensive dishwashing tubs.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Servant2theKing
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My method, at this stage of life, is delegation.... plain and simple! Oldest dc in the household have been doing the laundry for several years now. Currently, 19yo ds washes and folds or hangs all laundry (except matching socks, which is a younger sibling's job). Younger dc put their own clothing away. I figure, by doing laundry for an entire family, they'll be experts by the time they leave home! Married dd did/does a much better job at laundry than I ever could....before I retired, that is! I had many years prior experience, as the oldest of a fairly large family, and many years of married life before I hung up my hangers & clothes pins! I do fold an occasional load, when things are backed up, or if it contains items I want to be done extra nicely! I've also been known to send items back to be redone (which doesn't happen too often after the first time or two). I like to iron for special occasions, but dh or dc also iron when needed...another beneficial life skill! I am particularly pleased when our sons do laundry...I tell them a future spouse will be immensely grateful that they are so helpful and well-trained!
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mamaslearning
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Servant2theKing wrote:
My method, at this stage of life, is delegation.... plain and simple! Oldest dc in the household have been doing the laundry for several years now.
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Ah, the dream of years to come!  It makes all the exhausting aspects of teaching children seem more manageable when you get a glimpse into the future. 
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 19 2011 at 12:30pm | IP Logged
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I have sorted into baskets for all the kids.. the two oldest kids get the 2 youngest and even the 3-8 yr olds help fold their own clothes.
but mostly, the only thing that works for me is not to let a basket sit. So laundry only moves forward if I stop and spend a whole 10 minutes (which is all it takes most of the time) and fold that basket of laundry.
I fold at the table, basket on a bench and piles I can easily reach for all the kids on the end of the table.
Depending, I can choose to leave the piles until they're high and then get them put away or I can have kids put away after every load.
but the not letting laundry sit and get behind in the first place is the only way that works for me. Usually if the laundry sits.. it will end up on the floor and then more ends up back in the dirty clothes so.. it's just not in my best interest to let it sit at all.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Erin
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| Posted: Feb 19 2011 at 5:50pm | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| but mostly, the only thing that works for me is not to let a basket sit. So laundry only moves forward if I stop and spend a whole 10 minutes (which is all it takes most of the time) and fold that basket of laundry. |
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Jodie
That is truly the secret, alas I struggle to get my act together in this area 
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
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JennGM
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My mother had the best organization ever when we were growing up. Unfortunately, my sisters and I have not found the same kind of units she had.
I'll describe it the best I can. Shelved three to each side were plastic baskets with handles -- similar to shopping baskets at stores. These fit like drawers into the unit, easily taken in and out. Each basket was marked with a name of the child, and put in family order, also (oldest on top, youngest on bottom).
Her mindset was that clothes need to be folded as soon as they come out of the dryer, but didn't want double sorting (Jen's point -- sorting does take so much time!). So the clothes are folded and put in the "drawer" of the owner.
This method worked for years. We would take that basket to our rooms, empty and return. Different members would help with laundry using this system.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 19 2011 at 6:32pm | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
That is truly the secret, alas I struggle to get my act together in this area |
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well when I start running out of clothes because I haven't gotten the load out of the dryer, to move the load in the washer, to get the next pile started.. because the last load isn't folded yet.. I find it's motivating to get it done 
I really am NOT good at this.. what I did was set some rules for myself that help me get it done anyway. And not getting a load out of the dryer until the last one is folded usually does it for me.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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Erin
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| Posted: Feb 19 2011 at 7:33pm | IP Logged
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Jenn
One day I'll be designing a laundry, keeping that idea in mind, I like the sound of it. Maybe Ikea has something?
Part of the problem is, here in Australia we rarely use dryers, many households don't even own dryers. So it comes in off the line in the basket and it is easy to dump and keep moving.
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Erin
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Folding Organisation
