10 Simple Tips To Conquer the Laundry Pile

You start looking forward to Monday just thinking about spending another weekend doing laundry.

If you hate doing laundry, you should definitely read the following advice to learn how to make it easier and more efficient.

See that doing laundry doesn’t have to take up all of your leisure time by reading on.

10 Tips to Prevent Piles of Laundry from Taking Over

Growing up, I didn’t do laundry—or load the dishwasher, vacuum, or even sweep the floor.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help; it’s just that household tasks weren’t part of my daily life. My mom preferred to handle those things herself, so I didn’t get much hands-on experience with chores while I was young.

Fast forward a few years, and I suddenly found myself as a wife, mom, and full-time household manager—with zero homemaking experience.

While starting from scratch had its challenges, it also meant I could build systems that actually worked for me without having to “unlearn” any old habits.

Laundry, in particular, felt overwhelming once our family started growing. The never-ending cycle of clothes seemed like it would take over my weekends—time I would much rather spend with my family.

After lots of trial and error, I found a system that made laundry feel manageable (and even kind of satisfying). If you’re in the same boat, here are some practical tips that might just change the way you think about doing laundry.

We all want clean clothes, but laundry can feel like a never-ending task—especially in a household with multiple people.

Here are my favorite time-saving laundry tips to help make the process easier, faster, and less stressful:

1. Cut Down on Clothes

The more clothes you own, the longer you can go without doing laundry—but that also means more to wash once you run out!

I used to own way more clothes than I needed. After I simplified my wardrobe, I noticed a big difference. With fewer items, I had to keep up with laundry regularly—but that also meant it never piled up too much.

Quick Tip: Go through your wardrobe and donate anything you don’t wear often or don’t love. Bonus: It makes choosing outfits much easier, too!

2. Spread Out Laundry During the Week

Instead of saving all your laundry for the weekend, try doing smaller loads throughout the week. I like to throw in a load right when I get home from work or while I’m cooking dinner. That way, I’m multitasking without really thinking about it.

Even one or two loads during the week can free up your weekends and make things feel less overwhelming.

3. Toss a Load in Before Running Errands

Heading out for groceries or a quick appointment? Start a load before you go. By the time you’re back, it’ll be ready for the dryer. This simple habit has saved me hours in the long run.

4. Use Mesh Bags for Small Items

Sorting socks and underwear used to be my least favorite part of laundry day. Then I discovered mesh laundry bags—game changer!

Each family member has their own bag for small items. When it’s time to wash, everything stays together, and each person can take care of their own items afterward.

5. Use the Quick Wash Setting

If your clothes aren’t heavily soiled, the quick wash setting on your washer might be all you need. It cuts the wash time down significantly and still gets the job done—perfect for lightly worn items like work clothes or kids’ school outfits.

6. Set a Timer to Avoid Musty Smells

It’s easy to forget about a load in the washer. Unfortunately, that often means having to wash it again (hello, extra work).

To avoid that, set a timer on your phone when you start a load. That way, you can move it to the dryer before it sits too long.

7. Hang Instead of Folding

Folding laundry isn’t my favorite task—so I simplified it by hanging most of our clothes right out of the dryer. This not only saves time but also helps prevent wrinkles, so I rarely need to iron.

8. Re-Wear When You Can

Not everything needs to be washed after one wear. Towels, jeans, and sweatshirts can often be used multiple times before needing a wash—as long as they’re still clean and fresh.

To make this easier, we limited the number of towels we own to two per person. This keeps laundry under control and reduces unnecessary loads.

9. Stick with Easy-Care Fabrics

Clothing that requires special care—like hand washing or ironing—tends to sit in the laundry basket longer. I now stick to fabrics that are machine-washable and wrinkle-resistant. It’s one less thing to worry about and helps keep laundry moving.

10. Choose Darker Clothes for Kids

Kids’ clothes go through a lot—and lighter colors can be tough to keep looking clean. We made a simple switch to mostly darker, easy-care clothing for our children. It not only reduces stains but also means everything can be washed together, no sorting required.

Laundry Doesn’t Have to Take Over Your Life

It took me some time (and a few laundry mountains) to figure this out, but laundry doesn’t have to be stressful.

By simplifying your wardrobe, creating small routines during the week, and using tools like timers and mesh bags, you can turn laundry into a manageable part of your day instead of an all-weekend chore.

These strategies have helped me enjoy more time with my family—and less time folding clothes!