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How to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products for a chemically sensitive family.

5 Must-know tips on how to be super lousy at doing laundry – from the lousy laundry expert herself! Ā Plus discover my favorite laundry products to use for my chemically sensitive family.

I’ll be honest . . . I sat down to write this post and had a nice little chuckle at myself. Ā Here I was, proud as can be that I managed to make my laundry look absolutely stunning in pictures . . . while baskets of week-old clean laundry sat in heaping piles in my bedroom . . . just waiting to be folded and put away.

wooden laundry baskets on top of living room sofa with white sheets inside

And while I wanted to so badly offer you laundry tips that would change your life . . . the truthful realization sunk in, that all I had to offer you was hypocritical laundry statements.

So – I decided to take the higher road and honestly share with you how you too can be super lousy at doing laundry.

Because being lousy at the laundry,Ā is something I am reeeeeally good at.

wooden laundry baskets on top of living room sofa with white sheets inside and a basket of bleach

Before we dive into my 5 must-know tips, I want to elaborate that this post is part of a cleaning series here on TIDBITS, where I share some of my favorite cleaning products for the home. Ā You can view the other posts in this seriesĀ where I have shared my go-to cleaning supplies in other areas of the home.

basket of cleaning products for the home
basket of cleaning products

Bathroom Cleaning Essentials  |  Give the Gift of Enjoyable Dish Washing

This post is made available to you because ofĀ my horrible laundry habits and in collaboration with my good ol’ friends from Grove Collaborative. Ā I have come to love their earth and family-friendly products and services passionately and obsessively.

All links for Grove are my affiliate links and will provide me with a small portion of the purchase, at no extra cost to you. Ā Thank you for supporting TIDBITS in this way!

How to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products for a chemically sensitive family.

I’m thrilled to tell you about this INCREDIBLE deal, that I am pleased to be able to offer my TIDBITS readers.  From now until Sunday, March 26th, you can head over to Grove, and immediately claim your offer to receive the following products pictured below for FREE!

Once you spend up to $20.00 you’ll be able to stake your claim on these yummy seasonal scents and receive:

  • Mrs. Meyerā€™s Spring Seasonal Hand Soap

  • Mrs. Meyerā€™s Spring Seasonal Dish Soap

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  • Grove Collaborative Walnut Scrubber Sponges

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mrs' meyer's clean day hand soap

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mrs. meyer clean day dish soap

And now, without further ado, my 5 tips on how to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products to use for my chemically sensitive family.

Tip #1:  HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO LAUNDRY SCHEDULE

It really helps to be lousy at the laundry when you kind of fly by the seat of your pants . . . or lack of clean pants . . . better said. Ā I pretty much do the laundry when I absolutely HAVE TO. Ā Like when my kids outright refuse to wear one another’s underwear, because they have run out of clean options. Ā šŸ™

I’m sure if I had a routine schedule, things would go significantly smoother.

molly's suds wool dryer balls

Dirty laundry aside, these Molly’s Suds wool dryer balls have changed my life! Ā I haven’t bought a single dryer sheet in months, because these magic balls kick the static, cut the drying time, and soften the feel of my linens – all without the use of chemicals. Ā They are good for 1000+ loads of people! Ā Well worth every penny and can be bought from Grove Collaborative.

molly suds wool dryer balls on top of wooden laundry basket and white towels

Tip #2:  LET YOUR CLEAN LAUNDRY SIT WADDED UP IN A BASKET FOR DAYS

It’s really efficient when you get to wash your clean clothes twice because they have sat so long in a basket they start to smell and are a wrinkly mess. Ā Or your kids mistake the clean laundry for dirty laundry (naturally) and begin to top it with their daily wear.

Just don’t ever fold your laundry! Ā It’s a real-time savor šŸ˜‰

mrs. meyers clean day laundry detergent

Speaking of smell, I have searched the whole world over for a laundry detergent that doesn’t make me itch and smells good too! Ā I hit jackpot when I desperately picked up Mrs. Meyer’s detergent from the grocery store isles one day. Ā I haven’t used anything else for myself since, and I love saving time and money by buying it from Grove and having it routinely shipped to my house.

Tip #3:  WASH YOUR DARKS WITH YOUR WHITES

You can see from my images, I knowingly separated my whites out and washed them aside from the darks.  So logically, I would remember to do that all the time.  Right?

Wrong.  It’s usually those rare favorite white items that I forget to separate and somehow manage to destroy even the best of shirts.

wooden laundry basket with white towels on top of living room sofa
seventh generation natural laundry detergent

I can save some of those items by washing them with this Seventh GenerationĀ Chlorine Free Bleach. Ā Bleach in general means an instant migraine for me, so I was thrilled to find something to take its place.

Tip #4:  ASK YOUR CHILD TO START THEIR LAUNDRY WITHOUT SUFFICIENT INSTRUCTION

While I was thrilled to death that my 10 year old wanted to do her own laundry, I should have realized 2 things.

  1.  It meant that she was sick and tired of waiting for mom to get to her laundry stash

2. Ā I should probably have shown her beforehand how to properly load a washer.

wooden laundry basket with white towels on top of living room sofa and a basket of laundry detergent

She happened to help herself to our highly concentrated Mrs. Meyer’s detergent, and use A TON of it.  On the upside, our house smelled like yummy detergent for days!

Mrs. Meyer’s detergent works well for almost everyone in our family. Ā I do have a little 3-year-old who has a terrible case of eczema, and our dermatologist recommended avoiding any scents or colors for soaps that would come in contact with his body.

seventh generation natural laundry detergent

This free and clear from Seventh Generation has come to my rescue.  It seems to help his situation and leaves his clothes still smelling fresh and clean.  I’m grateful Grove carries this brand as well.

seventh generation laundry detergent

Tip #5:  HOLD ON TO MISSING SOCK MATCHES INDEFINITELY

You know how washing machines are notorious for eating socks, right?  Well, we have a terrible case of missing sock matches in our home.

But just in case they decide to show up, I’ve decided to hold onto every un-matched sock indefinitely. Ā I have a basket full of lonely socks as proof.

Surely, they will show up eventually šŸ™

lilac flower

Those were probably very unhelpful tips, but I’m certain if you can manage the exact opposite of everything I mentioned, this will be a most helpful article for you.

Before you leave, be sure to consider trying out Grove Collaborative services for yourself. Ā They research and do all the work for us to find the most environmentally and family-safe products out there. Ā If you sign up, you’ll always be the first to know about their seasonal products as well!

mrs. meyers products

I like to stock up on the seasonal scents and have them on hand for quick gifts for friends and family.  Feel free to use my photography collection and pre-designed stationery options to add a little something special to the gift.

mrs. meyers multi-surface everyday cleaning
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mrs. meyer cleaning products

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mrs. meyers clean day hand soap from the grove collective
How to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products for a chemically sensitive family.

Now I would love to hear from you!! Ā How do you keep a handle on the never-ending task of doing the laundry? Ā Perhaps you know something I don’t šŸ˜‰

Please feel free to leave more helpful comments and suggestions below!

How to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products for a chemically sensitive family.
How to be super lousy at doing laundry + my favorite laundry products for a chemically sensitive family.

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12 Comments

  1. Too funny! I am with you…I am really lousy at laundry! Very lousy indeed…but it did start getting my 15 year old to want to learn to do his own laundry! I told him sure, but he had to get his 13 year old brother in on it too and they could take turns and do both their laundry! Works for me! I am going to have to try these products. I have heard really good things about them for awhile now. Your pics make laundry look too easy! šŸ™‚

  2. Recommend you try Shout Color Catcher.Allows mixed washes and prevents color runs. Have been using Color Catcher sheets for at least a year now. They work really well.

  3. Believe it or not, I do all my laundry in one day. Not including towels and sheets and such, just clothes. It works great for me! Usually takes 6-7 loads, I sort it in the morning, set a timer on my phone so I don’t forget to change loads, fold each load as it comes out of the dryer (except the two oldest, I just put theirs in their baskets and they fold it when I’m done), and I’m done by the end of the day, usually by dinner.
    If I don’t do it this way, it doesn’t get done. Laundry is lame!

  4. Believe it or not, I do all my laundry in one day. Not including towels and sheets and such, just clothes. It works great for me! Usually takes 6-7 loads, I sort it in the morning, set a timer on my phone so I don’t forget to change loads, fold each load as it comes out of the dryer (except the two oldest, I just put theirs in their baskets and they fold it when I’m done), and I’m done by the end of the day, usually by dinner.
    If I don’t do it this way, it doesn’t get done. Laundry is lame!

  5. Love this post <3 Do you know if the natural laundry detergent is gluten free? Weird question, I know. But you'd be surprised at how many products add in wheat. I have to be careful with makeup because of it. Wonder if I should also be concerned about detergents!

  6. Too funny that I would read this on the same day that I decided it was time to “unload” the basket of lonely socks that I have collected. šŸ™‚ Glad to know that I am not alone! ha!

  7. That just might be one of my favorite posts ever ever! I laughed all the way through. Just the other day I tried to convince my daughter to let her brother borrow a pair of underwear for a day šŸ™‚ Thank goodness for moms and mother in laws who step in and catch me up every now and again!

  8. hey girl- great tips! I always buy free and clear detergent because of my husband. These products look amazing! Hope to try them soon! I do laundry everyday seldom do I skip a day because there is not enough for a load ha I don’t work out so I have plenty of time and we don’t have any kids yet either! But… there is always so much to do though! ha