Laundry is relatively easy, but managing clothes isn't always. I have friends and had roommates in college that live basically out of their hampers. Someone I know, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, has the worst problem in her kids room. There are more clothes on the floor than anywhere else. The drawers are basically empty except when the mom goes on a craze and washes everything on the floor. Then the clothes are piled in the hampers and rarely make it all the way into the drawers. The problem with this approach is that most of the clothes are scattered on the floor and you never know exactly where anything is, or whether it's clean or dirty. Children never learn how to keep their clothes tidy or organized either. So here is my suggestion. First make sure that all clothes fit in the drawer or dresser space you have. If they don't here is what I do. I save the items in the best condition and either throw away, donate, or make rags out of the rest.
Alyssa is a prime example. Several months ago it was time to switch her clothes from a 2T to a 3T. Since she is the 3rd girl we have collected a bunch of stuff. Plus I occasionally buy something that is such a killer deal that it would be a shame not to get her something new. Alyssa has 2 drawers in the dresser. The other girls have 3. Consequently I slimmed down her wardrobe considerably and then decided to put some seasonal stuff in a bag in the top of her closet during the off-seasons. Emily's move to 5T was the same, only everything must fit in the drawer. I let her help decide what to get rid of when there were more shirts than would reasonably fit in the shirt drawer. The pants were easier because so many had holes from Sarah that I ended up having to go and buy Emily several pairs so she would have something for winter. For myself and Alan (only he's never home when I do this and thus has virtually no say in the matter) I go through my clothes at least once a year and get rid of everything I haven't worn during the past year. Some people switch clothing depending on the season. If Alan ever has to move his clothes back into our room I'll have to do this.
I had a clever friend who didn't have enough dressers or money for another and bought those plastic bins that stack from Walmart when she married and inherited a daughter. This worked fine. Anyway the point is, make a place for the clothes to go and teach the children where everything is.
When I get a load out of the dryer I take it upstairs and dump it on my bed. 98% of the time I fold it immediately and the girls help me put it away. They do their own mostly. I do Alyssa's shirts and pants because she can't quite reach to put them away neatly. If I do have to leave it on my bed I know that I'll put it away before going to bed because otherwise I would have to sleep on the couch. Once upon a time, in a land so desolate many people can't figure out why I grew up there, I went visiting teaching with my mom. Her sister had just finished coming back from the laundromat and all her clean clothes were dumped out on the floor of the living room. The clothes took up all the space and she grumbled at her daughter for walking on the clean clothes. Well, this was funny because she was the one who had dumped them all on the floor, not the cleanest place for laundry. One of my friends folds them as she gets them out of the dryer, but I'm too impatient to start the next load.
One of the ways I teach responsibility to my girls is to give them little chores. Keeping their rooms clean is the first and most basic one. When they are two they start putting their dirty clothes in the hamper and in the morning they stuff (folding pajama's comes at a much later age) their pajamas into their drawer. My oldest has the most problem remembering this which is funny as she's been doing it the longest. But Sarah is by nature untidy. Emily on the other hand, likes to organize her drawers by refolding everything and stacking it just so. Before my girls are allowed to watch a movie or play with friends or outside they have to have their rooms picked up.
That's it for laundry ideas. Maybe you know some better ones. If so share, I'm always looking for ways to improve.
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