This Is Hands Down the Best Way to Do Laundry If You’ve Got Kids

When I became a mom, I was pretty stunned by the mountainous volume of laundry that seemed to come with the job overnight. Even in the newborn stage, it felt like my husband and I went from running a couple of loads on the weekend to running daily cycles—and being completely overwhelmed by the folding and sock sorting day in and day out.

That’s when I turned to Elise Gurock, founder of Chaos Concierge—an organizational management company that specializes in home, office and life—for help. Was there a way to tame the disorder? Even better, actually create a laundry process? This laundry room organization tip changed everything for my family.

What you need: A separate laundry bin for each member of the family (this is especially key if you have three or more people in your household)

What you do: Set up a calendar system where you do loads by person and on specific days of the week. For example, Monday is laundry night for your spouse; Tuesday might be your night and Saturday/Sunday is for the kids.

Why this works: This makes laundry something you can schedule—barring the errant emergency stain—and makes the backend, i.e., the folding and putting away, much easier and less likely to feel daunting and get out of control.

Extra credit: If your kids are old enough, it’s also a good idea to encourage them to take ownership of their laundry days from start to finish. After all, it’s a lifelong skill, right?