While laundry will be an ongoing part of life, it doesn’t have to be never ending. Here are some tips to stay on track through the most difficult parts - sorting and putting away:

1. Place a wall clock above the washer and dryer.

    

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2. Be ready to move clothes to the next step after thirty minutes.
   
   
3. Wash those items first that require the most sorting afterward.
   
   
4. Minimize wrinkles by immediately folding warm clothes from the dryer.
   
   
5. Save time by making the bed with the sheets straight from the dryer.
   
   
6. Stack clean towels by bathrooms to speed up delivery.
   
   
7. Leave the washer lid open as a signal to empty the dryer.
   
   
8. Save steps by keeping a lint box or wastebasket nearby.
   
   
9. Hang the empty laundry basket on a hook.
   
   
10. Close the lid after your last load and congratulate yourself for finishing all your laundry for the day!

Expert challenge level

• In deep drawers, "stairstep" stacking items, like T-shirts or pants, so you can see one inch of every item from top to bottom. Use shoeboxes or plastic containers in drawers to hold small items in place.

• Get a picture from a magazine or catalog and fold your clothes the same appealing way. Each stacked item should have the smooth "decorative edge" showing, with multiple edges from sleeves in sweaters or the edges of towels toward the back.

• Keep a numbered inventory of items in each category (such as tops, slacks, sweaters, nylons and jackets). If you don’t have to wear the same thing twice in the next three weeks, you probably have enough clothes.

• Minimize sorting time by putting a hamper, lightweight basket or laundry bag in each bedroom closet. You can fill up their load of whites by washing their bedsheets at the same time.

Excerpted and condensed from Marcia Ramsland's: Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way! ©2003, W. Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.

 

About Marcia Ramsland

Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. As a national speaker, author and consultant since 1985, Marcia delights her audiences from New York to California with tips and secrets to organize their time, home, paperwork and life. Her tips have been in Woman’s Day and other national magazines, radio interviews and TV. She can be reached through her Web site www.OrganizingPro.com, and her books can be ordered there.