The BEST Laundry System (I've Tried Them All)

Apr 09, 2025

I’ve tried basically EVERY method of doing laundry. One load a day. Washing by person. Doing it all in one day. AM/PM load. Family systems. And wanna know the best one…?

The one that works for your current season of life.

When I had 0-2 kids, the load-a-day method worked perfectly for us. When I was in a very busy season of life, I’d shift to the AM/PM system. Once I had three kids, I switched to washing by category/person. After my 4th was born, my husband wanted to take over doing laundry. He started washing all the laundry in one day and putting them away the next.

ALL of these methods have worked in different seasons of life. The BEST one is just whichever one suited the season I was in.

So, let me break down all the different methods and their pros and cons.

1. One Load a Day

How it works: Wash, dry, fold, and put away one full load daily.

Pros: It keeps you moving through the laundry at a practical pace. Laundry typically doesn’t pile up. Less overwhelming than laundry marathons

Cons: Requires daily consistency. Skipping a day can create backup. Might not work well if you're not home during the day

Tip: Set times in the day for you to do each thing to make you less likely to forget (ex. turn it on when you wake up, switch after breakfast, fold and put it away before dinner)

2. Laundry Day (All-in-One-Day)

How it works: Designate one day each week to do ALL your laundry.

Pros: You don’t have to do it daily - no laundry stress for the rest of the week. Allows for easier planning of outfits.

Cons: With a bigger family, it’s a lot to try to do in a single day. It can be a big time commitment. The laundry mountain can be overwhelming to fold and put away.

Tip: Set timers on your phone to switch that laundry so you don’t forget. Consider still washing by person, to make putting away easier.

3. Category-Based Schedule

How it works: Assign each type of laundry a specific day. This could mean towels on Mondays, kids’ clothes on Tuesdays, adults’ clothes on Thursdays, etc. For larger families, it helps to break it down by each person, such as Mom Mondays, Dad Tuesdays, Kid 1 Wednesdays, Kid 2 Thursdays, Towels Fridays, etc.

Pros: Making putting away A BREEZE. Helps manage larger family loads. Great way to start training younger kids to help on their “day.”

Cons: Requires organization of what day is what and whose basket is whose. Not flexible if something changes in the weekly rhythm.

Tip: Get each category its own laundry hamper (I have different colors of these for each kid and then larger ones of these for towels, etc.)

4. Delegation/Family System

How it works: Everyone over a certain age does their own laundry and/or each person has an assigned laundry day.

Pros: Teaches responsibility and life skills to kids and helps lighten your load.

Cons: Needs initial time investment to teach (and ongoing reminders). Laundry won’t be done to your “standard.” Not realistic for very young children

5. Night Owl and Early Bird Load

How it works: Throw a load in before bed and switch it over in the morning (or vice versa). When I’ve used this method, I called it “tending to the laundry,” and I just made sure to “tend to the laundry” in the morning and “tend to the laundry” before bed.

Pros: Great if you work outside the home. Can become a habit with minimal effort. Low effort.

Cons: Easy to forget the load and leave it in washer or forget to put away. Might not work for larger families with a lot to wash.

Tip: Tie it to a morning and night habit (I used to turn it on while my coffee was made and then switch it when I brushed my teeth at night.)

6. Outsourcing (Laundry Service or Drop-off)

How it works: Use a laundry service for wash-and-fold or dry cleaning.

Pros: Time saver. Can be worth it short-term during newborn phases or busy work seasons.

Cons: It’s a cost. It's not always accessible.

Tip: Want to give outsourcing a try?! Use the code BUTFIRSTCOFFEE for a FREE 1st order (up to $20) at Poplin - a laundry outsource service- poplin.pxf.io/5g0WqN