The Simplest Hack That Will Make Sorting Clean Laundry A Breeze

After going through the work of washing, drying, and folding all your laundry, sorting and putting the clothes away can be a hassle, particularly for larger families. With this simple laundry hack, however, making sure the clothes end up in the right place will no longer be a chore. The trick to this hack is to have a sorting system in place before the clothes reach the laundry room. By giving each member of your family their own laundry basket, you'll be able to save time and energy when you're ready to put the clothes away.

With this system, each person or room (if some people share a room), has their own laundry basket, and when it's time to wash, the clothes will already be sorted into where they'll need to go once they're clean. After folding the clothes, you can return them to their original baskets and each person will have exactly what they need.

If you like to sort your clothes by color before washing but it takes up too much time, you can try using laundry baskets with multiple compartments. With this method, the clothes will be sorted by darks and lights, or whatever system you choose, before you're ready to wash them. For families with an enormous laundry burden, try combining this trick with the one previously mentioned hack: Put laundry baskets with compartments in each person's room.

Not only will your laundry be sorted by who uses it, but it's already separated by what can be washed together. When it's time to put everything away, try using the compartments to organize types of clothes, such as pants in the compartment for darks, shirts in the spot for whites, and other items in the colors section. Multi-compartment laundry baskets can be found easily online at retailers like Amazon, like this foldable basket or these hampers with two compartments.

While sorting laundry by who uses it can be a helpful hack for bigger families, sorting clothes by color, temperature, and fabric type can help to keep your clothes from wearing out quickly with every wash. The easiest way to know how a piece of clothing should be washed is by reading the care label, which will explain whether you should use hot or cold water and if that item needs to be washed separately.

From there, sort delicate or lighter fabrics and heavier materials into piles and then separate the darks and whites in each pile. With this sorting method, you'll be able to wash clothes at the right temperature and avoid turning your bright whites into pasty grays. For clothes that are extremely dirty, it's best to either wash them separately or to skip the machine altogether and hand wash them.