Laundry Tip: Children Can Do Laundry

I taught our teenage daughter how to do her laundry when she was 12 years old.  Until then, she had to rely on me for clean clothing.  I wasn’t totally reliable, meaning the article she wanted to wear wasn’t clean when she wanted to wear it.

You may have been hesitate to teach your children, in fear of ruined clothing or damaged machinery, but I have found the benefits out weigh the risks when it comes to laundry piles.  It’s liberating to pass laundry skills on to others!

My daughter actually likes being in control of her laundry and only complains about it when she runs out of underwear.  Laundry is an important life skill.  I wanted her to learn it as soon as I knew she was capable of running the washer/dryer.  I did not want her bringing me her laundry after she moves out of our home!

My daughter's baskets. She chose green for dark clothing and white for light clothing.

7 Steps to Laundry Liberation!

1. Talk to your kids about the benefits of doing their own laundry
2. Take them shopping to choose laundry baskets for their rooms
3. Set up hampers in every bedroom, one for lights and one for darks, if possible
4. Place a stain remover spray or stick next to the hampers
5. Write out instructions for washer/dry and post next to the machines
6. Walk your children through the sorting process, washing and drying process, and just as important, the finishing process
7. Put your feet up and watch your kids succeed at their new skill

**Do not be tempted to do their laundry for them after you’ve gone through the training, even if they complain and whine.  The worst thing that will happen is they wear dirty clothing out in public and how bad is that…..aside from the smell, wrinkles and stains.

In the last 7 years, I’ve only done a handful of laundry loads for my daughter and that was when she was sick.

Are your kids ready to take over their laundry.  Start writing out those laundry instruction today!