Let’s talk about laundry!
In our house, we have a few simple rules that make laundry incredibly manageable. Everyone has one bath towel and a limit of 10 items for each type of clothing. I also follow what I call a house uniform system.
These might sound like unusual rules, but they have made a huge difference in keeping our home organized and our laundry under control.
Less Clothing, Less Laundry
We used to have an excessive number of towels sitting around, collecting dust. We finally realized we didn’t need all of them, so we got rid of the extras.
Now, everyone has one bath towel, and we wash them regularly. We only keep what we actually need and use.
I’ve even had someone tell me that I was depriving my children of their childhood by limiting the amount of clothing they own!
But here’s the thing: my children can still create hundreds of different outfits with just 10 items in each clothing category. Having fewer clothes doesn’t mean they have fewer options. It simply means we have less stuff to manage.
What Is a House Uniform?
A house uniform is simply having a few go-to outfits that you wear regularly at home.
I pull my house uniform out of the dryer each day and put it on a hanger or in its designated spot, ready to wear again. It’s a routine I’ve followed for years.
Think about Steve Jobs, who famously wore similar outfits to reduce the number of daily decisions he had to make. The idea is to simplify the little things so you can spend your time and energy on what matters most.
You don’t have to spend time deciding what to wear every single day, and you don’t need an overflowing closet to have enough clothing.
Sometimes, simplifying really is that simple!
Our OLAD System: One Load a Day
We also follow a system I call OLAD, which stands for One Load a Day.
Every single day, we do one load of laundry. That’s it!
Throughout the day, any soiled clothing, towels, or other household linens go into the laundry. When it’s time to wash, we put everything into one load rather than letting laundry pile up and become a huge project.
We don’t sort every item into separate piles or wait until we have mountains of laundry to tackle. We keep the process simple and consistent.
Of course, some items need special care, so follow the care labels on your clothing and linens. Certain fabrics, colors, or heavily soiled items may need to be washed separately.
The beauty of this system is that we’re dealing with laundry a little at a time instead of allowing it to take over our home.
Just 10 Minutes a Day
One of my favorite things about this system is how little time it takes.
Putting away a day’s worth of laundry takes us about 10 minutes, sometimes even less.
Think about that: roughly 10 minutes out of a 24-hour day to keep laundry under control!
Our laundry room stays clean, we don’t have piles of clothing waiting to be folded, and laundry doesn’t become an overwhelming weekend project.
Instead of spending hours catching up, we’re maintaining a simple daily routine.
Be Open to Doing Things Differently
I know these ideas might sound strange if you’ve always done laundry a certain way. We’re often taught that we need separate towels for every possible situation, closets full of clothing, and specific laundry days to get everything done.
But just because something is familiar doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do it.
Sometimes, the routines we’ve always followed are the very things making our homes harder to manage.
These are small changes, but they can make a big difference in how your home feels. The goal isn’t to follow my exact system or get rid of everything you own. The goal is to find ways to make your home work better for you.
If you want to take control of your home, don’t be so quick to say no to something just because it sounds unfamiliar. Keep an open mind. Try a small change and see how it works for your family.
You might be surprised by how much easier your home becomes to manage when you start simplifying the everyday things.
