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Now that I’m a mom, my feelings about laundry have drastically changed. No longer is it just a weekly ritual to get the clothes clean. No way. It has a much bigger impact on our family for two reasons:
1. I want to make sure the laundry detergent I’m using is safe enough to sit on my ids’ skin all day and
2. I want doing the laundry to be a lesson in responsibility for our kids!
I’ve never wanted my kids to grow up assuming life just happens or worse yet, that all they have to do is wake up & show up for anything. Life is fun, but it’s also work. But what I want them to realize is that when we work together as a team, life can be fun work!
That’s why I’ve involved them in doing the laundry from a very young age. Sure, when they were toddlers that just meant having them play in the sheets as I was making the bed or throwing the washcloths around as I tried to fold them. But as they’ve gotten older, I’ve given them age-appropriate laundry tasks to assist me with each week:
* We started with having them sort the colors of the clothes and towels before going in to the laundry.
* As they’ve started with being able to dress themselves, they’re now responsible for sorting their clothes into the right bins after they wear them (and making sure they’re right side out!)
* Now they not only help me sort the laundry as it comes out, but they’re also responsible for folding their clothes. It may not be done perfectly, but it helps me get the job done faster and it teaches them the importance of contributing to the family work load!
If you think about it, our kids spend a lot of time in and around their clothes, which is why I feel so passionately about choosing an effective, yet safe, laundry detergent. When you consider that whatever we wash our clothes with is indirectly sitting on our kids’ skin all day and night, it makes you think twice about what you use in the washing machine!
That’s why I appreciate the ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergent for my High Efficiency machine – not only does it get the job done, but it helps me with my job as a mom!
I want to hear about your laundry routine! Share with me how you involve your kids in the laundry or how you get your laundry done more effectively and you could win a $25 Visa Gift Card! To enter, just leave a comment below about either; you can enter once per day via this method.
For an additional optional entry, tweet this (& leave an additional comment letting me know you did!)
I want to win a $25 Visa Gift Card thanks to the #SwitchAndSaveChallenge & @TheSamiCone! https://new-staging-samicone.devsquad.tech/?p=14633
You have until 11:59pm CST on 10/5/11. Good luck!
This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents. And be sure and head over to The Switch & Save Challenge for the chance to win $25,000.
Mine are a bit young but I have taught them to put their clothes in the hamper
rjs682 at yahoo dot com
My kids each have a basket in their rooms to put dirty laundry in. Once a week they bring it out and sort it into baskets in the laundry room
ryanac32 at yahoo dot com
I tweeted about the giveaway:
https://twitter.com/#!/thehappyone/status/121558160443060224
We try to be efficient by doing only full loads of laundry but my oldest daughter (pre-teen) sometimes wants to wash her favorite outfits more than a few times a week so it’s taken some educating to get her to understand that isn’t acceptable.
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/ChelleB36/status/121254416421629952
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
My kids help sort piles, they measure the laundry detergent
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/calidreamin87/status/121099309843361792
I just try and do it as often as I can so it doesn’t pile up.
Occasionally when the laundry really piles up we take it to a nearby laundromat and do many loads at the same time – it’s amazing how quick the laundry gets done that way, about 1 1/2 hours total! Very efficient use of my time plus I get reading done while I’m waiting.
I also make them put their own clothes in dirty clothes for sure. My little ones get thrown off on which bin to put it in when there is white and color on the same shirt 🙂
We do about 6 loads of laundry a week and my kids help by getting their dirty laundry to the laundry room and they help put their clean clothes away. To be efficient (and save and energy) I try to wait until there are full loads of laundry.
My kids have their own hamper in their room and they are responsible for emptying it when it gets full.
I need to try that! Mine share one right now…
Since a 4-year-old is still a little young to successfully sort her laundry, she helps out with three categories: jeans, towels, and reds. I dump the hampers out on the floor, which she finds hysterically funny. Then she runs as fast as she can to grab all the pairs of jeans and put them in their pile to be washed, then follows with reds and towels. She knows exactly where each pile goes in the lineup with the other clothes. Her energy makes a tedious task a lot more fun. 🙂
My kids are too little to do much on their own, but the oldest is responsible for putting his dirty clothes in his hamper. When I start loads, both boys are interested in tossing clothes in. They also like to “help” switch clothes from the washer to dryer. Right now their “help” takes quite a bit longer, but I suspect it will pay off in the long run! 🙂
Sami, Sorry, I can’t find the website I got it from but here is the recipe.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine
4 Cups – hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
– Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer “Super Washing Soda” – in some stores or may be purchased online. Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate!!
Thanks, Heather! I”ll have to try that!
Every night after dinner our family has 15 minute time. During this time, each member of the family (5 – not including the dog) do some sort of chore. This is routine has helped keep our full house cleaner but has also helped with some of our laundry practices. When I launder socks, they all go in a hamper. One night a week, all three boys match and fold socks and then put them away. In addition, everyone in the family has their own laundry basket. They have to sort it, I launder and fold and put in their basket. Every family member puts away their clothes 2 times a week. Thanks for the opportunity to share Sami! I have sent this on in the Twitter world too!
I get my laundry done more effectively by having my husband watch my 2 year old while I fold and put the clothes away. If she’s around, she grabs my piles and makes a mess out of them. She thinks she’s “helping”.
I get my laundry done more effectively by making sure I do it-b/c if I wait for hubby it will not get done 🙂
I tweeted your giveaway
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
they have a hamper in their room for their dirty clothes so I don’t need to pick it up everywhere. I also wait til I have a full load to be more efficient
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
Good for you~! And you’re welcome for hosting 😉
I have my kids fold the easy thing like wash clothes etc. They also sort it.
I like to do laundry on the weekends. Doing laundry for four is time-consuming, but taking a Saturday to get it all done is worth it. I`m very picky as to how I want it done, so it takes most of the day to do so. For the exception of towels/washcloths, I wash using cold water & I pre-treat.
In order to get my laundry done more effectively I wait until I have a full load so I am not wasting soap or water.
To get my laundry done efficiently, I do at least 2 loads every other day. Otherwise it builds up too much and becomes unmanageable.
https://twitter.com/#!/DuckyBunny/status/118898544294887424
My toddler and I have a game where she throws a piece of laundry at me while I pretend to be surprised by it, then I fold that piece. Lather rinse repeat. haha
soluckyducky at gmail dot com
tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/JenniferCNP/status/118835725994176514
My youngest son loves to help with the laundry. I will give him one piece of laundry at a time and he will put it in the washer.
My kids are ages 2 and 3-our laundry routine is- they each put their clothes into the laundry basket- when i see the basket full- i will do the load automically-that way i only have 1 load to do at a time- it never builds up to 2 load- then the kids help me unload the laundry from the dryer into the basket- they carry each side and put it on the floor for me- they then pull out their own clothes and hand it to me- i then fold it- they love helping…
thanks
tcogbill at live dot com
tweet.https://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/118736516502667264
I do two-three full loads weekly, pre-treat all stains. DDs help with folding.
Good for you, Jessie!
My daughters are still at the stage of just folding washcloths but they love it. I’ve been making my own laundry detergent for almost a year now and have been so pleased with it. That alone has saved us a great amount of money.
Where did you get your ‘recipe’, heather?
We have four people that take turns with laundry. The policy is if you see it needing folding or a new load washed, do it. 🙂
Love it, Ashley!
When my children were younger, they learned to do their own laundry, because I was always working. They took care of the sorting and folding. I have been blessed because they learned to work as a team.
Working as a team is such an important skill to teach our kids!
My oldest son helps me put laundry away but the younger 2 are still too young to help.
I do laundry for my family of 4 on Saturday and Sunday. Usually about 6 loads. I work outside the home full time and commute 100 miles a day, so this works best for me timewise. My 7 year old helps fold. I am too picky about sorting, but need to relax that and let her be more involved. Both my 7 and 5 year old dress themselves, but I need to get them more involved in the process!
Wow – what a schedule! Glad you’re learning to let your kids help out 🙂
I am fortunate because my 3 kids do their own laundry thanks
Good for you, Julie!