Back to school means back to routines and that routine usually involves a LOT of laundry. There are school clothes, hockey clothes, ballet clothes, the dog bedding, the sheets…the list goes on, but I’ve rounded up some great ideas to help make this back to school, and back to laundry, a bit easier.

Get Everyone Involved

Many hands make light work. And work is usually a great learning opportunity. Let kids help by sorting colours or measuring out the detergent. Give them an easy task like transferring from the washer to the dryer or collecting all the towels from the bathrooms when it’s laundry time.

Not only does help lighten your load, it also means someday soon they might do their own laundry. Fingers crossed that’s sooner rather than later. LOL! I love this post by blogger Clean Mama with tips on how kids can get involved in the laundry routine.

Make a Laundry Schedule

If your regular school routine includes some after-school activities too, why not make laundry part of the routine too? If you are on a septic system, spreading out the loads is a great thing to do. Having a schedule also means you can plan for non-peak hour usage rates. There are loads of great ideas and ways to organize your laundry schedule over on Pinterest.

Upgrade to Energy Star

Energy Star Washer

If soaring usage rates are getting you down, now might be the time to invest in an Energy Star rated washer and dryer. An Energy Star clothes washer uses 50% less energy and consumes 35% to 50% less water than a conventional model. To read more about Energy Start appliances, check out this handy guide.

Get Organized

Having an organized laundry space helps keep schedules moving on track, and also helps the whole family know what goes where (which means they can help out! (see #1 above)). I found some great ways to love your laundry room in this post.

Back to school laundry can be an overwhelming mound (literally!). I hope these tips will help you survive another school year.

Isabelle, Your Appliance Expert