Airing My Dirty Laundry

For many years I used to just make piles on the floor when I needed to sort my laundry. I sorted it in the laundry room, bedroom, or hallway - wherever there was floor space that would be undisturbed. I used to long for those organized laundry dividers, but every time I actually went to search for something that would suit our family, I couldn't find the right organizer for the right price. Then one day while looking at plastic bins I had a light bulb moment! What if I used these $1.50 kitchen trash cans for my laundry bins (at Walmart several years ago.) I went home and measured the space I wanted to use and they would fit perfectly! Yay! I got the extra benefit that once a trash can is full it equals about one full load of clothes - bonus!

Here's how our laundry is divided up. I could have purchased a can for the sheets, but they really just lay on the floor for part of a day usually. We have to walk around this area a lot so this works best on any given day. As you can see with my Dark Colored/Cold pile I just keep stacking it on top even if the can is full. It truly is "Mount Never Rest" around here.

You can see that I lay my grotty wash clothes over the side of the whites can. Anything that is damp I just lay over the sides so they will air dry before getting washed. Please, excuse the floor; it is an unfinished basement and there is some kind of heavy duty glue on the floor that we can't get up. Not pretty, but functional.

When I started this system, I had two kids who separated their own laundry so I put labels on the cans. I was really high-tech - 3x5 cards, a sharpie and packing tape. They've hung on there for 6 1/2 years so I'm not complaining.

I love how lightweight the trash cans are and how portable each load is. I just pick up the can that I want to put into the washer, tip it over and in it goes...so easy!

After I get some wash done, I'll show you what I do after it comes out of the dryer.

What system works well for you in your house? I'd love to know!