How to trick yourself into doing laundry

Thanks to Tide Pods for sponsoring this post on RookieMoms.com.

I’ve tried out various laundry rituals to stay on top of dirty clothes, but the one that’s currently in place can best be summarized as “early and often.” My husband is an unstoppable laundry doer these days, so it might be time for me to acknowledge that none of my other systems worked quite as well.

Ryan walks in the door from work, changes his clothes, and starts a load of laundry, nearly every day. I don’t know when he switches it to the dryer, but at some point in the evening, after our kids are asleep, he carries a basket of clean clothes up to our bedroom and watches sports or The Daily Show while he folds the clothes.

Yes, it is a luxury to be married to a Laundry Enthusiast. I did not know this would happen when we fell in love.

Another thing to love about my husband is that although he goes to the store less than I do, he tries to buy heavy items when he’s there to save me from shlepping them. We never run out of laundry detergent because that’s one of his go-to items.

Since I’ve discovered Tide Pods, however, I might redirect him to focus on other heavy items. A box of Tide Pods is not heavy at all, which is odd because, like it’s jug-filled counterparts, it is extremely effective stain-fighting detergent. You can buy Tide Pods at Target, and the ones I bought smell really sweet. Plus, I find laundry a little more bearable when I don’t have to struggle with the jug.

Also? Target has a subscription service to which you can add Tide Pods, so they’re delivered to your door.

In case you did not strike the jackpot in this arena and need to maintain 50% or greater participation in the quest for clean linens in your home, I can share my other three approaches.

#1 Weekday Assignments
In this model, best for stay-at-home or work-from-home parents, Monday is for kids clothing, Tuesday for adult clothing, Wednesday for sheets and towels, Thursday is a day off from laundry, and Friday is reserved for making up for catastrophes such as peed-in beds, vomit, lice, etc. In other words, if you have to launder sheets unexpectedly on Monday, you can do your kids clothing on Friday.
I don’t really live my life this rigidly, but making up rules for myself gives me some structure that reminds me of these tasks. I used this system when Ryan traveled more for work and left more of the laundry duties to me.

#2 The Reward System
This framework is a way of bribing myself. Whatever treat I am looking forward to can only be earned by making progress with laundry. Perhaps it is Permission to Have Morning Beverage. Or maybe, TV Show Can Be Watched While Folding. I mean, if I fell asleep watching The Good Wife last night, and all I have to do is toss dirty clothes and a Tide Pod into the washer to earn my right to finish the episode, I will get right on that.

#3 Daily Routine
I once read a book about how to be a “Happy Housewife”, even though I was a working mom. The author suggested that every morning should start by putting in a load of laundry and that one must fold and put away as soon as it’s dry. The natural consequences of letting clean laundry sit around are that you may have to iron. Almost none of my wardrobe must be ironed, but I suppose that’s what keeps my husband moving, as it’s his button-down shirts that can get wrinkled. I’m guessing those of you whose main obstacle is moving from the dryer to the closet have already given up on this system.

Do you use one of these approaches or the age-old Wait-Til-I’m-Out-Of-Underwear System?

Sponsored by Tide.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.