WHETHER YOU’RE JUST taking care of your own laundry or managing the washing of an entire family of people, keeping our clothes clean is one of the most time-consuming jobs there is.

Throw in regular trips to the gym or kids who play sports and we all know that spending time gathering laundry, actually doing the washing and then leaving it all out to dry takes up a decent chunk of our free time.

In this week’s edition of Taskmaster, we’re looking at ways to save time when doing laundry so you have more time to focus on relaxing. 

Pre-sort your washing

Getting your family to use separate hampers for lights and darks is easier said than done, but if you can pull it off then it’s guaranteed to save you time down the line.

Instead of having to sift through items individually, if you already have separate hampers for dark and for light then much of your work is done for you before you even get going.

Make sure that your hampers are clearly labelled and that everyone knows where their various colours are supposed to go. You won’t believe how much more efficient this makes the process.

Get everything else ready

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One of the handy things about doing the washing is that it gives you the chance to do something else while you wait. Usually, doing the laundry is followed by certain other jobs — folding, drying, ironing. Use the time between the start and the end of the spin cycle to get everything else ready so you’re maximising your time. 

Drying (and the towel trick)

As the months get colder and wetter, there’ll be less good drying out in the evenings. This means you have to be smart about your drying strategy. At this time of your, you’re much better off skipping the clothesline completely and focusing instead on your clothes horse. 

It may take up more space, but you will definitely save time compared to leaving clothes out on the line where they are almost guaranteed to become wet again unless you are extra-vigilant. 

If you have a dryer, one way to save time on drying is to use the towel trick. This involves adding a clean, dry towel to your laundry when it goes into the dryer. The towel will actually help soak up the moisture from the rest of the laundry, meaning that your clothes will be ready to go even sooner. 

Enlist help from your family

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Doing the laundry isn’t just one job, but several little jobs added together. This means that everyone in the family can do their part and help out. 

Even young children can help with things like separating clothes by type, or folding small items such as socks. Getting the kids involved in your laundry saves time and teaches your children about the importance of doing household tasks in a timely way. 

If you’ve taken on the responsibility of doing the washing, make sure to get help with some of the other steps. It’s only fair!