Laundry Routine ~ Retirement Version

A family’s laundry routine often changes over the years. A new baby. Children playing sports. Pets. Change of jobs. All of these can alter the way laundry is done. Retirement is another one of those changes and that is where we are right now. Here is how laundry is currently working in our home now that David has retired.

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Laundry Routine ~ Retirement Version

After David retired he started throwing in a load of his laundry now and then. Which was great and much-appreciated. However, since he can’t read my mind he didn’t know that I might have planned to do a load only to find his clothes in the washer.

It occurred to me that I could set up a daily schedule and designate a day for him to do his laundry. Brilliant, right?

So here is what our weekly laundry schedule looks like…

Monday:

towels, bath mat

We have towel hooks on either side of the tub/shower in our ensuite bathroom. There was a time when towels in our household were only used once and then tossed in the hamper. That was how I grew up. In fact, we each used one towel on our body and one on our hair. There were five of us in my family and Mom was constantly doing laundry. I did the same when our kids were growing up (aside from the separate towels for the hair thing). Then after the kids were grown it occurred to me that David and I were capable of hanging our towels carefully to dry after our showers each day and I didn’t have to wash them after a single use. Now I wash them twice a week.

We also each have a hand towel that hangs on a ring on either side of the bathroom mirror, plus a bath mat. There is also a white throw rug in front of our sink but that gets washed about every third wash. And the shower curtain liner gets washed about once a month or as needed.

Tuesday:

my clothing

I do my clothing in two loads. The first is underwear and the second is my dresses and nightgowns.

Wednesday:

David’s laundry

Wednesday is his designated laundry day. He was washing his clothing in one load together but jeans take so much longer to dry than the rest. He now does them separately.

Thursday:

towels, bath mat

Friday:

kitchen linens

I have a galvanized bucket in the laundry room for dish cloths, dish towels, cleaning rags and cloth napkins. Damp items get hung on the rim of the bucket until dry. This load gets a long, hot cycle with bleach.

Saturday:

sheets

Saturday is the day I wash sheets. I actually CAN fold a fitted sheet quite well but I prefer to put the freshly washed sheets right back on the bed. I also iron the top 12 inches or so of the top sheet and all of the pillow cases. I listen to an audiobook while I’m doing this and enjoy the ritual.

I occasionally do a second load in which I wash the blanket, mattress pad, bedspread or pillow covers. I rotate through these additional bedding items.

Sunday:

cat bedding

We have five cats. They come and go through a pet door during the day but at night we put them all up in the laundry room and close the pet door to keep them safe from predators. They sleep on the washer, dryer and chest freezer where we have cozy bedding for them. On Sundays I shake the blankets outside and wash them. I have two sets of everything so I just alternate them.

This load gets the addition of laundry sanitizer, as well as a long, hot cycle.

Miscellaneous:

There are other household items that need washed periodically but not necessarily on a weekly basis. Throw blankets, curtains, table cloths, coats, sweaters, etc. get washed as needed on one of the days when I am only doing a single load.

This current system is working really well for us at this stage in our lives. One or two loads a day is easily manageable and I’m never behind on laundry. The other nice thing about this system is that if I were to become ill or for some other reason unable to do the laundry, there is a clear plan for David to follow. Yes, he absolutely does know how to do all of the laundry. No, he cannot fold a fitted sheet. He thinks I’m a witch because I can – ha!

You may also enjoy these older laundry posts…

Setting Up a Laundry System