Stupid Simple Laundry System for Families Without a Utility Room
Our family of six uses a simple laundry system that might seem “stupid” because it is so basic! But, it works for us. And any system that helps me feel on top of my household chores is a winner in my book.
If you are looking for a how to manage laundry for a small crowd, and wanting to find a way that doesn’t involve complicated schedules, charts, dividing clothes into various colored categories, multiple hampers, or remembering to empty dirty laundry from various storage locations, this may be a simple laundry system that would work for you!
We live in a small, 2-bedroom cottage, with no dedicated laundry room. Our washing machine is in our (only) bathroom. So we need a system to keep laundry from piling up ANYWHERE.
We don’t have the luxury of space for multiple hampers. Or a room we can stack piles of dirty or clean clothes in.
So I’ve developed this low stress, sustainable, family-inclusive, daily, simple laundry system to keep our clothes clean and our space tidy.
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Our Small-Space Laundry Setup
How exactly do you do laundry in a small space? You maximize what space and storage you have as much as possible!
Our washer is located behind our bathroom door. The bathroom isn’t large, but with a small vanity and a small shower, there is enough room for a washing machine.
Shortly after we moved into this cottage a little over 3 years ago, I asked my husband to build a platform to elevate our washing machine. We did it DIY style, using plywood and 2×4’s, but you can purchase heavy duty washer platforms off Amazon if you want.
I love having a platform. Our washing machine is a front loader, so the platform elevates the door by about 14 inches, which means it is easier to get laundry out of the drum of the washer.
Additionally, having the washer elevated gives us space to utilize storing a large, sometimes heavy basket UNDER the machine.
Under our washer’s platform is a rectangular basket that we use as a laundry hamper. It has a handle on the front, which prevents it from sliding all of the way under the washing machine. So it’s easy to slide in and out.
Above the washing machine, we have open shelves that hold laundry detergent and stain remover. These shelves serve as our “utility room,” housing various cleaning supplies. And they also keep our restocks of shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, etc.
We prefer to keep as much of the individual components of our laundry system centralized in our bathroom. So we don’t have dirty clothes hampers in the bedrooms.
The kids bring their dirty clothes to the washing machine each night when they change (half of the time, they are jumping into the shower anyhow). And my husband and I follow the same strategy.
What does this “Stupidly Simple Laundry System” look like as a daily laundry routine for families?
The wash/dry/fold/put away laundry cycle looks like this:
- Throughout the day: Dirty clothes go straight into the washing machine drum as they get dirty.
- Evening: Once everyone changes out of their clothes for the day, my husband or I (whichever is changing LAST) add detergent to the washer and delay start the machine to begin its washing cycle about 6AM. We wash all clothes on “cold” (unless someone is sick) so there is no need to separate darks and lights.
- Early morning: the machine washes the load of laundry and spins it out. It is ready to transfer to the drying stage of the cycle by 8am, which is about when the kids are starting their morning chores.
- Morning: the child assigned “laundry helping chores” for the term checks the dryer (out in the storage shed) and brings in any dry clothes in our laundry basket (we just have one). They empty the dry clothing onto the table, couch, or my bed, then move the clean clothes from the washing machine to the laundry basket and drag it to the front door.
- Mid-Morning: My husband or I cycle the wet laundry into the drying stage, either hang drying on our laundry line or putting the clothes into the dryer and starting the dry cycle.
- Sometime during the day/evening (during homeschooling, during quiet rest time, or possibly in the evening after the kids are in bed): We fold or hang the clean, dry clothes and put it away. If my husband or I fold the clothes at night after the kids are asleep, we’ll leave their clean clothes on the dining room table and they put their laundry away in the morning before we need the table for breakfast.
For a Video On this Topic of Our Simple Laundry System:
If you’d like to watch a video where I explain how this system works, feel free to check out my video on our laundry system on my youtube channel:
Our Simple System’s Laundry Chores for Kids
Each morning, our three older kids (ages 7, 5, and 3) have a few chores to do before breakfast.
Our simple “before breakfast” chores help our household start off the day in an organized way. AND it gives the kids something to focus on while breakfast is getting prepped. (Win-win!)
We typically shuffle the chores between the kids (depending on their skills and capabilities!) about every 10-12 weeks. This gives the kids a chance to learn new chores and master them reliably before moving on to a new chore.
And the kids usually get “tired” of doing their regular morning chore, but need to press through for awhile before they get to change out that chore for a different one. I personally feel this progression is a valuable character-building lesson in life!
One child is assigned to be the “laundry helper” for the term, which means they are responsible for:
- Checking the dryer in the storage shed each morning for clean, dry laundry
- Bringing any dry laundry from the storage shed into the house
- Unloading the washing machine once the morning laundry load is spun out and placing all the wet clothes in the laundry basket, and dragging the laundry basket to the front door
My husband and I stay actively involved in our simple laundry system every day. But we’ve also identified parts of the daily laundry cycle that our kids can easily help with, and we’ve given them opportunities to start contributing to our family’s clothes-washing routine.
Simple Laundry System Drying and Folding: How to stay on top of laundry
The key to our simple laundry system is consistency. We do a full cycle every day, from wash to put-away. This keeps both dirty and clean laundry from piling up.
When the weather’s nice, I hang wet clothes on our 72-foot clothesline on the covered deck. It saves electricity and feels grounding and therapeutic. Plus, it encourages the kids to come outside and sometimes help out!
We originally installed the clothesline because we didn’t have a dryer. Though it blocks a bit of sunlight into the kitchen and makes our main entrance a bit of a laundry maze, it’s conveniently right outside the front door.
On busy days or when the weather’s bad, we use the dryer in our storage shed. We could have stacked the dryer inside. But that would’ve sacrificed shelving space in the bathroom. Since we added the dryer months after moving in, it wasn’t a priority.
We don’t have space to let clean laundry sit around, so we fold it the same day it dries, often on the dining table. This might happen during homeschool, before dinner, or in the evening while supervising the kids.
We intentionally keep our wardrobes minimal (see our kids’ clothing storage system post), which helps us stay on top of the laundry cycle. We even place laundry where it gets in the way to remind ourselves to fold it and put it away!
Our kids often help with folding and putting things away. Involving them from a young age helps them learn where things go and how to fold properly, turning laundry into a shared, everyday routine.
Family Laundry Rules for our Simple Laundry System:
There are several family laundry rules we have instituted to help keep this simple laundry system functioning smoothly:
- Everyone takes their own dirty laundry to the bathroom as soon as they remove their dirty clothes.
If the machine door is open, dirty laundry goes directly into the drum. If the machine door is closed (ie: if it is running or the clothes are clean), dirty laundry goes into the basket under the washing machine - Clean, unfolded laundry must be folded before bed.
- Folded laundry must be put away before the next meal. Using the dining room table as the folding location helps make this happen.
- Everyone contributes in age and capability appropriate ways.
While our kids are not required to do their own laundry start to finish, they are being exposed to the steps of the laundry cycle. And they are each given responsibility over aspects of the process regularly and with enough time to master those steps.
Why This Simple Laundry System Works for Our Small Space Living Family:
This system has evolved naturally in our home over the past few years. And because it has been such a natural process, it feels like it is working really well.
Specifically, some of the reasons this systems works so well in our 650 square foot cottage is because:
- Our laundry is as centralized as possible (in our bathroom/utility room). There are no dirty clothes hampers stacking up dirty laundry in various locations around the house.
- This system is integrated into our daily life and our kids’ routines. By giving our kids steps in the process, we all help to keep the system consistent.
- It fits our small space. We’ve done some creative things with maximizing our space, such as elevating the washing machine and storing the dryer in the storage shed.
- This system reduces mental load for my husband and me. We don’t have to keep track of what day to do laundry, or sorting out different colored clothes. We just follow the same process every day, and it keeps us outfitted in clean clothes!
- Our simple laundry system is flexible. We adjust aspects of it based on the weather. And if our laundry volume is more or less than usual, we just add in an extra wash-dry-fold cycle, or skip it for a day.
Laundry Tips for Large Families:
My biggest advice for managing laundry in a large family is to do a full laundry cycle every single day. Letting dirty (or clean) laundry pile up makes the task overwhelming fast, especially with constant turnover.
To keep it simple, rethink traditional laundry habits. Build a system that actually helps YOU stay on top of daily laundry.
In our home, we skip bedroom hampers entirely. Instead, we use the washing machine drum as the main hamper, with a small overflow basket under the washer. This keeps dirty clothes moving straight into the wash.
We also fold laundry on the dining room table. It may seem inconvenient, but it motivates us to fold and put things away daily, since the table needs to be cleared regularly.
By embracing the quirks of our small space, like having the washer in the bathroom and no utility room, we’ve created a practical, efficient laundry routine that works for our family.
You don’t need a fancy laundry room to stay on top of things. With the right habits and use of space, any home can support a simple laundry flow.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start by observing how your current system either helps or hinders daily laundry progress. Then tweak it to fit your home, family size, and routine.
Laundry systems are personal and vary based on lifestyle and layout, but the goal is the same: make it doable every day.
If this approach resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your own system in the comments, and if this post helped you, please share it on Pinterest or social media. Your support means a lot!
