How to Get Your Kids to Help with the Laundry Routine!

Find out how to get your kids to help out with the laundry routine as part of a shop that has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Wisk60 #CollectiveBias

With three young boys, a mother runner and a father who mountain bikes, our family generates A LOT of laundry! I often joke that it multiplies overnight and when I’m not looking! In order to stay on top of the mounds of wash, I’ve figured out some ways to get the kids involved in our laundry routine. I’m excited to share them with you, so you can get some help too!

• Make Sure Dirty Clothes are Actually Dirty— This may sound kind of common sense, but let me tell you it’s an important point to get across to your kids! I have had to sit down with the boys many times to explain that clothes can be worn more than once without being washed (okay, maybe not as often with my boys!).
• Dirty Clothes Go in the Hamper or They Don’t Get Washed!— One of the biggest issues with kids is that they drop laundry everywhere! Getting into pajamas? Clothes are often strewn onto the floor and left there for someone else to pick up! Let your kids know that in order for their dirty clothes to be washed, their laundry must be in the hamper, period. The way I ensure that the boys follow through  with this rule is to pick up any clothes left over at the end of the day and put them in my own basket. They are gone for a week (or however long you think they need to disappear to make an impression!).You can also have them “earn” their clothes back by helping with additional laundry chores! Your children will learn very quickly that if they want to wear their favorite shirt, pants, dress, skirt, they better make sure it goes in the hamper if it’s dirty!
• Sort Laundry Into Lights and Darks— Kids are very good at sorting, and separating the wash into lights and darks is a simple task that they can do easily. I like to make sorting into a game or contest between the two older boys by timing them to see how quickly they can finish sorting. Give a small reward to the winner and encourage some healthy competition!

• Put Away Their Laundry— When the wash is done, I take it upstairs and place each boy’s clean clothing on his bed. He is responsible for making sure that it is put away by bed time. Surprisingly, they don’t usually give me a hard time putting it away. I make it a bit easier by separating it into piles of shirts, pants, underwear, etc.
• Carry Laundry Down to the Laundry Room— Believe it or not, kids can be very helpful emptying the hamper and bringing their wash down to the laundry room. I purchased slightly smaller laundry baskets, so that my 5 year-old can easily carry down a basket of laundry (and bring the clean clothes back upstairs!).

You can download a printable list of these tips HERE! 

Don’t Just Wash It Wisk It!

While grocery shopping last week at Walmart, I picked up Wisk Deep Clean® Original to help me conquer my piles of laundry! It’s Wisk’s 60th anniversary— did you know it was the first liquid laundry detergent? Its patented blend of Micro-Cleaners® helps get the dirt and grime out of your kids’ dirty clothes and sweat and body oils out of active wear (like my stinky running gear!).

If you have sensitive skin, there’s also a Wisk Deep Clean® Free & Pure. Check your newspaper on April 10 for a coupon!

What are YOUR tips and tricks for getting the kids to help with the laundry routine?