9 Tips to Do Laundry Easier!
Sheets hanging on clotheslines. Photo by Pexels.
Like so many other people, my grandmother’s washer and dryer sat in the basement. She lived in a two-story house and would carry the laundry up and down three flights of stairs multiple days a week.
The woman would even hang up her clothes on a wire clothesline outside on warm, sunny days. It just makes me physically tired thinking about the amount of work she used to do!
My favorite memory was Granny’s laundry stick. Granny was a very petite woman and probably stood at 4’ 10” on a good day. She stood on a repurposed wooden crate with shag carpeting and wielded the laundry stick to give her leverage when shoving clothes down in the water of the top loader washer. The laundry stick also retrieved clothes at the bottom of the washing machine, broke up clumps of laundry detergent, pushed buttons on the back panel, and picked up dropped items from the floor.
In a comical way, the laundry stick was even used for disciplining grandchildren. It makes me giggle nowadays thinking about Granny threatening us naughty grandchildren by maliciously waving the laundry stick.
Aw, memories!
Unfortunately, Granny’s laundry set up was no bueno for aging in place. There was no way her poor arthritic hands, shoulders, and knees could sustain carrying loads of laundry up and down all of those damned stairs! Her two-story home with three sets of stairs did not support her goal to live at home for a lifetime.
Your home may have a similar setup, and the good news is it’s not the end of the world if you have multiple levels. Here are nine tips on how to make laundry day easier for you and your family!
1) Washer/Dryer Location
First things first, put your washer and dryer on the main level of the house. No stairs make it less likely to drop laundry baskets and clothing while keeping yourself upright! Hopefully, your bedroom is on the main level also, which makes it effortless to carry laundry to and from your closet or chest of drawers! Magnifique!
2) Bigger Doorway
Widen the doorway to the laundry room! In a perfect world, all doorways in the house would be 36 inches. Since we all don’t have the cash on hand to do that, I have another solution for you: offset hinges (AKA swing-away hinges).
Offset hinges move the door out of the door frame and place the door flush against the wall when open. This gives you 1 and 1/2 inches more doorway width to easily go in and out of the room.
Or you could totally remove the door off of the door frame. Hey, whatever saves you from busting up your knuckles while carrying the laundry basket!
(FYI, I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase anything using these links, I receive an itty bitty commission.)
3) Use Front-loading Washers and Dryers
Front-loading washers and dryers help people of all heights because you don’t have to bend and stretch nearly as much to retrieve clothes from the basin. You just open the door and ba-da boom all the clothes are in reach!
As a petite lady, Granny found it easier to get clothes from her front loader dryer compared to the top loader washer!
Also, front-loading machines place the controls on the front panel for easier reaching! No need to strain to reach the back panel while squinting to read the settings.
Washer and dryer controls on a front panel make life so much easier! Photo by Pexels.
4) Elevate the Washer and Dryer
Place the washer and dryer on pedestals for less bending! Pedestal, platform, whatever you want to call it, just raise your washer and dryer off the floor to avoid squatting while getting your clothes in and out.
You can make your own platform at home and customize the height to your preference! This is a true back saver, especially for taller people.
Some people like pedestals with underneath storage. Heck yes, extra storage! We love multifunctional items!
Front loading washer and dryer set on pedestals with underneath storage. Photo by Appliance Connection.
5) Pull-out Shelf
Install a pull-out shelf under the washer and dryer door. Put your basket on the shelf or fold laundry while pulling clothes out of the dryer to reduce wrinkles! A pull-out shelf gives your arms and backs a rest while you efficiently get the job done!
Photo of pull-out shelf under washer and dryer by Decor Pad.
6) Make Stuff Easy to Get!
Place laundry supplies in easy to reach spots. Don’t overexert yourself while standing on your tiptoes to get that gallon of bleach on the top shelf!!
Surely there’s an open shelf or a cabinet with a pull-down or pull-out shelves you could place it in! Rearrange your laundry supplies and get creative!
I wrote an article about using pull-down and pull-out shelves for kitchen storage, but the same principles apply for laundry storage too! To learn more about pull-down and pull-out shelves, click here!
7) Do One Load of Laundry a Day!
Conserve your energy throughout the week and do one load a day. That way, you’re avoiding the marathon folding session.
There’s no rule that all laundry must be done on one single day. Make your house chores fit your needs and lifestyle!
8) Change the Washer/Dryer Doors to Open Easier
Hard time opening the washer and dryer doors? Check out this article on options like switching sides of the door for front-loading machines and more!
9) The Grabber is Your Friend
If you find yourself straining to reach all of the clothes, make your life easier by getting a reacher (AKA grabber)! Or be like Granny and get a homemade laundry stick! This will help you keep your balance and not use so much energy getting clothes out of the washer!
If Granny had this type of set up, I guarantee she would have done laundry up until the day she died. I’m not trying to be macabre; it’s just the honest truth. The woman loved clean clothes! She had a love relationship with Downy and enjoyed the feeling of warm clothes straight from the dryer.
Personally, I consider myself lucky to have my washer and dryer located on the main floor 15 feet away from my bedroom closet. I have bi-fold doors and open shelving to store my laundry supplies. My three year goal is to replace my top-loading washer with a front-loader and place the machines on pedestals to make it easier to reach clothing.
Tell us about your laundry set up? Any plans to change it? Have you already done anything listed above?
What tips can you add to help others do laundry at home for a lifetime? Share your experience in the comments below or share this post with two friends!
Remember, you better do it before you need it!
(Hey, did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)