Laundry is one of those household jobs that never seems to be finished. As soon as you wash one load there’s another one waiting for you.

The key to beating the never-ending cycle is to develop a laundry routine that works for your household. A laundry routine ensures everything that needs to be washed gets done every week without you having to stress about it.

Here are our tips for a successful laundry routine:

Do it as often as you need to

Find a frequency that works for your household that allows you to put on a full load every time, but that doesn’t allow for running out of towels or socks or underwear. Allocate days and times for the laundry and add it to your schedule like you would any other appointment.

Tackle stains as soon as they occur

You’ll make your job much easier if you tackle stains as soon as they happen. We’ve got a great article to help you deal with certain types of stains.

Set the timer

You should never have to hang around waiting for your washing machine to finish its cycle. Most modern machines have a timer you can set to begin an hour before you wake up in the morning. Then you can hang the clothes out to dry as soon as you get up, and you’re already done for the day!

Get the washing into the basket

One of the biggest problems households face with the laundry (especially if there are kids involved) is that laundry that needs to be done doesn’t make it to the hamper. It ends up stuffed in school bags, hiding under the bed, in a pile in the corner, or in the back of the car. Once a week, give everyone a mission to run around the house and collect all the straggling dirty laundry and toss it in the hamper so it can get washed.

Wash loads by person

Many people find it saves time on folding and putting clothes away to wash clothes by person – that is, one load = all clothes from the same person. Once the load is dry you can place it back in their bedroom so they can put it away themselves.

Fold as you take clothes off the line

For any clothing that doesn’t need to be ironed, fold it as it comes off the line. You’ve just saved yourself so much time and hassle!

I hope these simple tips help you create a great laundry routine. What other laundry tips can you share with us on the Living Green Facebook page?