The Organised Housewife » Tips, ideas, inspiration and motivation to help keep you and your household clean and organised

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Sep 04 2012

20 Days to Organise & Clean your home Challenge – Day 3

Category: Organising

It’s not too late to start!!  Subscribe to the challenge here.  Share your photos on instagram or twitter using #TOH20daychallenge.  Follow along with the discussion on facebook.

<< View the previous task

Please share your progress of today’s challenge below

Laundry - The next room for our challenge is to clean the laundry.  With 5 members in our house, I am washing 6 out of 7 days.  To make it easer on myself I need to keep the laundry tidy and clutter free.  Here is today’s cleaning tasks:

  • Wipe over the laundry sink
  • Clean all benchtops/surfaces
  • Using the brush attachment remove all dust and lint from your dryer
  • Dust your laundry walls (lint and dust does build up due to moisture from the dryer
  • Clean window
  • Clean floor  

Remember just do the tasks above, we will be coming back to the laundry during the challenge to organise and clean other areas.

Here are a few posts I have shared previously about organising the laundry:  

Laundry Pile – That’s right declutter your laundry pile by organising the dirty laundry.  This is one of my most used organising solutions in our home.  In fact I recently needed a new dryer and I had to purchase one that I could mount on the wall as I didn’t want to move our laundry system out of the laundry.  Visit this page here for more details about organising the dirty laundry and why I love this system so much.

 

Laundry Routine - The washing is very much like ground-hog day, however it needs to be done otherwise we won’t have clean clothes to wear. I have a really bad memory, I used to use ‘baby brain’ as an excuse, but my youngest is now 7, so that doesn’t hold up.  Creating a laundry routine ensures that I remember to wash everything needed and that the kids go to school at the end of the week with clean uniforms and we eat on a clean tablecloth.   

My washing schedule:

Monday – colours

Tuesday – bedsheets

Wednesday – darks

Thursday – kitchen linens

Friday – bath towels

Saturday – whites & darks

Sunday – day off

I have created some framed prints for my laundry to keep on top of it and remember which load needs to be run each day.  Keeping to schedule also allows me to have a day off each Sunday! 

I have placed the prints in frames, brightens up a rather ordinary room.

These prints are available in my shop and can be personalised

Put on a load of washing.  I put on a load of washing before I start our evening routine, then hang it out to dry that evening as I live on the glorious Gold Coast the sun is up before I am and has it dried by mid morning.  Add ‘put on a load of washing’ to your evening or morning routine to help you stay on top of it.  Here are some suggestions:  

  • Put washing on in the evening and hang on the line before breakfast
  • Put washing on before breakfast hang before leaving for work/school run

 Polish or dust 2 pieces of furniture

Day 3 checklist (place in tasks divider)

  

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  • helen

    All of this is going to have to wait until I get back from Sydney – due to family illness – but i still have my lists in all my separate areas so they’ll be there when i’m up to doing it again – and the emails will be waiting when i get home – so i can still download it all

  • Pauline

    Great! I don’t have a laundry. Just. Front loader in the kitchen. Will finish off the microwave from day one. Thanks for a great challenge.

  • Paula

    Thank goodness tomorrow is going to be easier! Today’s bedroom challenge was dire. It took me 4.5 hours! I like the mix of hard and easy. Thanks Katrina!

    • http://www.facebook.com/sherelyn.hallam Sherelyn Hallam

      Feel exactly the same, still have a floordrobe in our bedroom to tackle lol :)

  • Wilma

    This is the easy one for me as I have scrubbed my laundry from top to bottom only 3 weeks ago.. Also did the cupboards en decluttered them.. I do or at least try to do a load of washing a day to stay on top so my laundry pile is really to small to declutter LOL. One thing I added to my laundry was a small waste basket on the benchtop marked “odd socks” Everytime I fold the laundry and there is socks without mates I put them in the “bin” and once a week go through to see if I can make up pairs. Also have a small holder for the “finder’s keepers” I find in the washing machine ( I never go through pockets and my family knows it, what I find I keep).. So tomorrow I will just tidy my laundry up a bit and try to declutter my really messy desk instead…

  • Giggling Gerty

    Hi katrina. Had an ‘eventful’ day 1 (will enlighten you later, but not now as I’m still going on my day 2 tasks). Needless to say i have my bench top & bedroom floor back again!! Yey!!! Now i know it kinda defeats the purpose of your daily challenges, but my mum is coming on Sunday, so in amongst the task you r setting i am doing extra in other areas of the house in prep for her arrival. Now so i don’t double up this wk with your targeted areas i was hoping you could let me know what rooms/areas are planned for Thursday & Friday. Thanku so much… This challenge is awesome!!! Juanita

  • Teresa

    Hi Katrina I love the challange so far just a question do you have recycling suggestion for some of your storage solutions as I’m not always in a finacial position to buy things from tuppaware or from howards so other suggestions would be great but i love your site and enjoy waking up knowing what I am doing thanks heaps Teresa.

  • Janine

    I still need to do the main bedroom, it’ll probably have to be the weekend, as I’m at work fulltime, like others on here, but the laundry one I might squeeze in tonight or get up early again to complete it like I did the kitchen this morning!!! But it was good to leave to work leaving behind a tidy kitchen!!! I’m not worried about the rest of the house but at least I’ve got one tidy room so far!!!!

    • Caz

      That’s exactly my plan too Janine. I’m going to highlight/tag things I don’t get to and either do them on the weekend or a later date if they’re not as high on my priority list. As I’ve already organised my dirty washing a la Kat’s I’ve got a head start on the laundry list :-)

      • Jell

        I’ve started a “still to do” list which I add anything I didn’t finish, or that I’m leaving for a later date. This challenge may well take me more than 20 days!

    • http://twitter.com/lil_hawks Liz Hawkins

      same here janine, don’t put pressure on yourself, just do what you (we) can. and even if it takes twice as long… it’a a plan and for me it’s huge steps in the right direction x

    • http://www.facebook.com/sharon.young.5836 Sharon Young

      I started a day late so went straight to cleaning the master bedroom (which was worse anyway). I will be doing the kitchen on the weekend when my hubby can take the kids to the park.

  • http://www.facebook.com/vikki.little.56 Vikki Little

    hehe am I a cheat if I have no laundry tub cupboard, no drier, no iron, no ironing board etc? My laundry room is a wall tub and a washing machine…….
    I have however done our bedroom and just need hubby to put his washing away lol

  • Anne

    Have really needed this challenge. It’s breaking it into little pieces! So far kitchen is still looking great and my room is looking nice again! Tomorrows challenge is going to be a piece of cake!

  • Jodie

    Wow today was a full on day but I have my bedroom back, Thankyou .

  • http://www.facebook.com/maryanne.greenhill Maryanne Greenhill

    <3 it!

  • http://www.facebook.com/kianne.humberstone Kianne Humberstone

    looking forward to this one tomorrow. Will also use tomorrow to do the bedroom floor that i didn’t get done today. Helps that we are packing to move as i do the challenge.

  • Barbara

    Took me ages to do the bedroom. I’m really tired. Only thing i haven’t done is the wardrobe mirrors. At least the bedroom is tidy.

  • Cara

    Thank you for throwing an easy one in!! The dusting today killed me lol! Doing the washing is one of my jobs that I actually enjoy! Although I am looking forward to the little ones growing up so I don’t need to wash nappies & can store all of my cleaning products in the laundry cupboard :-)

  • Chellie

    I’m freaking out…I’m still trying to finish day 1, let alone starting on day 2 and now day 3… I think its going to take me more than 20 days… But its great to hve a broken down list of things coz this place is out of control and I just didn’t know where to start… I’ll get there eventually just maybe a few weeks after everyone else… I’ve taken before shots as I go, but im not sure i want to share them lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/lisa.maher.946 Lisa Maher

    easy done I have no laundry my washing machine is in the carport. I think tomorrow might be finish building the kitchen pantry day.

  • Shan

    I love this challenge so far – my kitchen and bedroom are looking fantastic!! My laundry is downstairs and just a washing machine, tub, and shelf :-( Not much I can do in the way of fixing that but will give it all a nice scrub and sweep!

  • Tammy

    oooh, an easier challenge!

    Still working on the kitchen, but it looks so much better already. The 20-something bubble canisters now live outside, the dead CDs are going to school tomorrow to be turned into hens, my servery window is clear, I have a sink and a bench… But the hutch, top of the fridge, ornaments, walls and cupboard doors have yet to be done.
    Got my bedding washed and aired, mattress turned and bed made. May yet get to vacuuming, but the rest will have to wait since I still have dinner to prepare and floors that need a quick vacuum before hosting Bible study tonight.

    I am pretty good at staying on top of my laundry schedule. I have 3 kids, 2 at school with dark green uniforms, hubby wears a lot of red, me browns and oranges, daughter pinks and purples. So:
    Monday: reds (after weekend overload on pink!)
    Monday night: towels (after swimming lessons and bath)
    Tuesday: sheets from my bed
    Wednesday: day off – busy day anyway! Or a catch up load.
    Thursday:kids sheets
    Friday night: whites (mostly underwear, school shirts and socks)
    Saturday: darks, often 2 loads
    Sunday: day off.

    It’s the folding and ironing that I can’t keep on top of.

    • Mum of Many

      Find someone at Church or a school mum that will iron for you in return for something else. No money exchanged – just a helping hand. eg she irons for you, you return an evening meal in a foil container enough to feed her family. I am a mum of 5 in 7 years and I did this with my sister in law who only had 2. As my children are now all adults most of there clothes needed ironing not like the stuff today that if folded quickly doesnt need an iron. Hope this suggestion helps!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/sharon.young.5836 Sharon Young

      I fold as I get it off the line. I hate to iron so I try to buy clothes that don’t need it. Any ironing needs to be asked for and I will iron each night while watching TV.

    • Tammy

      Perfect timing! Have done the “special care” items of laundry today – hubby’s under the house, crawling in the dirt and spiderwebs clothes, and youngest’s sheepskin rug (he’s a tummy sleeper who has just had sinusitis…), and now my machine is asking to be cleaned (Yes, it does ask. “it has now been xxx washes since I was last cleaned. Please run a Clean Me cycle”)
      Busy busy day though, so the actual cleaning hasn’t happened, but a little more organised in other areas of the house after getting some baskets and so on while doing groceries today.

  • katerina

    loving this challenge,its made it fun and i really look forward to each day’s task,not knowing what’s next makes cleaning exciting and only doing a room at a time is helping me to still have plenty of time for my 2 little ones ;)

  • Caroline

    Thank god my kids have been sick today because it has taken me most of the day to do todays main room still not finished.

  • Carly

    Bedroom is almost done and the laundry will take about half an hour as I recently cleaned it from top to bottom. I did the windows and washed the curtains so happy to be a little bit behind in some areas but ahead in others. It all sorts itself out in the wash eh? hee hee laundry pun. Still need to do a few tasks from day 1 so I should be on track by the end of tomorrow. Does anyone know some good tips for cleaning metal heating ducts (the kind on the floor)? I’m thinking of giving them a wash and drying outside in the sun tomorrow but don’t want to end up with rust :)

  • A.K.A.Mum

    My washing routine is very simple – every morning I check if there’s enough clothes for a load. If it’s great drying weather (sunny, warm or breezy, preferably at least two) I’ll get as much done as I have time for and/or can fit on the line. My favourite days are in summer where one loads is ready to come off hte line when the next one goes on!

    If it’s cold and wet, I’ll do one medium load with the most important stuff (underwear, uniforms) as it has to go on clotheshorses in the loungeroom. I live just down the road from four-seasons-in-one-day Melbourne. We currently don’t have anywhere undercover to hang washing and I
    prefer to keep my dryer for finishing things off (usually a Conni
    (mattress protector) that needs to be put back on my son’s bed) instead
    of drying whole loads. And I help out at school two mornings per week
    and work part-time so time is sometimes limited though I work from home so it’s easy to dash out and bring the washing in if it’s about to start raining!

    Love the sorting system. Will keep that in mind for our next house which IS going to have a decent-sized laundry! Ours is currently one hamper in our room and one between the kids’ bedroom and bathroom doors.

    Half the kitchen is done and I will tackle a couple of bedroom jobs today. Any progress is better than none! Really enjoying the motivation from the challenges and will get there eventually.

    • Caris

      I do exactly the same thing

    • Tracey Appel

      Yes know the feeling I also live in Melbourne, there never is enough sunlight here! Sometimes still wish I lived in Queensland for that reason only. My laundry here is also small 1250mm X 800mm not loads of room I went and bought a six cube display shelf unit and added some wicker baskets , great storage for all my laundry supplies , I also hung my bucket off the wall

  • Siobhan Ewing

    OMG this is amazing! I now have the cleanest master bedroom I think I have ever had, and it’s all thanks to The Organised Housewife!!! I’ve needed you in my life so bad, where have you been all this time!! Thank you, thank you! I’m finding this especially helpful because I have the tendency to get sidetracked and start cleaning something else, therefore never finishing what I started to and getting all overwhelmed. Tomorrow is Laundry, oh boy! One thing I do with my laundry is have a 3-sectioned hamper and sort my dirty stuff that way (we are a house of 4, including 2 kids under 4). I’ve never been so excited about housecleaning in my life and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the checklists! Thank you! (again)

  • http://www.facebook.com/leonie.cukela Leonie Cukela

    OMG love love your idea to organise the laundry. I’m always digging through to find the whites/colours ect to make up a load then just shoving it all back into the one basket. Will be finding myself one of these draws. Thanks

  • Tigger341969

    We just renovated our laundry and it is so much easier to keep clean. I have pull out baskets in place of some of the shelves in the cupboard which keeps it tidy. We live where it gets very cold in winter so I installed a drop down clothes line against the wall. Like the one in your photo but bigger. We also have a heating vent from the ducted heating going Ito the laundry so our clothes dry over night

  • http://www.facebook.com/nursechicken Manda Price

    well i did this as part of my preclean! thankfully this will give me a chance to catch up on the last two days as i had to work the night shift!
    thanks for the inspiration! exactly what i needed!!
    keep up the good work

  • http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.mahony.3 Rebecca Mahony

    So far so good! The bedroom was easy for me because we literally have a bed and a laundry hamper in our bedroom. (now when you get to the WIR i will be having conniptions lol) The kitchen was a big task but i finished it off today and am looking forward to doing the laundry tomorrow (it is crying out for some organisation). Just having a morning and evening routine has been a revelation for me and this challange couldn’t have come at a better time as our 2nd baby is due late october and I have been sick with this pregnancy so I am in a HUGE mess. Keep it coming!!!

  • Sandy

    My main bedroom looks amazing! And i even put my white quilt cover that i bought ages ago and was too afraid to put it on for fear of getting dirty straight away, but it looks beautiful on my bed! The room feels fresh and airy! Now my laundry its the worst room in my house, its so messy but mostly with clothes, i have baskets but they seem to get full too quickly and then ppl in the house start placing clothes on top of the laundry benches etc.. or even on the floor…sigh!

    • verybusysupermumma

      I wonder if saying ‘dumping on the floor means you have to pick it up – and you aren’t picking up dirty laundry therefore it won’t get washed’ might solve that problem. I do this coz it’s my pet peeve too!! grrrr

  • http://www.facebook.com/melindadp Melinda Di Palma

    I brought a heap of cloth storage bins from bunnings when they were on clearnace, so Im thinking of using these for a laundry hamper. I agree with someone else who said that it makes cleaning exciting waiting to find out what job will next be tackled. And I am loving the printables.

    I was at Ikea (Richmond) today and noticed that they have something similar to your basket system. The frame was $10, and then the wire baskets were $4 each if anyone is interested.

    • http://twitter.com/CaitlinTownson Caitlin Townson

      if only i had an ikea :(

  • Guest

    I don’t think anyone in Perth will be changing and washing their sheets today. I don’t think we’ve had such a stormy day in a very long time. The sheets would have ended up in the trees, lol. I always try to keep my room lovely, but I did it anyway because there are just some jobs I don’t really do. (Such as wash the chandalier type light fitting and clean out our bedside drawers)

  • stayathometerritory

    Have you been spying in my house? The laundry is the one room that desperately needs a clean!

  • http://www.facebook.com/julieanne.smith.9 Julie-anne Smith

    YAY! I only have a little alcove for my laundry so this shouldn’t take to long. I also have a set laundry routine as I am the same, 3 kids (4 including hubby) so it is a load of washing before bed that I hang out in the morning (as I live in Tassie this has been straight to an indoor airdryer in front of our heatpump but now that spring is here the outside line is getting a workout) and I put another load on in the morning.

  • http://www.facebook.com/teonie.hoyes Teonie Hoyes

    Well I started my chores a day late, but most of the reccomended tasks I have as a routine anyway, and I am loving the added motivation. Being a mother of five life has always been about routines for us. We all have them even the kids. Today I got yesterdays taks done and was also able to vacuum, wash the windows & clean out the fish tank too. I did have the help of two of my kids that were home from school though. We even managed to get in a beach walk and coffee with a friend – nice! :)

  • Prue

    I might be called halfa, by the time we are through this challenge. I can complete about 50% of what is asked. Even doing so, I don’t mind as I know the minute I get a chance I will continue to work on the not done yet areas. I am loving the motivation you have given me. Thanks. My laundry is not so bad, so maybe tomorrow I will catch up on something else, as well. We will see. :)

  • Sarah Jane

    I’ve been a bit slow today with my bedroom but will finish tonight after kids go to bed. My bedside drawer now looking great. I had a pile of books in there & sewing stuff I could not find lol bedside table od place for it, no idea why I had put it there. Over the last few weeks I’ve been labeling baskets & storage containers so things have there own home. Looking forward to laundry tomorrow as this will be a quick task for me as my laundry was my latest project. I’m starting to believe that a nice clean home is possible & hope you will have tips to how we can maintain our lovely new homes

  • KAte

    yay to a laundry clean up day. Mine is normally pretty tidy but walls and such definitely need a wipe down! I have a spare organiser draw set so now im feeling inspired to get that going. Maybe i should get onto ordering teh cupboards I want put in there.. hmmm food for thought!

  • Natasha

    I am on top of my washing at the moment so I might give my washing machine a wipe over ect as well my dryer lives in the garage for the very reason of lint and dust ect but will wipe my walls over! loving the challenges as the are just enough to fit in my day and im not stressed about unfinished tasks Thanks so much!!!!

  • bec

    how often does everyone wash their sheets, it seems I dont wash mine enough!

    • Eliza

      I do mine once a week and my 11 months old every 3 days :)

    • Holl

      LOL I am an appalling housekeeper, I do my sheets every few weeks but my kids……. Um if they vomit or the seasons change, so bad I know but hey thats why I’m doing this challenge

    • Faye M

      I do ours weekly during the summer. During winter I wash them every 2 or 3 weeks. My Mum said you don’t need to do them so often in winter if you wear long pjs so there’s little contact. True! Hard to dry in winter too. Often I will wash our pillowcases midweek in with a load of clothes.

  • Eliza

    Tonight im taking on the laundry (mine isnt that bad) and the bedroom. Also I think a little trip to howards world will be in order to help declutter and organize :)

  • Nikki

    Have you sneakingly been to my house, you seem to be hitting the hot spots lol, or maybe every room in my house is a hot spot, scarey!

  • Caris

    I have heard if you leave washed laundry unhung for more than 4 hours bacteria starts to multiply in it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/kerry.taylor.165 Kerry Taylor

      I use the timer on my machine. Put the load in at night, set the timer to start at 5 am, then it is ready to hang as soon as I wake up….before the madness begins. I don’t like leaving the wet washing in the machine for long. I sometimes put a load in before we leave for school. If I have a few errands to run, I use the timer so the washing finishes around the time I think I will get home.

      • Shireen Baker

        Same here. Hung the first load out, put the second load in if I need to while doing the school run and hang out when I get back. If it hasn’t finished I do the dishes (or the next thing on the list). After hanging out the 2nd load I put in the next load and put the timer on for the amount of hours till 5am-ish. If the kids come home with something to go in the load they put it in themselves.

    • kerrinish

      Direct sunlight will sanitise it all though. Or just before taking it out to hang it, run a hot rinse cycle through it to refresh it a bit.

    • Leah

      This would depend on the weather where you live (eg. the humidity). Also, sunlight kills nearly everything! – so even if you forget one day, hanging it up in the sunlight should take care of any bacteria on it.

  • Kat

    Well, the bedroom didn’t even get touched today, and there is going to be no time tomorrow… or Thursday… or Friday….
    At least we are attempting to do the morning and evening routines, with mixed success, but will persevere. And the kitchen is tidy! The insides of the cupboards not so much , but the superficial looks pretty good…

  • viv

    Thank you so much….today I needed to make a sausagemeat plait for tea and it was so so easy in my clean kitchen. I wasn’t fighting for bench space , everything was easy to hand and clearing up was so easy as the sink wasn’t full of pots….thanks so much

  • Fez

    I actually had fun doing the first 2 days tasks. I know, isnt it tragic! I enjoyed cleaning my house! Someone call the doctor!! haha My bestie came over today and was gobsmacked at how tidy my kitchen is – which says something cos usually she keeps quiet about me being a piglet lol! Will have to get the tunes pumping tomorrow for laundry day or Ill never make it through that door to what Im currently calling Mummy’s Room of Doom! Just hoping by tomorrow afternoon I can rename it to something less daunting! lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/shea.hughes1 Shea Hughes

    Well, I have now completed Day 2, my bedding is all changed and ready to be washed and hung out tomorrow. I have a waterbed so didn’t flip the mattress of vacuum underneath the bed – and my bedroom was only painted recently so the light fixtures and walls were nice and clean. I was amazed at the amount of crap I had on my bedside tables – seriously, why was there a porridge satchet next to my bed? – and the amount of dust is shocking (horrible mine vehicles near by). Last night I went to bed with a super clean kitchen and today I get to go to bed with lovely clean fresh sheets and a neat & tidy room.

    Tomorrow will be interesting – my laundry is a part of my bathroom so I’m going to segment them with an invisible dividing line and concentrate on the laundry side :) otherwise I’ll be cleaning well into the night!

  • Katy

    One thing I also struggle with is the bed linen with 5 beds to change! Especially with a front loader and in winter. It just doesn’t get dry and I’d have to do at least 3 loads – thats 6 hours of washing and then it’s getting cold of an afternoon! Definitely have to stagger it through the week for me.
    Often I just do the kids pillowcases – they generally go to bed after baths/showers.

  • http://www.facebook.com/lesley.boekeman Lesley Boekeman

    I was dreading the laundry task, the first two task’s were relatively easy as I had done them not long ago. I certainly need a laundry routine.

  • Sara

    Oooh I like this one! I don’t have a separate laundry, it’s all in the kitchen (washing machine only!) and I’m always on top of my washing so easy day for me! Except that gives me time to start on eldest son’s Lego :( !!

  • http://www.facebook.com/trish.montgomery.7946 Trish Montgomery

    My washing gets hung on the line with all tops and dresses hung straight onto coat hangers. pants and smalls get hung normally but socks are almost always next to each other… then folding the laundry isn’t an issue. Socks n jocks get folded as I go and mostly I try to wash, hang and fold each family member’s clothes in loads (Yes I wash whites and coloureds together in cold water and have never had an issue;). I also fold towels and sheets as I take them down. I take out the hangers with me and use them from the line to hang pants as I bring them in. My ironing board is always up in the laundry but only a few things really need ironing if they are hung straight away and it makes a great place to do a final sort. Disclaimers – if it starts to rain, it all just gets piled anyhow, I have three males who don’t care if most things are ironed anyway and my laundry is still not always tidy!

  • Sarah Whitton

    My partner and l get to cheat a little bit here, we have our laundry in our bathroom (with no laundry tub, only a small vanity with a small cupboard underneath) so we will attack this as laundry, but also bathroom, so hitting two birds with one stone!

  • Fiona

    I am loving this 20 day task. I have already done most of each one as on maternity leave and been claning my little heart out, but will be great to keep and refer back too.
    I put my washing on and delay start it so it finishes just before i get up of a morning and then hang it out.

  • Hayley

    So completely at a standstill about what to do with my husband’s bedside cabinet. It is so cluttered with stuff I have no idea what to do with. I asked him if I put it in a box would he sort through it sometime. He said yes. I’m not convinced.

  • Di @ Life is Di-licious

    Katrina, It’s quite fortuitous for me that you chose Laundry for Day 3.

    Overnight my hot water system exploded in the cupboard that’s in our laundry. The ceiling was covered in water as were the walls and floors – the puddle extended through to the kitchen and under the wall to our carpeted walk-in-robe.
    Since 5am this morning, I’ve used up almost every towel in our house to soak up the water and have had the washing machine going overtime to cope. (Luckily Melbourne had a freakishly warm windy day to dry them).
    Consequently I had to pull everything out until the lovely plumber turned up this afternoon with a new tank.
    Needless to say I didn’t get to dedicate Day 2 to the bedroom as planned but I guess I’m halfway through Day 3′s list already.

    I’m looking forward to my shower before bed!

  • Beck S

    my laundry is smaller then small, I have NO room for anything. my husband when we have some dollars is going to install a small cupboard on the wall. We have plans, to take our hot water system and put it outside our kitchen and bathroom, and then make a proper linen cupboard, and storage. We do not use our laundrey sink so for more room we are removing that and giving ourselves a little more room. Fingers crossed this isnt too far away cause my house is driving me nuts!!

  • Sarah

    I am struggling, I am the most unorganized person I know but I’m trying. Is it just because I’m so unorganized that I can’t get through it. Does anyone get through the trifecta in a day of full time work, a cleaning routine, and a healthy eating/ exercise routine? Some days I’ll get through one maybe two but rarely three

  • Jenny

    Its so nice crawling into bed in such a clean master bedroom! Glad it’s an easy one for me tomorrow I’m up to date with washing and my laundry is small so I’m looking forward to a quiter day also maybe doing my bedside draws I didn’t get them done today the rest of the room took so long (but it looks great)! Thanks for inspiring all of us!

  • Bianca

    I find it much easier to do my laundry according to person. I was mine & hubby’s stuff together then i do a separate load for each kid (which will include their bedding) and then another separate load for towels and house stuff like tea towels, clothes, etc. I have found it much easier to stay on top of and if anyone needs a specific item of clothing, I have better chances of finding it!

  • Kathryn

    Does anyone know where I can get one of the laundry sorting baskets drawers thing that Katrina is using in her laundry .. Please help I love this idea !

  • possumperth

    I managed to get all the kitchen cupboards except the pantry done today, threw away heaps of stuff. I even pulled the fridge out & cleaned around it. So happy with what I got done. Have done half the bedroom & look forward to finishing tomorrow. Will attempt the laundry Thursday due to some other things on the agenda. Loving how you’ve put this together & starting to feel a little motivated to get stuff done. Thank you for your inspiration. :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/maree.weeks.5 Maree Weeks

    I’m a day behind, as have had other tasks to do, but my laundry is fairly ok, and I will be able to catch up on the kitchen and master bedroom as I’m home all day tomorrow! Got most of the kitchen done and I declutterd so it looks bigger!
    Keep up the great work!

  • Taza

    changed the beds, did the washing hung it out and omg so windy it was blowing away but only took about 10 mins to dry :)

  • Trudi

    I must live with a bunch of messy people…..I need to wash every night…..kids can’t eat breakfast without spilling food on their pj’s, school clothes are taken off as soon as we get home in the afternoon, sports clothes, swimmers, dance costume etc and then sometimes more clothes if the sun is still up and the kids play outside again. My workclothes plus workout clothes all add up to one big wash each night. I hang out before I go to bed and it is dry by 7 am! Beauty of living in the NT. I also can’t wait a whole week to wash towels….they seem to multiply.

  • http://www.facebook.com/NicoleMTaylor Nicole Taylor

    I take the dirty washing out of the hamper in our room to the laundry when I leave my bedroom, and have a laundry sorting hamper down there (that the kids stuff goes straight into rather than having hampers in every room). So every moring when I put our dirty washing into the sorting hamper I put a load on, and then hang it out once we’ve had breakfast.

    I’m up to date with the washing and have a loose schedule for it already, but the laundry could definitely use a clean

  • http://www.facebook.com/jessica.pilton Jessica Pilton

    I’m really enjoying doing the tasks and they aren’t overwhelming at all! I have 2 under 2 so I’m always busy and I’m finding this is quite manageable! Tomorrow looks like it will be a day off for me, as I gave my laundry a really good clean last week. Yet, I have 3 huge piles of folding & ironing to do. I’m great at washing/hanging out etc but when it comes to putting those clothes away… let just say we live out of the laundry basket sometimes! haha

  • M the Organizer

    I love the sorting of dirty laundry! Great strategy to get the kids involved and take some responsibility for laundry too. On that note, it finally dawned on me that although they’re not really old enough to fold the laundry, they can certainly put their clothes away. So now part of their chores is to get their folded clothes from the laundry room and get them in their drawers.
    Thanks for the great tips!

  • http://www.facebook.com/paulamay.calder Paula May Calder

    Usually I find it difficult to wind down and go to bed at night therefore find myself staying up far too late and not getting enough sleep. After today’s challenge I am actually waiting to go to bed!! Thanks for another productive day, I’m exhausted!

  • Belinda

    I LOVE the dirty clothes organiser. I tip my basket out, get all the towels, tea towels and facewashers out then just chuck the rest in the machine. I am not a whites, colors sorter :) I don’t think we have that many whites. My sons school uniform is burgandy so I am sure that would make some whites turn pink. As for what I put through the clothes dryer I am a lot more picky and don’t put school uniforms in it or ballet clothes etc. I tend to use a clothes airer inside for most. things. I am loving these task but admit I have not completed all tasks each day. My main bedroom is less covered in clothes and the carpet and hallway was vacuumed so definately looks cleaner than when I woke up this morning. Tomorrow’s 5 minute task of dust, wipe two things are going to be my bedside tables. I think it is having tasks that is making me have a guide as to what I should attempt. I find somedays it is all so overwhelming that i don’t know where to start or I start a job and move onto something else before completing the first task a habit I have to try and improve on.

  • sharon

    I do all of my laundry on Saturday/Sunday for my family of five. I would love to do a load a day, but where I live we are billed according to when we use our water and electricity. The cheapest times are on weekends or after 9pm each night (and I am just too darn tired to even think about laundry at that hour). The most expensive times are between 6am-7pm. I keep everyone’s laundry hampers in their closets for items that need cleaning and come the weekend I bring down a hamper at a time (to wash/dry/fold) and each person puts away their clean items. It takes most of the day but we use the time during loads to play games and tidy up.

  • Geraldine

    I have done the kitchen challenge (I open the cupboard under the sink now just to look at it). I have swapped the tasks for main bedroom and laundry as I worked yesterday but did the laundry stuff last night. It’s a beautiful day today so will tackle the bed sheets, Doona cover and blanket this morning. Another idea for the laundry, I have a little money box in the cupboard for any coins I find in the machine after a wash. It’s a secret stash that’s useful if the kids want a lunch order or a gold coin donation for an out of uniform day! Those gold coins really add up!

  • http://octaviaandvicky.com/ Kylie

    I am just jumping on this challenge bandwagon after my neighbour mentioned it to me while having a cuppa yesterday. I can’t believe I missed it! I suppose trying to fit all the pre-challenge tasks AND three days of tasks in one day is a little bit ambitious? LOL Good news is that I already washed my linen, wiped over my kitchen cupboards and decluttered my bedroom this week….. all before I knew about the challenge. Weird!
    p.s. I am SO jealous of your weather. If I hang my washing out at night at the moment it just gets blown around, and perhaps gets colder and wetter :)

  • Kerri

    My laundry is in the bathroom & is pretty organized, I do need to do a big declutter :) The one thing I am noticing so far in this challenge is that I need more hours in the day. I run a full-time business from home that is quite demanding. So the housework is on the bottom of my list.

  • Alison Davis

    I tend to put a load on while the kids are in the bath – then am ready to hang it just after i put them to bed – its a win win – its one less job for the busy morning and I can stand outside rather than listen to the kids whinge after Ive put them to bed! LOL

  • Alison Davis

    Katrina – I am loving keeping up with this challenge – thanks for the inspiration…

  • Allison

    I sort the clothes as I take them out of the washer, piling knit shirts, pants, panties, socks and hanging dress shirts on hangers immediately. This makes hanging them a breeze and everything can be folded in order as it comes off the line. I also only own 2 sets of sheets per bed and two towels per person (color coded) so when I wash linens once a week I only have 4 towels, a couple of washcloths, and 3 sets of sheets to wash. I always wash dishtowels separately from all other items as I find the kitchen grease destroys my clothes and linens making them dingy and gross. I only do laundry once a week. Washing a family’s 3 or 4 loads all on one day conserves water, saves money, and time.

  • Amanda

    loving this! One tip that I have for people having trouble keeping up with folding is that I bought a different coloured plastic tub for each person from Bunnings $6.95 each. When I go out to bring the washing in I take all 5 tubs and fold the washing and put it in each tub as I go then it only takes a couple of minutes in each room to put it away and doesn’t feel like such a mammoth task!

  • Bonnie S

    Yikes! We were away for the weekend – it being a holiday here in the US – and am behind on my e-mails.
    That being said I always do all the laundry the day after we return from a holiday so today’s checklist is complete. I just have to do the 2 before todays. lol This year was the year Hubby gave me a new kitchen so Monday’s checklist is a reminder for me to keep it picked up. No dishes in the sink and clean counters before evening relaxation is a good habit to practice! My main bedroom also becomes a catch-all. While de-cluttering I decided to move my ironing to the laundry room. It was a constant reminder of something not finished when the ironing basket was full but I hadn’t gotten to it. I recorded a movie while we were gone and ironed while watching it. I like my new ironing routine – while watching a good movie or recorded TV show! :)

  • Shan

    Boom! Laundry done – have an outside laundry so was pretty easy – sprayed with hose and scrubbed then sprayed again and wiped down haha – also sweeped the side garden steps and tidied that up while I as there. Since starting the pre challenges and getting my routines going I now dont even have enough laundry for a load today hahah LOVING this challenge!

  • Shanay

    Yay! Day 1 & Day 3 all complete. Now just to catch up on Day 2. Thanks for such a great challenge Katrina. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s challenge will be.

  • http://www.facebook.com/katrina.christophers Katrina Christophers

    we live in a old fashion house, where our laundry is outside, so there isn’t much out there just the washing machine and a table for washing powder and such…but I’m going to clean the clothes line and the machine…am loving this katrina

  • BreezyBoo

    My kitchen and main bedroom look spectacular! Thanks so much for this challenge!
    My husand thinks I’ve gone mad (or I’m knocked up…which I’m DEFINITELY not!)
    I’m about to tackle the laundry with my 3 year old…while my 1 year old has her nap :)
    LOVING this! :) xx

  • Liz

    Thanks for the challenge… really enjoying ot so far. Just not sure what I’m supposed to be writing on the daily TO DO list that I download for each day. Could you please let me know

  • Fez

    Well the laundry is lookin spiffy…… As long as no one opens the linen cupboard haha…

  • cazelsum

    The sign on my laundry door says “For Same Day service do it yourself! Ironing requires 2 weeks notice. Not responsible for lost socks”

    • http://www.facebook.com/sharon.young.5836 Sharon Young

      I love your sign.

  • Shaylah

    i checked the website at 12:00am and it wasnt up :( ;(

  • http://www.facebook.com/sharon.young.5836 Sharon Young

    Today’s challenge done and dusted…literally. I actually feel like I cheated because I did a major clean in the laundry a couple of weeks ago when I got a new washing machine. So now I can get back to yesterday’s challenge.

    My master bedroom became the dumping ground for everything when my second child was born so it was in a dreadful state. Just the top of the tall boy and a small pile in the corner to go. I love waking to a clean and clutter free room. I had winter clothes in the top draw of my bedside table. They are now in storage in the WIR and I have moved all the stuff from the surface of the table neatly into the top draw. Thanks for the great idea. Sometimes we are blind to the obvious.

  • http://www.facebook.com/hbrownlee Heather Brownlee

    My laundry is spotless. Thank you!

  • Kryshia

    I love walking past my laundry today, so clean and uncluttered!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/cj1984cj Carly Hercus

    I am loving all the ideas of the challenge but am a little unsure how to adapt this for myself. I don’t have any kids yet but work full time, with different shifts. Sometimes I work all day, others just the afternoon or morning. Housework is hard to do every day, sometimes it’s just the bare minimum. i.e cooking, dishes and washing

  • Bronwen

    I have to wash nearly everyday as 6 in our house. don’t wash on Sunday but often do 2 on Monday and one of the other days. usually have 3-4 darks alone each week… I put load on before starting breakfast routine and am lucky that kids walk or bus to school so I don’t do a school run so can hang out wasing once they are gone!! Don’t know about everyone else but getting about half of the list done each day but still house looking better!

  • Kristy

    i pretty much finished off my laundry now…didnt take long as my husband did three loads of washing this morning and last night but i have tidied under sink and wiped sink over and cleaned washing machine,…just have to vacuum floor when i vacuum other floors later :D Ready for next challange!!!!

  • Siobby

    The laundry is my nemesis, you can never see enough of the floor to clean it, it just gets swept where I can see…..my linen cupboard spills out onto the floor as does my wash basket, clearly I need some organisation in there!!

    • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

      This task is only a 5 minute task, so clean as many windows ‘inside’ as you can in 5 minutes. No more than 5 minutes, after this have a coffee ;)

  • Melissa

    Hi Katrina, loving this Halle fe. It’s a grey incentive for a much needed apron clean.
    Just 1 question, having trouble uploading photos to your hash tag on instagram. I have found it an seen others’ photos but don’t know how to add my own. Any help much appreciated. Thanks
    Melissa

  • Birdy

    After 3 days of hard work, the house is looking soooo much better, I feel more organized and relaxed. I still have work to do in the bedroom, but I’m working around 3 year old twins who crave mummy’s attention every 5 minutes. But it was the worst room in the house and an absolute pigstye, still I realize that I do have a carpet in there and the surfaces are shiny! My laundry is now gleaming and smells fresh, today was perfect wash day for Tassie, windy as, so nothing needed an iron! :-D .

  • http://www.facebook.com/suzanne.mutzelburg Suzanne Crawford Mutzelburg

    I had a busy start to the week and was only able to do the clean part of the tasks but have caught up today. I’m tired but it’s the good tired from getting something done! Loving this challenge – 3 rooms making me smile each time I see them.

  • bdcthompson

    I am LOVING this challenge. I only just started today, but I managed to get Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3′s tasks all done, plus a couple of extras. I went to Red Dot to find some baskets for under the kitchen sink cupboard and love how tidy it is now. It has made me so motivated and I didn’t want to stop to do dinner..lol It was just what I needed to get me going to get some things done that I have been wanting to do and having the list is helping lots coz I was ticking it off as I was going. Thank you so much Katrina for your inspiration for this challenge. xx

  • Clean200

    Oh boy I am finally done on this task. Started late and finished late. Very satisfying though. I spent lots of time scraping paint remnants off the laundry tub. I’m a bit behind on Day 2 but planning to catch it up ASAP. Would love to know the size of your washing machine. I think mine is too small or my family go through too many clothes. I reckon I do at least 3 dark loads alone a week. All my sheets don’t fit in one load either. Plus what do you do with your cleaning clothes by the time their wash day comes around to prevent them getting stinky/mouldy. THANKS OHW!!

  • Katrina

    Just mopped floor in laundry. Day late due to teething one year old. Off to kmart now to buy kid wheelie bins for the dog food. Planning on the man helping with lounge room tonight during ad breaks. Kitchen is holding up and bedroom still smells lovely and fresh. Thank you!

  • Monique

    I have done the laundry today, I’m a day behind because the main bedroom took 2 days to sort through. Shame!! My laundry is tiny and we have no storage room but at least it mean there were no benches to clean. Although being the smallest room was the room with the most rubbish to throw out.

  • Ali

    Ha! This has been awesome! Only for the fact that I accidently knocked the plug for my big freezer. And the next day I went in to find it all defrosted. Well…I have recovered it by spending the day cooking various elements to use in future so it’s not all wasted…I had to laugh….! But challenges have been really great my family are loving the organisation and the tidy areas of the house. Thanks! I also love the fact that these are in my area of the world. I had for the last few years followed flylady.net ‘s plans and things but I was always a day ahead of her and I had to wait until late afternoon monday to get the weeks plan of attack. Thank you Organised Housewife!!! from me in NZ!

  • Luciana

    This day’s challenge really changed my life. Thank you! You have no idea how having a laundry schedule has helped me. It’s so simple, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
    Before I used to have allot of laundry behind. Never knew what to wash first it was a mess. Now I do towels on a specific day, colors on another… It’s great. Thanks!

    I actually did my shcedule on my computer, laminated it and placed it in the laundry room. This way I don’t have to learn it and I have everything organized! And when I’m away in a business trip my husband can help!

  • http://twitter.com/DKNiederschulte Debra Niederschulte

    Hi, thank you, thank you – just finished Day 3 – the laundry! Mine is in the basement.

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  • http://www.cultofkale.com/ Erica @Cult of Kale

    I don’t have a laundry room, or enough laundry to do it all week. My laundry plan is generally Friday after class (around noon), and I take it to one of the community laundry centers in my complex. I keep two baskets, and have a rolling cart I use to take everything with me. Very simple! Although, I can’t wait for the day I have a laundry area of my own.

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