Mom life comes a lot with uncertainty, but one certainty for every mom is LAUNDRY. So for the next part of this Mom Hacks series (see part 1 of Simple Mom Hacks for Meal Time here!) we’ll be looking at some of the best mom hacks for getting and keeping clothes clean, plus other hacks for keeping up with clothes in general. From mismatched socks to creative ways to use bins and baskets to keep everything organized, this mom hacks post is one every mom needs!
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Wear school clothes to bed
First off, let’s challenge some of the way we think we have to do things- who says the kids have to wear pajamas??? Instead, try having your kids wear school clothes to bed! It’s a great time-saving hack for busy mornings- eliminating the need to choose and change clothes in the morning can cut down on fights and stress and we’ll all take that on a morning when we’re trying to rush out the door!
Mismatched socks
Constantly losing socks? Here’s a way to solve this! A mom hack for managing mismatched socks is to use a designated basket or container that is just where the socks live if they don’t have a match. It provides a dedicated spot for storing and organizing them until you find their matches! It eliminates the frustration of dealing with loose socks and makes it easier to locate missing pairs during your regular sock-sorting sessions.
Alternatively (and my favorite way to do it), simply buy one type/brand of sock per kid. Then you know exactly who it goes to and it can just go straight to their drawer!
The Sock Bin
Speaking of socks, a lot of families love having a sock bin conveniently located near the back door or wherever the shoes are stored. This keeps all the kids’ socks stored so everyone can get them on their way out the door and there is less chance the socks end up all over the house.
Baskets for each person
This one goes a bit beyond laundry, but a genius mom hack for organizing clean laundry and personal belongings is to use a basket for each person in the household. If each person has a basket, then in addition to clean laundry, it’s a great place to put all the random toys, books, and other personal belongings that end up around the house. It makes for a less cluttered house and everyone has a designated spot for their items until they can be properly organized or returned to their proper places.
Baskets for outgrown clothes
Speaking of baskets for clothes, a great mom hack for managing the constant flow of outgrown clothes is to have a basket or bin for each child that is designated for outgrown clothes. Keep it in a closet or under a bed so it’s out of the way but is accessible for when a child or parent realizes that a piece of clothing needs to be passed along. Then when the bin is full, give it away, sell it, or donate it!
Pack outfits in plastic bags
Want to simplify your kids’ clothes while away from the house? An excellent mom hack for organizing outfits while traveling (or for easy access at home even) is to pack them in ziplock bags. Fold up a set of clothes together and smush out any extra air so it takes up less room in the suitcase or drawer. It streamlines the process of getting dressed, is helpful to making sure you don’t forget any part of an outfit, and keeps the clothes from just being a big mass in the suitcase that you have to hunt through to find anything.
Microfiber Towels
Microfiber towels are known for their lightweight, quick-drying, and compact features, making them popular among outdoor enthusiasts- but I find them PERFECT for mom life! They’re super absorbent, take up very little room, and are really easy to put in a backpack, diaper bag, or car. And because they dry quickly, I can often use one of these towels instead of a bunch of larger fluffy towels. I put these in the mom hacks laundry category because this is exactly what I use for the pool or outdoor water activities with my kids to reduce the amount of laundry I have to do when I get home!
The Onesie Shoulder Trick
Have you ever wondered why baby onesies have those funny folded pieces of fabric in the shoulders? Let me tell you what I wish I had known a lot earlier in my mom game- it’s for taking the onesie DOWN over their shoulders!!! So next time you’ve got a major poop explosion, you don’t have to drag it through their hair…just pull it down toward their feet and get it off with less mess.
Washing the blanket and the kiddo
Does your kid have a favorite blanket they won’t let go of long enough to wash? Try putting both the kid and the lovey in a bath together! Fill the bathtub with Castile soap and ask the kid to make sure the blanket gets a good bath. Unless it’s covered in poop or vomit or something else disgusting, this is a great way to get the blanket clean and entertain your child at the same time!
Keeping extra clothes in the car
Here’s one of the mom hacks I’ve used the most- keeping extra clothes in the car. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used the extra sets of clothes from the car! Whether it’s spilled ice cream that has upset a tired kid or a mud-soaked butt who now needs to ride in the car seat, keeping an extra set of clothes has come in handy many, many times (especially while potty training!). I’ve even heard the idea of keeping a few safety pins with them so you can just keep clothes for the biggest kid and just make it fit a smaller kid in a pinch.
And when my kids were little, I also kept an extra set of clothes (or at least) a shirt in the car for myself. Because between blowouts and spit up and all the other bodily fluids kids make…it was just a good idea.
Genius Mom Hacks, Round 2 Done!
If you liked these busy mom hacks for making laundry and clothing in general simpler, be sure and check out the other posts in this series!