Yeonassky - you have my complete and utter respect. I fear that if I worked as many hours as you do, I wouldn't care a fig what my home, much less my bedroom, looked like. Dang, woman!

It would obviously be lovely if your DH had the time and inclination to hang anything that could be hanged. That would be a real gift from him to you. Then for the rest? I would not enjoy having to look at 3 plastic boxes next to my bureau, but I would be fine with 3 baskets sitting one atop the other or something equally pleasant. Good luck in your search for the right solution.

I have a little collapsible hanging bar that I hang clothes right out of the dryer. The foldable clothes go on the go on the couch to be folded, which I'm not going to lie, sometimes stay there for days. I have tiny area where my washer and dryer are...I could probably fold the clothes right out of the dryer if I cleared off the top of it.

To the OP, it really is easier to hang things that may need ironing straight from the dryer. You may find that you will have less ironing.

Wouldn’t your dresser drawers be the perfect container for your clean clothes? Why put them in a temporary container before they are put away?

I fold towels and sheets as I take them out of the dryer and put them right into the closet. I take our pants/shirts/exercise stuff from the dryer to the bed and fold them right away. I put mine away and leave DH's on the bed for him to put away.

Now, socks and underwear go from the dryer to the laundry basket and I put a towel ontop, take into the family room, put it on the couch and it becomes the cats favourite bed (hence the towel on top) until I get around to folding it. I hate pairing up socks and hate putting the underwear away. It sits like that until I have to go in and scramble for running or gym socks. Then I might deal with it.

Oh and I do not iron, ever.

I stay on top of my laundry, but I don't work outside the home, and you have some very long hours. I can see how that would be very frustrating.

I lost most of my clothes in a flood a year ago. I have about 5 tee shirts, 5 jeans, a couple of yoga pants, one pair of sweat pants and 3 long sleeved shirts. That still seems like a lot, and it is really more than I need. I also don't have a dryer, so all my shirts go on hangers right out of the washing machine. I also do at least one load of clothes a day. I am outside at least 4 hours a day, and I really get dirty and sweaty when it's hot, so I change clothes from 2 to 3 times a day sometimes. My husband's clothes get very dirty too, so I wash often. I hate folding and putting away towels and sheets, but try to do it as I come to them. I have personally found that I have spent more time dreading a job than it actually takes to do it. I listen to the radio or podcasts on my phone and it helps pass the time.

I thought that you were referring to before the wash ... and I was going to say, "Only if my pitching arm is in good shape".

If it's heading for the laundry basket in the corner of the bedroom, whether it's piled or not doesn't seem to be a high priority matter.

In summer, sometimes I take some hangers out to the clothesline and put the shirts on them and the underwear, towels, bedding, etc. get thrown into the laundry basket and stashed in the corner of the bedroom ...

... to be folded and stored ... later.

Pretty well the same pattern when they're coming out of the dryer, I guess.

o j

I don't always put clean laundry away either, even though I have much more free time than you, Yeonassky! Your proposed solution is worth a try -- worst case, you end up with three storage bins to re-purpose elsewhere.

Why not add a Label to each box, so that your husband might could help sort into the correct box? Come to think of it, does your husband know which dresser drawer you keep your clothes in? I often leave my husband's laundry folded and sorted on the end of the bed simply because I do not know which drawer he currently uses to hold his socks, underwear, tshirts, etc. It seems to change every week. If he labelled his dresser I'd be able to put it away directly.

You are just trying to find a way of dealing with the laundry clutter-transferring it from your dresser to bins. How big is the laundry room? What about putting a shower curtain rail from wall to wall. It wouldn't take DH long at all to just hang everything there out of the way. What do you do to unwind after work? If you watch TV, can you put away clothes during commercials. I bet you could get it all done in one or two commercial breaks. What a schedule-is that 5 days week?!

No piles. Most of our clothes are hung up right from the dryer. The only thing in drawers are socks, undies, sweaters and shorts.

Curious why your dh doesn't finish the laundry task? He does his own and the towels. How much longer would it take for him to properly finish your laundry?

I used to have piles and piles. I'd throw the laundry on the bed with the promise to fold later. I finally discovered that if I do only one load at a time, I will complete the entire process. So I wash one load, the dry it and then fold/hang and pt away. I do not start a second load until the first one is back where it belongs. This means that I do one load three or four days out of the week. Somehow the whole process is less of a pain if I do it in small bites.

Quick note just to say thanks everybody for all the comments I'm enjoying hearing about how you handle it all. DH works just a little less than I do but he has Saturday afternoon off so that's when he does the laundry. We do all the rest of the household chores besides dishes cooking and doggy related things on Sunday. Not much time for much else right now. Who knows what next semester will bring for my client as to whether I have to be there till all hours of the night or not. I used to do one load then fold one load then fold and hang or whatever it is but those days seem to be gone for the last 5 years. I've tried so many things and this is my next effort. Thanks for your input. I definitely will label. If DH sees the boxes there with labels and the lids off he will throw them in their respective places. Ps he doesn't really fold his clothes he just rolls and goes.

Like many of the other replies, I fold a load and put it away as soon as it comes out of the dryer or is dry from hanging. It really helps me stay on top of the laundry.

With your working hours, it's completely understandable that laundry doesn't get folded and put away. When I was working, I spent much of my weekends doing laundry and cleaning. If I ran out of weekend, some of those things didn't get done and one of those things was often laundry folding. There were many weeks that we grabbed clothes out of the laundry basket. We just did the best we could at the time.

Best of luck, I hope you find a system that works for you.

Since it's just me it's not too hard to do, hang and fold and put away right after it's dry. The only time I don't is when I put things in the dryer just before I go to bed. Then they may stay in there awhile, usually until the next time I need to dry something or use something that was in there.

I do laundry twice a week. The washer holds a massive amount of laundry too. Then fold it, put it away immediately.

I used to have piles of clean laundry. Then I started doing "Flylady", doing a load every morning and having it ready to put away by the time the kids were were in the schoolroom door. And since I did the family laundry and DH did his own, I had a little more control than you do.

And then I realized that folding doesn't take much time at all. It really doesn't. But I think it's because I know what's in the basket to be folded. Sometimes when DH is really busy I fold and put his away for him, and it doesn't seem to be quite as quick because I didn't sort it into the wash in the first place.

Perhaps you can install a closet rod in the laundry room so DH can hang the stuff that might need ironing, and he can roughly fold the rest and put it in a laundry basket that you can then easily refold to your preference and put away? I do that for my kids if they are really busy, too.

Our laundry never piles up. I’m picky about laundry and so is my DH. We do small loads often just to keep up. And of course there are the usual loads of towels and sheets even for just the two of us. I hang a lot of my clothing I wash rather than dry it in the dryer. It might hang for a day or two on my laundry room drying rack before I fold and put it away but no longer. And things in the dryer are folded and put away right away. Or at least stacked and taken to our bedroom and we put them away as soon as we get a minute. Doesn’t take but a few minutes.

Do you have another room you could use for laundry? Something I liked in some of the custom houses is that the laundry was routed to the laundry room and designed to stay in that area. The master bedroom closets had a door to the laundry room. The laundry room was huge and had sinks, counter space and room for several baskets of clothes. Dirty clothes went directly to the laundry room and piled laundry did not need to leave. Basically, anything that looked like clutter stayed in one area.

Thanks for reminding me. I need to start a load of laundry.

To be honest, I don’t understand why some people find it difficult or time consuming to fold laundry. I quickly fold each item as I take it off the line or out of the dryer, depending on the season, and place it in its correct pile- underwear, t shirts, pants etc. This process really only adds maybe 5 to 10 minutes to the laundry routine, the longer time if it’s all three loads we normally hang on the line. Certainly I know I’ve folded a whole dryer load during an ad break on TV. And I don’t consider myself the most organised of housekeepers.

Once you have all the piles it takes seconds to put them in the right drawers, and your laundry is neat and not wrinkled from sitting in a big pile that’s just been dragged out of the dryer and left to its own devices.

Couldn’t you nicely ask your DH to take five minutes to fold your laundry?

I don't have that problem...DH does all the laundry and folds it when it comes out of the dryer and leaves it on my dresser for me to put away at my leisure.

I should add that it might take longer at first for you DH to fold the laundry as he develops his muscle memory for folding, but once he’s practiced a few times it becomes second nature and just flows quickly.

Quite honestly, I don't understand why people are saying he's doing the laundry FOR you, as if it's your job. It would take him 5 minutes to fold a load of laundry or hang things as they come out of the dryer. If he can put them in a labeled bin, then he could put them in a drawer (label your drawers if he needs that prompt)

If he needs a lesson in folding then I'd give him one, or find someone who could. I really don't think we'd be giving the same pass to a woman who didn't finish the job or do it "properly" and just piled her husband's unfolded, wrinkled clothes on the dresser.

I find I'm much happier doing a small load a day and getting it put away than I am doing 5 loads at once and having it take up hours and hours of time. I often put a load in when I go to bed and then into the dryer for a few minutes while I make my coffee in the morning. After the dryer heats up the clothes, I pull them out one at a time to hang and finish drying. Might take 3 minutes. If the load is towels or sheets, I just leave them to dry in the machine and fold when I get home again.

You and husband need to have a Come-to-Jesus talk and he needs to start properly folding the laundry and hanging it. Surely then you could manage it put it in your chest of drawers. Who wants huge plastic boxes filled with their clothes all over the place?

Grow up and start living a civilized, adult life. Harsh, yes, but it's the truth. Sophie's not hear so I had to say it.

Sophie's not hear so I had to say it. I just laughed out loud.

Oh heck, I wouldn't complain about a husband who did any laundry chores at all! And it's not like he has a ton of spare time either! There's a lot of things more important than putting away laundry. Doing it properly can wait until ya'll retire ;-)

I don't even like folded laundry left out. It would drive me bonkers. I always wonder when I visit others who have folded laundry stacked on the sofa or in laundry baskets why they can leave it out like that. Especially with pets that shed and make extra dust. I have a front loader so that allows me to do small loads. Wash, dry, put away.

Thank you plain-speaking kitchen table. Like I said this is the solution as I've tried many times to change things. I asked you how you did it out of curiosity but I know what the kitchen table's like so I gets what I gets with or without Sophie.

I don't think I am understanding. You take clothes off and pile them around your room? I do this but the following morning when making the bed I put the clothes either in the hamper to be washed or back on hangers/in dresser so they don't get wrinkled beyond the ability to wear them again. I do three loads a week as a rule. Unless soiled I don't wash them. Washing wears clothes out before their time. I have a hook I hang anything that will need ironing. I HATE IRONING. When there is about an hour's worth (MAYBE once a month) I dig out the ironing board. I find it a better use of my time to keep tidy vs spend an entire day putting right what never should have gotten out of hand. The idea of spending money on bins, of living with bins of clothes needing to be put away creeps me out. Perhaps the real problem is buying clothes that need ironing!! LOL.

I'm a wash, dry and fold person. When I hear the buzzer I'm on my feet and put all items away. Of course, sickness might slow that down. I actually like doing it.

Do you have a bad back? That is what keeps me from putting everything away promptly. I also do not have a laundry room so clothes must come directly into the house and onto the couch for folding. It was sooo hard to get this accomplished when my kids were little and there were many more loads a week. I feel for you!

Wow, Yeonassky, just WOW! How in the world do you do it? Approx. 99 hours a week! That's more than double the hours in a 'normal', or 'standard' work week! I can't help but wonder how many others here have done something like that, or would be able to. I know I couldn't!

As for how I do it, well, I live by myself and am retired. Severe Osteoarthritis in my shoulders makes for limited movement of my arms. So, although I would like to wash, dry, fold/hang, and put away, it just isn't always possible. So there are times when there are piles of clean clothes in places there shouldn't be. It bothers me to some extent, but I'm the only one to see it, and I don't need my house to be a showplace. I just need to be able to live comfortably in it!

The plastic boxes you mentioned sound like a very good solution for you. They would be much neater looking than piles of clothing are. Labels on them might help. And you could draw some happy little smiley faces on them, or decorate them a bit with some craft paint, some stickers, pictures from greeting cards, or maybe even some snapshots. Just a little something to give them a cheerful look, to bring a smile when you look at them.

Rusty

Slightly off topic, but I LOVE to iron!

What about a drop off laundry service so that everything gets folded or hung and you can spend your limited time just putting it away? If I understand what you are saying, hubby is willing to wash and dry the clothing, but then just lays the clean laundry on your dresser top and your plan is to have him lay it inside the containers to keep it clean?

Woman, I don't know how you work all of those hours! You all need some help with this chore!

Love the dirty laundry Christmas tree lol

I keep it in the hamper till I have 2 loads worth then I do it all. Hubby moves it from washer to dryer and then he takes it out of the dryer and puts it in the hamper. I then sit down and fold it or put it on hangers. He carries it in the bedroom and we both put it where it belongs. Works well for us.

Absolutely my laundry piles up at times. Dirty laundry. I try to stay on top of it but with 5 of us there's a lot of laundry and sometimes other dutys throw my finely tuned system off track. LOL. I rarely have clean laundry left out at least not by the time bed time rolls around. I wash, dry, fold, hang thru the day and place everyone's washed clothing on the end of their beds where it gets put away each day. Sheets go into a big wicker basket, folded where it waits for me to iron and put away. I enjoy washing clothes and folding, ironing, ect but I hate putting it all away but I do it because I HATE clutter even more. Lol.

You work a lot of hours leaving little time..bless you.

Does your husband work outside of homework? Is he able bodied? ill, disabled? Does he have more free time than you? Could you ask pretty please put my clothing away?

I would think it takes no more time to put clothing into a dresser than it does into a storage bin.

I'm not judging you. ..you work soooo many hours its no wonder you can't or don't want to spend the precious little time you have left after work putting away clothes. In your situation I wouldn't let it cause you a moment of stress...just close the bedroom door and when you do have some time off work tackle it than.... or not. Haha.

Working the hours that you are does make it hard, I totally get why you’re frustrated. I don’t have a lot of clothes but my DH never tosses anything. He’s slowly taken over the closet and several drawers with all of his. I ended up buying a drying rack for the laundry room to hang my clothes on (linked below) and I leave a good part of my hanging stuff on that after I take them from the dryer. Then I have some drawers for the non hanging stuff.

I hate wasting a whole day doing laundry so what I started doing a few years ago was to make laundry a part of my daily routine during the week. Monday night, I put a load in before bed, Tuesday morning, I stick it in the dryer on my way downstairs. Tuesday night, I put a new load in the washer, Wednesday morning, I fluff whats in the dryer while I’m dressing, fold it and put the next load in to dry while on my way downstairs. I do this every day until the weekend and then Monday, I start all over again. Weekends are usually reserved for washing blankets and/or sheets. I do have a delay start on the washer though so nothing sits wet in the machine for hours on end and that’s helpful.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Rolling-Garment-Rack-White/14220004

I'm in the get-DH-to-finish-the-job-he's-already-done-90%-of camp. Label your drawers as to where your clothing goes and he can put them there just as easily as he could put them in bins on top of the dresser. Adding a new step to a tedious job almost always is a bad idea. Especially since you work such terrible hours.

Clean clothes piled around would drive me bonkers.

That's pretty much where I'm at. It drives me bonkers when I have a pile on my dresser. Only another year-and-a-half of these hours and then I can dial it back. I'm so used to it I didn't even think of it as being a lot. DH has said that he will acquiesce to everybody and put my clothes in my dresser. Poor guy he does so much and yet here I am asking him to do one more thing. Thanks everybody for your thoughts.

Well ATM my DH is doing all the housework including cooking, laundry and shopping as well as leaving home to walk to work (he likes an hour’s walk in the morning) at 6am and coming home on the bus at 6.30pm, then working in his home business for as long as needed on the weekends, while I sit and play with my iPad all day because I’ve slipped a disc and can’t move much.

It could be worse :-)

As someone who struggles with laundry even though i only work 50 hour weeks :), i sympathize totally.

Your DH is being so on board w helping do your laundry and folding and putting it away ( thats 3 chores in my book !).

Coukd you perhaps help by sorting your dirty laundry to help the guy ? consider buying different bins to put your used socks in one, lingerie, work clothes in anothet so to help him launder and put clothes away more efficiently. i find it helps me when i do laundry in smallbatches and put them away immediately. YMMV

all the best !

Colleen sorry about your slipped disc and hope it gets better quickly. I don't have any excuse except for lots of work. We walk the dogs at 5:30 and then again at 9: 30 just after we get home. DS takes them out during the day for quick walks.

Thank you Curry. :-).

We do sort here. Batches however would be really really nice but unattainable at this point. For one thing we don't believe in leaving the machines on when we're out of the house or asleep and that would be the only way we could do that.

ETA right now every chore feels like a hundred chores to me.

I wonder. Would it be worthwhile for you to consider a laundry service or hiring someone to come in and do laundry for you? I'm not sure what the cost would be, but it sure would free up some time for both of you.

Dawn I forgot someone else suggested this to me as well here. DH doesn't really want anybody coming in. And he really hates having to make an extra trip to pick up stuff or drop it off. Part of both of our businesses involves driving a great deal. When I suggested those things to him he said he would rather take the extra chore of putting my clothes away. I felt guilty and lazy at that moment but he said it was fine and meant it. And I just frankly right now don't have the time. Have I said how much I appreciate DH. Well I do.

Congrats to both of you for all the stuff you do, yeonassky!!

I'd say that each of you deserves a medal!

And good wishes and hopes for getting it all worked out to everyone's satisfaction - long tern satisfaction, that is.

ole joyful

Yeonassky, I commend you on all that you do. Those are long hours! I don't have a solution except you do what you can and hope for the best on the rest!

No to the laundry pile up. I'm the one who takes care of that chore for us and I tend to it methodically by folding then sorting into his and her piles. Mine go straight into my drawers or closet shelves; his fit neatly in a hamper placed on the bed so he can put everything where he wants it to go. Which he does before he goes to bed.

I have a hanging rod in the laundry and hang our shirts and pants up right out of the dryer. One or the other of us collects those items and hangs them in the closets that same day.

Yeonassky, I know exactly what you mean and so does my DD (guess who she learns from). I also work lots of hours and laundry is the least of my worries, but I hate how it piles up.

I have two doors in my bedroom and I've put over the door hooks on both of them - the ones with 3 or 4 hooks on each. It gives me an easy place to hang stuff out of the way and since both doors are usually open, the stuff is more or less hidden. It does pile up back there and get forgotten, so on holidays, I take everything off and iron/put away and start fresh for the next month or so. It works for me.

Also, I don't use a dryer for clothing (only towels and sheets), so there is always lots of ironing.

I never miss washing and drying them. I mostly get it hung up within a week. And it's just me. So how I can't stay caught up, I dunno!

Here's a virtual pat-on-the-back for Yeon's DH. Yay!!