Teaching Kids to Do Laundry: A Comedy of Errors

Here’s a bold idea:
What if… your kids did laundry?

Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems—let me tell you, I have tried teaching my children to do laundry. Several times. And I lived to tell the tale (barely).

It started like this:

Me: “Hey sweetie, it’s time you learn how to wash your clothes.”
Them: “Why? That’s your job.”
Me: deep breath, counting to ten, questioning my life choices

Let me be clear: I’m not expecting miracles. I just want to stop finding inside-out leggings in the fridge and reminding a 12-year-old that clean underwear is not optional.

But the road to laundry independence? Paved with wet socks, shrunken sweaters, and detergent poured like maple syrup.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

🧼 Step 1: Set the Bar Low

Like, very low.
If they get the clothes in the washer and don’t flood the house? That’s a win.
Matching colors, correct settings, and folding can come later… maybe… in college.

📋 Step 2: Give Them the Cheat Sheet

Literally. Tape a step-by-step list inside the laundry room:

1. Put clothes in.
   
   

2. Don’t overload it (no, 40 hoodies in one load is not efficient).
   
   

3. Use one laundry sheet (no measuring, no mess, no “oops I dumped the whole bottle in”).
   
   

4. Close the lid. Press start.
   
   

5. Don’t walk away and forget about it for three days.
   
   

🧺 Step 3: Accept That Folding May Never Be Their Strength

I once watched my son fold a shirt like it was made of Jell-O.
I no longer care how things are folded.
If it ends up vaguely rectangular and in a drawer? Success.

👕 Step 4: Praise Like You Mean It

The first time they wash a load without turning everything pink or shrinking a sweater to Barbie-size? Throw a parade. Take a picture. Put it on the fridge. This is parenting gold.

🌿 Bonus Hack: Use The Laundry Lady Sheets

Real talk: these are the best for teaching kids laundry because they make it so hard to mess up.

No caps to spill. No guesswork. Just pull a sheet, toss it in, move on with life.

It’s like laundry with training wheels—and we’re not above that.

👉 Stock up for your tiny laundry apprentices here

Will they resist at first? Probably.
Will they eventually figure it out? Hopefully.
Will you have more time to do literally anything else? Absolutely.

You deserve a break. Let the kids fold a towel or two. Even if it ends up shaped like a burrito.