optimisist

A washer-dryer combo gets us halfway there, but the ironing/folding/putting-away is still. so. painful.

I watched the Threadrobe with eager anticipation until the company folded and I attempted to reverse-engineer it from the promo videos. I've tried all the laundry hacks out there, to the point of putting daily outfits in mesh bags all through the laundry process. Spoiler, that didn't work as everything got way too crumpled, but these three things did:

1. Delay start: Starting the washing machine on a delay gives you extra time to find those inevitable last-minute socks or forgotten items before the cycle kicks off and locks you out.
2. Use a clothes press instead of an iron: Using a clothes presser instead of a traditional iron is much faster and needs less concentration and effort. The ones with in-built steamers clog up and break down more quickly, a basic one + a water spray bottle works just the same.
3. 'Pre-put-away' in hanging storage: Hang a shoe organiser on the back of the kitchen (or whatever room your laundry machines are in) door, with each pocket dedicated to a specific type of clothing (e.g., socks, shorts, specific family member). You can do a load a day to keep it mangeable, and put away a whole chunk of pre-organised clothes at once, whenever you like.
4. Store with space: Formal shirts/suits do need to be hung, but I bundle the rest into baskets for each type of clothes that have slightly more space than needed. If clothes are fudged into a drawer or piled onto a shelf you will never wear the ones at the back, and the ones at the front will be forever crumpled.