homemaking hack #5: the "special" clothing basket

Today's homemaking hack is so incredibly simple you might laugh- especially because it's about laundry... again. :) I'd say the majority of my time-saving/sanity hacks are in the laundry department because it is one of my greatest weaknesses! Six people can produce an amazing amount of laundry. {and I'm sure it will be exponentially more with the new one coming in August! ;) }

The family closet I shared before has been a huge help to us- I'm all about spending less time doing laundry and more time doing fun stuff like blogging and exercising! hehehe... ;) We still love it, and it makes life so easy.

I really have no idea why it took me so long to think of this laundry hack. I didn't figure it out until last year, but it's been huge for us!

My older kids have to wear uniforms when they go to school three days a week {they homeschool two days}, and they have to wear a special chapel uniform on Wednesdays too. Every week for months, I would wash all of their school clothes and put them away in their drawers like the rest of their clothes. Then every school morning or the night before, I would have to dig through each of their dressers to find their uniforms, and something was always missing {of course!}. Because:

3 kids = 6 uniform pieces x 3 days per week = way too many special clothes to keep up with. ;)

Enter our "uniform" basket, a.k.a. this mama's sanity-saver:

For now, this plain old basket sits right on top of the dryer away from little hands, and every uniform piece we own goes straight into it from the dryer! Thanks to this "special" little basket, I spend way less time looking for uniforms, and they all stay folded and less wrinkled from not getting put away in the drawer.

I told you it wasn't fancy, but it's one of the best tricks I've figured out for us in the laundry department. :) 

If you don't have uniforms of some kind to keep up with, you could even use the same idea for Sunday church clothes or play clothes, or if you don't like storing folded clothes- you could use a section of your closet to hang up all the "special clothes" you want to keep safe {and be able to find quickly!}. 

No matter how you do it, I think it's totally worth the time it saves you in looking for specific clothing items! :D {especially if you have lots of children!}

What are your secrets for separating your "special" clothes? I'd love to hear!

Are you a "hanger" or a "folder"? 

I am neither if that's possible...hahah!! If I had to say, I would be a folder. The hang up clothes never get put away! LOL! ;)

Do you have a favorite tip for getting kids ready and out the door easily?

When mine were little, I used to dress them at night and let them sleep in their play clothes for the next day- especially if we had to be somewhere in the morning. It worked really well with soft clothes! It only ever backfired on me when they wet through them at night... oh those days.... they will be here again soon!! ;)