When I was raising my 4 children they had 5 sets of clothes and then 1 sweat suit for gym days. They did have 1 set of dress clothes for church or special occasions. They did have 10 pairs of underwear and 10 pair of socks. It made laundry time easier for me.
I wanted to say I love your channel!! My husband and I were full time van dwellers for 4 years. It took us about 4 years of getting rid of stuff from the time we decided to downsize from a 3000 sq ft house to a 1200 sq ft townhouse then to a 36 ft Fifth Wheel and then to our 22 ft van. I am naturally minimalish but my husband is NOT. He isn’t a hoarder, he just is very emotionally invested in objects. It was extremely tough for him to keep letting go of things over those 4 years. But he did it! And we had 4 wonderful years in the van. We just bought a house bc our dog is too old to travel now. So far I have purchased DROPPS based on your recommendation and I’ve implemented the dry erase board technique of keeping track of what’s in my freezer (and fridge) that you showed on one of your videos. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and cheer you on. You’re doing an amazing job minimizing and reducing waste. I’m so impressed. Having been through it, I know first hand how grueling, exhausting, frustrating, and guilt ridden the experience is. But it’s also enlightening, soothing, fun, and a wholly worthy task. Good luck!
My daughter is the same way with her clothes. I have 3 younger nieces that get her hand-me-downs & she says it makes her heart happy to see her clothes again. lol... 💞
My 12-year old twin girls, with two totally different styles, started telling me about 2 years ago that they didn't need new clothes. I then decided to keep 1 good fitting outfit for those special occasions in their closet and watch from a distance. They now have few clothes, sometimes not a perfect fit in my opinion, but it works for them. Every season, 3 months, we check if all the essentials are either in the closet or still fit. And five is their and mine favourite number of pants & shirts for their daily outfits.
Hi from Denmark 😊 You can try the European way of making the bed. For each bed we (at least in Denmark) only use 1 sheet, 1 duvet + duvetcover and 1-2 pillows + pillowcovers. That is it. Everytime I see an American make their bed I always wonder why there is sooo many components to it😅. Love your vidoes!❤
I hate wrestling the duvet into the duvet cover. So I have bottom sheet, top sheet, blanket, then duvet in duvet cover on top :D Only wash the duvet cover once a season since it is top layer.
Well done keep going! I started earlier this year to prepare for a house move, house got delayed so will not yet downsized house wise yet but I am managing to continue to declutter more and more every week and enjoying it too. The more I get rid of, the more organised and in control I feel.
I’ve been using the woollen balls for the majority of this year and I love them. I had read that the dry sheets are possibly toxic and that was reason enough for me to stop using them. Even if this isn’t true by using dryer sheets you are producing trash. I’m trying to make better choices when it comes to sustainability and more ethical purchases.
My boys(8,5) also share a dresser. The bottom is long pants and long shelves the middle is short shelve shirts and shorts, the top is pjs sweat pants underwear and socks. They also fold there clothes like Marie kondo Style and put them away. It's great cuz they understand how to respect there things and appreciate what they have.
My mom taught me to sniff and check for stains. Without stink or spots, it goes back into the drawer after wearing. (Underwear being the exception.) I think us Americans wash our clothes way too much... which shrinks their life span.
I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I traveled in a van for 4 years and we rewore clothes many times before washing them (out of necessity- you can only keep so many pieces of clothes in a van and doing laundry in laundromats gets very expensive and it sucks. Lol). It was fine! We didn’t smell, we changed clothes if they started getting a little odor and we saved so much water, detergent, money and time.
@@vanessas3385 YES! My mom was a single working mom of 3. She did well but not enough for outside help. Less laundry was just an effort just to reduce her enormous work load.
Same, we put it out on the hills hoist every wash (which we do once a week) and on clothes horses in the garage when the weather isn't great. (We're lucky we have a 'spare' double garage) We have a dryer but only use it when desperate such as a rainy week and use it late at night when it's off peak electricity. It just smells better when it's been sun dried.
Erica, when my boys were little I had the same issue. When I went through the the clothes I discovered we had 16 pairs of size 7 jeans!!! That is when I paired down the clothes to how much laundry I was willing to do.
Something to consider: the drop pods are meant to dissolve so any moisture they come into contact with will cause them to start dissolving. This can even include moisture in the air. Especially because your laundry room is in the basement (I think), I would keep the pods in a sealed container to prevent them from accidentally dissolving.
Agreed! I found a beautiful jar that seals at the secondhand store for my dropps. I picked up another jar for the dishwasher pods that go under the sink for the same reason, but it's not big enough for the whole box (bigger box than our laundry pods). Might have to switch that one out.
Question: I live in the desert and it’s extremely dry in my house. Do you think I need to keep the pods out of my laundry room? My shelf is above my washer/dryer. I don’t want them to melt. 😬 I just ordered them and haven’t received them yet.
@@vanessas3385 I don’t think there is an issue with them melting due to temperature it is due to contact with moisture and from what you said it is dry so my guess is you are fine to keep them in that room, but I would still recommend the container.
Merry Christmas Erica! 🎄💕 Simplifying children's clothes really helps! I've kept 6 outfits (whether that's a top & bottom or dress) for my oldest two girls, they're 10 and 8. I ask them to rewear clothes for two days in a row, so they wear something MT, WTh, FSat, which makes only 3 outfits a week, so picking 6 means they actually have 2 weeks worth of clothes. They also have 2-4 church dresses they rotate through. My younger two, who are 4 and 2, have about 8 outfits each bc they get dirtier more often and also 2-4 church clothes. Oh and they all have 2 pajamas (well 2 winter and 2 summer ones). They wear one pair for a week and then in laundry day they get a new pair. I've also recently been teaching my older two how to do their own laundry. So on Thursdays my 8 yo does her and her 2yo sisters clothes. On Fridays my 10yo does her and her 4yo brothers laundry. I also do allow the no fold method so that things are easy for them to put away. This allows me to only have to do laundry myself on Mon, Ties, and Wed. 🙌🏻
I simplified our kiddos clothes (mostly due to inspiration from watching you :) ) in Feb. After 10 months, I can't BELIEVE the difference - I only do laundry twice a week, for the past 10 months!! I used to constantly be stressed about laundry, but seriously, this has been an amazing change for us. All 3 of my kiddos go thru every so often now and declutter their own drawers. Thank you!
For my daughter I hang up everything. Out of season clothes we declutter and put on top of closet. I put my out of season in drawers. You decide where you want the shorts and cargo pants. Your improving so much! Dont be hard on yourself. Ive heard on that a mom was using like poise pads instead of pull ups. I think thats genius! When you compare you get way more. You can set a timer for yourself and the kids to get up super early to go. I was a wetter than my mom set a schedule for me to get up. My dad had to go to work early, early so she would get me up at 4:30 every morning. If not back in the day she would have to hand wash the sheets and line dry them. I still get up early!
My daughter would wet the bed at age four, took her to doc ,nothing was wrong. So my husband who was in the Army would get her up before he went to (early) work and that problem was solved!, She just couldn’t hold it that long, Now I am old and I can’t make it all night either!lol
I bought a "portable " washer because the laundromat was too hard to get to (Walk/bus) and I read vinegar helps some.of thr stiffness out and does EVER. And also refreshes the washer as well without extra chemicals!
It is so satisfying to clear out extra clothes and to actually be able to slide a drawer open and closed! 😂 But also, sounds like your daughter is a minimalist! She knows what she owns and wants to replace her threads with her tried and trues! ❤
This one thing you are doing will free up so much time. Been a pleasure to watch your progress! Thanks for your willingness to share with all of us and Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family. Thank your husband from our family for his service to our country. Means so much! ❤️
Thanks for the tip on the detergent pods. I also just received my order of Who Gives a Crap TP. Might I suggest you skip the fabric softener? I haven't used it...ever and my laundry is just fine.
To save time when my kids were young and my husband and I both worked we hung outfits together on the same hanger...pants or shorts with a shirt...on Sunday my daughter would pick 5 to wear to school that next week..no problems getting dressed ever..
When you said Jack’s got a lot of pants because of the hand-me-downs. I feel you! Our younger boy has almost twice as much clothes as his brother at any given age because he gets what we saved, plus any gifts or things we buy for something specific, and then it’s so much!
I do our main wash 1x/week which often takes 1-3days depending on how on top of it I am or if I’m washing everyone’s sheets at the time. This frees me up for emergency laundry issues, gives my machine a rest and let’s me focus on other things around my house. When I first heard of this from Dana White’s books I thought it wouldn’t work fir us and now it’s great. We are a family of 7 who cloth diapers and our lids are 11y, 8y (with severe special needs often making extra laundry), 5y, 3y, 5mo. Reducing clothing was the most important step for us to get here. My oldest and my daughter still have a bit too much but it’s a process. We typically keep 7-8 because if the weekly laundry- if I did a load everyday 5 would work for kids not potty training or spitting up babies. Yay for your progress!!
I agree! I have been file folding for 30 yrs. I saw a lady do this on TV the week I got married, way before Marie Kondo craze. I especially like organizing socks this way. Folding down the tops together stretches them out.
Less clothes = less to wash. I love it! Unrelated, but I also used to keep my dryer balls in a container on the shelf. But, I later realized that I was just creating an extra step for myself. Now, I just leave them in the dryer after I pull out the clothes. Don't have to worry about forgetting them on the next load, and saves space on my shelf.
I like to declutter my grandsons clothes, one is 12 and I just give suggestions, other is 1 year and if I am at his house I love decluttering his clothes, so cute, grow so fast!
I would be overwhelmed by having to do laundry every day! I usually only do it twice per week. And I wash 2 loads of clothes each time (which is all the clothes, 2 x per week) and I also wash sheets each time and towels once per week. So 3-4 loads each time I do laundry depending on if I am washing towels in addition to clothes and sheets.
I recently decluttered sheets. I now have one set of sheets per bed and one extra per bed size. So for our house we have 3 queen beds currently, so we have 4 sets of sheets. When I wash sheets I wash then put them back on the bed after laundering. It works so well for us!
I have the blanket and sheet problem too, I think its because my kids do not make their beds, then they land on the floor and get dirty, dog lays on them, ect. We are working on it. lol, You guys are doing great! I love watching your videos and one of these days you will be done decluttering except for maintaining, I am right behind you. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, thank you for sharing your life, you are my favorite!
I'm from Australia Erica and I'm loving seeing your hair up recently. It shows your beautiful face more and your lovely outfits. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Jo xxx
great idea, though you might want to sit down with your daughter to see if thre are some items she really doesn't care about and teach her about declutter, too. Love your glasses by the way. great job !!!
We quit sorting laundry. The hampers get dumped straight into the wash and our hampers are the size of a load of laundry. It helps us stay on top of things.
I keep a small about in the basement like a home store. So if they do go through a shirt. And I also have set aside only some hand me downs not a whole stockpile anymore.
I need to do this for my kids. I feel so overwhelmed with clothes. It's Neverending and my daughter likes 2 outfits and just wants to wear them. Less stuff=less headaches= less to clean!
@@EricaLucasLoves some dryers you can switch the screws around and change the side that the hinge is on. Ours cannot do that but I know people who have switches their side.
I do laundry once a week. I pick a day when I will be at home. start in the morning and set a timer every hour to remind myself to check the laundry. By the end of the day I’m done and don’t think about it for another week. When my kids where younger I did cloth diapers that was the only time I did laundry more often
Great video! Love that you've changed to zerowaste detergent! Have you thought about hanging your clothes out to dry outside? I understand that it's normal in the US, but is really looked down on across Europe... dryers are extremely bad for the environment, they really rack up your electricity bill and they destroy your clothes quickly. Maybe at least dry them outside in the spring and summer? Sunlight is naturally anti-bacterial, costs nothing and it's something that the kids can help you do and take some of the load of you...just some thoughts.
Sadly, many neighborhoods in the US don't even allow you to have a clothesline in your yard! Isn't that crazy?? Part of our American 'perfect yard' mentality.
Wow, really. I didn’t know that. I hardly ever use a dryer - everything gets dried outside or on the radiator - my dryer shrinks almost everything so I only dry towels and socks in it. I am in the U.K.
Good idea for 5 or 6 items for clothing. I do a load of laundry every day seven days a week. Been married almost 45 years and still do that. Had three kids. Did two loads if I had towels and or sheets. Good job on decluttering! You rock.
YES! This is my everyday struggle. Im about to declutter my boys clothes but one of my kids has bladder and kidney issues. Which ends in him changing clothes 4-5 times a day. He has excessive urination problems and is constantly leaking out of his diaper. I feel like I have to keep lots of clothes for him but I don't know what the minimum can be. He also has blankets that need to washed every day.
7 to 10 outfits for each child is what we have. I used to go to the sales a thrift stores and consignment shops and stock pile on clothes that never all got worn. So glad I found minimalism.
My kids are older but always had uniforms for school so needed less. I did run into problems with vacations as they didn’t seem to have enough cute or appropriate clothes to last a week without laundry so i would probably keep 7-10 outfits per kid if I already owned them. But yes! Less clothes is better.
maybe im gross but i rewear my clothes until they smell (except undies)... sounds like you have a ton of laundry cuz you guys wash everything after just one wear? is that necessary/eco-friendly?
@@ch-lara2384 yup especially kids clothing, they don't even get B.O. yet so their clothes def don't need to be washed everyday. especially not jeans/pants, considering we wear underwear
This is great, I do laundry once a week and usually have 4-5 loads including towels and sheets. I keep my sons clothes in his own laundry basket in the hall closet outside the bathroom and wash his clothes separate from ours. That way if there are accidents or we went through shirts faster than normal I can just throw his in the wash without having to dig through piles. 👍🏻
Hi Erica! Look forward to all your motivating videos! Blankets/sheets - my dog loves them! When I have to remove one of my own - he gets a new one and out goes his old one! I'm sure you do this ... but I'm surprised how many times I forget! Happy Holidays!
Love your videos x does each section (dark/lights etc) of your laundry basket fill a whole load? Ours wouldn’t if they were that size so we have separate plastic laundry bins and when they are full we know a load needs to go on x
We keep our wardrobes pared down too, but I only do the laundry once a week. So, I make sure we all have enough outfits in our wardrobes for 2 weeks, in case I get behind (in times of sickness or if I'm extra busy that week), or if we have outfits that get ruined. I go through our wardrobes (including closets, dressers,, shoes and coat closet items) twice a year to make sure we have a fully stocked (but limited) wardrobe for spring/summer or fall/winter. I make sure that each kid has clothes they actually like and want to wear plus one dressy outfit in case we have a dressy occasion to go to that season. For my teenaged daughter, we create a mix and match wardrobe of things she likes and will enjoy wearing. For my younger kids, I make sure the clothes they have are ones they like and that feel good and then I match everything into outfits that hang together on the same hanger in their closet. Getting dressed isn't a struggle for them and I know that they always have the clothing they need and will wear. As they get older I ask them if they're interested in building a mix and match wardrobe yet or if they still want me to match up their outfits (often with their input in outfit combinations). This system has worked for us for at least 8 years and keeps our clothing laundry to 3-4 loads a week MAX for 5 people. 🙌
Sheets you only need 2 per each of your beds - you should look into the blankets that go on kids bed that is all in one sheet and blanket, easy for them to make beds😉
I keep thinking of slimming down my kids wardrobes... (I keep re-washing clean but trampled clothing)... But every time I start, I realize there's a big difference in what I think looks cute on them... And what they choose to wear... So I can't seem to get rid of the nice clothes I like! Maybe I'll just put them away in a tote and replace what they tear or destroy. Thanks for the video!
I am afraid to use pods because I don't understand what happens to the plastic container the liquid is in. Plumbers say those things plug up your dishwasher so why not your washer?
I knew someone that here in the uk use to manage a shop that sold washing machines and dyers etc and when company’s had training days most of them said don’t use the pods as they ruin the machines . I might ad that some machines come with stickers advertising the pods...it’s all for money .
Interesting video I saw this week about dishwasher detergent pods (and why they aren't the best choice) ua-cam.com/video/_rBO8neWw04/v-deo.html by Technology Connections. In case you find it TL;DW, he says you need soap in the first wash in addition to the main wash, so the pods are wasting that first wash and letting grease/fats gunk up the dishwasher drain.
thanks for the essential oils tip, because I have been using dryer balls for over a year, but essential oils aren't really my thing, so I was going to try it eventually but haven't yet! 😏
So smart to limit the volume of items before they start to care about clothes! Less is more. If something goes missing or is in disrepair, you notice. I’m feeling a clothing purge coming on for my kids after the new year, if they’ll agree to be involved. Wish I would have become a minimalist when my kids were small, or better yet before I got married. But better late then never.
Have you considered expanding your incoming laundry area? Depending on how you wash your clothes, you could pre sort blankets, sheets, lights, darks, etc. If it's on the floor, then I think you just need larger/more hampers. Ones that hang on the wall would be great for vertical storage and it would give you some space to actually do laundry without stepping on dirty clothes all the time.
I haven’t used dryer sheets in years, and haven’t felt the need for the dryer balls either! My laundry products consist of tide pods, a bottle of spray n wash and that’s it!
I'm wondering how empty your washing machine is if you wash every day...that amount of laundry you showed in the hamper would all be one load for me. I read somewhere a while ago that it's actually better to fill your washing machine quite full, so for mine that would be 7kg (14 lbs?) which is a lot! Maybe that's something to consider as well :)
I just moved (in june) and going through my laundry, I've found clothes that haven't fit my kids for YEARS! I'm fairly sure these had been in my storage unit, but either way, they need to leave now! 🤣
My kids are blanket mad too. I assigned each one a “carry around “ blanket. Every other one stayed on their beds. We have two that live in the couch for movie snuggling. So in a given week I might have 5 throw blankets to wash but not usually. And the ones on their beds stay cleaner longer.
I had three boys, each had their own dirty laundry basket. They each had 8-9 play outfits , 2 church outfits and one towel. Including my husband each person had an assigned laundry day and their laundry was done once a week. I washed one person's laundry M-F until they were 10. Then I taught them to do their own. This would usually be one load of clothes and one load of bedding. By not mixing different people's dirty clothes it was very easy for me to wash, dry, and have them put it away. (I liked having enough clothes we could go on vacation or to camp for a week and not have to do laundry.)
All these years, no matter how much laundry I had, I was a sorter, whites, darks, mediums, jeans, towels.... So many loads. This week I felt really naughty when I took my husbands whole hamper of clothes and dumped them into the washer, hehe. They came out fine so I did mine as well. The only downside was I didn't think about my bra hooks catching on a sweater so next time I'd think about that. And I did do jeans separately. So 3 loads down from 6 or 7. This is my new routine for sure.
I don’t get one thing. Its is good to have less clothes i agree. But as far as laundry, you still wear clothes everyday (some you wear for more days) so how would you have less laundry? The only thing that changed for me is that I can’t get behind with laundy, cause i run out of clothes (or my son does) but it’s still the same amount of washing that needs to be done.
My now 16 and 14 year old boys used to wear the same size when they were younger. They're only 20 months apart. So my now 11 year old ended up with a ton of hand me downs. I once counted 20 pairs of pants in the same size!
Have you considered doing one person's laundry each day? It has worked so well for me. Just rotate through every member of the family, if you take a day off then pick up where you left off. That way you can see how much each kid is putting in the laundry and so can they. My younger daughter was regularly putting things in that she didn't even wear! Washing, drying and putting away one person's laundry per day feels very satisfying and efficient.
When I was raising my 4 children they had 5 sets of clothes and then 1 sweat suit for gym days. They did have 1 set of dress clothes for church or special occasions. They did have 10 pairs of underwear and 10 pair of socks. It made laundry time easier for me.
I wanted to say I love your channel!! My husband and I were full time van dwellers for 4 years. It took us about 4 years of getting rid of stuff from the time we decided to downsize from a 3000 sq ft house to a 1200 sq ft townhouse then to a 36 ft Fifth Wheel and then to our 22 ft van. I am naturally minimalish but my husband is NOT. He isn’t a hoarder, he just is very emotionally invested in objects. It was extremely tough for him to keep letting go of things over those 4 years. But he did it! And we had 4 wonderful years in the van. We just bought a house bc our dog is too old to travel now. So far I have purchased DROPPS based on your recommendation and I’ve implemented the dry erase board technique of keeping track of what’s in my freezer (and fridge) that you showed on one of your videos. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and cheer you on. You’re doing an amazing job minimizing and reducing waste. I’m so impressed. Having been through it, I know first hand how grueling, exhausting, frustrating, and guilt ridden the experience is. But it’s also enlightening, soothing, fun, and a wholly worthy task. Good luck!
My daughter is the same way with her clothes. I have 3 younger nieces that get her hand-me-downs & she says it makes her heart happy to see her clothes again. lol... 💞
My 12-year old twin girls, with two totally different styles, started telling me about 2 years ago that they didn't need new clothes. I then decided to keep 1 good fitting outfit for those special occasions in their closet and watch from a distance. They now have few clothes, sometimes not a perfect fit in my opinion, but it works for them. Every season, 3 months, we check if all the essentials are either in the closet or still fit.
And five is their and mine favourite number of pants & shirts for their daily outfits.
Seriously, kids don't need as many clothes as we think they do!
Less is TRULY more!
I’m already less stressed!
Hi from Denmark 😊 You can try the European way of making the bed. For each bed we (at least in Denmark) only use 1 sheet, 1 duvet + duvetcover and 1-2 pillows + pillowcovers. That is it. Everytime I see an American make their bed I always wonder why there is sooo many components to it😅. Love your vidoes!❤
great
It's the same in the uk. I dont think I could be bothered to make beds with that many layers😂
Also true in Poland :)
I hate wrestling the duvet into the duvet cover. So I have bottom sheet, top sheet, blanket, then duvet in duvet cover on top :D Only wash the duvet cover once a season since it is top layer.
The same in Germany
I have just started decluttering my house. So far 15 bags to donate. Still need to do closets. We have way to much and always stressed with the mess.
Congrats on doing this!
Well done keep going! I started earlier this year to prepare for a house move, house got delayed so will not yet downsized house wise yet but I am managing to continue to declutter more and more every week and enjoying it too. The more I get rid of, the more organised and in control I feel.
I’ve been using the woollen balls for the majority of this year and I love them. I had read that the dry sheets are possibly toxic and that was reason enough for me to stop using them. Even if this isn’t true by using dryer sheets you are producing trash. I’m trying to make better choices when it comes to sustainability and more ethical purchases.
The minimal mom. Did this. And she solved the problem. There’s 3 of us. I wash once a week. 3 to 4 loads. That’s it. No in between
My boys(8,5) also share a dresser. The bottom is long pants and long shelves the middle is short shelve shirts and shorts, the top is pjs sweat pants underwear and socks. They also fold there clothes like Marie kondo Style and put them away. It's great cuz they understand how to respect there things and appreciate what they have.
I love that you use dropps and dryer balls, great tips!
My mom taught me to sniff and check for stains. Without stink or spots, it goes back into the drawer after wearing. (Underwear being the exception.) I think us Americans wash our clothes way too much... which shrinks their life span.
I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I traveled in a van for 4 years and we rewore clothes many times before washing them (out of necessity- you can only keep so many pieces of clothes in a van and doing laundry in laundromats gets very expensive and it sucks. Lol). It was fine! We didn’t smell, we changed clothes if they started getting a little odor and we saved so much water, detergent, money and time.
@@vanessas3385 YES! My mom was a single working mom of 3. She did well but not enough for outside help. Less laundry was just an effort just to reduce her enormous work load.
Watching from down under. During the Summer in Australia we hang our cloths to dry out side on a cloths line. Free energy!
Same, we put it out on the hills hoist every wash (which we do once a week) and on clothes horses in the garage when the weather isn't great. (We're lucky we have a 'spare' double garage) We have a dryer but only use it when desperate such as a rainy week and use it late at night when it's off peak electricity. It just smells better when it's been sun dried.
Many apartments in US do not allow hanging clothes. :(:(
Erica, when my boys were little I had the same issue. When I went through the the clothes I discovered we had 16 pairs of size 7 jeans!!! That is when I paired down the clothes to how much laundry I was willing to do.
Nice music. This is so sensible. We need room to store the fresh laundered clothes and love wearing the clothes we have!
Yes! Such a simple step. :)
Ah, I need to do this for sure! Thank you for the video.
Something to consider: the drop pods are meant to dissolve so any moisture they come into contact with will cause them to start dissolving. This can even include moisture in the air. Especially because your laundry room is in the basement (I think), I would keep the pods in a sealed container to prevent them from accidentally dissolving.
Agreed! I found a beautiful jar that seals at the secondhand store for my dropps. I picked up another jar for the dishwasher pods that go under the sink for the same reason, but it's not big enough for the whole box (bigger box than our laundry pods). Might have to switch that one out.
Question: I live in the desert and it’s extremely dry in my house. Do you think I need to keep the pods out of my laundry room? My shelf is above my washer/dryer. I don’t want them to melt. 😬 I just ordered them and haven’t received them yet.
@@vanessas3385 I don’t think there is an issue with them melting due to temperature it is due to contact with moisture and from what you said it is dry so my guess is you are fine to keep them in that room, but I would still recommend the container.
Merry Christmas Erica! 🎄💕
Simplifying children's clothes really helps! I've kept 6 outfits (whether that's a top & bottom or dress) for my oldest two girls, they're 10 and 8. I ask them to rewear clothes for two days in a row, so they wear something MT, WTh, FSat, which makes only 3 outfits a week, so picking 6 means they actually have 2 weeks worth of clothes. They also have 2-4 church dresses they rotate through.
My younger two, who are 4 and 2, have about 8 outfits each bc they get dirtier more often and also 2-4 church clothes.
Oh and they all have 2 pajamas (well 2 winter and 2 summer ones). They wear one pair for a week and then in laundry day they get a new pair.
I've also recently been teaching my older two how to do their own laundry. So on Thursdays my 8 yo does her and her 2yo sisters clothes. On Fridays my 10yo does her and her 4yo brothers laundry. I also do allow the no fold method so that things are easy for them to put away. This allows me to only have to do laundry myself on Mon, Ties, and Wed. 🙌🏻
I simplified our kiddos clothes (mostly due to inspiration from watching you :) ) in Feb. After 10 months, I can't BELIEVE the difference - I only do laundry twice a week, for the past 10 months!! I used to constantly be stressed about laundry, but seriously, this has been an amazing change for us. All 3 of my kiddos go thru every so often now and declutter their own drawers. Thank you!
For my daughter I hang up everything. Out of season clothes we declutter and put on top of closet. I put my out of season in drawers. You decide where you want the shorts and cargo pants. Your improving so much! Dont be hard on yourself. Ive heard on that a mom was using like poise pads instead of pull ups. I think thats genius! When you compare you get way more. You can set a timer for yourself and the kids to get up super early to go. I was a wetter than my mom set a schedule for me to get up. My dad had to go to work early, early so she would get me up at 4:30 every morning. If not back in the day she would have to hand wash the sheets and line dry them. I still get up early!
My daughter would wet the bed at age four, took her to doc ,nothing was wrong. So my husband who was in the Army would get her up before he went to (early) work and that problem was solved!, She just couldn’t hold it that long, Now I am old and I can’t make it all night either!lol
Vinegar is also a great way to soften laundry instead of fabric softener🙂
I bought a "portable " washer because the laundromat was too hard to get to (Walk/bus) and I read vinegar helps some.of thr stiffness out and does EVER. And also refreshes the washer as well without extra chemicals!
Are you also planning on declutter the boxes you have saved with clothes for Jackson to grow into? This was inspiring! 🌟🌟🌟
Your decluttering game is Strong!!
It is so satisfying to clear out extra clothes and to actually be able to slide a drawer open and closed! 😂
But also, sounds like your daughter is a minimalist! She knows what she owns and wants to replace her threads with her tried and trues! ❤
This one thing you are doing will free up so much time. Been a pleasure to watch your progress! Thanks for your willingness to share with all of us and Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family. Thank your husband from our family for his service to our country. Means so much! ❤️
Reducing clothes helps sooo much!
Ooh I love the way your hair is at 8:26. Suits you!
Thanks for the tip on the detergent pods. I also just received my order of Who Gives a Crap TP. Might I suggest you skip the fabric softener? I haven't used it...ever and my laundry is just fine.
To save time when my kids were young and my husband and I both worked we hung outfits together on the same hanger...pants or shorts with a shirt...on Sunday my daughter would pick 5 to wear to school that next week..no problems getting dressed ever..
When you said Jack’s got a lot of pants because of the hand-me-downs. I feel you! Our younger boy has almost twice as much clothes as his brother at any given age because he gets what we saved, plus any gifts or things we buy for something specific, and then it’s so much!
For every new piece gifted to/bought for him, donate an older piece of the hand-me-downs. You then keep the numbers at a reasonable level.
I do our main wash 1x/week which often takes 1-3days depending on how on top of it I am or if I’m washing everyone’s sheets at the time. This frees me up for emergency laundry issues, gives my machine a rest and let’s me focus on other things around my house. When I first heard of this from Dana White’s books I thought it wouldn’t work fir us and now it’s great. We are a family of 7 who cloth diapers and our lids are 11y, 8y (with severe special needs often making extra laundry), 5y, 3y, 5mo. Reducing clothing was the most important step for us to get here. My oldest and my daughter still have a bit too much but it’s a process. We typically keep 7-8 because if the weekly laundry- if I did a load everyday 5 would work for kids not potty training or spitting up babies. Yay for your progress!!
File folding helps my kids fold their own laundry. Ages; 9, 6, and 5. They rotate the clean to the back of the file.
I agree! I have been file folding for 30 yrs. I saw a lady do this on TV the week I got married, way before Marie Kondo craze. I especially like organizing socks this way. Folding down the tops together stretches them out.
Less clothes = less to wash. I love it! Unrelated, but I also used to keep my dryer balls in a container on the shelf. But, I later realized that I was just creating an extra step for myself. Now, I just leave them in the dryer after I pull out the clothes. Don't have to worry about forgetting them on the next load, and saves space on my shelf.
You can use vinegar in place of fabric softener. I just put mine where the softener would normally go. It doesn’t stink the clothes at all!
Your day 2 hair style is sooooo cute!
I like to declutter my grandsons clothes, one is 12 and I just give suggestions, other is 1 year and if I am at his house I love decluttering his clothes, so cute, grow so fast!
I did this exact same thing yesterday with my boys’ clothes! It felt so good!
I would be overwhelmed by having to do laundry every day! I usually only do it twice per week. And I wash 2 loads of clothes each time (which is all the clothes, 2 x per week) and I also wash sheets each time and towels once per week. So 3-4 loads each time I do laundry depending on if I am washing towels in addition to clothes and sheets.
I recently decluttered sheets. I now have one set of sheets per bed and one extra per bed size. So for our house we have 3 queen beds currently, so we have 4 sets of sheets. When I wash sheets I wash then put them back on the bed after laundering. It works so well for us!
I have the blanket and sheet problem too, I think its because my kids do not make their beds, then they land on the floor and get dirty, dog lays on them, ect. We are working on it. lol, You guys are doing great! I love watching your videos and one of these days you will be done decluttering except for maintaining, I am right behind you. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, thank you for sharing your life, you are my favorite!
I'm from Australia Erica and I'm loving seeing your hair up recently. It shows your beautiful face more and your lovely outfits. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Jo xxx
great idea, though you might want to sit down with your daughter to see if thre are some items she really doesn't care about and teach her about declutter, too. Love your glasses by the way. great job !!!
Thank you, this is such great motivation to declutter as laundry is my least favorite thing!! Less maintenance and upkeep! You’re the best 😄
We quit sorting laundry. The hampers get dumped straight into the wash and our hampers are the size of a load of laundry. It helps us stay on top of things.
I do the same, so much easier & a huge time saved!
I keep a small about in the basement like a home store. So if they do go through a shirt. And I also have set aside only some hand me downs not a whole stockpile anymore.
WAIT you use fabric softner in washer and balls in the dryer.The balls in dryer suppose to stop static and soften clothes.
I need to do this for my kids. I feel so overwhelmed with clothes. It's Neverending and my daughter likes 2 outfits and just wants to wear them. Less stuff=less headaches= less to clean!
Have you considered changing the direction your dryer door opens?
That would be great. It’s a new dryer and it came that way. We are renting.
@@EricaLucasLoves some dryers you can switch the screws around and change the side that the hinge is on. Ours cannot do that but I know people who have switches their side.
I do laundry once a week. I pick a day when I will be at home. start in the morning and set a timer every hour to remind myself to check the laundry. By the end of the day I’m done and don’t think about it for another week.
When my kids where younger I did cloth diapers that was the only time I did laundry more often
Great video! Love that you've changed to zerowaste detergent! Have you thought about hanging your clothes out to dry outside? I understand that it's normal in the US, but is really looked down on across Europe... dryers are extremely bad for the environment, they really rack up your electricity bill and they destroy your clothes quickly. Maybe at least dry them outside in the spring and summer? Sunlight is naturally anti-bacterial, costs nothing and it's something that the kids can help you do and take some of the load of you...just some thoughts.
Sadly, many neighborhoods in the US don't even allow you to have a clothesline in your yard! Isn't that crazy?? Part of our American 'perfect yard' mentality.
Wow, really. I didn’t know that. I hardly ever use a dryer - everything gets dried outside or on the radiator - my dryer shrinks almost everything so I only dry towels and socks in it. I am in the U.K.
Good idea for 5 or 6 items for clothing. I do a load of laundry every day seven days a week. Been married almost 45 years and still do that. Had three kids. Did two loads if I had towels and or sheets. Good job on decluttering! You rock.
Hi Erica, my boys (i have 3 boys) have the number 5 of clothing, my daughter 7/8!!! Works great :)
YES! This is my everyday struggle. Im about to declutter my boys clothes but one of my kids has bladder and kidney issues. Which ends in him changing clothes 4-5 times a day. He has excessive urination problems and is constantly leaking out of his diaper. I feel like I have to keep lots of clothes for him but I don't know what the minimum can be. He also has blankets that need to washed every day.
7 to 10 outfits for each child is what we have. I used to go to the sales a thrift stores and consignment shops and stock pile on clothes that never all got worn.
So glad I found minimalism.
5-7 of everything is good for both the boys & your girl is a good plan Erica; Dont save too much to pass down. You got this Erica. ♡HuGS♡ 😊😉
My kids are older but always had uniforms for school so needed less. I did run into problems with vacations as they didn’t seem to have enough cute or appropriate clothes to last a week without laundry so i would probably keep 7-10 outfits per kid if I already owned them. But yes! Less clothes is better.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
I love your simplifying the boy's clothes!🩳👖👕Happy Holidays!!!!🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎉✨🎉✨🎉
Where did you find the dryer ball box? I need that.
I enjoy your videos so much - Wishing you all a very happy Xmas and New Year 🎄🎁🧑🏼🎄🌲
maybe im gross but i rewear my clothes until they smell (except undies)... sounds like you have a ton of laundry cuz you guys wash everything after just one wear? is that necessary/eco-friendly?
I make exact the same. I think it is better for the environment and I do not have to do laundry every day because there is not enough dirty laundry...
@@ch-lara2384 yup especially kids clothing, they don't even get B.O. yet so their clothes def don't need to be washed everyday. especially not jeans/pants, considering we wear underwear
I do the same. Jeans and jumpers for example can be worn more than once, I’m more careful with underwear and undershirts etc.
i undress soon as i get in and wash my clothes because of covid 19
Andy and I definitely rewear until dirty. We are working on the kids doing this. I am sorry I didn’t explain that!!
This is great, I do laundry once a week and usually have 4-5 loads including towels and sheets. I keep my sons clothes in his own laundry basket in the hall closet outside the bathroom and wash his clothes separate from ours. That way if there are accidents or we went through shirts faster than normal I can just throw his in the wash without having to dig through piles. 👍🏻
Do you use the Dropp's brand dishwasher soap also?
You're so lucky you can do laundry everyday......I have to haul my preschooler and baskets to the laundrymat
The laundromat is the WORST. Ugh. I just got a washer and dryer for the first time in 4 years and it couldn’t have come fast enough.
Hi Erica! Look forward to all your motivating videos! Blankets/sheets - my dog loves them! When I have to remove one of my own - he gets a new one and out goes his old one! I'm sure you do this ... but I'm surprised how many times I forget! Happy Holidays!
Love your videos x does each section (dark/lights etc) of your laundry basket fill a whole load? Ours wouldn’t if they were that size so we have separate plastic laundry bins and when they are full we know a load needs to go on x
what is the fire safety risk in dryer when using essential oil (2 drops)
You look beautiful with your hair/earrings/outfit, it really suits you 😊
I have to check these out, I am always on the look out for quality detergent.
We keep our wardrobes pared down too, but I only do the laundry once a week. So, I make sure we all have enough outfits in our wardrobes for 2 weeks, in case I get behind (in times of sickness or if I'm extra busy that week), or if we have outfits that get ruined. I go through our wardrobes (including closets, dressers,, shoes and coat closet items) twice a year to make sure we have a fully stocked (but limited) wardrobe for spring/summer or fall/winter. I make sure that each kid has clothes they actually like and want to wear plus one dressy outfit in case we have a dressy occasion to go to that season. For my teenaged daughter, we create a mix and match wardrobe of things she likes and will enjoy wearing. For my younger kids, I make sure the clothes they have are ones they like and that feel good and then I match everything into outfits that hang together on the same hanger in their closet. Getting dressed isn't a struggle for them and I know that they always have the clothing they need and will wear. As they get older I ask them if they're interested in building a mix and match wardrobe yet or if they still want me to match up their outfits (often with their input in outfit combinations). This system has worked for us for at least 8 years and keeps our clothing laundry to 3-4 loads a week MAX for 5 people. 🙌
HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY XMAS. CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE VIDEOS. MERRY XMAS!!!!!!
Sheets you only need 2 per each of your beds - you should look into the blankets that go on kids bed that is all in one sheet and blanket, easy for them to make beds😉
I keep thinking of slimming down my kids wardrobes... (I keep re-washing clean but trampled clothing)... But every time I start, I realize there's a big difference in what I think looks cute on them... And what they choose to wear... So I can't seem to get rid of the nice clothes I like! Maybe I'll just put them away in a tote and replace what they tear or destroy. Thanks for the video!
Have you checked into the zip-up sheet/blanket combo?
I am afraid to use pods because I don't understand what happens to the plastic container the liquid is in. Plumbers say those things plug up your dishwasher so why not your washer?
I knew someone that here in the uk use to manage a shop that sold washing machines and dyers etc and when company’s had training days most of them said don’t use the pods as they ruin the machines . I might ad that some machines come with stickers advertising the pods...it’s all for money .
Interesting video I saw this week about dishwasher detergent pods (and why they aren't the best choice) ua-cam.com/video/_rBO8neWw04/v-deo.html by Technology Connections. In case you find it TL;DW, he says you need soap in the first wash in addition to the main wash, so the pods are wasting that first wash and letting grease/fats gunk up the dishwasher drain.
@@Dashzap thanks for the video.
thanks for the essential oils tip, because I have been using dryer balls for over a year, but essential oils aren't really my thing, so I was going to try it eventually but haven't yet! 😏
So smart to limit the volume of items before they start to care about clothes! Less is more. If something goes missing or is in disrepair, you notice. I’m feeling a clothing purge coming on for my kids after the new year, if they’ll agree to be involved. Wish I would have become a minimalist when my kids were small, or better yet before I got married. But better late then never.
Have you considered expanding your incoming laundry area? Depending on how you wash your clothes, you could pre sort blankets, sheets, lights, darks, etc. If it's on the floor, then I think you just need larger/more hampers. Ones that hang on the wall would be great for vertical storage and it would give you some space to actually do laundry without stepping on dirty clothes all the time.
Love it, you are doing great!
You mentioned the buy nothing club. What is it?
I also declutter my boys clothes often. I have one drawer where i shove whats small for my 4yr old, in waiting until the 2yr old grows
I haven’t used dryer sheets in years, and haven’t felt the need for the dryer balls either! My laundry products consist of tide pods, a bottle of spray n wash and that’s it!
From Iowa. So at first I was like. Oh yeah, an Amana washer..... and then I was like.... they have those all the way out to the east cost! XD
I'm wondering how empty your washing machine is if you wash every day...that amount of laundry you showed in the hamper would all be one load for me. I read somewhere a while ago that it's actually better to fill your washing machine quite full, so for mine that would be 7kg (14 lbs?) which is a lot! Maybe that's something to consider as well :)
I just moved (in june) and going through my laundry, I've found clothes that haven't fit my kids for YEARS! I'm fairly sure these had been in my storage unit, but either way, they need to leave now! 🤣
I heard that if you pin a safety pin on the dryer balls you don’t get static. I have not tried it yet.
My kids are blanket mad too. I assigned each one a “carry around “ blanket. Every other one stayed on their beds. We have two that live in the couch for movie snuggling. So in a given week I might have 5 throw blankets to wash but not usually. And the ones on their beds stay cleaner longer.
I had three boys, each had their own dirty laundry basket. They each had 8-9 play outfits , 2 church outfits and one towel. Including my husband each person had an assigned laundry day and their laundry was done once a week. I washed one person's laundry M-F until they were 10. Then I taught them to do their own. This would usually be one load of clothes and one load of bedding. By not mixing different people's dirty clothes it was very easy for me to wash, dry, and have them put it away. (I liked having enough clothes we could go on vacation or to camp for a week and not have to do laundry.)
Love this so much! Go to the source of the issue!
Very sweet indeed.
Erica, I noticed the Dropps has a referral program. If I use your link will you get the $30 credit for my order? I would like to give you the credit.
All these years, no matter how much laundry I had, I was a sorter, whites, darks, mediums, jeans, towels.... So many loads. This week I felt really naughty when I took my husbands whole hamper of clothes and dumped them into the washer, hehe. They came out fine so I did mine as well. The only downside was I didn't think about my bra hooks catching on a sweater so next time I'd think about that. And I did do jeans separately. So 3 loads down from 6 or 7. This is my new routine for sure.
Get a bra laundry bag and it can go in there with everything!
I keep meaning to do this!
Can tennis balls be used as dryer balls?
Absolutely, I got a can and use them only for the dryer
I don’t get one thing. Its is good to have less clothes i agree.
But as far as laundry, you still wear clothes everyday (some you wear for more days) so how would you have less laundry? The only thing that changed for me is that I can’t get behind with laundy, cause i run out of clothes (or my son does) but it’s still the same amount of washing that needs to be done.
My now 16 and 14 year old boys used to wear the same size when they were younger. They're only 20 months apart. So my now 11 year old ended up with a ton of hand me downs. I once counted 20 pairs of pants in the same size!
Have you considered doing one person's laundry each day? It has worked so well for me. Just rotate through every member of the family, if you take a day off then pick up where you left off. That way you can see how much each kid is putting in the laundry and so can they. My younger daughter was regularly putting things in that she didn't even wear! Washing, drying and putting away one person's laundry per day feels very satisfying and efficient.
I have lavender in my garden and I make lavender water and spray it on my wool balls. No fire hazard or chemicals.
Oh how I wished I had pared down my kids’ clothes when they were little
just keep dryer balls in the dryer and save a container
Right! That's where mine go!
Same!