Get Your Teenager to Do Their Own Laundry

Piles of laundry seem to appear out of no where and yet your teen only wears the same clothing each week. One way to stop such behavior and to give your teen a much needed skill is to teach them to do their own laundry.

Begin by explaining why it is necessary for them to learn such a skill. For instance my husband had a college roommate who never washed his underwear; he would simply buy a new package of underwear every week. Costly and unnecessary this young man didn't have a clue how to wash his own clothes, nor did he desire to do so. He would eventually get someone to wash his other clothing, but buying new items each week was his way of handling his underwear situation.

Bring your teen to the laundry room and begin to sort their clothing. It may seem obvious to you, because you have been doing it for years, but to your child it may be Greek. Explain that clothing is sorted by colors and water temperature needed for each wash. Dark and bright clothing go in one pile to be washed in cold water. Cold water allows for no running of colors and less shrinkage. If you have them, throwing in a Clorox Color Catch is a good way to keep colors from bleeding in the wash, even in cold water.

Next is the warm water clothing. These are light colored clothing, like cream colored pajamas, tan socks, khaki shorts, sheets & pillow cases, or light clothing with a light pattern. There are mixed views on where to wash blue jeans. I have one friend who washes them in the warm water, but personally I feel they should go in the cold colored clothing wash to prevent color running and shrinkage. There is nothing worse than having to run out the door only to find your favorite jeans are suddenly a bit too snug.