I officially love the writer of this article. Here is someone who definitely understands the life of a busy apartment dweller, especially if the laundry has to be done in a laundromat and not a nice convenient laundry machine in the building!

Sorry but I have to disagree with storing dirty laundry in furniture. Don't you think the wood would absorb the odors? Think about sweaty work out clothes mouldering in an antique dresser. For this reason I launder the canvas liner in my wicker laundry basket on a regular basis.

Those blue Ikea shopping bags help keep me organized. I dump my dirty laundry in the ikea bags. Take the clothes downstairs to the basement.

The clothes come out of the dryer directly into the Ikea shopping bag, which I take upstairs, sort and store. I have dedicated 4 Ikea bags for this chore.

Prior to the above method, I used to just dump the clothes from the dryer onto the basement floor, which was sort of finished. Then, I would sort through them daily on as "as needed" basis. It was such a mess.

I don't think she's suggesting you leave it for weeks, someone invented febreze for just this situation, thank you whoever you are.

Ugh, this is always such a problem for me! Where to store the dirty laundry is a perpetual question. I don't let it pile up for weeks or anything, but you've at least got to have a space dedicated to a load or two. The storage ottoman idea is genius. I was thinking about getting one to put at the end of the bed and keep extra blankets in, but it makes a lot more sense to store dirty clothes there (easy access) and keep the extra linens in the closet (where the hamper lives now).

I never know what to do with the rags I use for cleaning. I can't put them in the hamper wet, because I don't wash every day and I'm not risking contaminating my clothes with mildew. So now I let them dry on the edge of the tub, then throw them in a separate little bucket in the bathroom. But it's still kind of gross. I wish I could come up with something better.

Re: cleaning rags, my old apartment had towel bars on the inside of the cleaning closet door. They were really handy for drying the rags, and the ventilation was good enough that it worked. Don't know if your apartment has somewhere you could install cheap Ikea towel bars that's a little out of sight.

My smallest apartment ever was about 190 square feet, and I did not have a problem fitting a cute laundry hamper in it. As I recall, it was under the steps to the loft bed, where nothing else really fit. I'm having trouble seeing how having a separate dresser for laundry would have been more space-efficient.

If you need dressers and vertical storage for dirty clothes and linens, maybe you aren't doing your laundry often enough. Yikes.

I think I'm OCD about laundry. I have one basket for kitchen linens, one basket for bed linens, one basket for bath linens, and one basket for clothes. I like to wash them all separately when a hamper is full.

When I don't have space for an actual basket, I use Ziploc Big Bags. They are enormous plastic bags that come in three sizes. (I think the largest one is 2'x3'.) They are great for sorting clothes and keeping things separate, but they can all go into a small place, like the floor of a closet, or into a large hamper without mixing.

Also, is an odder like an odorous udder?

matchbookhymnal-I just read your post. I put one tension rod each in the cabinets under both my kitchen and bathroom sink, at the top just behind the doors. I hang my wet dirty linens there until they dry. It works great for me.

I have a spare laundry basket under my bed where I chuck dirty clothes. I wash once a week, and it's just me, so that works fine.

I keep coming accross this 'you can wear clothes multiple times' thing is 'green' tips from American sites. Is this an American thing? Or am I just filthy? I wear my clothes pretty much until I feel like they need a wash - jeans and jumpers can go weeks depending on what I've been doing, shirts, bras and tshirts get three or four wearings, underwear is washed every time. Clothes that have been worn but aren't dirty get hung on hooks on my wall or folded and put in a designated area - atm it's a pile of vintage suitcases that are storing out of season linens.

I work in an office so it's not like I'm doing anything to my clothes - if I ride my bike to work or do sweaty chores or spill something, clothes go straight in the wash, but washing them EVERY wearing? Seems like you are asking to have them fall apart on you. And I can only imagine the electricity/water bills! No wonder you have trouble storing your laundry!

Sorry if that sounded rude with the 'is it an American thing'. I just have only seen it on US sites, and it surprises me every time.

Actually, I would be super interested in this topic. I was my be linen once a week, otherwise it starts to ick me out. Sometimes I don't get time, and it goes two weeks, but by the end of the second week I am seriously over it. I have to do it on the weekends cos I hang my quilt out to air and have to be there in case it rains, etc.

@Village, your tension rod idea is brilliant! You aren’t alone with the laundry OCD thing. We keep separate laundry bags for kitchen linens, clothing, rags, etc. Bath towels washed in hot water with socks & non-delicate undies, rags with washable rugs, etc. Oh & I have 2 strict rules (1) no wet items in dirty laundry hamper & (2) all drawstrings must be tied b4 washing (I cannot stand fishing drawstrings back through hoodies, workout clothes, etc.)

Kaviare, it is an American thing. I think it's why they have electrical driers, too, you simply can't get enough dry clothes to wear with the kind of insane laundry frequency people have. It's also why American homes are littered with dirty laundry and they need several pieces of furniture to store it all. AND it's why their clothes look like old washrags - they get tumble dried several times a week. Sorry, that WAS rude. But it's true. One of the ways you can always spot an American, their clothes have that shapeless tumble dried look.

We have two cheap mesh pop-up hampers sitting on the floor of our (very small) closet, under our hanging clothes. (Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Pop-Collapsible-Laundry-Hamper-Black/dp/B002TD2A6S, though ours came two for $9.99 from BB&B). They have very strong handles, so they're great to then lug everything down to the basement. Now, if someone could just come up with a system that made sure we always have quarters when it's laundry time...

I keep laundry in a pop-up mesh hamper in my closet. I fold them as they come out of the dryer and make neat piles for shirts, sweaters, etc, put them in my pop-up laundry basket, and it's ready to be put away once I get back to my bedroom.

Now that more places are designated as non-smoking, I get more wearings out of my clothing.

While visiting England I was tortured by the way my clothing smelled so smokey at the end of the day and longed for a convenient washer and dryer.

we have a low west elm bed and can not slide storage out easily so twice a year I lift the mattress off, I'm supposed to do that anyway to rotate it, lift the slats, real light weight, and access the containers to swap seasonal clothes out.

@Kaviare - I'm with you, I don't need to wash every single item of clothing every time I wear it (accept underwear and soiled items). If I washed my jeans every time I wore them they would be threadbare and unwearable before I could afford to buy another pair.
My husband and I manage with one laundry basket, doing laundry once per week. However, we use our sheets and bath towels all week, so we don't need space for those, they go straight from the bed/bathroom to the machine. I also have a plastic bin in the closet for my used cleaning rags.
Good ideas though! I see no reason why a dresser or ottoman wouldn't work. If you have to put your dirty clothes somewhere, might as well be attractive.

years ago, ikea offered a little wicker seat/hamper that i love and still use, even though the wicker is a little worse for wear. it's enough for two loads of laundry - maybe three if i cram stuff in. the storing laundry in dressers would make me paranoid that one day I'd throw some filthy clothes on in a rush, not a good thing.

Haha as an American I can say it IS an American thing, although from what I can tell a fairly "modern" one. It happens to be one I don't subscribe to as I wear jeans and pants, skirts etc numerous times before washing, same with sweaters/vests etc (those even longer than pants). Shirts it really depends on the shirt but those I usually wash after every wearing (unless they're just worn for a few hours) but that's mostly because mine tend to fit tight and I perspire a lot lol

But most people I know would be horrified if they knew I did that. Even though they'd never know the difference unless I told them.

We bought college dorm bed risers for about $5. at Target, put them under the legs of our bed, and gained a lot of storage space. We can now easily slide large laundry baskets under our bed, and the bed skirt hides them.

Yep, born and raised in the U.S., and it's a American thing for sure. Even in lefty places (*cough*Metafilter*cough*), the majority of the Americans raise all kinds of objection to rewearing clothes or bathing 3x per week instead of every day, or even using natural rather than synthetic deodorants. Having spent a little time abroad, I just think most Americans are really, aggressively provincial. That's all I got. I'm not an over cleansed American, and proud. :)

What's wrong with an actual laundry basket on the floor of a closet? It's cheaper than buying an IKEA organizing system and you can carry it to the laundry room/area.

@matchbookhymnal - I have three small hooks for wet rags on the inside of a cabinet below my kitchen sink

@Kaviare - Yes, it is an American thing, and I would still be washing everything but jeans after one wearing if I hadn't traveled to Europe in college and been poked fun at by fellow travelers who found it ludicrous that I kept going off to do laundry. I have a pretty minimal wardrobe now, so most items stay in heavy rotation. Socks, underwear, and camisoles go into a pretty bag after wearing, and the rest I put away unless it clearly needs attention. I end up doing one load of clothes every week this way.

My partner is a chef and her work clothes are disgusting - they are sweaty and smell like wood smoke and old food. She keeps them in a hamper in the closet and washes it all each week, separate from her off-work clothes. There is no way I would put that stuff in a nice dresser, any kind of open storage, or anywhere near my bed, my clothes, or my linens, or where guests might encounter it.

If you have a washer/dryer, it would be easier to wash at least one load a day to keep caught up, and if you don't, which I'm guessing this article is about, get a few baskets that breath or you will get some funky smells permeating in your dressers and under you bed. Plan on taking a trip to the laundry mat at least once a week. Those sprays only mask for a few hours. Can't get over,"clothes can be worn multiple times before they need to be washed". Ever hug someone who can't seem to wash that favorite shirt? lol : )

@Terry
We didn't like having laundry baskets on the floor of our closet because it gave us much less room for shoes, and my long dresses were hanging into the dirty clothes basket (ick).

I live alone in a NYC studio. I keep a basket at the bottom of a closet in a small dressing area that usually stays open (neatly organized inside), so the air flows well. I usually do 1-2 small loads every weekend and I mix clothing, towels, bed linens, etc.

I also keep a small bin in the kitchen and in the bathroom for kitchen (dish rags) and bathroom (wash cloths and hand towels) linen. Heavily soiled items are usually hand-washed with dish soap and dried before being placed in kitchen/bath bins. Body towels go in the regular laundry basket. Bed linens go straight from the bed to the laundry...or in the basket in the closet.

I'm like some of the others who don't wash clothing after every wear (not to include underwear) - unless soiled or smelly. Items that have been worn but do not need to be washed are folded and stored separately.

For those who are looking for laundry bin/storage ideas, Ikea has these great, stackable bins http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90076364 in 2 sizes that allow you to place and remove items without unstacking the bins. This system would also allow you to sort dirty clothing as you place it in the bin, as opposed to having to sort everything when it's time to do laundry.

@Sussu We DO wash our clothes often and we buy them even more often. BUT at least we dont stink. Europeans might think our clothes are threadbare but alot of Americans tend to think Europeans are stinky.
No offense. Just being honest.

@Sussu
I live in Minnesota, where line-drying outside every day is absolutely not an option due to windy days in the summer and temperatures frequently below 0 Fahrenheit in the winter.
Also, I'm a seamstress and a costumer, so my knowledge of fabrics and tailoring stops me from having that shapeless tumble-dried look you mentioned.

You should try tumble-drying pajamas sometimes. Clean underwear fresh out of the dryer? Best feeling in the world.

@allimarie: That made me lol. And yeah, there's a sense of mustiness that you can't avoid when you re-wear clothes once too often.

And yeah, I wear jeans, sweaters, shirts, and bras multiple times before I feel they need to be laundered. My husband, however, works in a kind of dirty place...and he sweats a lot, so we do a lot of laundry.

this whole article kind of grossed me out. I don't think dirty laundry really smells that bad, but all the talk of it smelling, and the thought of it wafting up from under my bed was kind of disgusting. I'm glad I have room for hampers on my closet!

Thank you kittysavant and cleverlefty. I do laundry multiple times a week both at home and at work. As a costume designer I deal with a lot of sweat and make up in clothing and know how difficult it is to remove it. Febreeze doesn't work. Anyone in fabric related businesses knows the damage leaving sweat in fabric can do. For instance, many 20's silk dresses are trash because sweat has made the armpits rot. Perhaps if you really only lighty soil laundry.

We have his and hers laundry baskets in our closets. I launder once a week, whites (including towels and underwear) in one batch, my stuff in another, his stuff in a third. (If it's a light-wear week, I can combine the our loads, but the washer is a bit small for that normally.) Electric dryer, zoning prohibits outdoor clothes lines, and I like the softness of dryers anyhow.

I wear jeans about three times before laundering, I wash most other stuff (except vests and jackets, or dry-clean-only) after one wearing. I'm not concerned about things wearing out prematurely -- nothing has so far. I get tired of things and donate them before that happens, and I buy nearly all my clothes at thrift shops anyhow, so the investment in clothing is small if something DID need to be tossed.

For me regular laundry is partly a hygiene issue and partly ease of maintenance. I fold and hang my clothes as soon as the dryer stops, so I usually don't ever need to iron things (especially since I shop to avoid ironing) and I always look presentable. (I don't claim "fashionable" because that doesn't mean anything to me.) I have no problem with "that shapeless tumble dried look" -- although I don't perceive that I have it, in any case!

I have two kids so I do laundry nearly everyday. We have a small laundry closet so my biggest issue is where to keep all the clean clothes before getting back into the closet and drawers. They end up in a pile which is not working. any ideas?

If I had a washer in my place I would probably do laundry more often, but even though we have to drag our stuff to a pay laundry, I don't tumble dry anything but pj's, jeans, and a few t-shirts. I hang everything else (including most of my tees) precisely because I hate the wear induced by tumble drying.

I definitely re-wear my clothes (except undies) if they weren't sweat in or spilled on. If they are hung up and spritzed with a little freshener (I like to use vodka, but people use water and fabric softener, water and vinegar, etc with success) they won't smell musty or otherwise malodorous with the next wear.

"Keep laundry under the bed in shallow containers. " - ??? odors from under your bed, anyone?

I have a small apartment, but large closets, so keep two hampers in one of them. (For clothes to be dried and clothes to be hung to dry, respectively, though they could as easily be light and dark colored items).

I keep the odors to a minimum by also keeping a cup full of plain vinegar on one of the closet shelves.

I totally understand the spirit of this article, and love it. But after reading it, the solutions seem like so much work I think I'll just do my laundry! We have a very large hamper that we hide in a corner behind the (open) bedroom door. We often sleep with the bedroom door open, so it's like the laundry (or its odor) isn't even there!

I'm just happy to see other people will wear things atleast once more before tossing them in the laundry.. Lol I thought this was only a gross habit my friends and I shared.. I am sooo not a laundry person..but I do have a few things that make it bearable. Even if I were home everday I would NOT do my laundry all the time. Even tho we are a six person family. We use the same towel all week unless it gets funky. My kids put on pjs in the bathroom and hang their towels back up. My oldest son removes dirty laundry every night from the bathroom. Since that is where everyone dresses we don't need hampers in everyroom. As for the hubby and I we had to adjust some. Our room is about 80 sq ft. Litterally a full bed touches three walls. We only have dresser in their and our clothes are kept in the livingroom coat closet..(not fun) s when we remove clothing we either hang it back up or toss it in the laundry room. Wet rags we hang on a laundry "ladder" to dry. Including our cleaning rags. To keep clothing pile to a minimium we wash everything together. OUr dryers broke so we're line drying right now. Scks. but the kids get into and put their clothes away as soon as they come off the line. I think what keeps our 1200 ft house from going outta control with laundry is simple. theres no room to have baskets etc laying around. So we Have to put dirties in the laundry... our old house (way bigger) was always covered in laundry. Drove me nuts...

er we as a family don't use the same towel. we use our own towels.....

Things I've done in various apartments without washer/dryer in apartment:

1. Containers designed for garbage can work well. Are often bigger, better looking, sturdier, and cheaper than hampers. I like wicker, but it is hard to find wicker hampers I like. Tall, slim Hailo can from Container Store in white in bathroom holds clothes in bathroom and looks good. Cheaper ones can work in closets. Line with nylon laundry bags with drawstring they sell at laundry place. Tie up bags and roll down the stairs to take to laundry place in wheeled grocery cart.

2. When I don't have a lot of closet space to spare, I look for containers that look good in the bedroom, not in a closet. Sometimes it is possible to find good-looking natural fiber ones that are sturdy. I look at all kinds of bins that can be used as hampers, whatever their original purpose. Some containers with tilt-out doors designed for recycling would look good. (But I don't like the idea of putting dirty laundry in actual furniture like dressers and ottomans as suggested above.)

3. Container Store's wheeled metal cart with canvas bag with 3 sections is great if you live in an elevator building with a laundry room downstairs. Holds a lot. I like that the canvas bag is washable.

4. Had too much laundry to store in current place until I hit on a two-step solution. Works where space is limited but laundry not. I have smaller bins in bath and bedroom. (Encourages me to be neat.) I transfer from them when full to the larger Container Store cart, which lives in coat closet just inside apartment door. Short jackets hang above it. (Wouldn't work if you have stinky clothes - I'd be afraid to make my jackets smell - but I rarely have stinky stuff.) Can wheel cart out the door when it is time to do wash, without having to wheel the cart over rugs and through the apartment (you have to be gentle with them when they are loaded.)

I'm lucky enough to have a service porch and washer in my apartment... thank the LORD! I absolutely can't stand lugging my laundry to the laundromat... although I still take large items like blankets, on occasion, to be laundered. For me, having one spot for dirty threads makes it easier when it's time to wash because I don't have to gather items from multiple rooms, hampers, or... pieces of furniture?? For this reason, I bought a hamper from IKEA many moons ago and it's been great; it has a bag hanging from a foldable frame with casters (I <3 casters), so it's small enough to fit in a tight space while holding a lot, and it easily moves around if I need more space to sort or just want to see how fast it'll go if I push it down the hall (kidding). In addition to the hamper, I have an IKEA slim bookshelf that holds my detergents and such. It barely takes up floor space, but holds so much because of the vertical shelving. On another note, I am SO with you guys who will wear clothing more than once before washing. It saves your clothes' fibers and your sanity! I've found that letting clothing air out after washing truly helps to rid it of any >light< stenches (e.g. smoke, "outside", food aroma), but adding a bit of fabric refresher will truly make them wear-ready all over again. I will saturate a piece of fabric with Febreze in a heartbeat lol. Oh, and tension rods are a small space's best friend. I use them as "clotheslines"/hanging rods for my newly-washed laundry as well as my Febr'saturated items. Ooh, and those little carousel clothesline thingys are awesome - you know, the ones that have a bunch of clothespins on a square-ish frame? You can hang so much in a small space! One more thing, I'm in love with 3M Command hooks. I put some on the walls of the laundry area, and use them to hang my drying racks when not in use and even small, delicate clothing items/rags to dry. Aah, small space solutions...