Laundry can take forever. Usually, it has nothing to do with how long the cycle is, but how long it actually takes to put laundry away after it's done.
That is where the laundry heap hack comes in, helping to ensure you put everything away within minutes of the dryer cycle ending.
Here, professional home organizer Cara Palmer breaks down the pros and cons of this laundry hack when exploring how to do laundry, and reveals who it works best for.
What is the laundry heap hack?
Many hacks to save time when looking at laundry tips focus on the time before laundry, such as sorting clothes for laundry or the golden rules of stain removal.
The laundry heap hack, on the other hand, focuses on speeding up putting laundry away so you do not end up with towering piles of laundry collecting dust.
The trick is simple – do away with your laundry basket and carry everything from the dryer or washing line to your closet by hand. This way, you cannot let a full basket sit on your floor for weeks, and everything has to go away immediately.
Who does laundry heap hack works best for?
Before you decide that your laundry basket should be one of the things to declutter from your laundry room now, it is best to work out if this hack would actually work for you and your household.
Cara Palmer, professional home organizer and owner of Organize Every Room shares, ‘As a professional home organizer, I believe the "no-basket approach" can be effective for some households but potentially problematic for others.
‘This method can be a messy one, so it works best for people who live alone or in small households, you have a flexible schedule that allows you time to sort laundry as soon as it is finished, your laundry facilities are not too far from where you store your clothing and are easily motivated by immediate tasks.
‘In these scenarios, removing the basket creates a beneficial "forcing function" that eliminates the temptation to procrastinate. You're naturally compelled to complete the process when there's nowhere to temporarily store folded clothes.’
For example, I live in a small household of just me and my partner, and I use a variation of this method. Because I typically air-dry laundry, I use my folding laundry basket, from Walmart, to gather the dry laundry and carry it to my bedroom before dumping it all out on my bed and folding the basket away. This way, I am forced to tackle the folding immediately so that I am not left fighting for space to sleep that night. It is a great way for me to stay true to the ‘no pile’ rule that I love so much to prevent mess. This ‘transport only’ approach is one Cara suggests for tackling doom piles without forgoing the basket entirely.
However, there are several instances where this method may leave you trying to tidy your home when you feel overwhelmed.
Cara continues, ‘For households with large families, different laundry needs, busy schedules, laundry areas far away from bedrooms, mobility limitations, or young children who may require attention during laundry time, this method might not work for you. In these instances, baskets serve an important logistical function, and removing them could create more stress than solutions.’
How to use laundry baskets without encouraging piles
If you don’t want to say goodbye to your basket for good, Cara suggests changing how you use them. Besides the transport-only method, you could try:
- Create a "one-cycle rule" where baskets must be emptied before the next load finishes. This establishes a natural boundary for completion. This is especially effective in busy households where you find yourself doing laundry every day.
- Use divided baskets with sections for different family members or clothing categories, which will make the sorting and distribution process more efficient. A good option is this divided 42L laundry basket, from Amazon, which has convenient cut-out handles and hidden wheels for easy transportation.
- Keep folding surfaces clear and ready near the laundry area, eliminating any excuse not to fold immediately.
What to shop
Environmental Working Group (EWG) Certified, these laundry pods are certified healthier for use in your home, helping to cut out toxic laundry room items.
This simple laundry basket has two wooden handles for easy lifting and carrying from room to room. Whether you’re sorting clothes, towels or linens, the multipurpose basket is the perfect stylish option.
After testing it out for a month in her home, our head of Solved Punteha van Terheyden fell in love with this laundry hamper. It banished the previous physical pain she was suffering when having to manually sort all her washing on the ground or when reaching into the bottom of a basket.
Meet the expert
Cara concludes, ‘The most sustainable solution isn't necessarily having no baskets—it's creating an intentional laundry workflow with the right tools used in the right way for your specific household needs.’
