Laundry is a process with several stages, and most households have storage for none of them.

The Stages Need Places

Dirty, sorted, washed, drying, dry, folded, put away. Seven stages, and most homes have a basket for the first and nothing for the rest.

The pile of clean laundry on a chair is the physical evidence of a missing stage, and no amount of discipline fixes a missing place.

Giving each stage somewhere to be is what stops the process stalling.

Sorting Happens at the Basket

• Two or three baskets rather than one, sorted as clothes come off
• Because nobody sorts a full basket on the floor later
• Whites, colours and towels is enough for most households
• Baskets in bedrooms rather than a single one in a utility room
• Ventilated baskets, since damp clothing in a sealed one smells

Ventilated baskets and stackable bins in several sizes, of the kind at bino.us.org, cover both the sorting and the folded-and-waiting stage.

Damp Laundry Cannot Wait

The practical point that causes most laundry smells.

Wet washing left in a machine develops a musty smell within hours in a warm room, and it needs rewashing. A basket of damp towels does the same.

Ventilated baskets rather than solid ones, and getting things out of the machine promptly.

Drying Indoors Puts Water in the House

Worth knowing. A load of washing releases a substantial amount of moisture into the air as it dries.

Drying indoors without ventilation raises humidity considerably, which is a common hidden cause of condensation and mould, and damp homes are associated with respiratory problems.

Dry outdoors where possible. Indoors, in one room, with a window open or an extractor running, and not in a bedroom.

Never Dry on a Radiator or a Heater

Covering a heat source is a fire risk, and portable heaters in particular should never have anything draped over them.

Airers near a heater rather than on it, with a gap.

Tumble Dryer Lint

The lint filter should be cleaned after every load. Accumulated lint restricts airflow and is a recognised fire risk.

Vented dryers need their duct checked periodically too.

Somewhere for Folded

A surface or a basket per person, so folded clothes have a destination other than a chair.

Detergent Storage

Capsules are attractive to small children and are a poisoning risk. High and out of reach.

One Load a Day

Beats four on a Sunday.