We know that it can be a lot easier to just do the laundry yourself. No whining, no complaining. Everyone’s happy! Except, tough love, parents: everyone in your family (especially if you’ve got young adults heading off to college) needs to be able to do their own laundry. And doing it at home, under your masterful tutelage and supervision, is a smart way to go.

You know who makes laundry a whole lot easier and cleaner for families? Our sponsor Tide, whose new Tide Power PODS have 50{95a2b84223771f6dc99687581f8d75dfbd5fdd45bc711e1847180ef96d7d2d0f} more cleaning power than original Tide Liquid, so they’re better at removing the dirt in large laundry loads.

Here, we share 5 simple laundry tips for families, particularly young adults, that have worked for us. We hope they work well for you too.

(Make sure your family knows how to safely use Tide Power PODS. And store them in a closed container, out of the reach of children).

1. Be prepared. This might seem a little obvious, like yes, we already have laundry baskets, ladies. But, here’s the thing: the more “gear” that helps guide your laundry-doing family members, the easier it will be for them to be successful. Consider a lights and darks laundry basket (like the above) to help them pre-organize their laundry. And when it comes to detergent, something like Tide Power PODS, can make getting those large laundry loads a whole lot easier. And of course, be sure they know how to properly use them.

Pro tip: Power PODs are great for the young adults in your home who might let their clothes sit around on the floor and pile up into large loads. Not that YOUR young adult does that or anything. Ahem.

2. Start in phases. Doing laundry can be overwhelming! There’s delicates and cold wash only, and low tumble dry and… the list goes on. It might be easier to get your young adult to get started with folding their already-clean clothes, or putting the wet wash in the dryer before you have them do all the steps.

3. Make it easy. If you’ve got family members who want to gain independence, we suggest starting off with things like printed step-by-step directions, or even labels on your washing machine. This way, you’re not answering the “Where’s the start button?” question every single time they’re trying to do the laundry. And really, do you know what every setting on the washer and dryer is for? Probably not. So you might just teach yourself a few things in the process.

From our sponsor

With washing machines getting bigger, it’s easier than ever for families to do fewer and larger laundry loads to maximize their time. But, large laundry loads are harder to clean and require more power.

Tide knows that as busy parents, there are a million other things we would all rather be doing that laundry. That’s why they’re launching their new Tide Power PODS, to help ensure that large laundry load your young adults (and other family members) have been putting off gets the ultimate clean.

The new Tide Power PODS help tackle the issue of large laundry loads and set-in stains. And with 50{95a2b84223771f6dc99687581f8d75dfbd5fdd45bc711e1847180ef96d7d2d0f} more cleaning power than original Tide Liquid, they’re much better at removing the dirt in the large laundry loads your young adults are hopefully doing on their own.

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4. Set up a reward system. Yes, we agree that clean clothes should be reward enough, and maybe at some point, they will be. But at first, if you’re having a few challenges motivating the young adults in your home to do their own laundry, you might consider a little reward system. Hey, star charts aren’t just for little kids. Granted, I wouldn’t necessarily use an actual star chart, but if your young adult can keep up with their laundry on a consistent basis, you might dangle a little Starbucks gift card, or trip to the movies in front of them. Bonus: If they earn the reward, you’ll get to spend time with them.

5. Temper your expectations. It would be great if your young adult folded their shirts like a department store and placed them neatly in their drawers. But, keep this in mind, if they’re doing your own laundry, that means you’re NOT doing it, so be glad to have one huge chore off your plate. Whether the shirts end up stuffed in a drawer or remain at the bottom of that hamper all week, you didn’t have to touch their dirty socks this week and to us, that’s a pretty big win.

Thanks to our sponsor Tide, whose new Tide Power PODS, are helping families make sure their large laundry loads get the ultimate clean.