Back to School Laundry: Getting Kids’ Clothes Ready for Fall

Mid-August in North Idaho is one of those sweet spots: summer isn’t quite over, the lake is still warm, but the school supplies are already on the shelves and everybody knows the clock is ticking. In the Sandpoint area, that means Lake Pend Oreille trips wrapping up, kids off the water, and a whole season’s worth of clothes that need to be sorted, washed, and sorted again before the first day of school arrives.

Back-to-school laundry isn’t just about washing things — it’s an audit. What survived the summer? What fits? What needs to go? Here’s how to handle it without spending the whole last week of summer doing laundry.

Wash Everything Before the First Day

New school clothes — especially new jeans, shirts, and anything purchased from a major retailer — should be washed before wearing. New clothing often contains fabric sizing, dyes, and finishing chemicals that can irritate skin, especially for kids. A first wash removes most of that. It also pre-shrinks cotton items so you know exactly what you’re working with sizing-wise before the first wear.

New clothing that says “wash before wearing” on the tag is telling you something. Listen to it.

Tackle the Summer Pile First

Before dealing with new school clothes, get through the summer pile. After months of outdoor activity in Idaho — hiking, beach days at City Beach, camping at Priest Lake, baseball fields, and everything else — summer clothes have earned their stains. Here’s a quick approach:

• Sunscreen stains: Greasy yellow stains on collars and shoulders. Pre-treat with dish soap (it cuts grease) before washing. Hot water helps — check the label first.
• Grass stains: Enzyme-based stain remover applied before washing is the most effective approach. Let it sit for 15 minutes before throwing in the wash.
• Mud and dirt: Let it dry first, then brush off the excess before pre-treating. Washing wet mud can set the stain deeper.
• Sweat stains: Warm water and a bit of white vinegar in the wash cycle. For set-in armpit stains, a paste of baking soda and dish soap left on for 30 minutes before washing works well.

Sort by What Still Fits

Kids grow. A lot. Before you wash anything, do a quick sort: pull out clothes that are visibly too small and set them aside for donation or hand-me-downs. No point in washing things that are headed out the door. This also gives you a clearer picture of what actually needs to be laundered and what needs to be replaced before school starts.

Sports and Activity Gear

Fall sports start almost immediately — football, soccer, cross country. If your kid is jumping into sports, their gear needs to be ready. Sports uniforms and practice clothes need:

• Cold water wash to preserve synthetic fabrics and prevent shrinkage
• No fabric softener — it coats synthetic fibers and reduces moisture-wicking performance
• Low heat or air dry to extend the life of polyester and spandex blends

Cleats, shin guards, and pads don’t get washed in the machine, but they do need to air out. Stuff them with newspaper overnight to absorb moisture and deodorize.

The Large Load Problem

Back-to-school season is one of those moments where home washers show their limits. If you have multiple kids’ worth of clothes to get through, plus bedding that needs a seasonal refresh before school starts, it can take days of back-to-back loads at home. Bringing it all to a laundromat with large-capacity machines means getting through everything in one or two trips instead of a week of laundry.

Our largest machines at Ponderay Laundromat handle comforters, sleeping bags, and extra-large loads that a standard home washer can’t manage. If back-to-school also means a bedding refresh — which, honestly, it probably should — that’s easy to knock out in the same trip.

Build a Routine That Actually Works

Once school starts, laundry becomes a weekly logistics challenge. A few habits that help families keep up without a crisis:

• One laundry day per week beats doing small loads every day — it’s more efficient and actually gets everything clean at once
• Sort clothes by color before they go in the hamper, not after — saves time on wash day
• Sports uniforms on their own cycle, away from regular school clothes
• Check pockets every time — September is when crayons, lip balm, and forgotten lunch money destroy loads

The first day of school is coming whether you’re ready or not. Getting the laundry sorted now means one less thing on the list when everything else picks up speed in September.