Family laundry rules spark debate. Empowerment or excess?

In Sally Hepworth's home, laundry is everyone's responsibility—including the children. She champions that learning to look after one's things should start early, promoting a shared responsibilities system where parents and kids know their roles. Failure to comply means wearing the same clothes again.

Outside the laundry room, five baskets await, each named for a family member. That’s where all dirty laundry must go. Sally won't scour their rooms for stray items if the kids or her husband don't contribute their share. Laundry is a joint effort; clean clothes are returned to a communal basket for retrieval. Each child organizes their clean laundry as they see fit—Sally doesn't micromanage how things are folded. This tactic ensures equal responsibility and eliminates blame directed at Sally for any laundry mishaps.

Online feedback on Sally's method has largely been positive, with many lauding her approach as a creative method to instil independence in youngsters. However, some critics argue it could foster neglect, suggesting that not permitting children to wear dirty clothes might be an overly harsh lesson. A critic even suggested that Sally's system overcomplicates family life.