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From Cindy’s Porch: Simplify Your Laundry!

Laundry is the first of the NOT ME FIVE.

“Who left their dirty socks on the stairs where Charlie could find them?” NOT ME.

For many people, laundry is one of the biggest chores in the home. It never stops. The only time you are really caught up is when you stripped off the clothes you were wearing and tossed them into the last load. Of course the doorbell rings as you are streaking naked through your home to put on fresh clothes. Of course you never got that curtain finished on the front door. And of course, you have to pass right by the front door to get to your bedroom and your clothing. Thank goodness for the towel in the downstair's bathroom. Please don’t ask me how I know this. I digress LOL.

Back to laundry… Not having control of your laundry can be expensive. That's how we end up with too many new pairs of underpants and socks - they were in the laundry when we needed them! Also, who hasn't lost a favorite shirt to mildew. Yick!

I hate to be a party pooper. I know how much we love to complain about the laundry we have to do. But laundry is not a big deal. The advertisers of detergents, stain removal chemicals, washers and dryers, and other laundry room "essentials" may try to convince you of the complexity of washing clothes. But I have found that if I keep our clothes simple, we need few potions and lotions to keep them clean.

1. Gather the dirty laundry and bring it to the laundry room (I usually get the kids to do this when we are taking care of the NOT ME five).
   
   
2. Sort the dirty laundry (My kids have been doing this since they were about 2 years old. It helped them learn their colors – whites, blues, and reds - hee hee!)
   
   
3. Start a load in the washer (All my kids know how to start a load).
   
   
4. When the washer is done – move the load to the dryer (remember to clean out the lint trap).
   
   
5. Start a fresh load in the washer.
   
   
6. When the dryer is done – fold the clothes and put them away right away (think – warm clothes - mini sauna).
   
   
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 until all the sorted piles are done.
   
   

And who does the laundry in our home? Everyone.

Tips to keep the laundry simple

1. If you find yourself washing kid clothes that you know they never wore during the week, it is a good sign that they have too many clothes – get rid of some of them the next time you deep clean the children’s bedrooms.
   
   
2. You do not need to wait until ALL the clothes in the home are dirty before you wash clothes. We have ONE laundry hamper upstairs and one downstairs. When they are full, it is time to wash clothes – usually three loads. Done in less than one day.
   
   
3. I don’t have a “specific” laundry day, but it is often done on Thursday or Friday so it is finished for the weekend. The family is notified that I am “doing laundry” that day and anyone who misses putting their clothes into the hamper misses getting their clothes washed. Trust me, you only have to skip washing their favorite jeans once or twice…
   
   
4. Wet towels can be hung on the towel rack and used again the next day. Moms know this, but kids do not make this connection until they are at least 26 years old. You may have to look in their bedrooms for abandoned towels.
   
   
5. Some people have had good success using a one of those laundry hampers that is divided into three. They can pre-sort their clothes into darks, lights, and reds. I use the kids to pre-sort LOL. If you like the idea of a divided hamper, don't go running out to a store to BUY one. SHOP at home FIRST. Use the laundry baskets you already have. See if it will work for your family before you BUY.
   
   
6. Have a place to store mate-less socks. Socks occasionally get mad at their mates and decide to go missing for a while. Sometimes you find them hanging out in the costume bucket, sometimes at the back of the washer, sometimes under the couch. These critters like to wander. And every once in a while, they actually re-discover their mate. I just toss single socks behind the couch. About once per month I send one of the kids in to match as many as they can. Extras then get tossed into the trash. I suppose they could be turned into puppets…
   
   
7. Simplify your washing technique. I use one kind of detergent and one kind of dryer sheet. That’s it. In fact to save a little cash, I tear the dryer sheet into three and just use one section. It works just as well. Also, I never use as much detergent “as recommended” by the manufacturer. Less works just as well. I keep my own small scoop in the box and toss the large scoops that came with the detergent.
   
   
8. Stop BUYing clothing that requires special washing and drying techniques – especially for kids.
   
   
9. Teach your kids to do laundry. My kids learned how to sort when they were two or three. They began learning how to fold tea-towels and dish clothes when they were four. They continued to learn how to fold and put away until they were about eight. Then I taught them how to use the washer and dryer.
   
   
10. Deep clean the laundry room – see the link at the bottom.
    
    
11. Have a sense of humor. It is very common to accidently mix your husband’s favorite white t-shirt into a batch of red and burgundy towels. He forgave the “pink” underpants when you were first married, he tossed the single “pink” sock from a few years later, but I had to come up with some inventive words to explain the “pink” t-shirt. Likewise, every husband will one day wash your favorite wool sweater and then put it into the dryer. The chemistry of wool is very fascinating. An adult sweater will shrink down to a size that is too small for even a toddler! Let your kids and your family make their own laundry errors. That is how we all learn.
    
    

My favorite website for laundry tips is http://www.tide.com/. They have great tips for handling stains, taking care of your washer and dryer and more. Just ignore all the sales hype and product promotion.

Go To Deep Cleaning the Laundry Room