Simplifying Laundry
Posted on October 20, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Simplification
Wednesdays are simplicity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
I detest doing laundry.
Well, actually the parts that I detest are the before and after: sorting the clothes and folding.
In fact, when I was single, I used to dress out of the clean laundry that lived perpetually in my laundry basket.
There are ways to simplify laundry. I’m going to share my secrets here:
Use Two Baskets (Or Three At Most)
My mother used to sort laundry sixteen ways to Sunday. There were piles for whites, light colors, light colors that needed bleaching, dark colors, heavy fabric dark colors, towels…the list goes on and on. My mother devoted one entire day a week to doing laundry, and she would do it all day.
Not me.
We have two baskets for clothing: darks and not-darks (which include whites). Since we never wash on hot water, lumping the whites and the light-colored clothes gives us a full load without destroying the colors.
We also have another basket for sheets, towels and kitchen stuff. That is more from the desire not to have our clothing covered in towel fuzz rather than any color bleeding concerns.
Sort As You Take Off The Clothes
We always undress within reach of the laundry basket, and we drop the clothes into the correct basket. No clothes live on our floor. If it’s dirty, its in a laundry basket. And if the clothes get washed in the wrong temperature, it is our own fault.
Stain Treat As You Remove
If you treat any stains as the clothes go into the basket, you don’t have to search the clothing as you are putting them in the washer. We keep a stain stick
Skip Softener, Dryer Sheets
If you live in a place with softer water, skip the fabric softener. These products coat the fibers of the fabric and aren’t necessary to get the clothes clean. If you have to have some kind of softener because of your water, try white vinegar. White vinegar removes detergent residue and breaks down hard minerals in the water (see 1001 Uses for White Vinegar: Laundry)
If you’re concerned about static, use dryer balls
Hang As You Pull Out
When my mother visited last, she asked for my iron. I must have stared at her too long as I tried to remember where it was, because I was rewarded with a snide comment. But honestly, we don’t iron. When the dryer stops, we hang up and smooth clothes than need it. If you do this, you will have to do very little ironing.
Don’t Reverse Clothing
My rule is that if a piece of clothing comes out of the dryer inside out, it gets folded that way. My logic is that the clothing will get turned right-side out when the person goes to put it on. So if they can’t be bothered to turn clothes right-side out going into the basket, I can’t be bothered to turn them either.
Have Other People Fold
Since I detest folding, my greatest laundry simplifier is to outsource this to my daughter and husband. My husband got the job after he complained how I was not folding according to Navy standards (I was never in the Navy). My daughter got the job after I found a pile of clothes I had folded crammed under her bed.
Do you have any ways you simplify laundry? Share below.
Photo by lemuelinchrist
If you enjoyed this post, please buy me a cup of coffee!
Comments (2)
You can also minimize color sorting by using shout color catcher sheets – they really work and I love them. You can save money by tearing them in thirds and reusing them if you see them – eventually they disappear into the wet laundry and then I start using a new sheet with the next load. (No harm if they go into the dryer.)
I have thought these were a gimmick, but people keep telling me they work. Even better the way you use them, with starting smaller and reusing them.
Do they leave lint on the dark clothing when they disintegrate?