I always felt like a slave to the washing pile and would hold my own silent protest against washing any more than I had too. This usually meant that nothing got washed until the weekend, or there was nothing left in the wardrobe to wear. We were well equipped to deal with the washing drought and had multiples of many essential items we wore regularly. When things would get desperate, and I’d cave in and start the washing I’d find myself doing load after load and running out of places to hang it all. Not to mention Mt Washmore of clean clothes waiting to be folded, we never seemed to conquer the mountain and would end up living out of the basket for the rest of the week.
Now when I say we I’m referring to my husband and I, fast forward a few years and add the washing of 2 little men to the pile, and I had to find a solution!
I haven’t found a magic genie to wash for me nor have I won the lotto to pay someone to come and do it all for me, but I do feel like I’ve made it easier.
I’ve finally gained control of my washing pile by washing every single day.
That’s it, at least one load every day!
My answer might not sound like much of a solution but by washing more I feel like there is less to do and no longer find it as daunting as it was. I complete a full washing cycle every day, that is I wash, hang out, fold and then put it away. However I don’t necessarily complete the cycle on the same load.
We nearly always hang our washing in our garage. We have a small clothes line mounted on the wall that we purchased at Ikea a few years ago. It is discontinued, but they have a similar drying rack in the Algot system. The reason this works for us is that I can hang a load of washing out despite the weather at any time of day or night. Each day after I’ve filled the machine I bring in the dry clothes (usually hung out the day before) to sort and fold and put them straight away. Because the loads are smaller, they are quicker to fold and get away and I find the kids are easier to motivate with just a small pile each to put away.
As for washing linen, I fit that in when I can. I don’t have a set sheet washing day, but I do have days where I don’t seem to have enough for a load of colours or whites, I take that opportunity to change one of the beds. I aim to change each bed once a fortnight and I prefer to change one bed at a time. There are also those weeks where I change the same bed every single day (the joys of night toilet training).
There are days when I feel like a load of washing is just one more thing to do, and I can’t muster the energy. But I love the feeling when I’m on top of it and everyone has clean clothes they can find and wear, it certainly takes the stress and chaos out of the morning routine.
Do you love or hate to wash? How often do you wash at your house? Do you think washing every day would make a difference for you? I’d love to hear about your washing routine.
Happy washing
Bernadette
I find washing my own clothes kind of therapeutic, but when I add someone else’s to the mix its a bit more stressful! This is definitely my mum’s preferred method though, a load every day. Living in my old share house I washed once a week, and I don’t have too many clothes these days so I liked to hang them on hangers on the line – no ironing necessary and so easy to put away! My stepdad made these amazing wire hooks that clip on to your clothesline so you can pop your hanger through them and they don’t turn sideways or slide up together if it’s windy. I don’t have a decent clothesline where I live now, though thankfully we have solar power so the dryer isn’t an astronomical power bill generator, but I miss my system – I really had it down to an art!
I wash every day or two and find it helps keep on top of things. I also fold the washing as I get it off the line and sort it into piles for each person, saving time. They are then responsible for putting their own clothes away. Another little tip I have is to hang your socks that match together. If a single sock makes it through the wash, I leave it on the line until it’s partner comes through, otherwise they may never find their way back together!