Laundry, laundry, everywhere!
How can one small family generate so much laundry?
I seem to spend half my week on an endless loop of sorting, washing, hanging, folding, sorting ...
I do have a laundry routine ... the house goes into melt down when I don't ... but the daily battle of keeping on top of the washing is really getting to me.
Spilling a bottle of fabric conditioner all over the sitting room floor was a particularly low moment!
Much as I love it, I blame autumn.
At least in the summer you can throw things on the washing line for a few hours and they're dry. But as soon as the temperature drops you either spend a small fortune on running a drier or have washing hanging everywhere the whole week.
So for the sake of my sanity I am doing everything I can to do less laundry.
First off is convincing the family ... and myself ... that clothes really can be worn again!
With our fancy washing machines we have got into the mindset anything worn once needs washing. My grandma was pretty house proud but she had to put all her washing through a mangle so there was no way she would be so careless as to throw every day's clothes straight in the laundry basket or ... heaven forbid ... on the floor!
She knew how to look after her clothes. She would brush off marks during the day and anything that wasn't sweaty would be hung up carefully, marks brushed off and aired.
I've a way to go yet before I reach Grandma's standard of clothes care but the tips below ... most of which she would applaud! ... are at least starting to help me do less laundry ... hurrah!
How To Do Less Laundry
- Don't assume clothes can't be worn again
- Hang up anything that could be worn again
- Put up some hooks, get a coat stand or a small clothes rail where you can hang clothes to be worn again as once worn clothes in a wardrobe may attract moths
- Brush and dab off marks & stains during the day
- Give clothes to be worn again a quick brush with a clothes brush
- Give clothes to be worn again a once over with a lint brush
- Spot treat any small stains
- Wear easy wash vest & t-shirt layers so shirts & blouses last longer
- Never drop any clothes on the floor - hang to wear again or put in laundry basket
- Don't drop clothes on a chair or end of bed - they are a magnet for other clothes
- Show children how to hang & brush their clothes - small ones love the brushing bit!
- If you're strict about nothing else, be strict with your kids about NO clothes on the floor!
- Drum into whole family's heads that "towels live in the bathroom!"
- Drum into whole family's heads "towels do NOT live on the bathroom floor"
- Put out clothes for next day night before so not rummaging around in the morning
- Take "smart" clothes off when get in so don't get unnecessarily crumpled + grubby
- Half make beds when you get up so they are tidy but still have a chance to air
- Keep sports kit separate from other wear again clothes so no chance of muddling up
- Hang clothes up straight from drier, airer or line so don't have to be ironed - this will get rid of the "oh so depressing" basket of supposedly clean washing that never gets ironed
- Hanging clothes in a steamy bathroom will un-crumple them & help remove marks
- Hang clothes over a hot vinegar bath to remove smells
If you're looking for more time saving tips follow my housework board on Pinterest ...
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