Don’t let dirty washing overwhelm you

One of my least favourite household chores is dealing with the dirty washing, I hate laundry. I used to feel overwhelmed by the piles of dirty washing. Then I would feel even more overwhelmed by the mounds of clothes that had to be sorted, ironed and put away.

Laundry schedule

A few years ago; I discovered that having a schedule of when and what washing I needed to do, made this overwhelming feeling disappear. http://kasheringyourlife.co.za/washing-scheduled/

During the year I have Patricia who does the laundry but when she goes on leave, panic starts to sneak back in.

When I remember what I have learned over the last few years and wish I had known when my children were younger, the panic starts to settle.

The dirty washing divide

I divide my dirty washing and assign different colours for different days.

The majority of my household wear dark colours, either because this is our work uniform or out of choice.

Monday is for whites, Tuesday and Friday I only wash dark clothes. Wednesday I do the light colours and Thursday are for towels and linen.

Basket case

We used to have laundry baskets in each bedroom, but the clothes hardly seemed to make it in to them.

Now we have set up the baskets in the passage, and the baskets have labels. There has been an improvement of how much actually lands up in the baskets. Often the clothes are found on top of the basket and not inside.

The rule is that if the clothes are not at the baskets, they don’t get washed.

I have a smaller washing machine and a large family. For me, breaking down the washing into colours and types has made a difference.

I still do more than one load of washing, but it is more manageable. I have also learned to put the washing in a central place and each member of my household puts their clean clothes away.

I also don’t do a lot of ironing!

If you take the washing out of the machine as soon as the cycle is done, there are fewer creases in the clothes.

When hanging up the washing, I put formal shirts and dresses onto hangers.

Trousers are hung with the crease folded and the legs together.

I do not iron bedding that is patterned, as you can’t see the creasing. I do iron duvet covers and pillowcases of plain linen but not the flat or fitted sheets.

How do you wash your delicates and socks? I have mesh bags for the washing and since using them, socks seldom go missing. Now if only we could find something to stop plastic container lids from disappearing!!!

Bras, pantyhose or stockings, panties and underpants also go into these mesh bags for washing.

How does Covid-19 affect your washing?

For some; wearing your clothes more than once is common practice, especially if you have a job where you are unlikely to get dirty.

Two years ago I would have said you could hang your once-worn clothes up to air and wear them again a day or two later.

Today, clothes are worn once and washed. Now in the time of Covid-19, not wearing clean clothes each day could be a health hazard.

It is why certain stores do not allow you to try on before you buy.

A few years ago; I was researching this topic and came up with some interesting, and to me, disturbing facts around how often we should wash certain items.

This information is from the Whirlpool blog site!https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/washers-and-dryers/how-often-should-you-wash-your-clothes

• Shirts and blouses: after 1-2 wearings
• Dress pants or slacks: after 2-3 wearings
• Jeans: after 4-5 wearings
• Sweaters: up to 6 wearings, if worn with an undershirt; 1-2 wearings if worn without an undershirt
• Suits/blazers/casual jackets: after 5-6 wearings
• Workout clothes: after 1 wearing
• Sleepwear: after 2-3 wearings
• Linen: Wash your sheets once a week and wash your towels after no more than 3 uses.
• Intimates: Underwear, socks and undershirts should be washed after every use, while bras can be worn 3-4 times before washing but only if it is cool and you don’t sweat.

Do you have any tips to share to make washing days easier?