Taming the Laundry Beast
Copyright 2001 by Michelle
Jones
If you have a house full of children like I do, chances are that you have learned to tame the laundry beast as well. For those of us who have repeatedly discovered a 3-foot pile of laundry on any given Monday morning, have likely found taming the 'laundry beast' a necessary feat to accomplish! Though everyone may be able to pick up a few tips, this article is mainly for those who are still struggling to keep things under control. And don't be embarrassed if you don't have any children, all are welcome to read on.
There are many great detergents and softeners on the market, though I have found these to be my favorites and I try to buy two when they go on sale so I never have to pay full price. I prefer Tide for the whites, Cheer for the colors, and Gain for the linens. I do not buy the detergents "with bleach" anymore because bleaching wears the clothing out faster and I'd rather have clothes that are a little less bright, but last for 5 years instead of 2. Occasionally I will add to the wash load one cup of regular bleach to keep the whites and dish cloths from getting too dingy. Although this works great for the whites, make sure there is nothing with color in the load or it will be ruined.
You can use powder, liquid or the new quick dissolving tablets that have just come out on the market here in the states. Although the powder is a little less convenient than the liquid, it is also cheaper than the other two. I only purchase the liquids when they are on an incredible sale making the price really close. When using the powder detergents, you can ensure that the powder dissolves well by turn the wash cycle on and adding the detergent BEFORE the clothes. Then begin the wash cycle so that the water begins to come in, once the water is a few inches high you can stir the water slightly with your hand or by turning the center paddle, the detergent should dissolve easily and quickly without much effort.
I like to use a fabric softener in the rinse cycle for two reasons. Not only does it make the clothes and linens softer and therefore more comfortable against our skin, but it creates a barrier that helps prevent colors from fading and stains from being hard to remove. I use Downy Free because my family has allergies to the perfumes, but I'm sure most of them are just as good. Downy Free does not come in refills, so if you CAN use one with the perfumes left in, choose one that offers the cheaper refills. Purchasing the refill is usually the best option, except when there is a good sale on the regular size bottles. Discount stores will usually have the best sales on these products, though sometimes the grocery stores will make an effort too.
If you use a softener, I highly recommend using the small dispenser balls that are readily available now. I got one free in the mail years ago when they first came out, and can't imagine doing laundry without one. You just fill the container up with a small amount of softener and throw it in with the laundry. After the wash water is emptied, the spin cycle will cause the top of the ball to open and release the softener, adding it to the rinse cycle automatically. You'll never miss a rinse cycle again.
Pre-treat stains? Absolutely! And if the stain doesn't come out in the first wash, do not dry the item or it will be set permanently. Try retreating the stain and washing it again, this should work. I use Shout stain remover, always buy the refill container and use my original bottle. I save a fortune doing this, including not having to buy new clothes because I keep the stains away. If you have children that will be passing down their clothes to a sibling or friend, this is a great way to ensure they will last long enough to do so.
There are several stain remover sticks on the market; these are used for pre-treating the stained clothing when they are not yet ready for the wash. I use the "Spray 'n Wash Stain Stick" and have had great success with it. Instead of wasting a load of wash water on one item that may have been stained, you can pre-treat the item this way and save it for your next scheduled load. Washing only a few items at a time is a terrible waste of water, electricity and detergent as well. If you have only a small amount of laundry, it's better to do one load for the whites and one load for the darks, just once a week or as needed.
I use cold for delicates, cold for colors, and warm for whites and linens. Using cold for colors helps them not to fade as quickly, and using warm for the whites and linens helps get them cleaner. The only time I've ever used hot is for cloth diapers that need all they help they can get!
If you have children, provide a laundry basket for each child's bedroom. Teach them to keep their clothes picked up and actually inside of the basket if possible, though this may be a lot harder than it sounds.
I learned this from a friend of a friend in Tennessee, when we lived there several years ago. My friend and I were desperate to learn new ways of taming the laundry beast, and this 3rd friend had the solution that worked for me. She kept her laundry in a constant "work in progress." After one load was done she would have the next one started for the following day. One day would be for whites, the next day colors, and the next towels. Instead of doing 5-6 loads of laundry in one or two days like my friend and I were doing, she did a little each day, keeping it under control. I've been doing this for so long now, that any time I have more than a pile or two of laundry undone, I know I'm in trouble. By doing one or two loads a day, you will never have a 3 foot high pile again. You will never spend an entire day washing, drying, folding, washing, drying, folding, washing, drying, folding and so on!
You can even store the next day's laundry in the washing machine ready to go, keeping things clean and extremely organized. But remember if you're using powdered detergents you really need to add it before the clothes are put in, so instead I have purchased several laundry baskets at the dollar store to keep the clothes separated. You can also purchase expensive laundry bins and hampers, but this is really not necessary. If you don't like seeing the open basket of clothes in the bedroom, keep it in the bottom of the closet or in a corner of the room hidden slightly behind furniture. Empty laundry baskets are also great for gathering up toys to be put away, or even for taking on trips in the car.
My friend and I also discovered together, that by removing the 'nicer' clothes from the dryer after about 20 minutes, not only would they retain their colors better, but also we'd never have to iron again. If you hang the clothes up directly from the wash, they will still need to be ironed, but by fluffing them up for about 10-20 minutes, the wrinkles will fall out naturally and you can kiss your iron goodbye. Well, I guess you'd better hang onto it just in case, some items may still require a bit of ironing depending on the fabric.
Sometimes I press the boy's shirts just a little to make the collars nice and crisp looking, but usually this pre-fluffed natural drying method is enough. And by removing half of the clothes to dry naturally you will also be saving time and energy, and we love that. You can either hang the clothes on an outside line, in the laundry room, or on the curtain rod in the bathroom. They will need sufficient airflow to dry, so leave enough space between each item.
By taking better care of your clothes, they will not only look nicer, but they will last longer too!
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