towels, tees, and diapers, oh my! how is that something that has been so streamlined for the modern household is such a hassle for us? i mean, we have washing machines with 8 different cycles and dryers with multiple heat levels and timing abilities. (thank you old owners of this house for leaving your awesome appliances!) i think these conveniences have actually deceived us into thinking that we won't need to carve out time in our daily schedules for the work. and it is still work. and with most, you need to have a plan to get it done.
this summer, we have slowly started to get in a groove when it comes to laundry. it started with adding a hamper in the downstairs hall for miscellaneous household linens. i used to make a pile near the basement door for these, and it always felt sloppy and messy.
next i made a list. how many loads do i accumulate each week? 3 for diapers. 3 for clothing (kiddos, jesse and i, and whites). 4 for household (mix of bath towels, kitchen towels, napkins, bibs, and bedding). until i made that list i had no idea i needed to aim for 10 loads a week. i wondered why i quickly was 4-5 loads behind each week.
so i made a goal. aim for 2 loads of laundry a day. considering i take sundays off from housework and i am bound to miss a day (usually fibromyalgia related), the math: 2 loads x 5 days = 10 loads a week.
every morning around breakfast, jesse or i throw a load in the wash.. at lunch, we switch it to the dryer and add a second load to the wash. sometime in the evening we pull out the first load and stick the second in the dryer (which comes out in the morning when putting load one in the wash). i have taken to finding chunks of time in the morning and evening for folding and putting away. if during the day, i fold on the nursery daybed while enzo plays on the floor. i have the older two put away their own clothes. at night, i turn on the tv and plant a basket next to me on the couch. that's about it.
(and sometimes when i am folding clothes, we take photo shoot breaks; hence the above photos.)
such a breakthrough for our family.
and feel free to laugh at dorky me, devoting an entire blog post about our laundry habits.
and as of tomorrow afternoon, this photo will be very dated. i'll share more then.
(linking up to works for me wednesday.)
7 comments:
first, let me just tell you how much i LOVE your house. i'm jealous!! everything is so colorful and fun and looks so clean and tidy. :)
second, let me just encourage you - you are doing amazing! God sees your heart to get your chores/house more in order, and He is so pleased with you!
you're an inspiration!!
lora
Since we are talking about laundry, I thought I would share with you my laundry method.
I do laundry one day a week. If your clothes aren't in the pile, you don't have clean clothes. My kids (8 & 12) are old enough to bring me their hampers.
I wash and hang (not dry, as that is what slows down the laundry rhythem). Mostly I hang the shirts and pants on hangers and hang in garage until dry.
I use my dryer for the small stuff that takes up too much room to hang dry - washclothes, underwear, socks, etc. I can do 8-10 loads in one day. Then put away the hanging clothes the next day (after they dry overnight in the garage). It works for me.
lora: thanks so much for the encouragement! and yes, having a bright house makes my days much cheerier, but i am not so sure about the tidy :)
myheart4him: i love the idea of doing it just one day a week. that is what i always aimed for and it just never worked out for us. hang drying is my goal. thanks for sharing what works for you!
i'm going to give your method a shot. i can't seem to get a grip on getting laundry done and it's always looming over my head. before that though, i need to head to your flickr photos to check out more of your cute house. such great style!
not dorky.
i am lucky because my hubs will fold the laundry int he evening if i run the loads during the day. sometimes the kids help fold or switch loads but usually it is me. i wish i had a laundry room...i just a have closet off the kitchen. i also keep 2 hampers int eh hallway. one for lights and one for darks and since the kids were toddlers they sort their clothes...a helpful tip.
I know this post was about laundry, but I love your artwork. Did you make that C.S. Lewis quote yourself or purchase it somewhere?
Hi, I've just found your blog and am loving reading about your goings-on!
Just wondering, did you make that Narnia quote artwork? I absolutely love it!
thanks so much, hope the laundry has remained (somewhat) under control
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