In days gone by, Monday was the traditional day for a homemaker to do her family's laundry.
Monday was the chosen day because laundry was hard, back-breaking work and it was best to tackle this after Sunday's day of rest.
I am sure that this homemaker thought this modern machine was a huge improvement over just a plain tub of water and a paddle....which at the time I am sure it was!
When I was growing up in a little village in Nova Scotia in the 1970's, our next door neighbour was still doing her laundry with one of these. {below}
She did her laundry one day a week and she had two children in elementary school whom my brother and I played with.
I was always slightly fascinated when I happened to be at her house on laundry day...it looked like fun to put the clothes through the 'mangle' at the top....although I wouldn't want to jam my fingers....double ouch!
I have a close friend who has an antique mangle in her home. Her parents brought it with them to Canada from Norway and it is treasured as a family heirloom because it once belonged to her Grandmother.
This type of laundry equipment is unbreakable and will last forever, but sure is darn heavy and impossible to move...I know because we tried!
When you look at these antique types of washing machines, it gives you a new appreciation for the machines we use today, where we literally dump the clothes in, push a few buttons and walk away.
However, it is still a dreaded chore!
In the days where these older types of machines were used, it made sense to do laundry in the traditional way of sorting lights from darks and clean from really dirty.
And if you are still doing laundry this way, I want to give you a few suggestions as to how you can make the chore of laundry more streamlined.
Tip #1~ Keep a laundry hamper just for towels and bedding.
Keep it in the bathroom or hallway so all family members can deposit their towels easily.
Do loads of towels, facecloths and bedding separate from the other laundry on an as needed basis.
I usually do a load of towels every second day.
I do 2 loads of bedding once a week.
Tip #2~Next, buy a simple laundry basket for each family member.
Keep it in their bedroom where they dress and undress.
{We keep ours in our bedroom closets.}
Keep the laundry basket there all the time....otherwise there will be dirty clothes on the floor!
Teach your children to put their dirty clothes in their basket.
I have been doing this with my children since they were toddlers.
Tip #3~Buy a few more laundry baskets{I got mine years ago at Zellers for $3.99} for transporting dirty laundry from the bedrooms to the laundry area.
Here is my son's dirty laundry ready to go to the washer.
Tip #4~ Next, assign each person a laundry day. It can be the same day each week or you can decide as you go depending on who has the fullest basket of dirty clothes.
Tip #5~And here's where you can save yourself a ton of time....just do one person's laundry in the washer and then dry it.
Don't carry every family member's dirty clothes to the laundry area and sort into dark and light with messy piles all over the floor.
And sort again when they are washed and dried and have to be put away.
Skip that step! Don't do sorting and sorting!
Just do one person's laundry at a time.
Carry that person's laundry to the washer, wash it, dry it and then take it back to the owner's bedroom for them to fold and put away!
If I had to do laundry the old-fashioned way of mixing every one's clothes together, sorting light and dark and then sorting again when they were all done, I would honestly have a breakdown!
All that sorting, sorting, sorting....no thank you!
Tip #5~And here's another tip.....it you don't have enough of one person's clothes for a light and dark load, put it all in together!
Yes, I said don't separate it!
Most clothes and laundry detergents today are colour fast and don't run!
The only exception might be new jeans.
{However, I would still do a separate load for delicates on the delicate setting.}
Tip #6~When it comes to socks for kids, buy them multiple pairs of the same brand and colour so their socks are all the same.
That way the socks are easy to match and if you have an odd sock, the other odd sock in the drawer is exactly the same and you have a matched pair!
For instance, my 10 yr. old son has 12 pairs of white socks of the same brand.
Tip #7~Teach teenagers to do their own laundry. My 15 yr. old daughter has been doing her own laundry for 2 years. This started when she reached junior high and she wanted her clothes washed every 3 days because she had 3 favourite outfits.So I taught her how to use the washer and dryer and how to iron and she has been doing it ever since. In fact, she doesn't like me to touch her laundry at all...she likes to do it herself!
This past weekend, my 10 yr.old son asked me to show him how to iron so he could iron his dress shirts for hockey.
I showed him how and he did an awesome job and ironed 4 shirts!
Proud Mommy moment!
Okay now. Back to laundry...
Another thing...I don't check pockets any more! Every one in my house knows 'leave things in your pocket at your own risk' !
This started when I found dog poop in my then 6 yr. old son's pants pocket. True story.
{Don't ask!}
Now, in my professional organizing work, I have noticed that most families are still doing laundry the 'old way' of mixing all the families clothes together and then sorting them out again after they come out of the dryer into each person's pile.
And sorting them out before they go back to the owner's rooms.
So, I am really curious!
How do you do your laundry?
Are you mixing it all together and then sorting it all back out or are you more streamlined like me?
Inquiring minds want to know!
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