Lightening the Load

Today we are talking about laundry, also known as the never-ending chore. This chore just so happens to be the one that 98% of my instagram followers listed as their least favorite home keeping task. I get it. So let's take a dive and figure out the best products and systems to help make laundry feel less like a burden and more like a blessing!

1. Listen to or watch something entertaining or educational. Do something other than just sitting and folding clothes. It helps me so much if I can learn or laugh or dream while folding, I almost look forward to it!

2. Choose a time that works for you. For me, the time that works best is first thing in the morning before the kids are out of bed. I love starting the day with an accomplishment and having a designated time makes the task feel less burdensome.

3. Don't be afraid to do a small load. With laundry it feels more overwhelming the more it sits. It is much more manageable to do a small load each day than doing large loads a couple times a week.

4. Understand the fabrics. I'll never forget my beautiful cashmere sweater that I loved and let my sister borrow. She returned it to me a solid 4 sizes smaller after she had thrown it in with her regular laundry. Clearly I'm still not over it. All this to say, understanding fabrics are important for treating stains and for making sure you get the most life out of your clothes.

5. Redefine "dirty". I have significantly less dirty laundry than my husband. He goes on a run nearly every morning, showers and changes into clothes for work where he often encounters dirt and dust. Let's just say my days tend to be a little more mild than his. Redefining what classifies as dirty laundry will help manage the volume of laundry you accumulate, especially with kids.

6. Two words: Backup Bedding. Honestly one of the most frustrating things is when I start washing the bedding in the morning and then forget all day, and am reminded when I go into our room in the evening. Just me? I doubt it! Having a second set of bedding that is crisp, clean and ready to go on wash day is absolutely a game changer.

7. Set a timer. I am the person who feels so proud putting in a load of laundry in the morning and naturally will not think about said load again for at least 6 hours. Don't be like me. Setting a timer adds that accountability to switch the load and stay on top of the laundry game!

Washing

I hate to admit it, but there was a long phase in life where I would just throw all colors and textures of clothes in the wash at the same time and put it on the gentle cycle hoping the colors wouldn't bleed together. Whatever works, right? WRONG. I am going to go over precisely why not to do that, and why it might be worth it to be a little bit selective when choosing how to wash what.

The Regular Cycle- This cycle works for your "regular" laundry which would be most cotton, sheets, towels, kids clothes, etc. The water for wash and rinse cycle is usually warm and the spin works at full capacity to treat any stains.

The Delicate Cycle- This cycle works for your delicates (go figure) such as knits, any sheer fabrics and fine undergarments. The wash cycle is typically warm, the rinse is cold and the spin is gentle enough to pass as handwashing.

Permanent Press- This cycle is perfect for work clothes, or nicer clothing in general. Blouses, dress shirts, and trousers without aggressive stains. The wash cycle is hot, the rinse is cold which helps with reducing wrinkles.

I realize this is a lot of potentially boring information, but I believe it helps to understand the purpose of these options. It may sound efficient to throw all your clothes in the delicate cycle and hope for the best, but at the end of the day, they will not be properly cleaned. And in the same vein, your beautiful knits may not be able to handle the intensity of a regular cycle, at least maybe not more than once. My goal here is to save you from laundry disasters because with a little bit of information they become entirely avoidable.

Drying

The Regular Cycle- This setting is definitely the go-to for me. If anything is too delicate for the regular dryer setting I will most likely let it air-dry. I save my creative thinking for the wash cycle and I stay on the safe side with drying.

Care Labels

Okay, so I never learned about what any of these symbols mean, so typically the only thing that registers on a tag for me is DO NOT DRY CLEAN which, let's be real, I was never going to do anyways. I thought it might be helpful to break down these instructions so we can care for our clothes more confidently. Really though, if you already know what these mean I am truly impressed because I genuinely don't understand how I am expected to just innately know these hieroglyphics.

Laundry, along with every other chore in my home, is something I like to keep simple. I use Molly Suds laundry detergent- there is both a powdered and a liquid version (I use liquid). The only reason I share this is because I love a clean detergent brand but I also like my clothes to smell like something when I take them out of the washer, this has become my favorite brand for that reason!

I am sure that landry is something we will discuss often and we can work together to find the best way to get this chore done joyfully. The more routine my laundry becomes, the less I dread it. I would love to hear your laundry hacks in the comments!