Dirty Little Secrets

As I’ve said before, I am not a Domestic Diva; housekeeping historically falls low on my list of priorities (as witnessed by the piles of paper & clutter surrounding me). Most of my adult life, I have searched for ways to bring the order & cleanliness I crave into my home, & have made good progress through my path to Simple Abundance & the gentle proddings of FlyLady. Although I have noticed that my attitudes towards home-caring have shifted in the past couple of years, I still don’t like to vacuum, dust, or clean toilets. This being said, I’m going to share a little secret with you: no, you need to come a little closer- I have to whisper this…

I love to do laundry

SHHH! Don’t shout it out like that- & no, I’m not weird! I find doing laundry very satisfying (as long as I’m not having to it by hand with a rock & a stream like my sister); thanks to the modern innovations of automatic washers & dryers, I can have sweet smelling, fluffy clean clothes & towels anytime. I love to shop for laundry supplies, checking out all the new scents & looking for new products; I even enjoy ironing, as long as it isn’t hot outside & I don’t have a huge pile to do. I even got excited over this meme a found in my wanderings- I honestly can’t tell you where I saw it, but the author wasn’t picky about the credit.

“There are no rules for the meme. Add, subtract, change questions, tag whomever you choose (or not), credit me, don’t credit me, whatever. I’m just curious about your laundry!!”

1. In your home, who does the laundry? We all do, but Sam & I do the majority.

2. Do you sort your laundry? Most definitely.

3. If you sort, how many different color/fabric type groups do you sort it into? I sort into a minimum of 4 types- whites, darks, lights, & towels, but will separate out “special needs” garments, like sweaters, uniforms, or new fabric.

4. Do you hand wash anything? Wally the Washer gets a real workout around here; I hand wash very little- silk items, handknits- most everything goes into the machine, delicates into those mesh bags & “Gentle Cycle”

5. Are there any articles of clothing that you send out to be cleaned professionally? Very little- satin, kilts, or suits

6. If you have any clothes cleaned professionally, is that drycleaning? Or regular laundering/pressing? Just dry cleaning- I wouldn’t pay anyone to do my regular-type laundry because I enjoy that.

7. At home, what detergent do you use? Any detergent additives that you regularly use? I like using liquid detergent, like Kirkland Free & Clear or a new brand I just found at Cost*co called Ecco. I also use White King Water Softener in every load, since our water is so hard here, & occationally will add Borax to extra dirty stuff (like Chris’ uniforms- gas, oil, grey water, blech)

8. What whiteners/brighteners do you use? I only use Oxiclean, Borax, & water softener- bleach has been banned from my house (too many clothes ruin by Chris using bleach to clean everything- besides, the cats go crazy over the smell & I’m afraid they would actually drink it!)

9. Do you use any fabric softeners? Yes- I use fabric softener sheets; I’m not picky about the brand & will buy generic, as long as the scent is nice & not overpowering.

10. How do you handle stains? . The first thing is to pre-treat- I have a couple of products I like, such as Z’out or Shout Gel, but also use liquid dishsoap. Then I’ll wash it as normal & treat again if necessary.

11. Do you use different water temperatures for your different loads? Yes. Whites and towels get hot, light colors are washed in warm, dark colors & delicates go in cold.

12. Do you use a tumble dryer, or do you hang your clothes to dry? I use Drake the Dryer for almost everything; even tennis shoes get the dryer treatment with the handy-dandy rack that came with it. I like the theory of line drying, but the reality with the Central Valley air quality is everything ends up stiff & smelly L

13. In your home, who folds the clothes? Sam, mostly; then I refold my clothes & towels because I like them “just so” J

14. Where do you fold your clothes? (i.e., in the laundry room, at the kitchen table, etc.) Either in the living room while watching tv, or on my bed.

15. Who puts the folded clothes away? Sam takes the clean laundry to the appropriate room, & everyone puts away their own clothes.

16. Do you have a certain day of the week you consider ”laundry day”? Yes- everyday! Seriously, I do a load a day (per FlyLady)

17. About how many laundry loads do you do per week? I’d say 7 to 10 loads a week- 2 or 3 loads of towels (there is a lot of shower taking around here- the guys both bathe twice a day & even though I only bathe once a day, I like a fresh towel every other day) at least one load each of darks, lights, & whites, then a load of Chris’ work clothes & a load of miscellanous, like dishtowels, car washing towels, throw rugs, cat blankets, etc.

18. Do you iron? Only when I have to; I like to iron, but it is inconvient to do- the only area is the kitchen & the guys or cats always seem to be underfoot. I purposely buy clothes that need little or no ironing, because it just gets put off.

So, now you know my dirty little secret- or clean little secret- or clean little pleasure…whatever- you know what I mean. Oh, and before you ask- no, I won’t do your laundry for you- not unless you want to fly me there & feed me well- but I guess we could negociate…