Laundry Meme

I know what you're thinking...how interesting could a meme about laundry possibly be? Perhaps more interesting than you think...I don't know, I enjoyed reading Helen's over on her blog, so:

1. In your home, who does the laundry?

Oh, that would be me. However, I have decided that it's time for my daughter to learn the laundry ropes as well, so we're about to start having lessons in sorting, folding, and other laundry mysteries.

2. Do you sort your laundry?

Definitely. Sometimes I even over-sort and then decide that maybe two piles could team up to make one load, since I try to be energy-efficient as much as possible.

3. If you sort, how many different color/fabric type groups do you sort it into?

Lights, whites, darks, colors. Reds/purples get their own load. Sheets and towels can often team up.

I actually get a head start on sorting by keeping two laundry bins near the bedrooms. They are labelled so that everyone puts their dirty clothes either into the "colors" bin or the "whites and darks" bin. I have whites and darks in the same bin because it's very easy to separate them into two piles when the time comes.

4. Do you hand wash anything?

I avoid it as much as possible, but there is the odd thing that I don't want to risk ruining. These items spend a lot of time sitting in the laundry basket before I get around to them, though.

5. Are there any articles of clothing that you send out to be cleaned professionally?

Winter coats, or my husband's suit. That's about it.

6. If you have any clothes cleaned professionally, is that drycleaning? Or regular laundering/pressing?

Drycleaning only.

7. At home, what detergent do you use? Any detergent additives that you regularly use?

We have a front load washer, so I use the concentrated liquid--but I only use about half as much as recommended and the clothes come out just fine. I think that companies are not above telling you to use more than necessary, just so you'll have to buy more, more often. Maybe I'm too cynical, but I don't think so. I recently found a super-concentrated variety that I bought to see if I can get away with using even less. There's an environmental aspect to wanting to use as little as possible, as well.

8. What whiteners/brighteners do you use?

Very occasionally a little bit of bleach.

9. Do you use any fabric softeners?

I use dryer sheets--but again, I tear them in half and just use a half-sheet per load. They work perfectly well and I only have to buy them half as often.

10. How do you handle stains?

I buy stain remover but I've lately found that lemon juice is just as effective on most stains. My mother recently found some "recipes" for cleaning and laundry products to make at home from things like borax and vinegar so I might try some of those.

11. Do you use different water temperatures for your different loads?

I use cold water 99.9% of the time (the ecology thing again). There has to be a good reason for me to use hot water.

12. Do you use a tumble dryer, or do you hang your clothes to dry?

I know I *should* hang things out to dry and in fact in the spring suggested to my husband that we put up a line outdoors, mostly because I feel guilty not hanging things out. He agreed, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. Honestly, I'm not terribly upset about this because I don't care for line-dried clothes--I find them to be so stiff and nasty-feeling. I *do* hang about half our clothes to dry inside (because they seem to shrink in the dryer) so that's something, I guess. Maybe next spring I'll bite the bullet and get the clothesline up...

13. Where do you fold your clothes?

I have a countertop in the laundry room that's perfect for folding clothes--when it's not covered in sewing projects or other things. The other option is the bed, which probably gets used most often. And sometimes I'll fold in the living room while watching tv, but since I watch hardly any tv, that's a rarity.

My biggest laundry problem is keeping up with the folding. Shifting the loads along from washer to dryer to basket is not a big deal at all, but the folding and putting away tends to pile up. It's not unusual for my daughter to be looking for a favorite t-shirt and I'll say, "It might be in the dryer but if not then check the clean clothes in the laundry basket in my room...or the one at the bottom of the stairs...or the one..." etc.

14. Who puts the folded clothes away?

Me, 90% of the time. Sometimes I recruit some help, but not often.

15. Do you have a certain day of the week you consider ”laundry day”?

I try to keep a schedule but often it just turns out to be "whenever we need stuff."

16. About how many laundry loads do you do per week?

There are four of us, and I'd say I do five or six loads a week. My husband is the lightest creator of laundry, and my teenage daughter probably the heaviest. Kids don't seem to "get" that you can wear a pair of jeans more than once before they need a wash, or that a shirt you wore for two hours to a movie is probably okay to wear again. My husband, on the other hand, will change into the same pair of shorts and t-shirt after work every day of the week, until I finally throw them in the wash.

17. Do you iron?

Not much. My husband generally irons his own clothes for work (although I pinch hit if he's pressed for time {no pun intended!}). I iron things if they need it when I'm planning to wear them; I don't iron everything and then put it away, since it will likely need to be ironed again before wearing anyway. I have no desire to do the same job twice! I remember my grandmother and aunt always ironing sheets and pillowcases and dish towels. Um, no. Those things do not get ironed in my house.

If you'd like to do the meme, consider yourself tagged, and then let me know when your answers are up.