The "ONE RULE" of laundry

Since recovering from chemo I have slowly taken back house hold chores from my husband who has been a one man show for almost a year now. First I would do a load of dishes here scrub a bathroom there and eventually I found myself doing everything I used to do except the "laundry". By now the jig is up and my husband has realized I am more than capable of washing and folding so he too had stopped doing laundry and we sort of ended up in a clean underwear stalemate. Mostly I was thrilled to return to the land of the living and was so grateful to have the ability to do chores again.  You don't realize how awful it feels to not be able to take care of your home and family until you are unable to do so. This has really brought to light how much I really truly and deeply hated doing laundry. Even with my children crying for cloths and my husband begging for work shirts I just seem to refuse to have the time. So the last few of weeks I have acknowledged that I many never find a way to really enjoy laundry like... well... Actually I don't know anyone who doses but I am sure this rare domestic unicorn exists. So in an effort to not turn to disposable paper underwear I have been experimenting with finding ways to make laundry not so much as fun but at least more maintainable.

Here is what I learned, there is one most important nonnegotiable rule of laundry that must be followed under any circumstances. That I will now refer to as the..."ONE RULE"

Behold the "ONE RULE" of Laundry.

You shall fold the cloths right out of the dryer and put them away right then and there!

If you do not follow the"ONE RULE" you will be doomed to wash and fold clean items that fell on the floor over and over again until the end of days.  It really isn't that bad to follow the "ONE RULE".  It only takes me about 5 min or so to fold one load (10 if it involves socks 3 if it is towels)  and then I am free again.

Here are my lesser rules of laundry that help me follow the "ONE RULE" and are also just good to do.

Fold laundry in the room it belongs in. 

I wash me and my husbands wardrobe separate from my kids because they belong on opposite sides of the house. I keep a basket by the dryer fill it and walk to the room the majority of the basket belongs in. Towels and rags are folded in the bathroom or kitchen.  I fold and put it away in the same room so I am not tempted to just fold the laundry on the sofa while watching Dr. Who and then walk away from the piles to be knocked over, unfolded and or dropped on the floor. (I know we have all done it, well, all of us except that dang domestic unicorn.)

Wash towels, rags and bedding in-between loads of outfits and underwear. 

Since towels and bedding are so easy to fold it helps keep me motivated to follow the"ONE RULE". 

Get the kids involved.

This is a rule that is not intended to make the laundry go by faster. To the contrary, this can add an element of frustration that rivals solving for x in this equation.

So as you attempt to watch as your 4 year old struggles to fold a rag in half and then in half again without ripping it out of his hands and yelling never mind!  Just breath and think of this time as an investment in future loads of laundry you will not have to do. I want my future college student to come home from school to visit me. Not to come home with 3 or so weeks worth of dirty laundry and expect me to wash and fold his underwear while he plays video games in the next room (you have all been warned). 

Make it routine.

Before bed, when I wake up, before I shower. Try to find a trigger that works for you. Being from a family of 8 I remember my mom used to set the kitchen timer to go off every hour and 15 min on bi-weekly laundry days. For me and My family of 4 doing one or two loads a day keeps me caught up. Just find a strategy and stick with it. Sometimes it's not my hatred of laundry but rather I just don't remember to do it that gets me in trouble. This also is a good way to avoid having to rewash a load because it became sour. Side tip - vinegar is the way to get that smell out.

Keep Your Wardrobes weeded down.

Simply by donating or throwing away things you don't wear or stuff your kids have grown out of you will have less laundry to do. Additionally the "ONE RULE" is easier when there is room to put everything away. May I suggest...

 "My easy weed out method".

It is simple. Get caught up on laundry and make sure every bit of everything is washed and neatly squeezed where it goes then... wait. Do no laundry whatsoever. After 8 to 12 days the cries of I have nothing to wear will begin. When this happens immediately go to your draws and closets and pull out everything that is still in them (church and special occasion clothing excluded). Check the floor for things that were tried on but discarded. I use this not just for my kids wardrobe but my stuff as well. We all have that shirt we bought on sale washed once and then hated. It hangs in our closets unworn and unloved. Free yourself of it and things you might fit into...someday. It just all sit there in silent judgment of what we had for dinner the night before. No one need that. The reality is when you do get into that size again you will want to buy new things to celebrate the occasion. Unless it's that pair of jeans you wore in high school. Keep that. If you get back into that you will wear them. Maybe not out but the potential of that victory is worth the closet space.

Now my final tip is for moms of infants to about 2 or 3 years old. 

Your on your own. 

I mean it. If you have a baby or a very young toddler not even the "ONE RULE" can save you.  I am sorry but there it is.  You should close the door to the laundry room and come back to it in a year or two. Babies are only babies once and even though it may seem like you are never not going to have a tiny person attached to your hip or boob I am here to tell you that it will end.  This is of course bitter sweet news but there you are. In the mean time wrestle with your toddler or snuggle your baby on top of your piles of laundry, use the sniff test regularly and don't stress.