laundry for dummies

my laundry room (how embarrassing)

Laundry is my nemesis. I'm actually decent at it but I hate to do it. My mom is fabulous at laundry and I think it is one of her favorite tasks. What am I talking about...they are all her favorite. But she is exceptional at laundry. My sisters will attest to this. I have had several major stains and my mom is always able to fix them. So I thought I would ask the expert to share with those of us who are not as talented her best laundry advice.

• Do all clothes the same day (Monday for us). Putting away one is much easier than doing it all the time. She suggests having a spot or a basket for each person and stacking together and then putting it all away at the same time. I however walk back and forth all day long. Tomorrow I'm off to get an additional basket.
  
• Towels and bedding on another day. When you have large families you are often too tired to finish everything in the same day.
• Sorting is of utmost importance. Whites and like colors. She also does a denim pile. During this time it is important to check pockets for pens, crayons gum etc... and spot treat. When Wade has done the laundry I have found shoes in the wash not once but twice. He skipped the sorting section.
  
• Fold IMMEDIATELY! This cuts down on wrinkles which cuts down on ironing. We grew up ironing so this is an extremely important step and the most difficult for me. I always end up with double the ironing. If your clothes are ironed and in the closet then when you are rushed to go you don't need to worry about pressing a shirt everything is ready to wear!
• Tide & Clorox 2. Name brands may not seem important but I will attest to the difference. Tide is the best. Although I do switch it up with Kirkland just because I get bored of the same smell and I always like to be able to smell the clean laundry. Clorox 2 is the best spot treatment and also works great with whites. If you wear garments it is vital because straight bleach turns them a dingy yellow color.

I have one final tip. Don't let your husband help! It usually backfires. Wade is great at most everything but I happen to be better at laundry than he is. Hopefully these tips will help some of you. I know that when I do it this way it works the best but since I'm ADD (self diagnosed) I struggle with staying on task. Also it helps me if I race my sisters. Since we all do it on the same day and we are crazy and competitive it is a recipe for success!

If you want to read a scary laundry story go to Kim's latest post.