I Have Two Rules for Doing Laundry. One Is That I Never Do My Husband’s.
This is One Thing, a column with tips on how to live.
A few years ago, I got into reading blog posts by people who have capsule wardrobes. I did not emerge from this rabbit hole with fewer or better-curated clothes, though I do pare down my drawers slightly more frequently now. But I did adopt a different habit, from a blogger who said this was how she maintained a smaller selection of clothes, for both herself and her kids: Do laundry every day, and it’s actually way less stressful.
Each morning, in the early hours, I make a smallish load out of my and my daughter’s clothes, as well as any household linens—dish towels, rags, bath towels, pool towels when in season—that need washing. (My husband does his own clothes, on a schedule opaque to me.) I do not separate out whites, darks, and colors, or different types of fabrics. I’m sorry to my grandma, who is probably shaking her head at me from heaven. I really feel like it doesn’t make a difference! I put the load in our washing machine and run it while I’m doing a morning workout.
By the time I’m ready to get the kid up for the pre-school breakfast-and-homework protocol, it’s time to switch the load to the dryer, after taking out a few selected items I hang-dry. (See? I’m not a total heathen.) The dryer finishes right before we go to work and school, and I take the clothes out and leave them in the “clean” hamper for the day. Then, when we get home, one of the evening “turnaround” tasks—make dinner, unpack lunchboxes, load dishwasher—is folding and putting away that small load of laundry. This takes me only about five minutes.
Done in this way, laundry never, ever, weighs on my mind. I know some people dread it! I see them talking about laundry angst online. I hear about complex negotiations between couples or roommates, fights when baskets are left unfolded on the couch and end up there for weeks; I hear about the problem where a kid needs to wear black leggings in the school play but the black leggings are still in the wash and the discovery of this fact creates a morning crisis. We have plenty of other fights and crises. But we don’t have these!
Why this works for me but might not for you: We create more laundry than most because we usually change out of “outside” clothes immediately upon getting into the house. (Pollen allergies.) We do not have fancy or special care–requiring clothes. We have laundry machines in our house; if we didn’t, I would not do this. They are high-efficiency machines; they adjust their water levels and drying time, respectively, to the size of the load. I didn’t notice a significant change in my water bill upon adopting this habit.
Most importantly of all, I’ve got the kind of brain that gets a lot of pleasure out of perfecting and maintaining daily domestic routines, so I don’t mind always having laundry to fold at 6:30 p.m. In fact, I find the rhythm of it quite satisfying. If this sounds like you, too: Join me.
