| Author |
Cleaning Up:  The Laundry Abyss...  |
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 12:43:01 PM
|
I have decided I don't have a laundry room any more. I have a laundry abyss. Clothes go in and they don't seem to come out- though the machines run every day or so.
I have a back log of laundry that needs folded. I don't mind switching stuff around- but for some reason, I don't like folding very much. Maybe it is because I know it is just going to get dirty again?
Does anyone else have a laundry abyss?
What are your methods of dealing with it?
I pull a load out to the living room at a time and fold while watching movies. I try to get in a race with the washer and dry and try to fold and put away at least 2 loads per 1 load getting done. It always feels great to get ahead of the washer and dryer again, but then I get frustrated when the next load comes out of the dryer! LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog: http://FarmgirlAlee.blogspot.com |
|
|
MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 12:50:20 PM
|
| I put little games up too. Like every time I get up, fold and put away 8 pieces of laundry. Etc. This helps me. I hate doing the folding too! lol Awe for when our babies are old enough to do that part! lol hahaha |
 |
|
|
PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 2:33:26 PM
|
| I don't like folding either, but I really hate putting away! I just got a three part laundry cart so that I can have the laundry already sorted for me. Then I can easily tell what I need to do a load of rather than my current method of throwing piles all over the floor. Sometimes I think my family must be changing clothes three times a day with all the laundry there always is. Oh well, I'd rather do laundry than dishes! |
|
|
|
Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 2:49:35 PM
|
I love laundry. How the clothes smell when they come out of the wash, all fresh and clean. Then, how they feel as they come out of the dryer, all warm and cozy. Even the sheets that come off the line, smelling like sunshine make me happy.
It hasn't always been that way.I have gained appreciation for this humble task over the years. But now? Let me stick my face in a warm towel anyday. :)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 4:05:19 PM
|
I moreless do what Heather does, except I have four laundry baskets (whites, darks, towels, etc.)and when they are full they get washed. I never wash anything other than a full load. When they are dry, either from the clothesline in summer or dryer in winter, each load gets folded right away. No wrinkles and no loads in the dryer that I have to turn on again to get wrinkles out. Laundry is one of those jobs that doesn't go away, so it is easiest for me to just do it.
Di
Farmgirl Sister #73 |
|
|
|
catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 5:52:34 PM
|
I don't mind putting the loads in, but I hate folding. DH is designated folder. He is pretty good at knowing what goes on hangers, in the baskets and what is folded.
Having less clothing and things that inter-match is working for me because if something isn't washed, I know I have something else to go with it. I do only run the washing machine on Wednesday and Saturday, Sunday if it is a real necessity. I probably do about 6-7 loads a week.
I separate my son's stuff into a big basket and yes, sometimes it just sits in his room instead of making to his dresser drawers, but it is working for me : )
Cheers,
Heather |
|
|
|
jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 6:12:58 PM
|
When my girl was at home, I did laundry continually. She is long (5 years) gone, and I still do laundry continually. Hm........I guess I will worry when I have no laundry to do for others. Work is hard, but not lonely.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
|
|
|
Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 7:47:38 PM
|
Oh, Alee! I'm climbing Mt. Washmore tonight, too! What I'm going to do is wash, dry and pile the clothes on the sofa in front of the woodstove, then make myself a nice cup of tea, put on some relaxing music and daydream about what to do with the farm this spring --- and making the resolution to do a load AS I FIND A FULL ONE for the umpteenth time!
Really, though, I've been able to simplify my boys' laundry in this great way - they ONLY have PJ's, undies (white), socks (all white, all the same), white shirts (different sleeve lengths), and denim overalls. They really, truly ONLY wear this unless they are wearing their one dress-up outfit that they each have. They look sharp all the time (no pants falling down!), and the laundry loads are easy to sort and do. Now, I know I'll have to rework this one when they get older, but I'm working on adopting something of the same "uniform" myself!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Farmgirl Sister #10," and proud of it!!! |
|
|
|
sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 7:55:06 PM
|
Mt. Washmore! I love it! I don't mind all the folding when I'm using the clothes line...it's sort of relaxing. I hate the folding when I'm using the dryer (like today) because I have no room to fold as I unload, so up it comes in the basket. And how is it that I can do all the laundry in the hamper and later that same night it's half-full AGAIN??! Guess I'd better get the last two loads folded so I have room for the third.
Later you laundry mavens,
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
|
|
|
Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2007 : 8:16:28 PM
|
I never seem to get caught up! We have a three part sorting thing that husband made for me last year...that helps alot..the kids bring down their dirty clothes on Saturdays and sort them and I set up their outfits for school for the following week on hangers with tags before I go to bed Sunday night. Dosn't mean that I am caught up by then. I try to do sheets on Mondays and then the other days just try to catch up. I don't mind laundry at all, just like it a whole lot more when I can use the line!! It was never over 15 degrees today..so it was the dryer for sure. I am training my oldest daughter to help with laundry and younger daughter to help with dishes and then plan at some point to switch so they both know both jobs. 11 year old son does folding and sorting but I don't trust him to load clothes yet. (dont' trust DH with that one either) younger son is better at helping feed the pets and take out trash..haha. I do plan to get them all taught at some point.
And hey, what is up with one sock in each pair dissapearing every time??? I LOVE Libbie's idea with the easy wardrobe for her boys. (who are adorable and ALWAYS look cute!!!) I do that with the socks and underwear for my boys..the girls are fussier though, and I do more color loads than anything..well, and we use alot of jeans in this family!!
I am off to wash a load of towels now that showers are over for the night...sigh.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
|
|
|
Leezard
True Blue Farmgirl
950 Posts
Elizabeth
Novi
MI
USA
950 Posts |
|
|
Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2007 : 05:47:58 AM
|
Okay, Elizabeth! You're officially and perennially invited to my house! I could just find STACKS of things for you to iron your heart out!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Farmgirl Sister #10," and proud of it!!! |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2007 : 07:07:31 AM
|
Yup! You could be the travelling Laundry Woman! :D
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog: http://FarmgirlAlee.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
juliet79
True Blue Farmgirl
112 Posts
Heather
Worland
Wyoming
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2008 : 12:24:47 PM
|
I am not so bad about folding, it's the putting away that gets me.. Isn't that dumb? We will go dig through the baskets of clean folded clothes for things to wear. One thing to say about that......my closets are organized!
lol
|
|
|
|
shawna
True Blue Farmgirl
241 Posts
missouri (north)
241 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2008 : 12:26:00 PM
|
this topic is so my house. 3 girls don't help either. now that i have a boy i have sworn to not have so many clothes for him. it's not the clean dry warm smelling clothes i hate, it getting em put away and kept that way that drives me crazy!!! and don't even get me started on SOCKS!!!(yes, i am yelling, and my heart rate is going up too!!!) last wk i flipped out on the girls and started throwing toys out the front door, next i swear it will be clothes! oh and tights!!! why can't they all have a tag with the size? i have to hold em up and try to quess which girl looks tall enough to fit. oh my, i better go inhale some chamomile!!!
GOD Bless America! Stand up and fight for your FREEDOMS!!! freedomtofascism.com |
|
|
|
Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2008 : 1:02:19 PM
|
Oh, Shawna! I'm laughing like crazy - I've had those days where I FEEL like flinging toys out the front door, and I'm glad to hear that one of us is TAKING ACTION!!!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Farmgirl Sister #10," and proud of it!!! |
|
|
|
Georgiaberry Mobley
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Georgiaberry
Fouke
AR
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2008 : 2:33:10 PM
|
In the spring and summer when I hang my laundry on the line it is no problem - I always do a load a day, start it as soon as I get up, hang it out right away, in the evening I take it in and put it right away. I sort my laundry into piles that go together as I take it out of the washer, like each person's stuff, and bathroom and kitchen also go together, so that when I hang it out, and then pull it in, it is all sorted already. I just walk through the house putting things away, and put the empty basket back near the washer for the next day. I use my washer like a dirty laundry basket, just fill it up all day long. No sorting - if it all can't go together and get washed on cold, it doesn't have a home with me for long! This is wonderful laundry heaven!
But then fall rolls around and my seasonal allergies start to act up and I feel like the clothes and towels are full of pollen, and I start using the dryer. And then the winter clothes come out and that is where things fall apart. I just can't seem to keep up with the folding! And there are so many more clothes to wash, long johns and sweatshirts and millions of socks. If I keep the top of the dryer clear, then I can fold coming straight from the dryer and that works pretty well. If I can keep the top of the dryer clear.
Sigh. So I can't ever quite get to hanging out laundry in the winter, even though we have lots of nice days, because I never have an empty basket. It is always full of clean laundry, waiting to be folded, and the dryer is also full of clean laundry, waiting to be folded. And I can't get another basket because I am just not going back to that dark place with a lot of baskets! I know what that means, two baskets full of laundry waiting to be folded! Where does it end --- I have to set limits for myself lol. Getting rid of all my baskets was a good start on Mt. Washmore (I see there are some flybabies here - if you don't know what this means, go to flylady.net, you won't regret it!) Also doing one load a day, every day, instead of waiting till the weekend, also getting each member of the family all socks the same. This has been a powerful aid in getting laundry done. And get rid of almost all your clothes! This really works! I also do the flylady timer thing - 15 minutes in the kitchen, 15 minutes laundry, back and forth.
When I had a kid in cloth diapers, I would keep the diapers soaking in the washer through the day, then spin that out and wash the diapers once, then put our laundry on top and wash it all together, so the diapers got washed twice. Sometimes I put white vinegar in the fabric softener area if I thought the diapers needed it.
Farmgirl Georgiaberry
always busy at SunshineForDinner.com
|
|
|
|
shawna
True Blue Farmgirl
241 Posts
missouri (north)
241 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2008 : 8:57:23 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Libbie
Oh, Shawna! I'm laughing like crazy - I've had those days where I FEEL like flinging toys out the front door, and I'm glad to hear that one of us is TAKING ACTION!!!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Farmgirl Sister #10," and proud of it!!!
You should try it sometime, the look of panic that comes over their faces is great. not sure what they are thinking, but at the time i just want the room cleaned! the more toys that go the easier the cleaning gets. I so need to do this with the laundry!! (the toys were plastic, so they needed to get burned anyway)
GOD Bless America! Stand up and fight for your FREEDOMS!!! freedomtofascism.com |
|
|
|
chicken necker
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Sherry
Eastern Shore
Maryland
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 05:47:19 AM
|
LOL! Shawna, you sound like me, but I actually tossed the clothes out too! With three "girls" in the house, we have an assortment of colors, one's favorite is pink, the other purple and mine, greens and blues. We take turns washing, drying and folding, but everyone is supposed to put away their own. I thought I explained the sorting process, but apparently not specific enough. I'm getting used to the tye-dye look! And I must be the one person here that uses bathroom towels and kitchen towels because they are always included in My pile!
I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. ~anon |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 06:26:49 AM
|
Shawna-
Next time you get a pair of tights for one of the girls, take a permanent marker and gently mark her name or initial on the back waistline where a tag should be- or alternatly- the size if you do hand-me-downs. I have done this with Nora's tights that I let friends use and it works great. And if you do it gently- there isn't any bleed through!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog: http://FarmgirlAlee.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Peanut
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jennifer
Waverly
Virginia
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 07:18:36 AM
|
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with laundry problems.
I wish I knew why I let my girls' clothes (4 and 6) pile up and up and up and then ONE DAY... I decide to put them away. It takes about 15 minutes (even with a huge pile) but I just can't seem to make myself do it.
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
|
|
|
shawna
True Blue Farmgirl
241 Posts
missouri (north)
241 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 08:13:20 AM
|
good idea with the tights. don't know why i didn't think of that--thanks
GOD Bless America! Stand up and fight for your FREEDOMS!!! freedomtofascism.com |
|
|
|
Sage
True Blue Farmgirl
207 Posts
Pam
Worland
Wyoming
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 10:08:15 AM
|
OK I'm crazy but I like doing laundry. The clean smell of the clothes out of the washer and the warmth of the clothes out of the dryer. (yes I use the dryer cause I work and I don't have the time or a clothes line) I always feel like I'm getting something done when I do laundry and I can't stand not folding or hanging things up immediately and then it all gets put away as I go to the different parts of the house.
When my girls were home we each (husband too) had a laundry day so they could learn to do their own and mine didn't get ruined.:) We also had a big sock matching on Saturdays with a fun sock fight and the dog and cat always ended up stealing the socks.
www.heritagedesigns.etsy.com |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 10:30:19 AM
|
Yes, obviously I did not inherit my mom's (Sage's) maddness...I mean..uhm...motivation? I think I take after my dad when it comes to laundry.
All though the funny thing is, I actually love the smell of fresh clean laundry and the warmth out of the dryer. It's just all the other work afterwards that I am not so keen about :D
Love you mom, by the way!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog: http://FarmgirlAlee.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 4:57:07 PM
|
I actually like to fold laundry but I'm not too fond of putting it away. I fold it as soon as it comes out of the dryer or off the line. Now my three sisters, on the other hand, almost never fold clothes. One of them would just put her kids clothes into piles and they would take it to their rooms. She started doing that after one day she found her oldest son(now 30)standing at his bedroom door, dresser drawers open, throwing his clothes, one at a time, at the dresser.
My sister Julie had four kids under the age of 4--one set of twins. She has a saying, "Dirty dishes and dirty clothes BREED." That might explain the laundry abyss.
"Nature always has the last laugh." Mrs. Greenthumbs
|
|
|
|
babysmama
True Blue Farmgirl
931 Posts
Elizabeth
Iowa
931 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 08:42:07 AM
|
I don't mind washing the laundry but I hate putting it away. I think the problem is that our dresser drawers are so full that I can't stuff any more into them. What I need to do is go through the drawers and find things to donate, but what happens is I always say "I might need this, or I could use this later." I need to toss whatever I haven't worn in over a year. I will update you on that progress!! And I have tons of laundry to catch up on today. 
-Elizabeth |
|
|
|
Cleaning Up: The Laundry Abyss... |
|
The Laundry Abyss...
