Himalayas? Not In My Living Room

By Author: Ayelet Greenberg
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Laundry care

Who doesn't know the famous scene in which a friend pays us a surprise visit (or worse, a surprise visit from our mother in-law) and while we are searching for an open spot on the couch, we discover that it is hidden under a mountain of Laundry.

Wouldn't it be great if it could be different? Here are some great
household tips to make it so.

First of all, treat your laundry as if it was an assembly line -

Towels and bedding --
Do not stack in a Laundry basket! Collect them from all the rooms put them straight into the washing machine and off we go.

When the Weather allows it, hang the Laundry outdoor. Besides the savings in Electricity, you can run the next machine at the same time (sheets and towels require very long drying time due to their size and weight), and like an assembly line, put the following Machine into the Dryer.

Laundry baskets --
1. Keep two baskets, one for your bright laundry and another for dark & colorful. When the family members take off their dirty clothing, they are asked to put ...
... them straight into the matching laundry hamper.
It's not that complicated, the Laundry is already sorted and therefore ready for the machine. The setting doesn't require significantly more space because the two baskets can be relatively small.

2. Use the washing machine also as a "laundry hamper", meaning, do not pile all the Laundry together but put certain items into the washing machine itself; For example colorful clothes. Turn the machine immediately on when it fills up. Again, it's a great way to save time and piles of dirty laundry.

3. In Homes with more than one floor, it is not necessary recommended to keep the laundry baskets next to the washing machine but rather to adjust it to the conduct and habits of the family.
Meaning: if the Bedrooms (especially the Children's Bedrooms) and the Bathroom, are on a different floor than the washing machine, put a laundry basket into the Bedroom and / or Bathroom. This way, you prevent piles of dirty laundry on the Bedroom floors and Bath, and also, save the walk up and down the stairs with dirty items.
Since most of us tend to wash baby clothes separately from other Laundry items, you can keep another separate laundry hamper near the Baby's chest of drawers.

Before you put the Laundry into the washing machine --
Check all the pockets and make sure that there are no objects such as marbles, stones, coins ... (they can damage the machine) or dirty tissues; it could get messy when they crumble!
Make sure that all the sleeves are out, turn applications and prints inside and close the zippers.

To avoid the nightmare of 'lonely' socks - put the socks into a wash bag that is designed for this purpose, from there into the dryer. Or, alternatively, return the single sock into the underwear drawer. The next washing machine operating may lead to a natural 'family reunion' of the matching socks.

Let's put things into proportion. A little sweat and some dust do not require that we 'cook' our laundry at 70ºC or 90ºC (158ºF / 194ºF). Again, the purpose is to save time, electricity and keep our cloth from looking worn out. In addition, as the temperature we use is lower, so the need of color separation becomes less significant.

Drying the Laundry --
Do not choke the dryer! Laundry dries faster and with fewer wrinkles, when the dryer is not fully loaded.
Because different clothing requires different drying periods, you may want to check occasionally and pull out items that have already dried up. This way the amount of items in the Dryer decreases and so does the complete drying time. (Again, save electricity and time)

Laundry tips are some of the most usefull of all
household tips, here are some more to help finish up the process efficiently.

Folding the Laundry --
Fold the sheets and towels as you take them off the Lines (it takes only a few minutes) and put them straight into the Closet.
If possible, arrange a comfortable space near the Dryer or the clothesline and fold the Cloth 'on the spot' (especially relatively large items like Jeans and Sweatshirts). This way, you may avoid the 'transport' of Laundry piles through the home, the creation of 'Mountains' and also prevent Back pain.

Ironing board - can be used as a table to fold Laundry and is also practical to avoid Back pain.

Folding laundry effectively - instead of trying to cope with several huge piles at once, start with sorting and initial folding. First, pull out large items from the stack and fold them. It seems to reduce the mess with see.
Than, Socks, Underwear, Bras ... into a small basket and from there into their place in the closet / Drawer.
T-shirts, turn them Inside-Out... and so on.
Even if you did not succeed to fold the entire Laundry because you had to attend another task, you did significantly reduce the mountain and the need to treat it.

Warning! Treat the various washing materials as if they were regular cleaning substances. Meaning: Store them on a high shelf and keep them away, out of the reach of children!

Take advantage of the night and do not forget to run a machine before you lie down to sleep ...