Easy Laundry

Laundry.

One of the biggest complain of all times by families, here in US, is doing laundry.

Over the years I heard complains about :
  • The time it takes.
  • The load of unwashed clothes waiting
  • The cost of detergent and fabric softener
  • The allergies to some stuff
  • The electricity cost
  • The fragrances, some family member love it and some hate it.
  • The washing separate. Baby clothes with baby hypoallergenic detergent, kitchen separate, undies separate, hand wash, wash in cold, delicate, ...
  • The big old enemy, FOLDING.
  • Surprisingly, the least of every body's  concern and my own #1 , effect on the environment.
  • ...
I personally like doing laundry. A lot.

Here is why.



I remember the days we had to live in a tent for two months in Iran because of the war and bombing in Tehran. We did laundry by hand, with soap and cold water, had to hang to dry in the most humid and rainy weather. Next to campaign sea. Imagine washing sheets with that condition. Guess what, the people that lived there washed all their clothes like that!!!

That was an interesting experience and made me appreciate every day life of mine.

My secret to easy and happy laundry is:

1. Laundry is done once a week ( for a family of 4)

2. Each room has their own laundry basket. My family brings their laundry baskets to me.

3. Separate based on
    . Dark
    . Colored
    . White
    . Scrub pants for work (separate)
    . Linen / biweekly
      That makes it 4 -5 loads per week.

4. Use Soap nuts . love it, love it, love it. No more detergents, no more allergies, no more fragrances, no more softeners, no more guilt for polluting the environment with chemicals.

5. Use hot water for white, but cold water for the rest of the clothes.

6. Line dry as much as I can. Love the natural smell of fresh wind.

7. After my clothed are dry, I place them in dryer with a wet towel for 5min. This will take care of all the wrinkles. A true life saver.

8.  Taught each family member to fold their own laundry. ( I fold my husband's to spoil him)

9. Once a while gather all that needs ironing and Iron once every two weeks.

Done.



What makes it so wonderful for us?

. Every body has enough clothes to last them 10 days at list, so weekly washing is perfect for us.

. We don't need to buy detergents or softeners. Saves tons of money and time and stress.

. No chemicals. It is a huge relief that we don't pollute the environment just because we want to do our laundry.

 .Doing it once a week, saves electricity, good for environment and good for our finances.

. Clothes last longer due to reduce use of dryer.

. Family is not over stimulated due to lots of synthetic smells.

. Bringing and folding their own laundry, create a great sense of responsibility and team work in the family.

. Not thinking or worrying about the laundry for the whole week.

What is your laundry system?

2 comments:

  1. I have been using the soapnuts but find my whites and lighter colors are turning a bit brownish or getting brown spots on them even in hot water. Any advice??

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment:
      I did not notice any brown spots, but i noticed they don't get as white and some stains are not being cleaned. What i have been doing is, once a month or so, i have been adding some bleach to the whites washed separately and that took care of the darkness and stains. But i agree with you that the soapnuts are not perfect for whites. I also happend to have some regular detergent from old days( Tide for whites) and used it on whites once every couple of months and it help to keep them bright. Do you place your soap nuts in a linnen string bag? I believe if they are in the bag, they will not let brown stains out. Good luck.

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