Throughout western history washing day has been a woman’s domain, the tricks were passed down from generation to generation and a female homemaker could feel a sense of pride in knowing that her husband was unable wash or iron his own shirt without her. . .

 

then the great war came and many women grew accustomed to working while their men where away shooting at each other.

 

 Maybe it was the realization that if they could do men’s work why the hell shouldn't the men iron their own bloody shirts (lol, unintended pun about men shooting each other. . .nice) . Maybe it was a time thing. . .if they were away at work all day, how would they have the time to wash or iron their own shirts as well as their husbands.

 

Sadly many women still run the whole house while holding jobs and often taking on the principal parenting role (Calm down dads of the world. . .I didn't say you were all lazy bastards). One thing has definitely changed, the secrets aren't passed down anymore, not even to daughters.

 

Having watched my lazy mother (not lazy in a bad way. . .actually kind of cute, the woman will find a shortcut for anything) and learnt from my own and Mr. Blues pathetic mistakes here is my formula for the perfect washing day.

 

Tools

 

• Washing machine.

Preferably with water saving features and the option to do small/medium and large loads. Another nice thing to do is to divert your grey water to your lawn, you’ll be saving the environment and money at the same time. . .YAY! (Do not divert if you are using a bleach etc. . .unless you like dead lawn of course)

 

• Two washing baskets

Having two or more just helps with sorting and hanging etc.

 

• Detergent

1.      Environmentally Friendly Phosphorus free Liquid all rounder. I prefer liquid because it’s less likely to not dissolve and leave marks on your clothes. Apart from the obvious reasons to choose environmentally friendly detergent. If you took my advice above you’ll be diverting it onto your lawn.

2.      Detergent meant for Black clothes. Ever been to a night club and walked in looking pretty hot in your nice black jeans only to notice that you glow in all the wrong places. . .this is because you’ve been mixing your colours (and not washing in the right order. . .explained later) and probably using a detergent with fluorescents in it.

3.      Spray stain remover (or nappy detergent mixed into a paste) for those disgusting collars other unmentionables. Be careful if you use bleach, your next wash may come out speckled.

 

§         Wash Bags

Try and get at least 3 of these little zipped up wonders, they’ll save you hand washing all your delicates, lingerie, stockings and even some woolens. If you don’t have one, a pillow case will sometimes do but things do fall out of them. Wash bags also stop the wires from coming out of bras.

 

• Vinegar

Use a little in your wash instead of fabric softener. It’s also a good idea to occasionally run your machine empty for one small cycle with a little vinegar to clean all the built up soap and scum out of your machine and the pipes.

 

• Plastic Pegs

Do not use wooden pegs! (I think they’re called clothes pins in the US) Wooden pegs are much more likely to leave marks on your clothes ad they don’t last as long. (more tips for hanging clothes to come)

 

• A peg basket

I know it seems like a waste of time to take all the pegs off the line when you finish. Taking them off does however extend the life of your pegs and saves the frustration of having to take all the pegs off the line anyway when hanging sheets and 0ther large items.

 

• Washing line and clothes horse for rainy days

An electric dryer is not necessary but does wonders in removing lint from clothes, softening towels and turning a perfectly good adult sized jumper into something for a newborn.

 

• Iron

If you can get an Iron with a Teflon plate, they glide better.

 

• Ironing board

Fit your ironing board with a thick snug cover, you can purchase little doofers that clip onto the base of the cover and stretch it tight. If you get a Teflon cover you’ll only have to iron one side of everything! The cover heats up a little and does half the work for you

 

• Spray Bottle of water

No need for fancy ironing aids, just spray your clothes with water. . .this really helps.

 

• Cheesecloth or other thin fabric

For ironing delicates, it stops them from burning it also helps if it’s a tiny bit damp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When confronted with a huge pile of Laundry the first step is to sort. always wash your bath towels and sheets on the same day (I will explain why later)

 

This is how I sort my washing ( b.t.w I do wash Mr. Blues clothes. I do not iron them) this is best done on the floor just pile everything up into their respective groups.

 

§         Doesn’t matter pile

This pile is for socks, jocks, hankies and anything else your not really worried about, old T-shirts etc go in this pile.

§         Blacks and dark colours

This group includes jeans turned inside out (makes the colour last longer from washing and sun exposure also good for ironing (explained later). Black lingerie is placed in separate wash bags and also goes in this lot.

§         Whites

This group only contains whites, the occasional pale fabric, stockings placed in their own wash bag and White Lingerie  also in wash bags.

§         Like Colours

Now I usually sneak mine in with my blacks and whites. Reds and Blues with blacks and pale pinks and greens with whites, it all depends on how many times they’ve been washed and how lucky I’m feeling.

§         Towels

Always wash towels on their own, they’ll leave fluff on al your clothes if you mix them in

§         Bed Sheets

 

 

The Order in which clothes are washed is also very important. following order

 

1.      The doesn’t matter pile doesn’t matter so it goes first and if anybody has been using your machine for strange reasons like dying, bleaching washing grease out of clothes. The doesn’t matters will be the only things ruined. I usually use black wash detergent here so most of the fluorescents will be gone by the time the next load goes in.

2.      Blacks usually go next.

3.      Whites come after blacks using the normal detergent

4.      Towels, well Mr. Blue likes to wash the towels in Hot water but I feel this is unnecessary It makes them hard and fades their colours. Throw a little vinegar in before the rinse cycle if you like your towels soft

5.      Finally Sheets. It’s important to wash your sheets after your towels. The fluff from the towels doesn’t stick to bed sheets and this leaves the machine nice and clean for your washing machines next load.

 

Drying Tips

§         I prefer to line dry my clothes, they just feel and smell nicer. Windy days are best and try not to leave them in full sun for too long because they’ll stiffen and burn.

§         My biggest tip for drying is to give every piece a big shake before you hang it. This gets rid of the wrinkles and saves on ironing time later.

§         Dry shirts on hangers fastening the first and third button, this leaves the shirt front flat and again saves with ironing

§         Peg tops under the arm, no one will see visible peg makes there.

§         Hang socks in pairs, saves time because you can bundle them as you take them down.

§         Always stretch towels out and don’t fold over too much, they’ll dry faster and be easier to fold as you take them down

§         Dry woolens flat on a towel or if they’re not too heavy on a hanger

§         Never overcrowd your line

§         Hang sheets over a single line at the half way mark, this way you can fold them right away and they wont have wrinkles.

§         Hang anything your worried about fading inside out.

 

Ironing

  

• It’s a good idea to iron somethings inside out, not only will you lessen the chance of burning the front, some fabrics get shiny (lol, not shiny shiny) and if you are using the Teflon cover I suggested earlier the “right” side will get a gentle iron anyway.

 

 

 

General Tips 

 

Always check ALL pockets for tissues, you know why

 

Try and wash and dry your sheets on the day you dress your bed. They’ll just smell fantastic. Keep your dirty sheets for the next big washing day and you’ll always have fresh smelling sheets.

 

Most stains set in hot water so always wash in cold. Bloodstains are best soaked in cold water before washing.

 

 

 

Congratulations if you’ve made it to the end of this post.

Have I forgotten anything? Do you have any tips for me?

 

Little Laundry Blue