Laundry Day

Laundry Day comes around about every week (sometimes every 2-3 weeks). While it is a chore for most of us, others use it as an excuse to not go out socializing (How terrible!). We're so lucky that we have machines that wash AND dry our clothes. I may have a greater appreciation for washers and dryers than most since my mother used to wash clothes for our family of five by hand. Yes, she kneaded the clothes in soapy water, rinsed, and then squeezed out all the water she could. To this day, I still think that my mother is much stronger than me. But that was only half the work since she would have to hang the clothes to dry on the clothesline that my handy-dandy father made (taking advantage of the porch and a high fence).

I still don't fully understand why my mother washes clothes by hand since she does have a nice washer and dryer to use at home. Maybe it's peaceful and relaxing to her. Maybe it's a good way to relieve stress and work out the hand muscles. The fact that my mother didn't use the washer/dryer frustrated me growing because my siblings and I would have the responsibility to bring in the clothes after they have dried. This would just be an annoyance especially when I was out and about. (I also didn't enjoy how the hot sun would fade out the colors on my clothes or how the clothespin would leave a mark on my shirts).

Enough with my rambling about my childhood though. While I have never made a critical mistake doing laundry, I'm never quite fully satisfied with my laundry job even with the best detergent, Tide. My pants are never fully wrinkle-free, the collars are never fully cleaned, and the lint has not been fully removed. I don't think I ever follow the directions on the clothes fully. I don't separate colors (or even "like" colors especially with the colorblindness), don't always turn my jeans inside out, and rarely tumble low heat (who has time for that). One thing I do correctly is have the clothes "line" dried if instructed. And one of my pet peeves is that I have to be accessible to my dryer when my clothes are done so I can immediately fold them. I can't have my cloth get more wrinkled than when they are just dried. Though, I did buy a steamer for just that purpose...

Does anyone have any tips or tricks that may improve my laundry skills?

One time in college, I wore a white shirt. Turns out my brother washed it with something that bled red and since I am colorblind, I was actually wearing a shirt with red all over without knowing it... How embarrassing...