Monday, June 29, 2009

Controversial Monday- Laundry

Sometimes I want to tell the boys that they can run naked for awhile- just so I can actually have ALL the laundry done at once. I am pretty sure they would take me up on it.

Which is why I haven't offered.

My oldest son likes to wear "sport guy" shorts and a variety of Tee shirts. He prefers Tees with dangerous animals or sports themes.

Roman will only wear pajamas or longsleeved shirts and longsleeved pants.

Lincoln freaks out if he has a drop of water on him and well, he is 2 and he goes through a lot of outfits- even with my greater than average tolerance for my children wearing stained/dirty clothes.

Why did I tell you all that?

I just basically want to make it clear that what we wear around here is decidedly in the "play clothes" category. Decidedly. Also, 95% of the boys clothes have been given to me and passed down through my troops as well.

So here is my secret: I am not a thorough laundry sorter.

I just don't care.

I MOSTLY try to get all the darks generally together.

But if a pair of socks sneak in, oh well.

And I mostly keep the whites together.

But sometimes a red tee ball shirt gets tossed in.

And sometimes I will just do a combination load of lights, darks and bath towels.

Just because I am the mom.

And I am in charge.

And I have bigger and better things to do than freak out about my laundry.

I am sure some of you are wincing right now (just so you know, I have only turned something white pink 1 time and that was years ago).

How do you do your laundry? Do you tolerate combo loads, or is everything separated down to the littlest baby sock?

8 comments:

Rachel said...

It's kinda hard to be perfect when my boys are the ones sorting the laundry. I try to be aware of what's going into the machine as I grab it by the armful. One of the best things though is a laundry sorting "system". My boys take the laundry down to the laundry room 2-3x/week and sort it by whites, lights, and darks. That way I can see how much we have of each rather than guessing what kind of load I should do based on a big pile on the floor.

Kim said...

I sort very, very, very little. Unless it is new and a dark color, pretty much everything goes together. Actually, this is how it goes.

1. Little boys clothes. Everything together.
2. Husband clothes.
3. My own clothes.
4. Technical Fabrics/Workout Gear
5. Socks/underwear
6. Towels/Bedding

Seriously, I wash everything in cold and will wash a red shirt with khakis. I walk on the wild side.

Momma Bear said...

this post makes me laugh b/c i was just thinking about this the other day. I seriously shove everything together these days. That means it all goes into the washer together on cold. if there are stains i presoak them in my washer. i haven't had any problems thus far.

Once in a while, not now cause i'm overwhelmed, I'll bleach my towels and my huz's tshirts.

Oh and I thought I was the only mom who didn't change her kids clothes when they got grubby? Good to know there are others around, cause I don't usually run into many that don't change their childs clothes after a smudge or a drop of something.

Billi Jo said...

Billi's Laundry Piles:
1. Whites (includes Tans)
2. Darks
3. Girls (Pinks/Reds/Purples)
4. Towels (All of them in one load)
5. Sheets/Blankets (All of them at one time)
6. Miscellaneous (Seriously, anything that does not fit in the above categories or loads).
And on the seventh day I rest. tehehe
I do a delicate load when my delicates need it.
I too wash on cold and I sprinkle a little OxyClean in each load, just for added protection.
I do one load a day, which ever pile looks like it has more. Wash. Dry. Separate into individual clean laundry basket (it used to be put away, but I have given up).

Elise said...

Being the sorter/organizer that I am, I am rather particular about laundry. My loads are:
1. Hot whites (socks, undershirts)
2. Warm whites (dress shirts, towels)
3. Darks (clothes and towels together)
4. Bedding
5. Kitchen/Cleaning Cloths
6. Delicates
7. Baby (including baby's towels and bedding)
8. Wool (only during the winter)

My one laundry concession is that I rarely dry clean (even when a garment tag says to) and I never EVER hand wash.

Matt said...

I used to be more particular about laundry - basic light and dark load - but I've grown weary of that. Now-a-days everything in the basket gets pushed into the machine and I wash on cold to make sure the colors don't run. If everything is dirty (sometimes after a trip), I'll separate lights, darks, and towels - but that's rare.
I figure it's good to be less OCD on something, not that it balances out all the other issues I have.

Not big on laundry... said...

The only thing I worry about is making sure my pockets are empty.

I know this will shock and nausiate some of you, but when I used to live at home during college I'd wash my fitted sheet once at the six month mark (give or take) and then throw it out at twelve.

Auntie Kendy said...

No matter how many ways you sort it, it all still has to be folded, and that part stinks!