So I broke down this month and went to the laundromat. Why? Because my concerned spouse was about to have our next date night there. Panicked, I tried to beat him to it, and we are now minus 15 dollars in quarters. But we have gained much clean laundry, which works for us! Even my husband noticed it was possible to walk on the floor of the laundry room. Furthermore, in February, the month of ultimate romance, I could not bear the thought of paying to spend a rare evening with my husband doing work I have shirked.
Forcing myself to go the the laundromat also holds me accountable. I will have to spend our hard-earned money there again if I don't meet the next catch-up deadline I set. Deadlines are useful, as are clean clothes. My husband would rather have clean clothes and lose a roll of quarters if he has to choose. I would rather get my laundry act together and create a win-win scenario: keep the coins and get my laundry done at home in our beloved LG front-loading machine. This tactic of a hard deadline could inspire me to be more faithful in pursuing the double win.
Are you trying to scale your own "Mount Washmore?" Have you considered spending a relaxing afternoon (or two) at the laundromat? You might be able to chalk up some victories of your own and leave behind loads of guilt.
2 comments:
Wow...sometimes I feel like that's what I should do. But my bottleneck usually occurs at the putting away phase.
I normally wash about 4 loads a day. I have a very large capacity front-loader and a large-capacity dryer.
What helps me is to have the laundry sorted to start. I have different baskets for each color in my closet. My husband and I sort into these.
In the morning, my children sort their laundry from one basket in their rooms into these baskets in my closet.
When the baskets in my closet are full (which obviously happens quickly!) I wash them.
I start with a load in the washer first thing in the morning. Luckily I don't lose water pressure while I'm in the shower. I wash most loads on cold, so losing heat isn't a problem, either. Then, I get myself showered and ready for the day. When I'm ready, I put that load in the dryer and start another load (already sorted).
Sometimes I will wash a load the night before (like towels) and then, when I get up in the morning, I put that load in the dryer, and then start the next load.
My children are responsible for folding and putting away clothes; I hang up the clothes that need to be hung, including the boys shirts and the girls clothes (my 3 girls all wear dresses every day). Sometimes my two oldest (8 and 6) get the job of hanging up clothes.
I'll start another load right after that third one, and continue on until the fourth load is done. If I do it well, 2 1/2 loads are done before breakfast (wash takes 40 minutes, and the front loader spins things so dry that they're dry in 50 minutes in the dryer; I use the timed dry and dry everything on low). I'll hang things up from he third and fourth load that need to be hung, and keep the rest for the children to fold the next morning (usually things like underwear and socks, bibs an towel, and cloth napkins).
I fold the sheets, unless we're just putting them back on the bed after being washed and dried.
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