toSort or Not to Sort......laundry Quandry

[lkprescott]

I have a family of four...DH and DS play soccer, DD plays tennis, DS wears school uniforms. I have MOUNDS of laundry every week.

Today I read an article in Woman's Day about saving time cleaning. One lady said she doesn't sort her laundry. Each person gets a laundry basket, when it's full she does a load. Saves sorting twice...once to separate colors, once to get it to the right person. The only things she pulls out are things that would "bleed" (like new jeans) and fine washables. She just puts 1 c. vinegar in loads with whites to keep them bright.

Has anyone heard of this before? Does it work? It would save SO much time if I didn't have to sort all that laundry. It would also be nice to not have "hills" of laundry in my living room waiting for their turn in the washer

I want to try this but am a bit leery....want to see if anyone else has done this

I don't sort. I grew up in a household where my mom sorted down to hues... and had these micro loads... which to me were a waste of water.

I pack in my washer with all our clothes and do not sort by color though if I have a lot I'll 'spot sort' and just pick my way through the mound making sure not to pack in too many jeans... or if I have a lot of 'possible bleeders' to get them in a dark with no or minimal whites... and I wash on cold.

It saves a lot of time from sorting and from keeping things held until there's enough for a load... and saves water even with an adjustable washer, I've noticed that my medium wash is nearly as high as the large load wash... the only time I've ever sorted and kept things from the family laundry was when we washed cloth diapers and well, that's for obvious reasons. LOL...

 

[lkprescott]

Yea..no ironing here unless it's a BIG event (funeral, wedding, job interview)

I actually had to get the iron out yesterday, but it was to iron on a patch to DS's favorite black Tshirt that has a hole towards the bottom of the shirt!

I used to iron all of DH's button down shirts... to wean him from dry cleaning.. LOL... and his pants... but at this point? I take them fresh outta the dryer and fold them flat... he works in a casual office so no worries.

The only time I get the iron out now is when I'm quilting or sewing. LOL

 

[ragschef]

Okay, so I'm a germaphobe and the whole not sorting thing would REALLY bother me!

I wash socks, undies, bras and slips in one wash, each category in their own pillowcases.

Then I wash according to color - whites/lights, blues & purples, denim, browns & greens, reds & pinks, then blacks & greys.

When all 6 of my colors are done, then I turn to my bed linens and wash them in hot water with fabric softener. Its bad for your skin, which is why I only use it on my sheets. Then I'll wash my kitchen towels; then my bath towels.

Then about once a month, I take my daughter's stuffed animals and shove them in pillowcases secured with a twixit of course and wash them in hot water. She gets a kick out of helping me "bathe" her friends.

Then maybe about every 3 months or so (I know I should do it more often, but I really dont have the time), I take my pillows and wash them in my bathtub and hang them to dry. They take about 2 days to completely dry, so I only do half of them at a time.

Like I said, I am a germaphobe...

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

Wow...who knew when I started this thread that there'd be so many different ways and variations of ways to wash your clothes!

When I was taught to do laundry my mom had VERY precise ways of doing things....all the way down to how to fold the towels. (Fold in half, fold in half, then thirds. They then stack very nicely in the closet!) As the years have gone by I've loosened my standards...a towel folded "improperly" is still a clean towel

But I have NEVER questioned the whole sorting process. So here is the new laundry process for the DeWees household.

I bought my son his own pop up hamper today. Both children will now have their own hampers and will be responsible COMPLETELY for their own laundry...wash, fold, put away. No sorting eek: ) and all in cold. Vinegar in the load to keep our whites white. Sheets and towels will still be washed in hot or warm to kill germs...by me. (For now...can't shock their systems too much at one time! )

Wow...now I'm trying to plan what to do with all my new-found free time. Hmmm...maybe book some shows!

 

[wadesgirl]

Wow...who knew when I started this thread that there'd be so many different ways and variations of ways to wash your clothes!

When I was taught to do laundry my mom had VERY precise ways of doing things....all the way down to how to fold the towels. (Fold in half, fold in half, then thirds. They then stack very nicely in the closet!) As the years have gone by I've loosened my standards...a towel folded "improperly" is still a clean towel

But I have NEVER questioned the whole sorting process. So here is the new laundry process for the DeWees household.

I bought my son his own pop up hamper today. Both children will now have their own hampers and will be responsible COMPLETELY for their own laundry...wash, fold, put away. No sorting eek: ) and all in cold. Vinegar in the load to keep our whites white. Sheets and towels will still be washed in hot or warm to kill germs...by me. (For now...can't shock their systems too much at one time! )

Wow...now I'm trying to plan what to do with all my new-found free time. Hmmm...maybe book some shows!

We roll our towels because they fit better in the cupboard!

 

[MissChef]

It took me forever to get past all the anal ways my mother taught me and insisted that I do when I was young! My hubby, who I have been with since I was 19 had a much more relaxed Mom and she was all about clean but easy!
I have adopted my hubby's ways and it has taken a lot of stress out of laundry and every other form of cleaning, for me. Sometimes now I get more relaxed then my hubby!!! My Mom has been here visiting me and can't believe that I do it (the laundry) that way and "she never taught me that way" with her nose held high in the air! LOL! I just smile and say it's easier this way! Inside I think "yeah, and I'm not so dang uptight as you either, and I enjoy my family time instead of cleaning like a drill sargent!" And my kids don't hide from me like we use to of my Mom, because we knew we'd be always cleaning if we looked like we relaxing!

 

[rennea]

Okay, so I'm a germaphobe and the whole not sorting thing would REALLY bother me!

I wash socks, undies, bras and slips in one wash, each category in their own pillowcases.

Then I wash according to color - whites/lights, blues & purples, denim, browns & greens, reds & pinks, then blacks & greys.

When all 6 of my colors are done, then I turn to my bed linens and wash them in hot water with fabric softener. Its bad for your skin, which is why I only use it on my sheets. Then I'll wash my kitchen towels; then my bath towels.

Then about once a month, I take my daughter's stuffed animals and shove them in pillowcases secured with a twixit of course and wash them in hot water. She gets a kick out of helping me "bathe" her friends.

Then maybe about every 3 months or so (I know I should do it more often, but I really dont have the time), I take my pillows and wash them in my bathtub and hang them to dry. They take about 2 days to completely dry, so I only do half of them at a time.

Like I said, I am a germaphobe...

Oh you go girl!!!! Your not alone. I am to, every week my mattress gets vaccumed and "aired out". I wash all our pillows about every 6 weeks. Can't help it, but it is better then being dirty I guess

 

[lkprescott]

Wow...who knew when I started this thread that there'd be so many different ways and variations of ways to wash your clothes!

When I was taught to do laundry my mom had VERY precise ways of doing things....all the way down to how to fold the towels. (Fold in half, fold in half, then thirds. They then stack very nicely in the closet!) As the years have gone by I've loosened my standards...a towel folded "improperly" is still a clean towel

But I have NEVER questioned the whole sorting process. So here is the new laundry process for the DeWees household.

I bought my son his own pop up hamper today. Both children will now have their own hampers and will be responsible COMPLETELY for their own laundry...wash, fold, put away. No sorting eek: ) and all in cold. Vinegar in the load to keep our whites white. Sheets and towels will still be washed in hot or warm to kill germs...by me. (For now...can't shock their systems too much at one time! )

Wow...now I'm trying to plan what to do with all my new-found free time. Hmmm...maybe book some shows!

My mom folded them differently - which was also how they showed us in home ec... though I taught HER how to fold a fitted sheet flat thanks to Home Ec.. LOL... but that was fold in thirds, give a half turn then fold in thirds again.

I've relaxed too and just fold in halfs until it's flat and fits on our shelves. LOL

 

[MissChef]

My mom folded them differently - which was also how they showed us in home ec... though I taught HER how to fold a fitted sheet flat thanks to Home Ec.. LOL... but that was fold in thirds, give a half turn then fold in thirds again.
I've relaxed too and just fold in halfs until it's flat and fits on our shelves. LOL

oh don't even get me started on fitted sheets My mother has shown me over and over and I just don't get it~! I think, it's something inside that refuses to learn!

 

[KellyTheChef]

oh don't even get me started on fitted sheets My mother has shown me over and over and I just don't get it~! I think, it's something inside that refuses to learn!

Don't feel bad! I think fitted sheets are the devil! No matter what I do, it seems like it is semifolded, semi wadded into a ball!!

Besides, sheets are another thing (other than undies) that WHO CARES IF THEY ARE WRINKLED!!?

 

[MissChef]

Don't feel bad! I think fitted sheets are the devil! No matter what I do, it seems like it is semifolded, semi wadded into a ball!!

Besides, sheets are another thing (other than undies) that WHO CARES IF THEY ARE WRINKLED!!?

My ridiculously anal mother!! LOL! THAT'S WHO!!!!! And oh my goodness is her fitted sheats freakin perfectly folded! Ughhhh!!!! But I'm with you! They are in a small ball in my linen closet under the sheets that I can fold right, hiding!!

 

[daniellemorgan]

I felt inspired by this thread, so I washed my shower curtains today
On the level of annoyance that is up there with the fitted sheet! :yuck:

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

I bought my son his own pop up hamper today. Both children will now have their own hampers and will be responsible COMPLETELY for their own laundry...wash, fold, put away.

Update on this....when Colter (12 yr) got home from school I gave him his hamper and his new instructions. My husband said, "So, what do you think about this?" His response? "I'm excited (look on my face.... ) I've always wanted to learn how to do laundry because I know I'll need to know that one day". WHAT??? After my DH picked me up off the floor, I was mad at myself. How many things do I do around here just because it's easier/quicker to do it myself or I do it because I feel guilty (I'm home during the day and they aren't) and I'm robbing my children of learning experiences!

 

[friday]

(my mother was (is) a slob- folded sheets? whats that? sort laundry--- you'll be lucky it gets washed) I do know how to fold a fitted sheet. I learned from a Martha Stewart Living magazine years and years ago. I still fold them that way. But I don't have lots of spares. I have two sets for my bed, 3 sets for the boys 2 beds, and 2 sets for the crib. No need to have any more than that I think.

 

[ChefTess]

I sort into 3 groups darks, colors and whites/towels...grays I put in either colors or darks depending on which group has room to make a full load. In the cold months I have a 4th group- sweaters.

 

[quiverfull7]

I've laughed all the way through this thread... my girls call the no sort method... College Laundry... but I cannot do it... my reasoning is a bit different tho... it takes much longer to dry a load that is of mixed fabrics... like heavy jeans with dress shirts etc... and I'll be trying those color catcher things even tho I'll keep sorting... I'm not totally anal at all about sorting but I do sort hues and fabric types. With laundry for 7 people including Kayla's newborn...the machines rarely pause for a rest! Thanks for all the laughs on this thread... it's been so fun!

 

[erinyourpclady]

Don't feel bad! I think fitted sheets are the devil! No matter what I do, it seems like it is semifolded, semi wadded into a ball!!

Besides, sheets are another thing (other than undies) that WHO CARES IF THEY ARE WRINKLED!!?

um I iron sheets..........

 

[MissChef]

um I iron sheets..........

OMG Erin, you're crazy!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! You and I would not do well together! If someone told me to iron my sheets before I put them on the bed, well, you don't even want to know what I'd say back!:blushing:

 

[PamperedChefDebi]

I agree with Kelly about the sheets and the underwear! My sentiments exactly.

So Erin, who do you iron sheets? Aren't they wrinkled again after you sleep on them once? I really don't get that.

But I do have one serious question.....how do you keep your whites from looking dingy if you don't sort? I HATE dingy whites.

 

[erinyourpclady]

My sheets don't really get wrinkly.....a little slept on but not super wrinkly! I know there is no "good" reason to do it but it makes me happy! LOL!!
Believe you me...I have LOTS of friends who don't get my obsession! They jsut laugh it off as one of my things................

 

[ChefBeckyD]

OMG Erin, you're crazy!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! You and I would not do well together! If someone told me to iron my sheets before I put them on the bed, well, you don't even want to know what I'd say back!:blushing:

Okay Cathy - we don't agree on the Greek Rub - but I'm right there with you on this one! I'm glad no one sees how I "fold" my fitted sheets!


My mom did teach me how to iron using Pillow Cases though - just because they are easy....I think when we kids were learning to iron was the only time the cases actually got ironed at our house.
My mom was one of those who sorted everything - and when we got old enough, all of us (4 of us - 3 boys and me!) learned how to do our own laundry.....but my mom & dad were good like that - they also made sure all of us knew how to cook, change oil, etc......We were all prepared to leave home when it was time!
Now, my brothers both do a lot of the cooking at their homes - funny, they both married women who didn't know how to cook! and I married a man who doesn't.

 

[jrstephens]

I cannot iron - it will have more wrinkles when I finished than before I started. My mom tried and tried to teach me but I just cannot get it.

If anything in our house gets iron I take it to my mom or there is a lady nearby that will iron for people.

My philosophy is ALWAYS by wrinkle free/resistant clothes if at all possible and the quicker you get them out of the dryer the less they will wrinkle!

 

[katie0128]

Morfia,
I am going to need you to train me & my family on laundry rules when we're all in DC this summer!

We should add Morfia to the "presenter" list for the all-cheffer conference!

 

[raebates]

All this talk about ironing brought to mind a recent conversation with my DS. He's away at school. In his dorm room the only cooking appliances he's allowed are coffee maker, toaster, and microwave. He has become accomplished with using the steamer wand from his coffee maker/espresso machine to make homemade cheese sauce for mac & cheese. He uses the microwave to make quite a few things. There were still a few foods he missed, though. He bought a second iron so he could use one for clothes and one for food. (He's a little anal about his dress shirts, so he learned to press his own clothes early.) He was using the food iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. Back to our recent conversation. He's started using the iron to cook steaks. He says the high setting does a pretty good job on a medium-rare, 1-pound sirloin. I told him he may become known as the Real Iron Chef.

 

[kcjodih]

Okay, this thread is hilarious!

Question now though....who uses vinegar in their laundry? And if so, how much? And in what load? And why? Does it help cut down the amount of soap you use? Does it take out 'smells'? What on earth does using vinegar actually do?

I've heard it mentioned - use vinegar, but never knew why. I grew up with a single, usually absent father and only younger siblings so in our house it was 'throw in the machine, add some type of soap, push some buttons and pray it starts, doesn't eat the clothes and the clothes kinda look the same when they come out kinda thing'

Also, when do you add the vinegar? At the beginning? Do you 'pour' it in with the soap or do you put it where the fab softener goes? Run down for the final rinse? - if so it ain't EVER gonna happen here LOL :yuck:

Please help me become vinegar intelligent!

 

[wadesgirl]

I want to know if anyone irons their socks?! I've heard of people ironing sheets before! Sounds like someone has a little too much time on their hands. I just did laundry today when I thought of this thread and threw all the shirts into the washer (yes, the black ones, and the red ones and the pink ones, and the white ones and the yellow ones - all together!).

 

[JAE]

I put vinegar in the fabric softner dispensor. Sometimes, I just add it to the normal water. I usually turn on the extra rinse, though. I swear I can smell the vinegar if I don't double rinse.

The reason I put it in the fabric softner dispensor is because a lady told me she uses vinegar instead of buying fabric softner or dryer sheets. I didn't think it worked as well as dryer sheets, so I don't do it anymore.

 

[PamperedChefDebi]

I do know that the vinegar will remove the sour smell that clothes can get if you leave them sitting in the washer too long before drying as well as "locking" the colors so they don't run.

But I still want to know how you guys keep the whites from looking dingy? Does the vinegar work THAT well?

 

[KittyCooks]

JAE: the vinegar smell should go away in the dryer, even without the extra rinse.DEBI: once I switched from using standard laundry detergents and soaps to using Charlie's Soap (Welcome - Charlie's Soap) my problem with dingy whites ended.I've also given up fabric softeners and dryer sheets, too. the clothes come out of the dryer nice and soft, no smells.I originally switched to Charlie's because I needed something with no smell at all to wash my husband's hunting clothes. I ran out of my regular detergent one weekend and didn't feel like running to the store so I washed everything with the Charlie's. The results were enough to get me to make the switch.I use the powdered detergent, and I promise you, one tablespoon really does wash an entire load!

 

[KellyTheChef]

I use vinegar if something smells (have a 3 yr. old so his PJ's sometimes get wet if the diaper leaks a bit) or if I forget and leave a load in the washer too long. YUCK! If I am doing it for smells, I add it to the washer along with the soap. I just dump it in...probably about 3/4 cup.

I also use it in place of softener when I am washing towels. I put it in the softener dispenser for this load. (Fabric softener "softens" by coating the strands of the fabric. This will make your towels non-absorbant. ESPECIALLY our microfiber towels!!)

I can usually smell a bit of the vinegar as I am pulling them out of the washer, but once dried, I can't smell it at all!

I keep hearing about Charlie's soap...I think I need to give it a try!