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How do you break down your laundry?


saffron
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I wear disposable medical gloves even when going through my own laundry and when I'm emptying the trash or the vacuum cleaner etc. I intend to wear them when changing diapers, but not when holding the baby, obviously.

 

When I learned that it's actually the improvement of hygiene that's had the biggest impact on human lifespan over the last few hundred years I started practicing it more rigorously. I'm not obsessive though. I just prefer to do things in a more hygienic way when I have the option to.

 

I've found that I'm better at housekeeping as a result because I do a more thorough job and faster when I'm not thinking about the 'ew' factor.

 

It costs barely anything and it takes 2 seconds to put them on, so the cost is outweighed by the benefits IMO.

Okay. I don't know how to say this nicely, do I'll just say it. You're not describing normal behaviors. Wearing gloves to do laundry in a medical facility...normal. Wearing them to sort your own laundry...not normal.

 

Have you considered that you might be dealing with anxiety, phobias, or ocd?

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So wait..no need for gloves when touching the clothes while the baby is wearing them...but once the clothes come off the baby they require gloves to handle? I'm so confused. 

 

Yes, once clothes have been in the laundry hamper for a bit they are dirty, smelly, and ick.

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Okay. I don't know how to say this nicely, do I'll just say it. You're not describing normal behaviors. Wearing gloves to do laundry in a medical facility...normal. Wearing them to sort your own laundry...not normal.

 

Have you considered that you might be dealing with anxiety, phobias, or ocd?

 

Just because it's not normal doesn't mean it's pathological. People in Japan, China, and South Korea walk around airports with medical masks on because they don't want to catch a cold.

 

Does that mean much of the East Asian population has OCD?

 

It's not having any negative impact on my life so I doubt any doctor or psychologist would consider it a problem in need of treatment.

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Generally, I do just lights and darks, with whites included in lights.  Warm wash, cold rinse.

 

If I have enough for a whole load of light colored sheets and towels, or even a whole load of underwear, then I do it on a hot wash with bleach.

 

Occasionally I'll do a red wash with cold water.  Or a delicate wash.

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I don't exactly sort laundry, in the sense of dumping it out on the floor and figuring out what goes where. I used to, but got really sick of it. I just realized that I have 9 hampers in the house, and that does the sorting for me.

 

I have a hamper in my bathroom just for my towels (adult towels are all white). When it's full I wash them, on allergy mode. I've never had a problem with stains, and almost never use bleach. I have a 4-part sorter in my closet, so DH and I sort as we undress, and it takes no extra time. Delicates, whites, lights, and darks. Wash appropriately when full (hot water for whites, etc). I don't care about more specific care than that, except for delicates. I've learned the hard way to take care of those babies. DH has learned the hard way to not touch that bag - he felted the first sweater I ever knitted! (poor guy felt worse about it than I did)

 

Each kid has a hamper, though at this age they often undress in each other's rooms because of their bedtime routine. I don't bother sorting their stuff. They're hard on their clothes and even if something survives a decent length of time, they outgrow them quickly, so I just can't be bothered to care if the towels are abrading their shirts or the dark stuff is rubbing off on light stuff (I care about that for my laundry, but I'm not growing quickly, chewing my shirts to smithereens because of sensory difficulties, rolling in the mud, smearing breakfast down my front, or having accidents in my pants). I often do a more heavy-duty setting on kid stuff,  maybe some oxyclean and stain remover if I'm feeling fancy.

 

And one last catch-all hamper next to the washer for dishtowels and anyone who happens to get dressed downstairs. I do sheets on allergy mode right when they come off the bed.

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generally three sorts: 

 

darks (cold)

Lights (cold)

towels/sheets/socks (warm)

occasionally a red load

 

I drip dry most of my clothing which is why socks go in with the towels because they go in the dryer. Everyone does their own laundry here, ds does his all in one load except bedding. 

Edited by elegantlion
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A bit of a strange question, I know!

 

If you follow the instructions on each piece of clothing you'll end up with about 10 separate categories and some with only a few items of clothing in them.

 

This is what I do at the moment:

 

  • Hot Wash White or Light – the goal is to sterilize and get rid of dust-mites on towels, sheets, cleaning cloths etc. I imagine in the same way the commercial cleaners do for hotels that they service. The water in the washer we have gets so hot on this setting that steam starts coming out, so it's verging on boiling.
  • Dark Wash – on synthetic setting
  • Red Wash – on synthetic setting
  • Lights Wash – on synthetic setting

 

I've also decided only to buy white sheets and towels etc. as hotels tend to do, to make laundry easier. I don't buy anything that would need to be hand washed or dry cleaned more than every 6 months.

 

I use a natural unscented detergent, water softener (we live in a hard water area), and natural oxy-bleach powder for the whites and lights. For items that I really want to ensure items are clean I'll add an antibacterial fabric conditioner to be applied at the end of the wash.

 

Considering also adding a regular natural fabric conditioner. Though I've never bothered doing so before. Just seems like it might be a good idea.

 

What works for you?

 

I do laundry two days a week:

 

Wednesday:

All-white washcloths, dishcloths, towels, and clothing (yes, all together): presoaked in hot water with dry, non-chlorine bleach and detergent

All other clothing: washed in warm

 

Thursday:

All-white bedding, any washcloths or towels that were used since Wednesday, presoaked as above

All colored towels, hand towels

 

I add fabric softener to everything. I use Amway laundry products exclusively; the fabric softener does not build up on clothing the way others do.

 

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Just because it's not normal doesn't mean it's pathological. People in Japan, China, and South Korea walk around airports with medical masks on because they don't want to catch a cold.

 

Does that mean much of the East Asian population has OCD?

 

It's not having any negative impact on my life so I doubt any doctor or psychologist would consider it a problem in need of treatment.

Just so you know, I wasn't judging. It just sounds like (from the other side of a keyboard) it is impacting your life.

 

Interesting about the masks thing...but the Japanese mainly wear masks not to protect themselves, but to protect others. (And its fashionable.) The Chinese do often wear them in city centers during pandemics. That's not quite the same thing as wearing gloves to protect yourself from contaminating yourself.

Edited by MaeFlowers
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