I read somewhere that doing the washing should not be about putting a load of washing in the machine.  It should be about closing the loop, that is, washing should include the full process of getting worn and grubby clothes back to a state where they are ready to be worn again.  Therefore, hanging them on the line to dry, bringing the dry washing in, sorting, folding, ironing and putting away the clean clothes should all be included in the process.

From my observations, ironing and cleaning the oven seem to be in a class of their own when it comes to the universal dislike of jobs.  I actually do not mind ironing but sometimes find it difficult to find the time as I prefer to do the whole lot in one go.  Due to our streamlined wardrobes I cannot leave it for too long as then we would have nothing to wear so on the weekend I did a spot of procrastinating which masqueraded as organising.

I have a hanging rack where I hang the clothes once they are ironed but I decided to hang them before ironing so that I could see exactly how much I had to do and could easily fetch the next item as I was ready.  I also sorted the things that do not go on hangers into a pile of mine and a pile of clothes belonging to The Duke as well as linens and handkerchiefs in a separate pile.

I did the ironing early this morning and found that my procrastination strategy actually paid dividends.  I find it easier and quicker to get into a rhythm of ironing the same type of item – I do all of the shirts or all t-shirts in one go.  By having things sorted I saved time.  I also decided that I would place all of the t-shirts together once they were ironed and then fold them up at the end of the session.  This saves time by not disturbing the rhythm as well as saving money.  I am not wasting time folding while the iron is sitting idle and using electricity to maintain the heat.

This method does not work for items such as The Duke’s shorts which are folded as part of the process of ironing them.

Sorting the ironing and hanging the items on hangers started as a bit of a joke but it is a process that I will continue in an effort to further streamline what I do.

I know that some people always hang shirts and dresses on hangers rather than pegging them on the line to dry.  I do not generally do this, although I have 3 plastic clips that peg onto the line and you can feed the hanger through the hole.  The hangers stay in place in even the windiest weather.  I inherited these from my mother-in-law and have considered looking for more.  I checked online but cannot see the same style, however, I found this website which has an equivalent product.  It is UK-based so guess what I will be bringing home in my suitcase in September!