More Than Washing

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Posted on May 26, 2020

What does doing the washing mean to you? Grabbing an armful of used clothes and tossing them into the washing machine and then transferring them to the dryer? Or do you have a careful sorting and separating process?

I sort my washing into light and dark fabrics, check the pockets for errant coins, tissues or slips of paper and then turn the articles so that they are the right side out. They are then washed and hung on the clothesline under the verandah. When the clothes are dry I sort them into the items that need to be ironed and those that can be folded and put away immediately.

All of this process allows plenty of opportunity to examine items for any damage or wear and tear which requires repair. The old adage, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ is very true.

This week I found a small hole and run in the front of one of GMan’s merino thermal tops.

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My darning skills are somewhat limited but I do have a rudimentary understanding of what is required. Since this is an undergarment, a perfect result is not essential. I found some similar coloured tapestry wool and split it to extract a single strand to use.

The end result is functional if not particularly pretty.

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Regardless of the type of garment, it is worth checking clothes regularly to ensure that they are maintained which will prolong the life of the garment. Things to look for include loose buttons, hems coming down, breakage of side seams near pockets or armholes.

Something New

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Posted on September 6, 2018

Just when you think you have pretty got this organisation game sorted there is something else.

I have several lightweight cashmere/merino cardigans and jumpers which I handwash and then put on a very short spin cycle in the machine. I generally hang them on specially designed hangers on the line, however, the past couple of days have been cold and wet here so there was not a lot of point in hanging them outdoors.

So, I decided to hang them inside and was wondering where to put them when I noticed the inside of the door of the clothes dryer and had a lightbulb moment.

Here they are hanging from the door of the dryer.

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And a close-up view.

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The laundry is a small, enclosed room so by turning the dehumidifier on for a few hours I was able to easily get these dry.

You may not necessarily have the same opportunity but this is a reminder that there are many possibilities if we allow ourselves to think outside the box.

Like a Duck

The Time It Takes

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Posted on November 13, 2016

Well, it has been a while since I wrote a proper blog post. I have been busy in the real world as things seem to speed up towards the end of the year. At least some of it was of our own making as we chose to go to Adelaide for 3 nights about a week ago.

I managed to have the housework pretty well up do date before we left last Saturday but I have not had any free time since arriving home on Tuesday evening to an almost empty refrigerator and the prospect of long days at work for the remaining 3 days of the working week.

It would have been easy to say that I had no time but it really was a matter of making time. Have you ever considered how little time it actually takes to do some of your regular household tasks? It only takes me about 6 minutes to hang out a load of washing and about 2 – 3 minutes to get a load of washing off the line.

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So, during the past 5 days I have managed to unpack a suitcase, do a couple of loads of washing, including hanging, bringing it in and folding, plan and prepare meals as well as getting myself to work each day.

Things I do to create time where there does not appear to be any include preparing at least part of the evening meal for the following night while dinner is cooking, putting a load of washing on before I go to work, wiping over the mirror and vanity when I get out of the shower.

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Housework does does not need to be an enormous undertaking. By doing a little bit often you can keep things humming along with very little time. Other jobs that take a couple of minutes are unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the sink, cleaning a single shelf in the refrigerator, dusting a polishing a table and so on. Every small task that you can slip into your routine is one that does not build into an overwhelming project.

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Did you notice the one thing I have not mentioned? Ironing! I need at least an hour of clear time to get stuck into a pile of ironing and make it worthwhile.

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How do you arrange your housework into the time available?

Loads of Laundry

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Posted on February 6, 2016

We live in a relatively high rainfall area and I have written before about the challenges of getting the washing done, and more importantly, getting it dry. I do have a clothes dryer but choose to use it as little as possible. Apart from the power required to run it, the wear and tear on your clothes is significant and can result in substantially shortening their lifespan.

Despite the high humidity and showery weather, I needed to do the washing today. Much like women of previous generations, I spent the day doing the washing. However, I was not slaving over a scrubbing board and copper. I was kept busy trying to make the most of the intermittent breeze and small snatches of sunshine.

I hung some of the smaller items on the airer.

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I had to race out and move it under the verandah every time a shower of rain started but I did manage to get it dry.

The rest of the clothes were hung on the line under the verandah.

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I also did the ironing from the washing I did last weekend. When the atmosphere is so damp, I do not like to put them away in the cupboard until they are absolutely dry.

I use the portable dehumidifier in the bathroom and close the door. Within a couple of hours the room and the clothes are warm and dry.

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I also have a portable rotary clothesline and in the cooler months I hang washing on it and the airer and set them up in the lounge room in front of the fireplace.

There are many options for drying clothes. What are your creative solutions?

Weekend Washing

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Posted on December 7, 2015

You all know the never-ending cycle of housework – washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning. That seems to be the routine every weekend as I ready myself for the week ahead.

This weekend was all about washing, and not just clothes, although I did that as well.

I washed my car which is a fairly rare occurrence. It positively sparkled in the sunshine by the time I had finished.

Solar panels

Then GMan and I washed 3 sides of the exterior of the house. The long side which faces the street and the 2 ends are done and we will tackle the long, back wall next weekend. The part that we have done is relatively easy as there is verandah on those 3 sides so access is not difficult. The last side is a different story as the house is high-set at the back. We will assemble the scaffolding to reach this part. It takes a lot more time as you constantly need to move and re-position the scaffolding along with climbing up and down but it will be worth it.

Finally, I washed and cleaned all of the kitchen windows. There will be more to do once the back wall is cleaned but it is definitely a job worth doing.

Little Bits

A Laundry List

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Posted on February 16, 2015

Tonight I want to share a germ of an idea that has formed gradually over a period of time.

Some people have an ongoing shopping list to which they add items as they find that they are required. Others keep a list of what is stored in the freezer and cross things off as they are used.

I am thinking of creating a laundry list. I have this cupboard in my laundry. On the left-hand side are the assorted brooms and the vacuum cleaner (not shown), hangers for knitted items and dispensers for plastic bags as well as the racks on the inside of the door for laundry liquid and presoak and the rag-bag.

The right-hand side has the laundry hamper with shelving above. This holds various cleaning items as well as spare light globes, batteries, rubbish bags and shopping bags. However, the door is clear and this is where I could put my list.

I envisage a write on/wipe off board and am thinking of making one myself from a sheet of coloured A4 card and laminating it.

So, what am I going to write on this list, I hear you ask? It will basically be a reminder of extra jobs that need doing such as ‘stain on white trousers’, ‘scrub cuffs of mauve shirt’, ‘hem of black skirt’ or ‘darn striped sock’. They will be all the little things that seem obvious at the time but by the time I am doing the washing/ironing it can be overlooked.

What do you think? How do you keep track of the extra laundry jobs?

A Little Bit Every Day

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Posted on January 7, 2015

My method of keeping things organised to to do a little bit every day, or in my case every evening. At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, I work full-time hours and long days because of the distance that we commute but that is our choice.

Last night I did the bit of ironing that was waiting to be done, one load of washing and hung it out then put the next load in the machine. It was not a full load so when we arrived home this evening I pulled the top sheet off the bed and that made up the load. It is all washed now and in the basket.

It has been cool and damp here all day so the load that is on the line is not properly dry even though it is under the verandah. The next load of washing will be hung indoors overnight.

This is a portable rotary clothesline which I find invaluable in the wet weather.

This hanging rack is usually used to hang shirts waiting to be ironed as well as ones that I have done but tonight I will hang the freshly-washed shirts on here to dry.

I will put the dehumidifier on in the closed room overnight, the clothes will be pretty well dry in the morning. This eliminates the smell that clothes develop if they are damp for too long.

Once the washing is hung out I will finish stripping our bed and remake it with fresh linen. Then it will be time to crawl into bed.

I am working from home tomorrow and will make it a short day so that I can catch up on a few more jobs here.

By spending a bit of time each evening on household jobs, I can choose what I do on the weekends.

A Laundry Gadget

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Posted on September 23, 2014

Several months ago I was searching for clips that would hook onto the clothesline to hold shirts or dresses on a hanger. I have some old ones that came from my mother-in-law but I had not seen in any the shops recently. Naturally, I turned to that guru, Mr Google and found this site. The Hook-Ups which are about halfway down the page were a better version of what I was looking for.

However, it is a UK site so I decided to wait until we went there on holidays. Now I am home with my packet of Hook-Ups that I bought at Lakeland in Glasgow.

Once they are clipped on the line it is a simple matter of slipping the hanger through the hole. I have about 5 clipped on the line and the rest are in the peg bag on the end of the laundry trolley.

It is quick and easy to get the clothes off the line and I can hang them on the rack in the spare room ready for ironing. Even better, there are no peg marks.