Monday, April 19, 2021

Coming Clean


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Things I have  learned about laundry, and things I still wonder about. 

First, each person in a household typically has a chore, in my experience. Not necessarily assigned, but just..logical. Jonathan takes out the trash. And I--do the laundry. On Sunday, usually.

It’s fine, it’s rewarding, even, and it’s an easy multitask. I can write at my desk and hear the ping from the washer and then the dryer when it’s time to change the loads, and I can fold the laundry watching TV at night so it doesn’t feel as if I am just wastefully watching TV.

When the pandemic started, I will confess, I stocked up on laundry detergent and stain removing stuff and color-brightening stuff and whitening stuff. I always use those so carefully.

We also got a new dryer mid-pandemic, what fun. And a washing machine about two years ago. (Our previous ones were from the 1930’s, I think.)

But--couple of things. My clothing seems to be wearing out way more quickly than it was before.  Why is that? My t-shirts are suddenly fraying around the neck. They never did before.

And all the laundry gets really tightly twisty in the washing machine. Thing I never thought of: is a front loading machine better because it uses gravity instead of torque? I have to untwist everything before I put it in the dryer or it will never unwrinkle. 

And striped and flowered sheets with a white background but say, navy flowers--are those whites? Or colors?

And if I put colors into the white load, what would REALLY happen? (Not counting a red thing.  I am terrified to wash red things.)

Do I need all those colorboost and whitening things?

What say you, Reds and readers?



JENN McKINLAY: Sunday is laundry day here, too. Except everyone does their own. Amen! It takes all of my self control not to give in and do the Hooligans’ laundry. Now that one of them has moved out, he comes by to use the washer/dryer, but the other kid, well, I just close the door to his bedroom and pretend I don’t see the piles and piles of clean-dirty-smells okay clothing that covers every surface. Mercy! As for detergent, we’re a Tide family. Dryer sheets are about as fancy as we get. 


RHYS BOWEN: I write about the past and am reminded of my grandmother’s generation washing everything in a big tub, putting it through a mangle and then hanging it out on a line. It was a whole day’s work. It makes me feel guilty just to toss it into the machine and press the start button.


With only two of us at home laundry is no big deal. Even though we only have enough for one load I do one load of whites and one of coloreds. Habit, I suppose. We bought a new washer about three years ago (when the 20 year old model died) and we got a new-fangled top loader, not the type that rotates but rather like a front loader that uses very little water and gets things super-clean. It’s only drawback--it is HUGE. When I try to retrieve the last sock from the bottom I’m always scared of falling in, headfirst. And I am not a small person. 



I’ve always used Tide until I started getting skin that breaks out easily and my dermatologist told me Tide was the worst and I should use ALL. Actually then I researched and now use organic, bio-degradable laundry sheets. I’ve only just started using them so I can’t report on the improvement yet but they did get the first loads really clean.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It hasn’t been that many years since I was literally doing a load of laundry EVERY day, so running the machine every 8-10 days now feels like an incredible luxury. (When summer arrives, the pace will pick up, because clothing gets dirtier when I’m outdoors a lot and I do the sheets every week instead of every fortnight.) The Maine Millennial and I kind of roughly split the chores - I’m usually the one to load the washing machine, we split hanging the wet things up 50/50, and she frequently folds. NObody irons, because I ain’t got time for that nonsense.


Perfume-free, dye-free, non-allergenic detergent here for years and years. Most of the family has sensitive skin, and once you get used to your clothing smelling like sunlight, you don’t want to add anything else!


Oh, and Hank, your story about hearing the machine “ping” made me think of an exchange I saw recently on Twitter, about someone’s smart washer not properly pushing notifications on his phone. I thought, who the heck needs a text letting you know your clothes are ready to come out? Do you live in Buckingham Palace?



HALLIE EPHRON: Laundry is not my strong suit. I need lessons. After I turned our underwear pink and ran the dryer with a black crayon in it, my husband took over doing his own laundry. And our sheets and towels. I do my own, for better or for worse. And though I use “brightener” powder it just clumps up and does, as far as I can tell, nothing. I got hooked on GAIN a few years ago. It smells best. And I’m so glad we don’t have to wash by hand and mangle. 


I consider my great laundry achievement was cloth diapers. For both girls. I still love the feel of them. And bleach is the world’s greatest cleaner, assuming what you’re laundering started out white. 


LUCY BURDETTE: I’ve gotten very lazy about laundry. I don’t even sort whites from colors anymore. None of our pandemic clothes are new enough to worry about--they’ve been washed so many times! Both Lottie and Tbone like to help “fold” when the laundry is just out of the dryer--they roll around in the clean, warm clothes, and one of them drags pieces off. It’s hard to say who’s better at the job!


DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lucy, so funny! I have to declare a dog and cat free zone on the bed before I fold laundry! I do the washing, Rick does some of the folding, as he’s better at it than I am.  I do still separate whites/lights from darks, but the clothes we’ve been wearing for the last year are so ratty that I doubt it matters.



No dyes or perfumes in the detergent--I can’t stand the smelly stuff--so it’s Kirkland brand eco liquid. 


Echoing Rhys on the deep washing machine! We had to replace ours a few months ago, and I was afraid I was going to need a ladder to reach the bottom of the tub! I’ve managed, but I have to stand on my tip-tip-tippytoes!


HANK: Oh, this is hilarious. I truly thought it was me--I CANNOT reach all the way to the back of the new dryer. Hmm. My first thought was "they designed them for men." But huh. I bet that's wrong.


So how about you, Reds and readers? Do I really need to separate the clothing? I love Persil--do you know about it? And still, after all these years, I am grateful that I no longer have to lug to the laundromat.


Tell us your laundry secrets--and your questions!

120 comments:

  1. Saturday is usually laundry day here . . . we have a front-loading machine and a dryer and there’s no sorting happening.
    No Tide, either . . . Arm and Hammer works very well. I toss in one of those power pak things and add the laundry and that’s that . . . .

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    1. I have never used a power pak—are they good because they are not messy, and you don’t have to measure?

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    2. Yes, no mess, no measuring, and the clothes are always clean so it's a win/win . . .

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  2. I'm so sorry to see that some of you are doing laundry on the wrong day. Monday is laundry day. Started as soon as you get home from work. :)

    I use Tide free, which hasn't impacted my skin or allergies. Been using it for decades. I also use Bounce Free because of allergies.

    My old washer gave out on me just before we went into lock down last year, so I was able to get the washer and dryer replaced without any drama, like I would have had just a few weeks later. I got another top loader, but without the middle agitator. So far, I'm liking it.

    For me, the luxury is having a washer and dryer inside my condo. I figured I'd wind up with the small, stackable kind, but my unit has a closet for the full size units. It isn't big enough for a front loading washer, but after years of communal washer and dryers in my apartment complexes, I am not complaining in the slightest.

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    1. Oh I so agree! It is the absolute height of luxury!

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  3. I don’t have a particular laundry day, although it does seem like I find myself doing it on Sunday often. I use All laundry detergent and Bounty dryer sheets. I do my clothes and husband does his. We both do towels and sheets, but he usually gets to the towels first. I swear the man enjoys doing laundry. I will be replacing both my washer and dryer soon. I will probably go with a front loader washer because it is beginning to hurt my back to reach so far down in the washer.

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    1. So will the front loader make the laundry less wrinkly? And it is so interesting how our appliances don’t “fit.”

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  4. Fun to hear all these differences! I only use scent-free, dye-free detergent too, and never dryer sheets or boosts of any kind. I also confess to not sorting any more, unless there is something red. We don't seem to have or wear much that is white, anyway.

    When the weather permits, I hang the laundry on the line, by person and category, and fold as I take it down. So very satisfying! If I use the dryer, he folds while he watches TV.

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    1. Edith, I hang all of my own clothes, even my jeans. We don't have an outside line or I'd hang sheets, too. Irwin's clothes go in the dryer as do towels.

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    2. So you hang the clothes inside, Judy? Aren’t they—stiff?
      How long does it take to dry outside? It seems like such a chore...

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    3. Outside on a sunny breezy day they'll dry in a few hours, Hank, even jeans. It's a little bit of a chore, but the sun is free energy, so I do it partly as a contribution to the environment. And everything comes inside smelling fresh.

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    4. No line so I use racks. I put them on the screened in porch, weather permitting. Nothing dries stiff because I use Downy on my loads. I usually use downy on Irwin's too, but sheets and towels in the dryer with the woolen balls. I don't like fabric softener in my towels. It makes them less absorbent.

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    5. And, Hank, outside drying is good bend and stretched exercise

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    6. We dry most of our clothes on a drying rack inside. It's ceiling mounted with a fan installed beside it. No wrinkling and stiff clothes.

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  5. I'm definitely changing my laundry detergent to something less smelly. I've used Tide forever but it seems to smell much stronger lately.

    I do laundry twice a week. One load of Hubby's work clothes, one load of towels and/or sheets, and one load of delicates (the stuff my mom always handwashed), which now includes masks. So a total of six loads per week. For two people. I should mention, my washer is secondhand and at least 20 years old, is small, and wheezes and clunks and chugs like an antique steam train. I'm waiting for it to die so I can go out and buy one of those big top loaders without the agitator.

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    1. ANNETTE: Don't wait. Muster all your EMT/Coroner skills and declare that thing dead. Or murder it. You will love, love, love any washer made in the modern era. Buy one the next time they go on sale--probably Memorial Day weekend.

      HANK: The agitator can tear up your clothes and gets in the way if you want to wash large stuff like quilts or blankets.

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    2. Hank, ours is an agitatorless (is that a word?) top loader, too. It seems to do a great job.

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    3. Hank, what Deborah and Hank said. You can wash much larger loads without the agitator. And yes, easier on the clothes.

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    4. I meant "what Deborah and Gigi said." Why do we only see our typos AFTER we hit PUBLISH???

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  6. I tend to do laundry in batches, many loads in a row so it's all done and the basket is empty (so satisfying) at least for a few hours. No set day, just whenever loads are needed. Front loader here, and dryer, The dryer still feels luxurious to have, as for many many years we had only a washer and had to hang everything every time.

    I definitely sort into load 'types', which means by colour as well as 'stronger spin' for the undies load than and 'lighter spin' for the blouses and tops load. But 9 out of 10 times, I use the 'fast wash' cycle and select the temp and spin speed I want, so no single load takes as long as the pre-set cycles do. I mean, whose clothes are dirty enough to need a 1-hour cycle of washing and rinsing and spinning? Not ours!

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    1. Yes I so agree—but our machine is “automatic” and doesn’t let you control the time. It drives me crazy—55 minutes is so unnecessary. What do you think is the reason they do that?

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    2. I'm sure it's a conspiracy between the manufacturers and the water utility companies, Hank! (...and I don't think I'm kiding)

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  7. No perfumes or dyes, everything has to be odorless. I use Arm and Hammer and then either Downy or Bounce for clothes. I have those woolen dryer balls for towels and sheets.

    I do it all. He would never spend the time sorting, using the correct cycles, carefully folding. No. Just thinking about the piles of laundry in his bachelor pad, now 40 years ago, yeah, no.

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    1. So funny! And wrong wrong move with a red thing—and you’ve got a situation....

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    2. Yep. All of a sudden your clothes are pink.

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  8. I also have sensitive skin and am allergic to many fragrances, so I have always used scent-free detergent. But last year, I switched from liquid detergent to TRU EARTH, a British Columbia company that makes those biodegrarable laundry strips. Like Judy, I use woolen dryer balls.

    My challenge is getting access to use the washer/dryer. There is only 1 commercial sized washer/dryer in my apartment building which has 15 apartments. Since I am up early, I try to get in at the earliest time allowed to do laundry, which is 7:00 am. Most people are good and do not leave their load inside the machine for hours but sometimes I have to step in and remove someone else's laundry in order to do mine. And when the machine goes blooey, then we are all stuck for days.

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    1. I'm so glad my building has 20 washers and dryers.

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    2. People are so funny. Dealing with strangers and laundry is such a constant struggle of the individual “good” versus the greater good...

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    3. DRU: You're lucky, indeed! I have lived in many high-rise apartments since childhood so I am used to large communal laundry rooms. Another reason I switched to Tru Earth was so I no longer have to lug a heavy plastic jug of detergent with my load of laundry up two flights of stairs. Having to climb up/down with those stairs with a broken ankle and crutches for a month a few years ago was challenging.

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    4. HANK: Following laundry etiquette in a communal laundry room is key to having happy neighbours!

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    5. Oh poor thing with the ankle—awwww. You are such a stalwart. Xxxxx

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    6. Those strips are what I’ve just switched to, Grace. So far so good

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    7. RHYS: Glad to hear the TRU EARTH laundry strips are working for you.

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  9. Mark and Grace--I know what you mean. I bought my first washer/dryer set used as a grad student and it was worth every penny in terms of time saved and aggravation spared. I recently purchased a new washer and yep, it's tippytoes for me trying to get the laundry out. It washes twice as many clothes as my old washer per large load. I do sort and use fragrance-free detergent and dryer sheets, but I'm interested in trying those biodegradable laundry sheets. During warm weather I hang stuff to dry outside--nothing beats the smell of sun-dried clothing! And fold on my bed--no cats or dog allowed.

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    1. Oh I remember being so thrilled the first time I had in-house laundry appliances. And then I was so depressed—because I thought we’ll, my youth is over. I am officially old .

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    2. When I lived in Israel, I did not have access to a washer or dryer. I washed all of my clothes, linens, towels in the sink or in the tub. Wrung them out in my hands. My first purchase in the condo I bought when I returned was a washer and dryer.

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  10. Oh, Grace, a blooey washer is no fun.

    Grace, I am thinking about going totally organic on cleaning products and will look into those laundry strips. It seems that many companies are now putting micro-beads into their products, laundry, personal and cosmetic. If you eat any seafood, you are now eating those plastic micro-beads. Think about it! I am furious about how things like this get out of hand so quickly. Will you change your detergent if you find out it has micro-beads? I may do some research and let you all know.

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    1. I'm with you, Judy - I'd be happy to have my clothes a bit less sparkly clean if it would be a better choice for the planet. If anyone knows a good source for evaluating the choices we have, please post it!

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    2. JUDY: Yes, the huge amount of micro-beads in the environment is scary.

      Here are the details about TRU-EARTH detergent strips but I don't know how to find out about whether they contain micro-beads:
      Paraben-free, Phosphate-free, Free of added dyes, Free of chlorine bleach
      Free of 1,4-dioxane, as certified by independent laboratory tests, Readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D, Hypoallergenic laundry detergent, certified by independent dermatologists, Vegan: no animal-based ingredients or testing on animals by us or our ingredient suppliers. Since I live in Canada, I like to support a Canadian company but I know there are US brands that I see ads for similar products.
      https://www.tru.earth/

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    3. Grace: Thank you for mentioning this company. I have seen their ads but not stopped to investigate. Now I will.

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    4. Me, too. I think I know who to ask. Back later!

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    5. JUDY: Ok doing some online research, I learned that Canada has a FULL BAN on microbeads use as of 2018.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbead

      HANK: Microbeads are defined as plastic microbeads that are smaller than or equal to 1 millimeters in size. Microbeads are used in a variety of products, including toiletries that are used to exfoliate or cleanse, which may include non-prescription drugs and natural health products, and used in various industrial applications such as for use in plastic-blasting. There is global concern about the increased presence of plastic litter in the aquatic environment.

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    6. Grace, The Environmental Working Group is the organization that rates all types of products. Their website wasn't helpful this morning so I sent them an email. Whenever they get back to me, I'll let you know what they say.

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    7. ADDING to comment above: I interpret Canada's full ban means that TRU EARTH products cannot contain microbeads. But not sure whether this ban stops the importation of products containing microbeads from other countries (including the USA) into Canada.

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    8. All worth finding out, Grace! I will see if Tru Earth is available here. Rhys's detergent must be and I bet it is fine for the environment.

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    9. JUDY: Rhys replied above that she is also using TRU EARTH so you should be able to get it.

      And I went to look at my box. There is a webpage listing all the ingredients used to make the TRU EARTH strips. If you want to do more research on individual ingredients, go for it!
      https://www.tru.earth/Ingredients

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  11. When we lived in Atlanta and were waiting weeks for a replacement dryer part, I hung clothes out to dry on the deck, and discovered the luxury of sun-dried sheets. I still sun dry the sheets in the summer.

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    1. You are making this sound tempting—it really makes a difference?

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    2. My mother and grandmother had clotheslines in their back yard, and hung the laundry out. I'm afraid, since all my memories of that date back to being a short child under a tall clothesline, that my associations with hanging clothes out to dry are not all that pleasant. A lot of stretching and not reaching and frustration. I do have fond memories of toddling between rows of billowing sheets, though. That was magical!

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    3. Hank, I grew up with sun-dried sheets--nothing beats that smell. One of the small pleasures of life--going to bed when the sheets are newly laundered and taken straight from the clothesline to the bed. Ditto for your blankets, quilts, duvets, etc.

      I will bring the towels in from the clothesline and fluff for a few minutes in the dryer.

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    4. My association with line-dried washing is hanging things out in bitter freezing cold and wind in Scotland. So not fun.

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    5. Air drying in New England winter memory: boardlike towels, LOL

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  12. Luckily the laundry room is downstairs and I like to go very early. I use All Free most of the time and will use Tide Free when I can't find All in the stores. I use Bounce Free dryer sheets and have the wool balls. I separate the whites from the colors and since I've been working from home, I don't use an iron. The tip for bed sheets which I hate folding is to wash and dry and then put back on bed - no folding.

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    1. That's what my sister does. I call it doing a MaryBeth!

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    2. Folding sheets! That’s a brilliant solution. I always like to have different colors and patterns though , so I am stuck with it. Top sheets are so satisfying—fitted sheets are impossible!

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  13. Laundry is my thing! My favorite chore! But these new washing machines - huh. Yes, they save water but I think the fact that they use less water is what is making my clothes wear out. I think it is the friction or something but my nylon nightgowns are getting very pilly and that never was the case before. I turn them inside out and they are in a lingerie bag but it is still happening.

    People think I am crazy when I tell them about the little light at the back of the washing machine. I still don't know its purpose but there is a blinking light there. My laundry is in the bathroom and because I don't turn on the lights when I get up at night I can see the glow from that light. When I called customer service they didn't know what I was talking about. I called a repair person who wasn't aware of a light and got worried that something might be wrong so he looked into it. Yep, there is a blinking light but he didn't explain why to me in a way I could understand.

    I like to use cold water so I have been using Tide formulated that way. But I heard of these little things, not sheets exactly, that are many ways better than a plastic jug of liquid. I tried them and love the way they smell but I cannot find out if they work well in cold water. Guess I'll have to experiment more.

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    1. Those laundry strips I use are from Clean People. From what I can tell they are very similar to Tru Earth. Says they are made in America and Canada.

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    2. Judi I am SO fascinated to hear this. Yes, I insist the new washer is wearing out our clothes. I am going to google that now.

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  14. We had a cat who was highly allergic to any scent - she would keep us up all night sneezing and scratching since she insisted on sleeping on her own pillow on the bed. Animal people will understand. At that point we started using 7th Generation Free in the laundry and dryer balls in the dryer. I wash everything in cold and although I will do separate red and black washes when required, everything else goes in one wash.

    We too have a top loader, agitator free, washer. I am SO glad I didn't get talked into the pedestals - I'd need a step ladder to get to the bottom. On the plus side, I've never overloaded it :). By the way, crew, I'm still missing two socks. If they show up in someone's wash, please send them home - - - LOL

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    1. Where do the socks go??? Someone told me they turn into wire hangers—as those seem to multiply as the socks disappear.

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    2. St. Peter gives you a box of socks when you enter heaven.

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    3. Down the drain. Ask any plumber.

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    4. I've never figured out the sock thing. We do often find them inside the legs of fleece clothing or sweatshirts! Margaret, I like the St. Peter story - wonder if heaven is cold? Most of my missing socks are Smartwool!

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  15. Hank, when you mentioned running a separate load of clothes just for the whites, I realized that I don't have a lot of white clothes. Somewhere along the line I decided white clothes make me look like a whale, so it's all colors or black/gray now. They all go in together, separated by delicates or jeans and flannels, towels or sheets. All Free detergent and wool dryer balls. Sometimes I use a pre-wash like Shout, but the last time I tried to order that from my grocery store they didn't have it.

    I live alone, and tend to sort the clothes on the bathroom floor as I take them off. When a pile gets big enough, I wash it. Not having to go to a laundromat or communal laundry room is a huge luxury that I enjoy every time I toss in a load. All of this reminds me, I should strip the bed and do the sheets today.

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  16. A long time ago this topic came up on The Lipstick Chronicles. One of the backbloggers mentioned that, instead of dryer sheets, she used 1/3 cup of plain white vinegar in the rinse cycle, and dryer balls. Since then that is what I do, too. I finally bought some wool dryer balls and they are much better than the rubber/plastic ones I started with. Even in the dead of winter we rarely get static, and I feel better about not putting chemicals in the water. Plus, the chemical in dryer sheets builds up on your dryer lint screen, lessening its efficiency. You all are conscientious about cleaning the lint trap, right? I had an insurance client once whose house burned down because he never did.

    No, the vinegar doesn't make the laundry smell like salad. That's the first question everyone asks! But it neutralizes other smells. I also sometimes use a half cup of baking soda in the wash, if there is something especially odoriferous (it happens with a wildlife photographer/gardener in the house). One daughter brought home a sleeping bag and clothes from a shower-free but rainy two-week camping trip. Her clothes smelled to high heaven, between her own ripeness, mildew, and campfire smoke. Two runs through the washer with soap and baking soda and it was no longer stinky.

    I have allergies, and so I don't like to use any products with strong chemical smells. (Hallie, Gain is the worst for me! It causes intense sneezing.) So I use Seventh Generation Free & Clear, which no scents or dyes. It's pricey, unless you get the concentrate, which also comes in a recyclable paper (plastic lined) bottle. It lasts a long time, it is 97% plant-based, and it actually really cleans the clothes.

    Hank, I found that a front-loader does way less damage to the clothes than a top loader. Front-loading machines are 30% more efficient in electrical use, water use, and soap use (you have to look for the "HE" on the bottle/box, which stands for "high efficiency". I also wear a lot of black, and the black stays dark now, where I used to have to turn all the dark clothes inside out to help with that. And, because of the centrifugal force of the front-loader, the clothes go into the dryer a lot less wet that they would with the top loaders.

    And we have not lost a single sock since we switched.

    I dry most of the clothes for 20 minutes, then remove them and hang them in the laundry room. When we were building the house I specified this hanging area for that reason. The wrinkles fall out better, and most things rarely need ironing. Steve taught me this when we were first married, a trick he learned for his shirts while traveling for weeks. Towels and underwear stay in the dryer until they're dry, but my wool socks get hung up, too.

    That white sheet with navy flowers? I'd wash that in a colored-not-dark load.

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    1. Karen, will try the vinegar trick this week. Already know about baking soda and oder, but that is a good reminder.

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    2. Odor. Gee, where is autocorrect when you need it?

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    3. I love my efficient front loader washer!

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    4. Edith, this is my second one. I also like having the top free.

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    5. I keep meaning to order the wool dryer balls. Mine are plastic and I'll only use them with sheets and towels because I figure they wear the clothes in the banging! I fill the rinse cup with vinegar as well. Never use softener and I find my clothes are softer because the vinegar removes residual soap well.

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    6. And seriously, I am thinking about getting a new washing machine. I hate what this is doing to our clothes.

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  17. I love doing laundry which some family members think is VERY strange! I use Persil because it reminds me of England--I was thrilled when it began to be marketed in the US. I always separate colors from whites and I use hot water for the whites. Rhys's comment about reaching the bottom of the new washing machine made me laugh out loud; I'm 5'1" and can just reach the bottom of my machine but at my DILs home I have to ask for help.

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    1. Emily, it's one of my favorite chores as well, in part because it gets a LOT done without a lot of effort. We have three different hampers, and so the clothes are already sorted when I want to throw in a load. And hanging clothing (I rarely use a dryer) is enjoyable for me, especially in the warm weather, when I get to go outside in the sunshine and green grass.

      The only part I DON'T like is ironing, so... I just don't do it!

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    2. Julia, the breeze "irons" the clothes - I love that!

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    3. Yes, I love Persil. Is it British? Huh. (And I love ironing.)

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  18. I use the Shout Color Catchers that let you wash colors with whites because they somehow absorb the color dyes and they work beautifully - no pinky whites anymore. I'm pretty much a laundry products junkie as I also use Oxy Clean laundry brightener power packs and Downy scent boosters whenever I remember to buy them (mostly for sheets and towels).

    We have a new top loading washer and it really is deep - my feet definitely don't touch the ground when I am trying to get the last of the socks out of it, and I'm don't know how it manages to twist every piece of clothing, like Hank's ~

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    1. Celia, those color catchers are the best! I separate clothing, but I still use a sheet if I have any doubt. I sent all the kids off to school with a box - they're a clothing saver for inexperienced (or rushed) users.

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    2. I LOVe OxyClean. (and now I feel like a commercial...)

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  19. I have been taking my laundry out for years. I don’t have a washer or dryer. If I did, condo regulations would require that they be in the basement, and with my orthopedic issues I can’t carry laundry up and down the stairs. At a laundromat I can do multiple loads at once. I used to love doing the laundry and meeting up with my “laundry friends”. Then the ownership changed, and the new owner removed some machines and some tables for folding, as well as chairs for customers who were doing their laundry. Many of us left for other laundromats. I returned when I heard it was sold again. (I never separate items anymore; it doesn’t seem to make a difference.) Currently, I use the laundromat’s wash/dry/fold service. My doctor and my physical therapist each had been urging me for years to do this. It really is much easier on my body. (It was the pandemic that made me decide to stop doing it myself; I didn’t want to stand elbow-to-elbow with people.) They don’t use scented products, which would be a deal breaker.

    The last time we were on vacation we rented a house that had the stacked washer/dryer setup. I’m short and I could not reach the dryer! Fortunately, there was a folding stool to stand on! Even with that, it was hard for me to reach all the way to the back! I wonder at what point the owners added the stool?

    DebRo

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    1. DebRo, I think Hank's right - those machines are designed by men. Sort of like when you go into a ladies' room and discover you have to reach up for a paper towel and water runs down your arm. The dispenser is the perfect height, of course, for the 6' man who installed it...

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    2. One of my pet peeves, Julia. God save us from designing men.

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    3. DebRo, although it’s been years, the wash,dry,fold service at laundromat would use your detergent, softener, dry sheets if you provided them. Helped Mother and me avoid Tide and chlorine bleaches.

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    4. Yes yes yes that drives me CRAZY!! The water runs down your arm. It is SO SILLY>

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  20. Laundry day is generally Saturday in our house (unless there is a need for an emergency load). I do separate whites/lights from darks because I'm afraid the ghost of my mother would haunt me if I didn't. And I separate delicate things from heavier-duty, like towels and underwear.

    The Hubby and I both do laundry. The only thing I don't like is he doesn't spin my delicate stuff enough, but that only means it takes longer to dry. We don't iron. As Julia said, we don't have time for that.

    The Girl did her own laundry for years before she went off to college. The Boy didn't - but he HAS washed his clothes at college, so I'm hoping he will continue to do it when he comes home. I'm not counting on it though.

    We have front-loading machines, so I don't have issues with not being able to reach. We did have to replace the washer a few years ago - it started taking two or three tries to get a load done (it kept erroring out). I also did not have time to have a load of laundry take four hours (and running the cycle three times kind of canceled out any water savings).

    I have heard of Persil. We have used Gain and used All Free and Clear for years. Now I'm using Tide's plant-based formula. It seems to work well.

    Oh, and Hank - the stretching could be the washer, but it could also be the clothes themselves. Although if you've had the item for a while and this is new, I'd suspect the washer.

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    1. Liz, you mentioning The Boy made me think of mine, who also had to learn to do his laundry when he went off to college (he did fine with the things he washed. It was the stuff he didn't wash that was disgusting.

      Ross and I wondered how he would do in the Navy once he was out of boot - they get their limited supply of clothing done for them. But it turned out the base has a fairly cheap laundry that specializes in uniforms, so he hasn't had to master ironing sharp creases yet.

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    2. Julia, I actually got jealous when they told us on the tour that the laundry was free (included in the student fee). I remember saving those quarters to go to the campus laundry. I told The Boy, "If it's free, no excuses!"

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    3. Saving quarters! It was such a habit, I kept doing it even after I got my own machines. SO funny!

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  21. "Do you live in Buckingham Palace?" Laughing at this!

    We got a new washer/dryer several years ago after the workers fixed the laundry mini room that was getting a lot of blackened soot from outside. Very grateful that the new building manager did this before the pandemic happened. Now we can use the washer/dryer without getting soot all over the area!

    Still learning how to use the washer/dryer. So far, it is working very well. If the fabric is too heavy, sometimes we need to repeat the drying cycle for more drying time?

    Never used Tide except when I was away at college. We always use green products since many people in our family have sensitive skin.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, that was the biggest residence I could think of. I'm still shaking my head. Yes, I like a washing machine that's smart enough to automatically adjust the water level for the amount of clothes I have. But I don't need to have text conversations from it!

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    2. Julia, I am still laughing. I never heard of text conversations about this. Thinking this gives new meaning to "Artifical Intelligence", right?

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    3. Agreed. I do not need to hear from my dryer. The beeps are annoying enough, because f you don't go open it, it KEEPS BEEPING, which I think is excessive.

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    4. Hank, we have to keep the light on in the mini laundry room or the dryer will not work!

      Which brand of dryer do you have?

      Diana

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    5. That’s weird! I think... Westinghouse? Maybe.....

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  22. I use the wool dryer balls (Trader Joe's are great, and cheap) and only use a Bounce sheet very occasionally when drying something really static-y. Our laundry room is upstairs so I don't usually hang things to dry outside, but I do use a folding dryer rack all the time. So many things I can throw in the dryer for just a couple of minutes to get the creases out, then hang on the rack.

    I have used Persil when in the UK but it has too much scent for me. When I stay in my favorite hotel in London, I use the laundrette down the street and I really enjoy it. It's a good excuse to sit and read an people watch for an hour!

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  23. I’ve been using vinegar my whole life as fabric softener. Mom started using it back in the 70s. My husband thought I was crazy at first, but realized his clothes smelled fresh without being scented, and that his athletic socks and towels were more absorbent. Laundry day used to be Saturday, but now that my “weekend” is Monday-Tuesday, it has become Monday. Wasn’t there an old housewife’s poem or saying ... something about wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, .... Bake on Saturday...I remember hearing it as a child, but that was a quite a while ago... Oh, and for detergent...Arm &Hammer free & clear.

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    1. I found it, M. Smith! “Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Thursday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday.”

      THREE days out of seven for clothing maintenance. Our foremothers would weep with joy if they could have seen our lives today.

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    2. And unlike us today they HAD to do their laundry because they only had enough clothes for a week.

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  24. After I washed his wallet a couple of times (in pants pocket) and turned some handkerchiefs pink, and after he ruined some of my things with bleach, we decided we would each do our own laundry. That is a good thing. In fact everyone in our house is responsible for their own laundry. Everyday is laundry day here. Granddaughter washes her culinary school uniform, aprons, etc. daily. I wash my stuff when I seem to be running low. Son and husband, the same. We use Seventh Generation unscented. I do not like perfumey smelling clothes! I did try Clean People laundry strips, spendy but they seemed to work equally well with liquid detergents. Unfortunately my husband said they didn't get his work clothes clean. We don't use dryer sheets or fabric softeners. I do spray Shout on stains before tossing into the washer. We had to get new machines a year ago. Front loading, not on a stupid $250 pedestal (I can bend), and the darn things tootle a tune when they're done. Our dishwasher had to be replaced too and it also tootles. What's the deal with singing appliances?

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  25. I'm sorry my friends, but I feel if we're talking about laundry, we've been here in Covidland too long

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    1. And there you are right, my dear. Imagine us doing it over the back yard fence, though...

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  26. Trader Joe’s liquid only — no color enhancers, fabric softeners, bleaches — and never, ever any Tide which immediately causes itches all over! Just myself here, so for efficiency sake: white, colors to equal a full load.
    Julia, would love to live somewhere that laundry could hang in the fresh air to dry,
    And is it just coincidence or driven by that old rhyme beginning “Monday wash day”?

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    1. It was meant to be, I guess. Tide is itchy, huh? I am going to experiment. xx

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  27. Hank, Rhys, and Deb, I'll bet, if you investigated, you'd find that the people on the majority of washing machine design teams are men, none of whom is short, and few of whom actually do the laundry. So, Hank, when you suspect that they designed those deep washers for men, maybe not consciously, but they may have designed them to "reasonable" or "normal" standards, which means for people male-sized.

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  28. Laundry once a week for the two of us. Whenever needed for my daughter and granddaughter.
    I like my clothes to smell like not much of anything! I gag when I walk by a house doing laundry. The perfume smells are so strong.
    I use an unscented sheet detergent-no bottle, no plastic waste. TruEarth brand.
    Pretreat spray as needed. NO dryer sheets. PeeYoo!
    I am notorious for color transfer. I have "pinked" many a load of wash.

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  29. Now I am going to have to be careful when I replace our old machines. I was thinking front loading, but I don't know...decisions, decisions...

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    1. Oh, had I but known. front loading washer, all the way.

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  30. Coincidentally this morning I was just looking at buying some new sheets online (the endless search for fitted sheets smaller than 18" depth but that's another blog topic) when I saw this warning on the product description "Any presence of fabric softener can cause erosion to sheet fibers." Really? who knew?? Maybe this is why we are seeing fabric wear out?

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  31. I LOVE my front loader! Gets clothes cleaner, with a lot less wear and tear. I have to leave the door open all the time though, to avoid getting a musty smell. I think it’s because the large rubber gasket that seals the door needs to thoroughly dry out. Luckily I have a large laundry room, so it’s no problem to leave door open.
    My best advice about laundry though: buy or build a house that has laundry room on same floor as bedrooms!!! Saves all those trips up and down stairs carrying sheets, towels, and clothing!!! That’s where almost all dirty laundry is generated and where it all goes back. Discovered this by accident; what a huge difference it makes!

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