The Laundry Rant
I know it’s not just me who feels that the laundry is never ending.
You know why I’m not the only one who feels this way?
Because it’s not! It’s always happening, something is always dirty or being made dirty, something is always in need of stain treatment, something always needs folded, moved into the dryer, or put away. It is a terrible cycle that keeps most mom’s running.
The other day, I was complaining about the ungodly amount of laundry that we have and it’s never ending cycle. (this laundry thing had me upset and if you are living ‘in the hood’ and say you don’t get overwhelmed once and a while I can honestly say that I doubt it)
My husband says, “Well, I help do the laundry sometimes.”
I respond with a quick, “no you don’t!”
Word of wisdom for you men out there: When your wife is ‘venting’ about household chores or anything for that matter, just shut your mouth and knod your head; do not even attempt to compare your chore list to her list. I can promise this will only make things worse for you. Just let her speak and acknowledge her effort to be superwoman! Or you could run for the garage.
“Yes, I do. I did a load the other day.” He says.
He should have just run for the garage. But thank him because now I will explain to all of you men just what doing the laundry really means…
I think back, racking my already over stuffed brain trying to think of when he did a load of laundry… I can’t remember.
Then, I remember last week, I can recall him putting a load of towels into the dryer so that he could wash his black work pants.
If he counts that as doing a load of laundry, I guess, I may remember that.
Let me add that the reason he was washing his black work pants is because they were hiding somewhere in the abyss of dirty laundry and I must have missed them when I last washed darks.
I remember exactly when he washed them, he asked me if they were clean, I remember responding that if he couldn’t find something else to wear he would have to wash them on his own.
How is it that he can’t remember the date our children were born but he can surely remember the one pair of black pants that just happen to be the only pair of black pants that I didn’t wash? He must have 10 pair of black work pants, clean and hanging in this closet, but he insists on wearing that one pair.
Oh yes- so he did do a load.. if doing a load means tossing the clothes that are in the dryer onto the laundry room floor and putting the towels over into the dryer and loading his pants into the washer.
Now, who do you think picked up, folded and put away the clothes that he tossed onto the floor?
Who do you think folded and put away the towels?
Who moved the pants over into the dryer so that they would be dry in the morning?
Now, let me be clear, I love my husband very much, so thankful for him. Tony is a wonderful and loving father. He is an intelligent man, possibly even a nerd at times, so…how can you say you have “done” a load of laundry??
Laundry starts and finishes… there is a beginning, middle, and end.
Men are very literal creatures, not much reading between the lines for them; it’s black or white.
So let me lay it out so that all the men in the world can understand.
Doing A Load Of Laundry Means: (feel free to print this and pass it to all the men you know)
You go into all the bedrooms, bathrooms, and any other place that may house dirty laundry and bring it to the laundry room or designated area to sort dirty laundry (yes, you must sort laundry before you wash it). There are a variety of ways to sort laundry so please ask how this is to be done correctly. In our house we sort; darks, brights, whites, delicates, towels, and bed linens.
-I don’t know who made medium and small load options on washing machines but I don’t need it!
Once you have sorted the laundry, and you have a full load to wash, put the load into the washer, spreading the laundry on all sides of the washer. Please be aware because if you fail to do this it will result in the washer getting off balance and making the terrible banging noise that sounds like a stampede of elephants is running through the laundry room. This also can result in waking up the children if done during sleeping times.
Once sorted, you will put the full load in the washer, add appropriate amount of soap and water. (Depending on the variety of laundry that was sorted there are different soaps; Bleach, Woolite, soap for colors, darks, special baby/kid soaps- ask if you have questions.)
Turn it onto the necessary setting. Settings can vary based on what type of machine you have. Yes, the setting is important, everything is not permanent press.
When the washing machine is finished you then return back to the laundry room and put the full load into the dryer.
(Sometimes Tony will move one article over because he will need it and leave the rest in the washer, he says the reason he does this is because if you dry one article at a time it will dry quicker -if for some reason you do this, you must go back and put the other items into the dryer when you are done with your “one article drying experience”.)
Now, before you start drying the load you must empty the lint catcher add a dryer sheet, set the appropriate dryer settings, (not everything is cotton/high) then turn on dryer.
Oh no boys, it’s not over with that.
When the dryer stops and everything is dry, sometimes you have to turn it on again to ensure things are thoroughly dry, you must then get it out, fold, hang, and put everything in it’s rightful spot.
With that you can say that you completed one load of laundry.
What is next in the never ending laundry saga? Sorting and starting another awaiting load, only to dry, fold, put away those items as well.
All the while your family is wearing and dirtying more items that will need to be washed.
Thank God we have clothes to wear, washers and dryers to aid us in the process of cleaning.. but a little laundry rant feels good once and a while.
-Holly
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