Our Five Ring Circus: Lovin' Laundry

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Lovin' Laundry

Time for my strange confession.

I love doing the laundry. Love it.

Please, don't send me to an insane asylum just yet. Let me explain...

You see, doing laundry relaxes me. I'm a bit (my hubby would say a lot) OCD, and I love the organization and routine of laundry day.

Yes, I said day. Doing a load of laundry every day just wasn't cutting it. So I save it all for one day a week, and then I have full loads. This works for us, because frankly, our closets are packed with clothes. (Side note: Does Lexie REALLY need 47 dresses?)

I love sorting the clothes. Oh-and do I sort! I read every clothing label, and sort it according to how it needs to be washed. Cold lights, Cold darks, warm lights, warm darks, jeans, towels, bedding, and whites. I do sort every night so it doesn't pile up and for some reason, I can remember the washing instructions on every piece of clothing (but where in the world is my camera manual-why can't I remember THAT?), so it goes quickly.

Ahhhhh...feeding my OCD. It's a good feeling.

Come winter time, all of Lexie's stuff gets washed separately, in a special detergent, because her eczema gets really bad. That tacks on a few more loads, but I can't give up the delicious smell of my detergent and softener.

The smell...I love it. I could spend a half hour in the laundry aisle picking out detergent and softener. I love clothes that are soft and smell great! I am a laundry product junkie.

Stain remover is a necessity in this house! I will never understand how kids can destroy their clothes after wearing them just one time! Stain remover has saved many clothing items!

I like to sneak in a few minutes of magazine reading while I'm waiting for the washer to finish. *Sometimes* I head downstairs before the load is done. ;)

I love folding the perfectly clean items and putting them into neat stacks, one for each family member. (Just for the record, I hang dry about half of our clothing.) The folding motions lull me into a deep state of relaxation. It's like my own form of meditation!

*I realized after I uploaded this picture, that I subconsciously stack the clothes in piles going from oldest to youngest. Maybe I do need help. Or perhaps I need help because I actually took pictures of my laundry?*

When laundry day is over, and the last item of clothing is put away, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction. I accomplished something huge, and there's not a dirty piece of clothing in the house...at least for another 12 hours. Unlike my floors, which need cleaned every 5 seconds...

I realize I'm an oddball when it comes to this. Maybe 1% of the world's population are with me on this. Even my very OCD mother, who "trained" me to be like this, thinks I'm nuts for loving laundry. Perhaps I am...but really, it keeps me calm and sane in this house filled with chaos!

I wish my love for laundry transferred over to other housework. Laundry is the only chore I love to do. I loathe everything else!

If I could, I'd hire someone to clean my house. In a heartbeat!!!

But I'm not giving up laundry duty!

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7 comments:

  1. Um, want to come over and do some of my laundry too?

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  2. lol i like the pics. i actually like to do laundry too. but i only like to do kids and baby laundry. i don't like mine or dh's. he does his own and he is very ocd about his socks....lol me... i hate my clothes anyway so i hate washing them too. i do love little tiny baby sleepers and cute kiddie clothes. i guess i am weird too. i actually took a pic of a laundry pic too 2 days ago...hmmm maybe i should post it hehehe

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  3. 47 dresses! Holy crap! Although if I had a cutie like yours, our bank account would be in the negative from buying her so many dresses, lol!
    Loved your post.

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  4. Okay, I am just as OCD I think, but the process of doing laundry does not soothe me. I sort, organize, hang by color, size, sleeve length and pant length. But I don't necessarily enjoy doing it!

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  5. Yeah....

    I hate washing laundry. I won't do it. I'm horrible at separating and I've ruined enough clothes to encourage my husband to take over. But I enjoy folding them in the evenings when the kids are in bed.

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  6. Wow. There are no words. I am your yang. I am the total opposite. I freak out at the thought of doing laundry, making piles, ect. Just seeing yours gave me hives.
    They are nice piles though.

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  7. Oh goodness you are hilarious! :) I sort, sort, sort too. It does feel good to have the laundry done at the end of the day. I sit in my living room and put piles of each person and each drawer in a pile. I think we could be friends! LOL! :)

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