how do you do your laundry??

[ABall]

ok, if you saw my huge pile of laundry at the end of the hall you would think I didn't know how, but yes I do know how the washing machine and dryer works LOL...(all my kids are supposed to put their dirty laundry in the one basket because when I put a basket in each of the rooms, they end up with toys or being turned upside down for a step stool... ugh!) but my son is so bad at that task because he shoves lots of clothes in the closet or under his bed:x

but my question really is: how does every one else wash clothes, I use tide or era for detergent, i like to use oxy clean powder for stain fighters. I use downy in the ball for the good smell. Then I use bounce in the dryer for static control and extra softness. I used to add bleach to every load, but with oxy you don't have to worry about fading. I have the hardest time with my dryer and it takes about 80 minutes to get things dried! with 6 peoople in the house we have lots of laundry! I get behind when I don't do 2 loads a day, which I often don't do and it piles up, I hate folding clothes. Do you guys put away your kids clothes or are they expected to put them away by them self? I try to let my kids be responsible for their own clothes but it seams like they get lazy and just drop the clean folded clothes where ever they want, we go round and round about where clean and dirty clothes go, I think it would save the hastle if I just did everything my self, but they need to learn some time!! I just cant wait until they are old enough to deligate more chores to, like washing their own clothes or washing dishes.

[Brenda]

I used to be a favorite mom - I would pick up the dirty laundry, bring them to the washer, wash them, dry them, fold them, put them away... and then I had my fill of it...

Now, if they want clean clothes they have to bring them to the laundry room. If they don't and their favorite pair of pants isn't clean to wear - Oh Darn! I guess you didn't put them in the wash - sorry about your luck!

This really hit home with Andrew one day last week - we had a morning battle over clothes and how I'm such a rotten mother because he didn't "have any clean clothes" (he did but not his favorite ones). That battle lasted all of a couple minutes (when I decided to mimic him and do a song and dance around the kitchen all while I continued with housework - "I'm such a rotten mother, when Andrew gets in trouble at school who's there to bail him out - you've got it the rotten mother", "when Andrew gets in trouble at home, who comes to his side to defend him but the rotten mother he has").

I wasn't in the best frame of mind at the time, but he got the message and do you know what - he brings his clothes downstairs faithfully everyday now (or he puts them in a dirty laundry basket in the bathroom - smart kid).

Noah on the other hand needs a similar wake up call and sooner than later - his room looks like a cyclone hit it - and I'm fighting the temptation to clean it myself as opposed to fighting it with him - but that's what he wants - someone else to clean his mess. He does put away his clean clothes BUT we're fighting to get him to pick up his dirty clothes...

Amy, offer them tokens - that seems to work here...

[CrystalB9]

Ok ladies I will make you all feel better! The next time you think of all your laundry think of me!! AHHHH, my laundry room is overflowing on a daily basis with a family of ten!! LOL

[Mom2ampm]

I was almost every single day or else it starts backing up. My kids are expected to put their dirty clothes in the laundry room's appropriate baskets to be washed. DD and I both wash clothes. We put in laundry det. and a Downy ball most times. Once the clothes are dried I usually fold them and have everyone take their clothes to their rooms. Sometimes the kids manage to get them in their drawers or hung but I usually do it. I am pretty funny about how things are folded and put away. DH is a total slob and doesn't even pick up his dirty clothes and put them in the laundry room. UGH! He is also the worst about dirtying clothes...changes sometimes several times a day.

I try to put on a load in the morning before school work, but I often do a load at night and then in the a.m. throw it in the dryer. If I am in there I will remember to put on another load that next morning.

[Jackie]

Laundry is the one area where I can pat myself of the back!!!

Monday is Laundry Day at my house. The kids bring it down after they get ready for bed on Sunday nights. I sort it while watching "Mystery" on PBS. It's the only TV program Carl and I watch with any regularity. I will put the whites in to soak in bleach. Then when ready for bed, I put the whites on to wash. This gives me a head start for Monday.

I then do wash all Monday morning. The clean clothes are dumped in a pile in the living room. At 1:00 my kids go upstairs for Silent Reading; at 1:30, I read aloud to them. While I read, THEY fold clothes! It might take more than one chapter, or sometimes if there's a lot, I might turn on "Adventures in Odyssey". The kids are expected to put away their clothes when they are done.

It doesn't always work out perfect... sometimes they're not all done by the time I'm ready to read, so I still have other clothes that need folded later. Today, Mom had a test at the hospital that I went to, so nothing got done. The kids are bringing them down now. And the kids need to remember to bring their pajamas down in the morning after they get dressed and put them in the right pile. Oh, Carl also reads to the kids in the evenings. Sometimes they help me sort on Sunday nights while he reads.

Anyway, that's what works best for me!

[becky]

Aball, you don't know about my miserable Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer.

We bought these 2 years ago now, when our other machine went up and head of the house wouldn't fix it.
These are those machines that use 2 gallons of water per load, and the dryer senses when the clothes are dry, shutting off sooner if needed.

Well, at first it ruined over 300.00 worth of my and Jeannie's clothes. I had just bought her a bunch of stuff at the end of the season, to put back for next year.
I washed them to be able to try the new machine out. No one at Lowe's told us you can't use Downy in these washers. It's also not in the user guide. You also shouldn't use regular detergent.

I used the level mark in the fabric softener compartment and detergent department.
When the laundry was done it came out with black spots. Rewashing didn't clear them up. Neither did spot treatments.
I called Whirlpool and after a boatload of crap, I got told you can't use Downy because it's too thick and regular detergent is too soapy.
When I said I was calling the BBB, they said go ahead. So, even though I didn't know I was using incompatible fabric softener, I was out 300.00.

Now I use Cheer he ( high efficiency) and Downy Honeysuckle and Magnolia. BUT- I pour the bottle of Downy into a clean milk jug and add water to fill it, then I use a milk jug capful per load. Everything is fine now. That bottle of Downy was bought way back in spring.
My water bill dropped 50.00 in like 6 months and laundry goes faster because the wash and dry cycles are nearly identical. You can make bigger loads, too.

[Brooke]

I hate laundry for a multitude of reasons. The first being dd and I are severely sensitive to chemicals :x . We use Tide Free. No softner or dryer sheets. I use Melaleuca/EcoSense products to clean the house and do the dishes but I'm afraid to try the laundry detergent since it took a lot of rashes to find that Tide Free works for us.

That being said, dh is usually the one who actually loads the washer...and dryer....and folds it up--no, you can't have him!...he's mine!!! :-P We bought little mini-baskets for the kids' rooms for them to toss their dirty laundry in. When it is time to do the laundry we will have the kids bring down their baskets, or we'll have one go from room to room collecting the laundry to bring downstairs to the laundry room. Those little baskets saved our sanity!!! No more "but the basket is too big!!!" or "but all the clothes are falling out of my arms!!!" They are perfect for kids to handle and it makes it easier to do regular sized loads every couple days than to have it all pile up once a week. After dh or I fold it up (sometimes with the kids' help) everyone puts away their own clothes. Makes for a pretty stress free process.

OH!!! I was just talking to my cousin today and she said her dermatologist said to only use 1/3 the amount of detergent. Your clothes will still be clean but they won't be as stiff without the extra residue from the detergent. He also said vinegar (white) is a natural softener and you can add it at any time during the cycle...doubt if I try the vinegar though.

[becky]

My mom once said peroxide is supposed to brighten your clothes better than bleach.

[Syele]

oh Gosh Laundry IS NOT my strong point. If you ever feel bad about your launry consider me and know someone is worse at laundry than you are!

1. I wait till we are running out of clean clothes.
2. We have very few things that are white in our house (it's dosn't go with my coloring and Sami is a kid so she has bright colors or pink. So I take out anything new enough to fade(almost nothing) and stick the rest in there. My ex roomie always cringed when I did that.
3. I only use a third of the liquid detergent/ you use less and it gets rinsed out better. I never use powder detergent because if you mess up and overload the washer it dosn't disolve and leaves white stuff all over everything and it ttake four washed to get it all off.
4. It's sami's job to go put all the clean stuff from the dryer onto my bed
5. I have to put it away or I can't go to bed this way.

I don't use dryer sheets, I'll use spray n wash for stains.. or I give them to my mom if they are really bad and she does something to get them out that is a total mystery to me. All I know is it works when the spray n wash fails.

I use peroxide on the rare occasion I need to get blood stains out but never tried it for whitening.

I don't even own an iron.

[Jackie]

Syele, I use the "mom approach", too!!! LOL! It's 99% effective at this house, LOL!

[Mom2ampm]

Syele....

You don't own an iron, lol? I hate to iron but I admit I do have one. It would be clever to break it and I could use that as my excuse for not ironing!!! I buy the Downy Wrinkle Release spray. You spray it on and stretch out the clothing and smooth it. Good as ironing in my opinion and a whole lot easier. My dd's prek teacher told me about it because her school had uniforms.

[Jackie]

I own an iron, but that doesn't mean I use it much! I need it to iron on AWANA patches, and also I like to quilt. With any kind of sewing, you need to iron the seams flat. But other than that...DH gave up on me in that area LONG ago!!! He figured it was one fight that wasn't worth fighting, LOL!

[Momof3]

I wash one LARGE load of laundry, each day, Monday through Friday. I do not wash laundry on Saturday, as it is our day of worship. On Sunday I wash about 3 large loads. We are a family of 5, with a 1,4, and 6 year old. The 4 and 6 year old always help with the laundry. They put their clothes in the laundry hamper, though sometimes needing a gentle reminder. They help carry it to the laundry room, pour the soap, put it in the dryer, as well as fold and put it all away. I do most of the folding, but the put away things like towels, wash clothes, and their own laundry after it is folded. That is about it in a nut shell. We put the laundry in the washer before breakfast, and then into the dryer not long after breakfast. We are trying to be good about folding and putting it away after lunch time. Some days are better than others.

[zsmomma]

We also don't do laundry on the weekends. We have vespers on Saturday night (like your wednesday night service) and service on Sundays.

I do a few loads a day. I absolutely love Arm and Hammers detergent. It pulled out a stain that was months old that I could not get rid of. We use downy for fabric softener. I used to use dryer sheets but at our old house the dryer caught on fire and come to find out it was because of the dryer sheets. ( Something about the lint filter, it clogs it up even when there is no lint on it )

The kids' job is to unload the dryer so that I don't have to bend over and do it. I use the "moms to old" to do it and so they do it for me. Of course if they ever realize that mom is only 27 that might not work anymore! My almost 8 yr old is catching onto that one!

[Sabrina]

A friend and I talked about this and she gave me a tip. She had already taught her children - all under ten(3 adopted boys and a girl) to do the laundry. They get up in the morning and unload the dishwasher and put dishes away - then they head to the laundry room. Yes, her children are wonderful! She taught them how to sort the clothes and (the best thing)she MARKED THE WASHER DIAL WITH NAIL POLISH TO SHOW THEM WHERE THE DIAL SHOULD BE TURNED TO! I tried this and it really works! I can tell my children now to start the washer of dryer if I am busy and they can actually do it. Anyone ever watch Bill Cosby, Himself? He talks about having to give specific instructions(like how to take a shower- undress, turn on the water, get in, use the soap, etc.). How true....

Sabrina

[ABall]

Well, I guess I am feeling better now that some of you are as bad about laundry as I am (I own an Iron, the kids saw it used for the first time in a long time when daddy took it out and ironed a shirt for work).

Brenda, how does your coin system work?

I know about rashes, my dd had one for a long time, we couldn't figure out what in the world caused it because we were using the same brands, but then it hit me, we were actually doing 2 things different, our downy was a different fragrence (I like the pink lid one) but my dh bought the purple lid one. And we use bounce, but it comes in different sent levels, we had gotten a higher level and the combo caused the rash.

[Jackie]

I do have a paper that says with dryer sheets you need to clean the lint trap occasionally with a toothbrush. You put it under running water, and no water will run through because of the build-up from the dryer sheet. Clean it with a toothbrush and until the water will run through. I think someone on-line sent it to me.

[ABall]

thats a good idea, I heard in the news that you should never go to sleep using the dryer because of catching on fire, I guess for that reason.

I hate to keep mentioning "e-bay" but I just wanted to let you all know I have put lots of little kid clothes on our e-bay store, and we have some more to add, some baby boy sleepers, if any one checks, there are some green shirt and short combos if any of you want them, I'll tell my husband to lower the price for you. (I told him he shold go down some because they are summer) but there are some cute girl size 2T they are so cute!! ---- ok, I have to admit, when I went "shopping" to at my moms store to find stuff for e-bay, I really fell in love with the wee little clothes and baby stuff, I so miss seeing baby stuff--- but just miss it, don't want to have a baby just so we could get the cute clothes. just incase any of you want to check it out its
super_discount_outlet on e-bay and if you need any kid clothes cheap let me know and I will put something special on for you like if you need a special size something they have a lot of is minie mouse sweatshirts that I want to put on really cheap but the biggest size I have seen is like a 3T. They have lots of gilr things, but the boy stuff is cute too, just not as much of it. I can also do womens clothes if any one wants. If I know someone here is interested I will really make the price low! Ok, I think I am talking too much now (as usual). Just wanted to pass on a good deal.

[Brenda]

Brenda, how does your coin system work?


I will attach it to this thread for you to see it. It comes up as a seperate link - just click on it and you should be able to open it.

[Syele]

nope no iron here, I bought one once cause I felt like it was wrong not to own one somehow, and my best friend had no money and needed and iron for her work clothes. I had still never removed it from the box so I gave it to her on the condition that if I ever need it for something I can go to her house and use it. I still havn't need to go over there.

I just plain don't buy things that wrinkle easily and then if something is a little wrikley I just throw it in the dryer with a wet hand towel. I remove it before the towel is all the way dry and it gets the wrinkles out.

[ABall]

----oh and never do I buy dry clean only!!!

[Jackie]

Neither do I, Aball, but my MIL does! I may have finally convinced her that they simply are NOT a good choice for me! I hardly EVER wear them, just for that reason. And the one time I did, Faythe (bless her precious soul!!!) spilled the communion grape juice all over me :roll: !!!

[ABall]

I guess it would be different if we werent stay at home moms, and we actualy had to get dressed up?? --- on the other hand, why tourture our selves they sell clothes that are "wrinkle free fabric". My husband would be thrilled for me to iron his clothes, but he is happy to have clean matching socks, and his work clothes hung up!

[JenPooh]

I use Cheer for my laundry and dryer sheets (brand depends on what's on sale). I use Oxy clean in some loads, but not all. I usually use it for a pretreater for tough stains. I also use Zout for stains. It gets a lot out and is a great pretreater on most things.

I have some dry clean only, but to be honest, I don't pay attention to the labels and wash them anyway just on the gentle cycle. Nothing bad has happened yet. Or, I handwash them in the sink.

[Momof3]

I have an iron, but only use it about once a year - I hate ironing!! It is to time consuming for me. I don't use the dryer sheets either.
I did have a friend who was a firemen and shared a story about his wife running the dryer and then leaving for a little bit. She came home just in time to find the dryer had just started to catch on fire. Had she been just a few minutes later the whole house would have been lost. He was very upset as he had told her never run the dryer if she wasn't going to be home, as he had seen so many homes burned down from dryer fires. Since hearing him tell that, I never run the dryer unless I'm home the whole time, and if I have to leave I shut it off. I hope this tid bit helps prevent a fire. We do check the lint trap after every use.

[Trish]

Okay I guess I am the old fashioned one here. I wash with Tide and use fabric softner in the wash. I hang my clothes out. I do use and iron. I love my towels and sheets off the line.

[Brooke]

:lol:....I bought an iron at a yard sale because I thought every home needed one. I haven't used it yet. In fact, when we first got married someone gave us an iron. We were hard up for money so I took it back to the store still in the box after about a year.

I don't look at care instructions before I guy either. My mom bought us a comforter for the bed. Well, she bought a dry-clean only one and for two years my dd would get sick on it.:roll: (why do children think they need to run into mom and dad's room just to throw up???) Anyone ever use Dryel? Just wondering if it works.

[Jackie]

I tried hanging clothes to dry. I had a line between two trees out back. Didn't work; the dog would play tug-of-war with them.

[Trish]

Jackie,
We don't have a dog just a fish and guina pig.

[JenPooh]

:lol:....I bought an iron at a yard sale because I thought every home needed one. I haven't used it yet.

I did the same thing with an ironing board. I use the iron, but I never pull out the ironing board. It's easier to iron on the floor:).

[INmom]

Trish, you're not the only old-fashioned one here. We also hang our laundry out (no dog!). we also like the fresh smell, but we also like keeping money out of the hands of the local gas company, especially now that gas rates are increasing at least 40%.

I also iron. Hubby works in downtown Chicago and needs to look respectable once in a while. We tried having them done, but when we picked them up I decided I could do a much better job than the cleaners. Even so, I only iron about a hour and a half every two or three weeks.

Carol

[JenPooh]

My MIL hangs her laundry out. I don't only because we live near a factory and the smell can get a little icky every once in awhile and I don't want my laundry smelling funny.

[Mom2ampm]

Our air must stink,lol, because I don't like the smell of sheets when they are hung out to dry. I do like the smell of them though when they were washed with Downy and come out warm from the dryer. I'm weird I guess.

[Deena]

I own an iron but rarely use it. The main time I use it is when my dd makes designs with plastic beads on those pegboards ans asks me to iron it so they fuse together! Do people really use irons for clothes?! :D

My kids each have a laundry basket (the stand up kind with a lid) in their rooms. My 12 yo ds and 8 yo dd bring them to the laundry room. We have 4 regular laundry baskets set out on laundry day--1) lights 2)whites 3)blue and green 4)black, brown and purple. They sort their laundry and I sort dh's and mine. Then one of us puts the first load in the washer. They know where to set the dial, and how much liquid detergent to use (we always use liquid, and we only use 1/3 of the listed amount). When that's done we take turns switching the loads, then pulling it out of the dryer. We hang it on our couch, and when all the loads are done we get together and separate it again into my dh's and mine, my dd's, and my ds's, then we each fold our own (except I fold my dh's usually). My 14-yo does his own laundry, and does a good job. My 12-yo actually just turned 12, and is starting to do his own laundry now, but hasn't launched into it fully yet.

Yes, I have used Dryel and it has worked well for me. I still have some clothes that say dry clean only, and I really like them, so I tried that and like it!

This is a great topic, and very interesting! :)

[Deena]

I forgot a thing or two. When my husband gets home, he does whatever needs to be done--laundry, dishes, etc. so the house stays neat! I am sooo glad he is organized and helps like that!!! I don't want to think of what it would look like if he didn't help out!

Just an added note: My kids do a great job at helping out now, but it's taken some work over time. We make the chores part of family living. They need to help out because they're a part of the family. Before they can eat breakfast they need to have their bed made and their room straightened. That helps a lot to get that chore done! :)

[Brooke]

Hmmmm...Dryel works....have to check it out.

We do the same thing here with family chores. 9yo ds usually does the vacuuming--with a :mad: sometimes, but obedience is the focus, right? His attitude is much better now....over time is the exactly right, Deena. 6yo dd folds laundry and does general cleaning. Both kids have been responsible for their own beds and rooms since the age of 4. I'm the one that took the longest to get into a routine :roll: .

[Deena]

Me too! Once I'm consistent, they fall into line very well! I think it's great to have them do daily little chores that they're responsible to do well! It teaches them a lot of good things that help them immensely as they get older! They realize there is work to running a family smoothly!

Yep learning obedience, whether you feel like it or not, is very important! That way, as they get older, it's easier to follow what God wants for their lives, cuz they're used to responding and doing, despite their initial reaction. I wish I would have been taught that sooner!

[Jackie]

ONCE I'M CONSISTENT.....Now THAT'S the key!!!

Deena, one question. When I did have my DSSs at home, it did get to the place where the oldest was doing his own laundry (Result of a "confrontation". One thing said was that I was not responsible enough to do his laundry without losing it. The shirt in question at that point later turned up AT HIS MOTHER'S HOUSE.... Gee, I wonder how it got THERE?)

Anyway, wouldn't it take a lot more water, detergent, etc. to have them all do their own? The way I figure it, one big load would be cheaper than three little ones.

I find the colors for sorting interesting. For a while, I had a reds pile, but it now has anything "bright" in it...bright greens, oranges, yellows, sometimes purple if it isn't too dark.... Pale pastel pinks and yellows go with the lights. Sometimes I have a pile for grays/light browns, because they look so dark with the lights and so light with the darks. I also do my jeans seperate, mostly because there's so much denim.

[Trish]

Carol, I iron as needed. If Vicki is going to where a pair of pants and shirt I will iron it that day. I have just made it habit to do that.

[Mom2ampm]

I iron as needed as well. I just ordered a small size over the door ironing board because I hate to drag out the really big one every time. This way I hope I will be more likely to iron something. We can hope can't we???

[N4Life]

Laundry was my job as a child, from about 8 or 9 years old, on 'til I moved out at 16. I must admit, it is still one of my favorite chores! ;)
Ever since my oldest children were tiny tots, I've tried to involve them as much as possible in all of the chores. So, of course, they were with me, stacking clothes in piles, dumping soap in the washer, turning the knobs as I directed...
One day, when my dd was 2 and my ds 3 or 4, I was outside working in the garden, and I guess I didn't think too much of their disappearance. They showed back up after a bit with great big grins on their sunny little faces. "Guess what, Mommy? We did a surprise for you!"
Smiling, I asked, "You did?"
They couldn't hold it in. Jumping up and down, they said, "We started a load of laundry for you!"
"You did?!" I asked with a smile, as I prayed for patience and hoped for the best! "Why don't you show me what you did!"
So we went to the house. They showed me where they set the dial to start the load, and what temperature they used for which load they had chosen. "Okay--how much soap did you use?"
And they showed me just how they measured it--perfectly! "Wow, cool!" I thought, as I said "Good job--thank you!" And seven years later, they still are my big helpers (the ability grows with the child), and they still love to surprise Mommy! They are capable of more than we give them credit for sometimes!
Definitely, the children should help with the laundry! We don't do "mine" or "yours"--it's all "our laundry".

Although right now, we are living in a trailer, and things are not exactly normal, here's how we normally do our laundry:
I keep a large pillowcase for each type of laundry: darks, lights, towels, sheets, denim (because the heavier cloth is very hard on the more delicate items, like t-shirts). I tried to have the pillowcase design so that it reminded me of the type of laundry inside, plus I took an afternoon long ago to embroider each of those titles on its laundry bag (once named "pillowcase" ). If we are using a drier, rather than a clothesline, it becomes important to separate clothes by "weight", too--lightweight wovens, heavier knits, the quick-drying polyester (like footsie jammies). (We pretty much all wear dark blues and browns, so the color issue is not really applicable to our family. When my baby girl was wearing mostly pink, I did wash a pink load, too.)
Every day each family member--yes, even the baby (with sissy's or my help)--brings their own laundry to the hamper. If it is not picked up immediately upon changing the clothes, it becomes a "dropped stitch" to be taken care of before they start their next meal. Resist the temptation to do it the "easy" way--it is not easier in the long run!!!! Don't pick it up for them!
Keep a mental note as you walk through the house throughout the day--yes, our minds can be trained, too! :roll:
The next step is, at an appointed time each day, separate the laundry into piles, then stuff it into the bags, and put the bags back into the hamper. The new day's round of dirties goes right on top of the pile of bags, not to be forgotten. At a time when we had a smaller hamper, I set up a bucket for the lights; everything else went in the hamper. Everyone was expected to seperate their own clothes that far when they were first brought in. (Sometimes dh cheerfully cooperates with the whole plan, other times the children and I collect his piles for him.) Do not allow little things like zippers not zipped, pant cuffs rolled up (and probably full of grass or sand!), shirt sleeves inside out... Call the children on their little lazy habits. A few seconds apiece saves the laundry person minutes later! (If we plan to hang laundry regularly, everyone is told, and darks are expected to be inside-out--the sun may darken skin, but it bleaches laundry!--otherwise, no inside-out laundry!)
As for the actual washing, I've tried all kinds of soaps--powdered, liquid, homemade, storebought. I avoid bleach as much as possible, and I can vouch for vinegar in the rinse--that is what I put in my Downy ball! If your clothes come out staticy (how do you spell that?!), most likely, they were over-dried. Even one pair of polyester socks in a load of knits can wreak static havoc!
Anyway, with dh's sensitive skin, we went through lots of itchies. :-x
I absolutely love the soap I finally found, which is all-natural, no sls (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate), no tallow, no toxins whatsoever, and gentle for laundry, showering, dishes, whatever. It's more expensive, but concentrated and healthy for my family. Anyway, you can see for yourself if you want at www.checkthisout.theMastersmiracle.com .
I love hanging out the laundry, but sometimes the climate is honestly too damp to keep up with a whole family's laundry, and admittedly, the drier does save on ironing! I hung a special line, just right for my little ones, and taught them to pick out washcloths, napkins, hankies, and their little clothes. I like to wear the clothespins in a pocketed apron, although you can also fix up a little bag to hang on the line by a hook. In windy Nevada, we used lots of pins, or we might have to go to the neighbor's later and collect our wash!
Finally, my favorite way to deal with the putting away is to hang everything that will hang, except pj's which don't mind a few wrinkles from folding. And the children and I regularly evaluate our wardrobe. I keep myself 3 everyday outfits, and one Sabbath outfit, and enough socks and underwear for a week (7). The younger (messier :-) ) children need double--6 outfits, 2 for Sabbath, and about 10 sets of socks and underwear. If you'll run out by not being diligent, you're more likely to be diligent--and that 5-mile tall clothing mountain becomes impossible to build in the first place!

Happy laundering!

[becky]

Some things have to be done inside out, though. I just bought some dresses for my little one and the label specifies it's to be washed inside out.
My MIL has always washed most of her things inside out, and you can't tell most of her clothes are at least 10 years old.

[JenPooh]

My son helps out with the laundry. He's great at folding towels and washcloths!!!:) That's his job. At his tender age of 3 he has his own chores. They are small, but it gives him responsibility. He sets the dinner table, feeds his fish, and folds the towels and washcloths from the laundry. He is also responsible for cleaning up his own room. I do NOT pick up any of his toys and his toys are to be put away after he is done playign with them.

[N4Life]

good point, Becky. Thanks! :)

[Jackie]

Concerning picking up clothes for them.....

My mom thought I was terrible for not picking up DSS's clothes (NOT the one that ended up doing his own laundry!). He had a hamper in his room; he knew I ALWAYS did laundry on Monday. He would lay in bed and toss it TOWARD his hamper. Sometimes he was lucky and it actually WENT IN!!! But when laundry day came, I would take anything in (or even hanging ON!) his hamper and ignore anything lying at the base of it. If I missed his favorite shirt, oh well!!!

We also had "discussions" about making his bed. I expected it to be made; he would leave for school without making it. Finally I got fed up. I told him that from now on, it would be made EVERY DAY. I would do it myself if need be. Oh, and BTW, I charge $5 for maid service...... I would extend grace on those rare occasions when he overslept. I'd rather let the bed go than have to drive him to school for missing the bus! The fun time was when I was gone. I had gone somewhere for the night; he expected me to be gone two nights. I came home to his bed not made. He came home to find it not only made, but me asking for my "pay". "BUT I THOUGHT YOU WOULDN"T BE HERE!!!" :razz:

[Syele]

LOL We have a system here of responsibilities and privileges. (hehe You should hear Sami say those words, it's so cute!) It's the idea that with each new year you have new responsibilities and new privileges. So when She turned three she got three new chores (put all the groceries from the shopping cart to the checkout counter, pick up her toys, and put the clean laundry on mommy's bed from the dryer) and three new privileges (half an hour later bedtime, allowed to have non-caffeined sodas, $1 a week allowance).

So her 4th B-day is on the 24th so she is thinking each day about what her 4 things will be for the year... I am only stubborn in that I told her that keeping her own room clean HAS to be one of the 4 responsibilities, and I have veto power if she picks something outlandish. I'm not sure how I'll deal with it when she gets to be 12 years old or so, picking 12 new privileges sounds scary when I think about it. but they don't all have to be big things so it shouldn't be so bad.

[Jackie]

I'd be more concerned about giving a teen 16 or 17 new privildges, lol! But by that time, they'd have so much responsibility that they'd have no time left!

[Vicky]

I don't do the laundry anymore. As part of chores my dd has to wash and , hang out the clothes. She doesn't have very many chores but that is the main one that she has to do everyday. Along with cleaning the kitchen after supper. She is 13 and has been doing this for 2 years now of course I helped her until she turned 13. Now it is her responsibility to make sure that we have clean clothes, and a clean kitchen. She usually does a great job with both. There have been times when she had to reclean the kitchen.

When I was 10 I started washing and hanging out the clothes. I also had to vacuum the house and clean the bathrooms, and clean the kitchen. She gets help from me for those. It is never to early to start chores.

My children started cleaning their rooms when they were 3 years old, before that I helped them by showing them how it was done. Of course I made the beds, until they were 5 then they started helping me, and at the age of 6 they took over.

My ds has to clean the den and the porch after the kittens and dog. He also has to take out the trash and clean his room. He wanted to vacuum so I let him. That has become one of his favorite chores. :)

I want them to know how to take care of their homes when they get out on their own.

[JenPooh]

I don't make beds unless we have company coming over. Then again, I don't even make ours because nobody sees our bedroom. I was never one for making beds even when I was younger.

[Deena]

Jackie,

You asked about the extra laundry, since my oldest is doing his own. He doubles up his clothes, so doesn't do as many loads as the rest of the family does, since he, of course, has less clothes. It may even be one big load, or sometimes he adds his jeans or something to our loads. It's not a big deal. The main idea was to get him used to doing it on his own. We did the laundry as a family up until a couple of years ago, but I want him to have the habit of doing his own laundry, keeping the house in order (including cleaning out sinks and toilets!) and fixing meals before he goes out on his own so he's well prepared. I think the more skills they can learn while they're still at home the better! Going out on your own AND having to learn new things like that, that should have been learned earlier, is just setting them up for more problems than they should have to deal with! He's much more responsible about these things now and I feel he's prepared, and will be even more so, by the time he actually leaves. We're not going to be the kind to push'em out the door when they turn a certain age or whatever, though, they're welcome as long as they are leading a productive life and being a positive family member.

That reminds me.....My husband works with a guy who just took in an 18 year old friend of their son's. The day after he graduated from highschool his parents kicked him out of the house saying they'd done their part and he was on his own now!!! Can you believe that?! They hadn't prepared them, as we have been talking about, and gave him no money or vehicle, so he was in bad shape! I hope he does okay!

[Syele]

Wow htat is harsh! I had a friend that was kicked out at 18 (Her mom gave her a month after her Birthday to leave.) And I always thought that was harsh, but She at least knew from her 13th birthday that it would be that way and so was ready for it, she had a job by then, money saved, apps to college etc.

[Deena]

You'd think they'd prepare him, help him find a job, etc., like that, but apparently it was, "Congratulations, now get out!" I just can't imagine that! So now this guy my husband works with and his wife are being sort of surrogate (is that the right word?)parents. They're helping him find a job, giving him a place to stay until he can save some money, and listening to and supporting him emotionally as well! Glad they are able to do that for him!

[becky]

I wouldn't throw too many bouquets at this husband and wife until you know the other side of the story. I love my Kevin with all my heart, but there have been too many days lately when the only thing keeping me from driving him to the rescue mission is my mom.
Kevin dismisses any attempts I make at trying to prepare him for life outside here. There's plenty he could do as he heals from his surgery and goes through therapy, but he won't. Tough love isn't tough enough for his brand of baloney!

[Brooke]

Seems to be a theme lately. (and I agree, Becky, there are situations that call for it) Often you don't hear the truth from the newly homeless. There is a guy I work with who is in his early twenties and lives at home still. He has a brother who was just kicked out for being disrespectful, lazy, ungrateful and the list goes on. Well, he suckered a family into buying his sob story and after just a few months they kicked him out, too! It might be interesting to see just how that whole thing plays out, Deena. It usually doesn't take too long to figure out the parents' side of it.

[ABall]

I spent my late teen years living with my aunt, and I was in my first apartment 3 days after my highschool graduation. (My mom and step dad paid the deposite and the first rent) but I was on my own from there. I had two first jobs and was coing to college all at the same time.

[N4Life]

Just wanted to say, it is so good to hear from other parents on issues before they come--the good, the bad--it really helps in planning both the future and the present!

[becky]

What I posted came out differently than I meant it. Yes, the husband and wife deserve kudos for helping this kid. They're using their home, time and money to help a kid that's not theirs.
However, I wonder why the real parents made him leave? Mothers especially aren't usually in a hurry to be rid of their kids.

[skippy7781]

Well laundry is an interesting subject. My house burned down a few months back. It is the laundry mat for me. My husband works in the automotive salvage buisness. I take his really dirty clothes to the car wash and spray them down with degreaser.I spray them down with a regular rinse. Then I take them to the laundry mat and wash them in the washer and wash as normal. If you have clothes with ink,paint,blood or oil pretreat it with gojo. I know mymethods are a little strange but they work.

[skippy7781]

I can't imagine just kicking a kid out. I can see making him get a job. Making him help with the bills.Give him time to get stable before making him move out.My Samson was collecting aluminum cans,paying his sisters to help.He bought his first bicycle with his own money when he was five. He had an understanding of how money works. He has always had what he wanted and I didn't have to buy it for him.

[Lornaabc]

People do loads of different things in life. Some good and some bad.

[ABall]

A few years ago, my aunt got into using a soap called "felsnaptha" or somehing like that spelling, its a bar soap in a red paper wrapper. You get it wet a little and rub on stain.

[Deena]

I've never heard of that, where would you find it?