Yesterday was laundry day but only because I declared it to be. I really like doing laundry. Truly. But maybe that’s because I do it on my own terms. And interestingly, I do it nothing like the way my mother did laundry.
- There is no set day. I throw loads in whenever I want to or when the baskets are overflowing, whichever comes first. Usually it’s the latter.
- I don’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I am brand insensitive on laundry detergent although I like the smell of Wisk and Tide (in that order). But those brands need to be on sale more.
- I don’t sort. I think most still people do this, but I’m not sure why. Colors rarely run anymore. I just heave it all in – as much as I can possibly fit – pour in the laundry detergent du jour and hit “start”.
- I dry everything, except the stuff that will shrink. I try not to but too much of that stuff.
- I don’t fold well. I know this because I have seen both my mother and mother-in-law fold laundry and they have such nice, tight folded clothes when they are done. Mine are…shall we say fluffy and asymmetrical? Maybe that’s why I have that little wrinkle problem from time to time.
I like doing laundry because it is one of the few chores that makes me feel like “the lady of the house.” I realize this is a completely sexist thing to say and many of you are probably screaming at the computer for me to go back to the 1950′s where I belong. But laundry feels nurturing to me, as if I am taking care of something important. If we lived in the jungle, I think I would enjoy bringing the clothes down to the river and washing them on a rock. There is something nicely traditional about washing your family’s garments, even if you don’t do it in the traditional way. In a similar vain, I know Dave likes to cut the lawn. I wonder if it makes him feel manly?
I hope so, because he really sucks at laundry.
What chores do you like, MoB readers? And why? Do you do them the same way your parents did?
