Baskets of Laundry

I hope everyone had their batteries recharged for another week.

It's been a couple of days, but I want to continue where we left off...with laundry. Specifically, where does all the laundry go now that it's being brought to the laundry room and not being left in baskets throughout the house???

Enter into my laundry room...oh, that's where all of the baskets are! Six to be exact.

1. Leave-ins
2. Hang-ups
3. Delicates
4. Whites
5. Dry Cleaning
6. Rags

Each basket has its name in bold, Sharpie-written letters for all to see. (My youngest is 3, of course he can't read, but still knows where the leave-ins go.)

1. Leave-ins - at least half of the laundry - these are things that are washed warm or hot and are left in the dryer (hence, leave-ins) until completely dry.
(towels, underwear, pjs, tights, socks, undershirts, etc.)

2. Hang-ups - everyday shirts, pants, and skirts - these are washed warm, put in the dryer on permanent press for about 20 minutes, and then put on hangers to dry completely.

3. Delicates - a once or twice a week wash consisting of the nicer clothes which say delicate or hand wash on the label - they are washed cold and put on hangers to dry.

4. Whites - anything that gets bleach - Shabbos tablecloths and white uniform or Shabbos shirts - this load tackles cholent, grape juice, and grass stains all at once.

5. Dry Cleaning - exactly what it says. We use this to transport our stuff to the cleaners. You can put your coupons on the bottom so they don't get lost!

6. Rags - a small basket for all the dirty rags that accumulate each week from not having a cleaning lady - this is a once a week load that gets no fabric softener (which I am told is better for cleaning rags).

For this laundry system to be successful, correct sorting is important. My kids really do this. It took some teaching in the beginning (Ma, what basket does _______ go in???), but they really got it.

Why is sorting laundry so important? Why not throw everything into one load?

It comes down to the putting-away process. That is why it is so important to sort before it gets washed.

The goal is to have clean clothes. We all have times in our lives when that is the most we can do.

A higher goal is to have clean clothes that are taken out of the laundry room and returned to their owners. In a relatively short time.

Get your baskets ready...tomorrow we start washing.