Do you want to know something new that's working for me?
(Answer "yes" 'cause I'm going to tell you anyway!)
I've stopped folding some of my laundry!
Scandalous, I know!
When I finally decided my kids were too big for baby washcloths for bath time (this was about 12 months ago when my oldest was 8 years old -- bless his heart for putting up with the tiny washcloths and the construction themed quilts on the bunk beds he shares with his little brother!), I repurposed the washcloths as quick cleaning cloths to use on kid hands and faces throughout the day and as the kid napkins at breakfast and lunch (we switch to the classier, eternally stained cloth napkins for dinner).
With 4 kids I go through several of those little washcloths each day but throwing them into a load of wash is no problem there is always one going and those washcloths are not picky about what they wash with. But, for a while I was folding those babies. Each little square perfectly folded into first a rectangle and finally a square, although a smaller square than in its normal baby washcloth state.
I'm not sure what point it hit me, the ridiculousness of folding those napkins, but for the past several weeks I've just been throwing them into a messy pile and putting the whole pile into a bucket in the drawer under the oven. So much easier! And just think of the minutes I'm saving over the course of a week! And my life is no worse for not having them folded, really the drawer looks no worse to me upon opening it than it did when I folded the napkins!
So, now I'm on a hunt to figure out more things I can get away with not folding, already the children's jammies have become pretty haphazardly folded because the kids rummage through their pajama drawers so much that why bother folding things neatly for those drawers!
So, tell me are you an all or nothing folder? or somewhere in between?
Find more Works for Me Wednesday here.
I'm with you! I don't fold those washcloths either and underwear...forget it! When those are wrinkled no one knows. :)
ReplyDeleteIn between, leaning toward 'not so much' - the boys' shirts get folded as they are on shelves, not in a drawer, and their pants & shorts to a point so that I can (hopefully/generally) find what I'm looking for. Baby girl...well, it's similar, I suppose. PJs might get rolled up so shirts and bottoms stick together. And I usually give up on folding bedsheets, and sort of roll them into a compact heap. Towels & washcloths require a bit of folding to keep them categorized so I can find them instantly, with no rummaging, but it's much more of a creative art (e.g., never the same twice, and not too rigid in approach or outcome) than a science.
ReplyDeleteI've quit folding hubby's socks. They're all the same, so there's no point in it! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't fold baby pajamas and onesies...or our underwear. I have nice looking baskets for all that. So everythig is sorted. The baskets are on shelves in the closet. Shirts get hung, but I fold pants and towels.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!! I once read another blog where the woman said she didn't fold her sheets anymore because she washed and reused the same set over and over until it wore out, and then she moved on to another set. It works beautifully. Once a week, the sheets get taken off and washed and then put back on the beds. I need to do the same with the towels but haven't yet...
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing as Susie with the sheets! And I try to do the same thing with towels, but the timing doesn't always work out quite right. Other than that? I hope my husband folds them before I get around to it :)
ReplyDeletemy parents and my brother (who learned it from my parents ;) don't fold socks. They just throw clean socks into a basket in the laundry room stored on the dryer. It usually only takes a minute to rummage through and find a matching pair when you need socks...and it helps if you pretty much always buy the same kind of socks.
ReplyDeleteI don't fold underwear or sports bras. I just lay my sports bras flat in the drawer and stack them. The underwear drawer isn't quite as neat...but whatever...it in no way hinders my time or success in getting dressed. ha.
I don't fold my workout gear, I roll it. Rolling takes up less space (and time) and makes it easier to see everything. I have a lot of workout gear (different seasons) and a small drawer...so I figured out that the only way I can get everything into this drawer was to roll it. The first time I rolled everything and put it in the drawer took me a little time because I had to figure out the best way to put everything in the drawer...but now, I love it when it's workout gear in the dryer because I know the whole load is only going to take me 5 minutes or less to roll and put away. Rolling might be another time saver with kiddos because you don't have to be so neat with it.
Also...another use for those baby wash cloths are face cloths. I actually buy the baby wash cloths (well not anymore as I'm fully supplied) for my face and use them to remove make-up, etc. They seem to be more gentle and easier to use for stubborn eye make-up than regular sized wash cloths.