Laundry
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

"An income tax form is like a laundry list -- either way you lose your shirt."
-Fred Allen

1) Do you use fabric softener or softener sheets?

Sheets.

My washer and dryer are in the basement. When I put a load in the washer I don't want to go back down the stairs until that load is ready to go into the dryer.

My washer has an automatic fabric softener dispenser for the liquid, but I've never trusted it. If the fabric softener gets into the water during the wash cycle the detergent won't work, the cloths won't get clean, and I may never notice until I'm folding them.

It's much less hassle to use the sheets in the dryer.

I've found that I can rip one sheet into three pieces, use one piece per dryer load, and it works as well as a whole sheet.

2) Do you dry clean clothes on a regular basis?

No.

My husband has a suit that needs to be drycleaned. Fortunately, he never wears it.

I have one dress that needs to be drycleaned. It's the only dress I own. Fortunately, I never wear it.

I don't like to wear clothing next to my skin that's been cleaned in solvent.

3) Do you do laundry as it piles up or do you wait until you are out of clean clothes?

I do laundry every fourth Monday.

I sort it into piles on the floor by color group, and write down the time. Then every 90 minutes I take a load down to the basement, take a dry load out of the dryer, clean out the lint trap, put the last washed load into the dryer, put the new load into the washer, bring the dry load upstairs and fold it.

It takes all day, but it's done in little spurts and really isn't that burdensome. And when it's done, it's done for four weeks.

Yes this does require four weeks worth of underwear. It doesn't cost any more than having less underwear because underwear lasts a long time when it's only worn and washed once a month.

I wash bedding and towels once a week. They're not part of the four week cycle.

I wash the throw rugs by the Flylady zone schedule and more often if something gross happens to them.

4) Do you use a clean towel every day for your shower or use the same one throughout the week?

I have a bath sheet - very large - and use it all week. How dirty can it get when I use it fresh out of the shower?

5) Who does the laundry in your household?

I do.