Finding Sanity – Laundry part 4 – sheets

if you missed the beginning of this series,
read all previous entries in order here

Specialty loads are actually my biggest hiccup when it comes to keeping laundry under control.  Things like bedding, bleaching, bathroom floor mats, and diapers always throw off my groove.  I’ve really had to work hard at keeping to a routine in this area to keep these things from falling behind. 

Bedding is today’s subject - There is nothing like crawling into bed with the scent of my favorite laundry soap lingering on my freshly washed bedding.  Something so simple as soft washed sheets…  I can’t even explain the comfort.

We have seven beds in this house.  That means seven sets of linens.  Two are crib sized, which I can combine into one load.  But the rest are twins, and my husband and I sleep on a king bed. 

That’s a lot of bedding to wash.

I used to do all our linens on one day each week. My goal in the next month is to get back on a regular weekly linen washing schedule.  I’ve done it before, I’m certain I can do it again.  Not only do I love, love, love the comforting smell of freshly washed bedding as I climb into bed, but washing my sheets weekly does wonders for my allergies. 

Tips that have helped me in the past to accomplish a strict weekly sheet washing regimen -

• Start with an empty hamper. If you’ve have a basic laundry routine down this shouldn’t be too difficult.  I run a load the night before sheet wash day to be completely caught up and ready for all the bedding.
• Get your kids involved.  Much of the laundry load (no pun intended) can be taken off your back by having the kids pull some of their own weight.  Have your children strip their beds down and bring the laundry to the laundry room first thing on sheet washing day. 
• Don’t overfill the washer.  It is tempting when doing a lot of laundry in one day to stuff as much into your washer as possible.  However, if you resist the temptation to overfill your machine you will end up with cleaner, better smelling sheets.  Any job worth doing is worth the time to do it well.  Taking extra care to do reasonable sized loads will pay off in the end.
• Set a timer.  Preferably one that won’t stop going off until you turn it off. This way you won’t forget to move the laundry in a timely manner, and won’t end up with a pile of sheets still needing washing at bedtime.
• Use your favorite detergent.  No matter what detergent we use for our clothing that I might have gotten on sale or free with coupons, I always keep a bottle of favorite detergent just for our sheets. Looking forward to that fresh smell at bed time really does help keep me from putting off the job.
• Have your children re-dress their beds.   My older 3 are responsible for helping their buddies with their sheets.  I take care of the baby’s and my own bedding.   

While this does take all day, it really isn’t time consuming.  Everybody has a minimal amount of work to do and all are pleased with a freshly cleaned favorite blanket.

Weekly sheet laundering might seem like overkill to some people, while not enough to others.  Evaluate your needs and available time and choose a sheet washing regimen that works for you.

How often do you wash your sheets?  Bi-weekly, weekly, monthly, or can’t remember when you washed them last?  Do you have an organized schedule for this?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tagged with: her job • laundry • things that work

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