5 Tips Friday: Washing.

One question I am asked all the time is "how do you do it?" Now occasionally it is intended as flattery, but most of the time it is a mum genuinely looking for ways to help her survive the chaos. I have eagerly asked this, and so many other questions, to mums-of-many in the past, which has helped me in countless ways. Although their exact methods or ideas may not work for my family, their ideas often lead to me working out ways that do make things more manageable for my family.

So to help out other mums who are interested, I am starting "5 tips Friday" (#5tipsfriday Instagram hashtag) written, you guessed it, every Friday. With Facebook and now Instagram selective in the way they share posts, at least all of you can know by Friday night, you can check out the blog and the tips will be there even if you don't see the notification.

I have started with washing because wow, it's a real game changer when a good system is in place. Now I know dad's do washing too, including Craig. But in our home I am the keeper of the rhythms, decider of the everyday life systems and the person that everyone comes to if something is not washed. And if uniforms are not washed I am generally the one dealing with meltdowns from a five year old who can't possible wear his spare pair of pants, because they are track pants, and that is so NOT cool. In the same way, the kids never complain to me when the grass is too long to play in, because Craig has the joy of finding 75 metal toy cars with his shins as he attempts to tame the wild mini-field that others may call our back yard.

Washing: 5 Tips

1) Have a great (but not complicated) system for dirty clothes storage. 

We have a simple large cane basket in the bathroom, and two metal-framed fabric-insert IKEA baskets in the laundry (one for lights and one for darks). I might ask the kids to bring the cane basket to the laundry to help, or ask someone to sort the washing. Sorting is actually a great skill for Mathematics and decision making by the way, so educational ;) Usually it's a job I do though. I try to keep EVERYONE accountable for their own dirty clothes if they are home, even though it would often be easier to pick it up myself. I will call people to put dirty washing in the wash basket, and wait for them to do it. Even Daisy. Responsibility isn't just something that is developed over night. And I am not a slave.

2) Have a washing plan. 

In my mental washing plan I always want all uniforms washed by Sunday night. Even if they are hanging on airers or in the dryer Sunday night, I KNOW everyone is set for the week. We all have enough clothes, pjs, uniforms etc to last a week, so knowing that is taken care of is a big help. In this way, if it rains, I get sick, or there is some disaster, everyone at the very least has enough clothing to last until the week end. Ideally I would wash 3 loads everyday if evenly spaced, but this doesn't happen due to work commitments and weather. I wash sheets weekly, and often do them all at once. Sometimes, when it has been a rainy week and sheets are due, I will wash many loads Friday night/Saturday morning, and hang it all up in the sun as the kids play, and then create a washing mountain on my lounge. It makes me laugh, and that night I put on a good movie and fold it all. I also always wash loads of clothes that dry well in the dryer last, just in case I don't get to hanging them out.

3) Make ironing special. In other words, do it so rarely that you think of it in lovely terms, just like I do when I look back on living in my old house (my journals tell another story).

I have never really ironed. Craig and I have this rule: if you complain about the way the other does something, the job is yours forever. My wonderful ex-Air Force husband lasted about 2 minutes watching me iron before he claimed ironing permanently. In his words: "You are not even ironing! You are just warming up the shirt!" I'm soooooo disappointed. He ironed everything, even track pants and baby clothes until we had Lucy. Lucy was a game changer. Wow, crying without ceasing! So he stopped ironing jeans, track pants and some other things. Then we had Henry. Oh Henry, our third baby with reflux (seriously wouldn't have survived without our easy baby- Isabel). And we had to move. Ironing stopped altogether. Now post-baby-time, I iron fabric (Craig just doesn't watch) and Craig irons shirts and some of the girls dresses.

4) Fold clothes straight off the clothes line or lay items flat.

This helps with making ironing unnecessary, but also means I spend time outside almost every day. A monotonous task done in the sunshine is great for clearing my head, and gives me a little vitamin D in the process. I make my children come outside while I hang washing or take it in too, and have done since they were babies. This guarantees outside play for them, which always leads to better sleep (better for them individually, not necessarily better than other children). Another big bonus is that items are much easier to sort and then put away if they are already folded. If using a dryer, make the commitment to fold straight after coming out of the dryer, or at least lay clothing flat. Again this helps with the no-ironing. And washing is just cosier to fold when it is warm.

5) Get everyone involved as early as possible.

Children will never get to an age when they think "you know, I really want to help out, stop playing, and do my share of the work," but they are part of the family. All taking part in something, even the boring things, helps connect a family. Creating that language of "we" is so important, because everyone wants to belong, and if children and teens don't feel they belong at home, they will find somewhere else. We do the washing and put it away. We all contribute. We are all important to the process and the family. My four oldest put their own clothes away and sometimes help with folding or sorting socks (awesome job for preschoolers and kindergarten children, for needed numeracy skills.) It is much harder than doing it myself, but pays off as they get older. Just ask me about the 4 hours of defiance, scattered with tantrums, I endured last weekend. PS, when Mr 5 finally relented it only took him 10 minutes.

Now there are about 100 more tips that I could add. But I won't. Because Five and Friday start with the same letter and I like that. Probably a teacher thing. More ideas might come up another Friday.

How about you share your washing tips? The comments below are open for all to use, or comment via Facebook or Instagram. Can anyone think of five more?

Jen.x

Other washing related posts:

It's all about the washing. Dreaming of a dryer and the before-them me.

And for a good washing mountain photo:
Goodbye to making it through the day.