laundry

Laundry Piling Up? You Can Conquer It!

How busy are you? Are you unbelievably busy? Busy people’s lives can cross the fine line between order to chaos in no time! When you are tightly scheduled, it just doesn’t take much to tip the scales to the messy side of life. All it takes is an unplanned for interruption of your regular schedule, such as a bout of illness or your car needing to go to the shop, to do it. That’s when stuff starts piling up.

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The two areas of the home that clutter faster-than-fast are the kitchen and the laundry room. When life is on track, we can keep up with it. If we lose our rhythm, it collects really fast. So then, today let’s talk about laundry.

How do you dig out from under piles of laundry and regain peace and order? First, recognize that it is not impossible. You can do it. Now, create a plan and follow through.

Pick your strategy. What will your plan be? Decide whether you will take it on in one day, one weekend or over a whole week.

Implement the plan. You can multi-task this rescue operation with other projects that need to be done but make the commitment that you will complete “the cycle” to the end. Do not stop midstream, leaving some clothes in the washer and some in the dryer.

The Cycle:

Wash a load
Dry it
Fold it
Bring it to it’s destination
Put it all away.

Be consistent and don’t get distracted. Whether you make your way through the pile of laundry all at once or over a period of days, stick with the plan. Do not stop until all of the dirty laundry is clean and put away.

Maintain your success. After all of your clothes are clean and put away, continue this good habit so that you don’t get behind again. If life takes over, and sometimes it will, you’ve succeeded in the laundry room once before so, do it again.

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Laundry piling up? You can conquer it! #tips #momlife #cleaning #organizing Share on X

Your Tools:

The right tools make a job so much easier. How do you handle your laundry? Do you use laundry hampers, laundry baskets, or both?

How many laundry baskets do you use for the process? Do you hang some clothes in the laundry room before moving them to the closet?

To simplify the cycle, you should have at least two baskets. One for transporting the dirty clothes to the laundry room. The second one is to put in the bedroom to replace the full one you just removed.

There are some really nifty tools you can add to your arsenal that will help you better enjoy conquering that pile of laundry including: narrow laundry carts fashioned to fit between your washer and dryer, garment racks to hang clean clothes straight out of the dryer and drying racks to lay sweaters and delicates out to dry.

And while the laundry is in, run the vacuum cleaner around the house and get some exercise! FUN!

Enjoy!

Decoding Your Laundry Labels Like A Champ

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How proficient are you at reading laundry labels? The more specific the manufacturers get at trying to direct our steps, the harder it seems to be to understand just what they mean! Am I the only one here who is baffled by them?

Well, I just came across this excellent infographic displaying all of the many, many icons and what they stand for and I thought you might like to have it to bookmark or pin for future reference 🙂

how to do laundry, washing clothes, laundry labels

How good are YOU at understanding laundry labels?

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More great articles for perfecting your laundry skills:

Launder Like A Boss by Partselect

How To Brighten Clothes Naturally

How To Wash Clothes In 5 Easy Steps

Enjoy!

Note: this author is an Amazon affiliate. Anything you purchase from Amazon through Ducks ‘n a Row will result in a small commission for me. So, in advance, let me say “Thank you ♥ You are a blessing!” Sinea

How To Wash Clothes In 5 Easy Steps

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Wash Day = a day of the week on which a household’s clothes, bed linens, etc., are washed. Did you know that your family’s clothes will look great and last much longer if they are handled properly? Here is how to wash clothes – the right way – in 5 easy steps.

laundry tips, laundry symbols, wash, clothes

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Don’t you just love new clothes? New outfits are the ones we like to wear most. They are crisp, fresh and the colors are bright. They look new because they are new.

Laundry sorters make wash day so much easier! #Ad

When an outfit is new, we certainly aren’t looking to replace it anytime soon. Right? Hopefully, months down the road, our not-so-new outfit will look as nice as the day we bought it. Does it work? Sometimes “yes”, sometimes “no.” Time, wear and tear, and laundering weaken the fabric and its luster fades.

How To Make Clothes Last Longer When Doing Laundry

So get longer life out of our clothes by caring for them properly. Here are some tips on how to wash clothes and keep them looking their best, longer!

Got tweens, teens and newly-wed just learning this process? Share this post with them!

Fun true story: when I was in college a girl who lived on our hall met her future husband in the laundry room. He was one of those “gorgeous hunks” that all the girls drooled over! Anyhow, he was attempting to wash his clothes. Banging on the washing machine with his fist, speaking some expletives, he was a man in distress.
Mindy finally got the courage to intervene. He thought the machine was broken – no suds. She gently walked the sheepish young man through the process of adding DETERGENT to the water. It either was the best pickup line ever or providence. By the time we all graduated, their wedding date was set and he knew how to do laundry!

How to wash clothes in 5 easy steps! #cleaningtips #tips #laundry Share on X

How To Wash Clothes In 5 Easy Steps

Step 1: Identify

Laundry Labels Are Key

Laundry labels are there for a reason. They are the manufacturer’s guidelines on how best to clean and care for that particular garment. Take time to read it and do not remove it (even if it’s scratchy on your neck.)

Laundry tags are most often found inside the back collar or on the lower part of a side seam. In slacks and skirts, they may be on the back of the wasteband. Occasionally, manufacturers print the instructions right on the garment instead of using a separate tag.

It used to be that all labels had straight forward written instructions such as “Cold water wash, separately with like-colors” or “Dry Clean Only”.

Now there are universal symbols that mean the same things but, if you haven’t learned the symbols, they are not helpful. Here is a comprehensive list of the laundry symbols and their meanings: L AUNDRY SYMBOLS
You might want to print them out and keep them near the washing machine for future reference.

Step 2: Sort

Do not wash clothes until you sort them. At first, this may seem tedious. It is an all-important step, though. Don’t skip it. Eventually you will know your wardrobe well enough that this step will take no time at all.

Get out some laundry baskets and sort your dirty clothes according to colors. First: darks and lights. Then, types of colors. White, black and red are best kept exclusive to same color. If you mix them, your whites will become pink or dingy grey and will never to return to their former luster. Black and navy blue can be washed together–most often they will be in the “cold water wash” pile to keep them from fading.
Sorting does not stop with color. Next, READ THE LABEL to determine HOW to wash them. Some items may be delicates that should only be washed by hand. Others may be “machine wash, lay out to dry”. Trust the label. If it says “lay out to dry” then DO NOT put them in the dryer. Use a sweater dryer or table top with a towel on it to lay them out till they are dry.
Sort by type, as well. For instance, white towels or colored towels can be two separate loads. Though towels can be washed with other types of clothing, washing them separately makes putting them away so much easier at the end of the process.
Check them for stains and treat accordingly.

You have now sorted the clothes by:

Color
Treatment
Type

Step 3: Add Water

When it comes to water, you have to consider the size of the load and its contents.

Water Level: select your water levels according to the volume and weight of the load. A full load of nothing but socks will still agitate freely, though there are many. A load of bath towels or heavy sweaters will weigh down quickly. Pack the tub lightly to allow free movement when the water is added. Light loads may only require 1/2 a tub of water. Heavy loads will need a full tub.

Water Temperature: Water temperatures count! Not everything can be washed in warm water. Almost nothing can be washed in hot. When in doubt, cold or cool temperatures are your safest choice.

Step 4: Add Detergent

Detergents come with instructions, too. Start the washer using the correct water temperature: cold, cool, warm or hot. (Hot is SELDOM used. It is harsh on clothing.) Add the clothes and then the detergent. Use the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer.

Detergents: use laundry detergent that lines up with the type of clothes you are washing. Detergent with bleach should only be used for whites. Some detergents include color-safe bleaches designed to brighten the existing color. Pay attention to the labels on the clothes to be sure that there is not a warning, otherwise it’ll be fine.

Fabric Softeners: some fabric softeners are added into to the wash load in a special dispenser. Read the bottle for specifics. You may prefer to use dryer-sheets, which are used in the dryer, instead.

Bleach: some whites need bleach to get really clean, others say specifically “do not bleach.” The fabric probably contains a synthetic fiber that will turn color (yellow?) when in contact with bleach. If your whites are safe to bleach, add the bleach through the dispenser in the washing machine itself. No dispenser? Add it after the tub is half-full of water and before adding the clothes to avoid spotting.

Step 5: Choose Your Cycle

Cycle: the cycle you use is determined by how heavy or delicate the clothes. Denim jeans require more agitation than, let’s say, sheer nightgowns. Pick the cycle according to the type of fabric and recommended care.

Permanent press clothes should be agitated and spin dried more lightly than other types. Your washing machine should have a “permanent press” cycle right on it. And where do you find whether to use it? The label, of course!

More laundry tips:

Enjoy!

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Photo credits:

Wash Day Cat – Pixabay

Clothes Pegs by Salvatore Vuono on Free Digital Photos

How Much Laundry Do Hospitals Do?

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Most of us don’t enjoy doing laundry. But the laundry we deal with at home is nothing compared to what hospitals are responsible for. Blood, urine, vomit, and everything in between routinely soil hospital linens and the housekeeping staff (or an outside facility) are responsible for making these linens look new again. Meanwhile, most of us have to end up replacing a shirt that gets a little coffee on it.

laundry; microfiber; cleaning; hospital cleaning

However, it’s not just the type of laundry that hospitals have to deal with that burdens them, but also the sheer amount of volume required. Just think about the last time you were in a hospital. There were likely thousands of patients being treated in one facility, all requiring a variety of linens from sheets to gowns, and they are being replaced on a regular basis at different time intervals. That’s a lot of laundry to handle. Let’s take a look at just how much laundry hospitals really have to deal with.

How Much Laundry Do Hospitals Do?

To put things in perspective, the average American household does about 400 loads of laundry each year. According to Florida Hospital, between their eight facilities in Orlando they clean over 70,000 pounds of laundry every day!

Handling this task requires a team of over one hundred people in their laundry department. Their laundry is replaced every 24 hours or less. Once the linens have been cleaned, they are exchanged for more soiled linens in a never-ending cycle.

So how does this break down exactly? In a single day, this one hospital system cleans the following items:

25,000 washcloths
13,000 isolation gowns
14,000 towels

Suddenly the 400 loads of laundry that American households do per year doesn’t sound like very much. The amount of laundry required by hospitals requires a tremendous amount of resources beyond the time and labor — water, electricity, and soap are all used heavily, which concerns many. This has led hospitals to seek out methods for increasing efficiency.

The increase in efficiency starts before the linens are ever soiled. More and more hospitals are switching to microfiber products, which absorb more contaminants, require less water, and are much easier to clean with. This cuts down the use of various linens for cleaning dramatically and also makes the job for housekeepers in hospitals easier, allowing them to get more done in less time.

The linen cleaning industry, those who offer services for hospitals, restaurants, etc, are actively looking to improve their machines and processes. As the healthcare industry continues to grow, the demand for such services will only expand as well. This presents a great opportunity for innovative companies to step in and gain significant market share.

Access to clean water is diminishing and water prices are on the rise. Although this conversation hasn’t really gone mainstream yet, companies within this space are already taking notice. As our access to clean water gets lower, the public eye will fixate on industries who use the most water and these companies are likely to face the most scrutiny. No one will likely question the need for clean linens in healthcare facilities, but there’s no doubt that cleaning efficiency will need to improve.

How Much Do Hospitals Spend On Laundry?

This is the part that concerns most healthcare facilities — the actual cost of laundry. Typical laundry costs make up for one to three percent of hospital budgets on average. Those percentages might sound low, but the total dollar amount adds up to millions.

According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), the nearly 5,795 registered hospitals in the country admit more than 37 million patients each year at a cost of $727 trillion. That’s a lot of money. However, that’s for the entire industry and not for just one hospital.

Many hospitals are decreasing these costs by improving the efficiency of their laundry facilities or through outsourcing to innovative companies providing laundry service. An example is The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which rents its linen and spends a little less than one percent (about $15 million) of its total expenses on linen services. Now imagine how much hospitals are paying when cleaning accounts for three percent of their budget.

Hospitals looking for these types of linen rental/cleaning services will typically pay between 35 cents to 51 cents per pound. Again, those numbers might sound low but this adds up to thousands of dollars per day in costs for hospitals. And the profit for these cleaning services typically only amounts to a maximum of a few cents per pound.

Even a slight improvement in efficiency can add up to millions of dollars in saved expenses for healthcare facilities. This is an industry to certainly keep an eye on in the near future. It might not be the most appealing field, but someone has to handle the dirty jobs and there’s enough demand to go around.

Kyle Stout is a freelance writer based out of Tulsa, OK. He is a healthcare professional and has prepared this article on behalf of Texas Microfiber.

Enjoy!

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7 Great Vinegar Cleaning Tips For Around the House

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Vinegar is not only a fantastic condiment, but is a great cleaner too and can be put to a whole range of amazing uses around the home. One of the biggest worries for people with children around the home, or even for their own health is the sheer range of chemicals in cleaning products.

As you know from the ‘X’ on the bottle, these products are poisonous and can do damage. Of course, the effects of even using them to clean can cause a degree of trepidation. Using non-toxic goods such as vinegar to clean makes a lot of sense. So, let’s take a look at where we can implement it into the home.

Washing Machines
The washing machine takes a battering, especially if you have little ones around the home. However, vinegar can really help here. Washing machine pipes tend to get quite blocked and this gunk can be hard to clean, often requiring harsh chemicals. This is not what you want when washing clothing as there is often the chance residue will remain. In such a scenario a few liters of vinegar can be a great alternative to chemicals. Simply, pour a few liters in and let it work its way through the machine. It will dissolve the gunk and clear your pipes in no time at all.

Another amazing use for vinegar is surprisingly as a fabric softener. Pouring a cup of vinegar into a washing machine instead of softener will work to natural soften clothes. It’s not just cheaper than the alternative, but also a lot better and healthier.

Mirrors and Glass
Vinegar is an excellent product for cutting through dirt and grime on glass and mirrors and keep things sparking. In the case of glasses, simply wipe the surface with a clean cloth soaked in vinegar to see its cleaning effects. Mirrors can be cleaned with a spray of half water and half vinegar. Follow this up by wiping it down with old newspaper to bring the shine back.

Carpets
Vinegar is also a great carpet cleaner and ideal for cleaning red wine. Simply, rub it into red wine to remove the stain – saving on a carpet cleaner hire.

Polish
By mixing vinegar with olive oil in a solution that’s one part vinegar and three parts olive oil you create a non-toxic polish that leaves a fantastic shine.

Drains
Just as it did for the washing machine, vinegar can be used to clean drains and can save you hundreds of pounds and lots of hassle when doing so. Simply, pour the vinegar down the drain with some boiling water and it will remove any grime in no time at all.

Dishwasher
Place a cup of vinegar in your dishwasher during its cleaning cycle to clean the surrounding area. It’s far better than most specialized products and also a lot less expensive.

The Bathroom
Vinegar is also an excellent product for killing germs and works fantastically as a toilet cleaner. All you have to do is pour it into the toilet, down around the bowl and then leave it for half an hour before flushing. It will have killed almost every germ in the meantime.

Cormac Reynolds has written for a range of cleaning and home keeping magazines. He is a writer and journalist.

Photo Credits

Vinegar by Joe Schlabotnik on Flickr Creative Commons

Water 3-D from Idea Go – Free Digital Photos

Dishwasher Stock Photo – sxc.hu

Antique mirror by Witthaya Phonsawat – Free Digital Photos

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