tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post7410157423015286656..comments2022-03-28T10:35:49.338+03:00Comments on Missionary Mom's Companion: Kids on the Field: LaundryPhyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09529794989164847124noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-52773574999518966692013-08-25T21:22:32.703+03:002013-08-25T21:22:32.703+03:00I also do a load a day and it is a family chore. ...I also do a load a day and it is a family chore. When the kids were little and we were overrun with laundry I only washed on cold, that way everything could be washed together. Nowadays our laundry is a little more mild and so I do a load of cold and a load of hot but I don't separate beyond that. Jeans and towels get washed together. Pinks and yellow do as well.<br /><br />Anyhow, I put the load in and then anyone can unload into the laundry basket. My husband and I will take the basket to the roof where anyone available will help hang the clothes on the line. My husband or I will take off the clothes and make piles belonging to individual family members. the piles get put on the ends of beds where each person can put them away.<br /><br />We do have bouts of rainy times when the system gets out of whack but the main part of the system (laundry every day, and everyone helps) remains intact. As an aside, my kids were putting away their own laundry by the age of 3-4. To make this easier I had clearly labeled drawers and a lower hanging rod. I also made sure that they only had enough clothes that would fit easily inside a dresser drawer. An overstuffed drawer is too hard for an adult to deal with- impossible for a preschooler.<br />Beckahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02314199834238208420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-52456996908203364092013-08-24T02:40:32.511+03:002013-08-24T02:40:32.511+03:00we do a lot of laundry around my house... but some...we do a lot of laundry around my house... but some tips/things we do?<br />1. let 'em run around with as little clothing as is appropriate for your setting.<br />2. when they were little, i set our laundry baskets up in an easily accessible place and each one sorted 1) towels and underwear, 2)light colors, 3)dark colors<br />3. vinegar works as a fabric softener<br />4. lemon juice also helps with stains - but will bleach<br />5. another stain strategy - i'd fill some plastic tubs with water, get a bar of hard soap (which is what our african friends used for their laundry). soak the clothes all night the night before and then put the kids to work scrubbing their own stains. sometimes it would soak soapy for another day and then scrub again a second day. that could turn into a great water fight and lots of fun, too.<br />6. by the age of two or three, littles could help fold wash cloths, dish cloths, underwear, socks and put that away. they could also help sort people's clothes into piles and carry that to their own beds to put away.<br />7. around age 8 (or as soon as they were tall enough to start operating the washing machine), they start learning to do their own laundry. we make a big deal of it as a growing up step, they get their own laundry basket and for a period of time, we did have an assigned laundry day. as more started doing their own laundry, that got a little more complicated and i always left a large basket for towels and wet stuff that i'd take care of.<br />8. we kept a stool out by the laundry line to hang clothes so even the littles could help. (of course, i had to accept that sometimes it would be a bit wadded or wrinkled ;-)<br />9. i also partnered the kids. once my oldest was doing a good job with his laundry, he became responsible for his little brother's. and when they first started doing their own laundry, they have been partnered with an older sibling.<br />10. on crazy busy laundry days, everything would end up dumped on my bed and i'd just leave it there until the littles were in bed. then i'd often fold it lay it outside the appropriate rooms for the kids to put away before school in the morning.<br />11. when they were little, i kept play clothes and nicer stuff in separate places.<br />12. sometimes, when it comes to clothes, less is more. 6 or 7 things that they wear all the time until it is worn out and then bring more stuff out was a great thing especially when they were really little and then again when they started doing their own laundry.<br /><br />i must confess, though - i'm one of those strange ones who LOVES laundry... so i've never found it drudgery or a painful thing. that... and washing dishes. i love both! Richelle Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-23198836966552762632013-08-23T02:41:56.049+03:002013-08-23T02:41:56.049+03:00oh my word yes!!! And I know I have such blessing...oh my word yes!!! And I know I have such blessings in that I have a washer, AND a dryer AND hot water to the washer!!! God is too good :)Liz Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-30406765529382800252013-08-23T01:04:03.309+03:002013-08-23T01:04:03.309+03:00I just wanted to add, laundry now seems so much ea...I just wanted to add, laundry now seems so much easier after we got an actual automatic washing machine (rather than the "semi-automatic" one we add at first, or after we had to wash everything for hand for a while b/c our new house didn't have a place to hook up a washing machine! It's all about perspective, right!?Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06426301677434550357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-58558634341872811792013-08-23T01:01:54.216+03:002013-08-23T01:01:54.216+03:00hahah! I really do thing they do...I did invest t...hahah! I really do thing they do...I did invest the 250 colones (about 50 cents USD) today for that notorious blue bar soap today at Palí...vamos a ver!Liz Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-54443884466390583472013-08-23T00:56:01.558+03:002013-08-23T00:56:01.558+03:00My divided hamper is my lifesaver when it comes to...My divided hamper is my lifesaver when it comes to laundry. When we put our dirty clothes into the hamper, we put them into one of the three sections: sheets/blankets, darks, or lights. (until recently we didn't have hot water for our washer, so we didn't need to sort according to that). Our dirty towels go in a plastic basket on the back porch so I can throw kitchen cloths and towels in there, too. This way, when I see that one of the hamper sections is full, I grab it and throw it in the wash. I do at least one load of laundry daily if needed, and fold them as soon as they are dry (usually!). This is the system I've used since we got married and I seriously get panicky about laundry when I don't have my divided hamper! (like when I was on furlough!) <br /><br />For stains - pretreating and soaking overnight before washing works well. For stubborn ones, asking a local friend for help is great; I'm convinced Ticas know all the tricks for getting stains out!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06426301677434550357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-20357509130976989442013-08-22T23:18:17.065+03:002013-08-22T23:18:17.065+03:00Yep, I had to leave some of my coloured things in ...Yep, I had to leave some of my coloured things in our conservatory on a rainy day. Took about a week or so. :) I imagine the clothes line out in the rain would be the same thing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07479835576761386301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-20567287739781087942013-08-22T22:57:19.828+03:002013-08-22T22:57:19.828+03:00yeah, I've been trying that, but then I still ...yeah, I've been trying that, but then I still seem to have to take a day and fold everything...do you fold the same day or wait?Liz Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-26544903974713503242013-08-22T22:56:45.947+03:002013-08-22T22:56:45.947+03:00nope, doesn't sound crazy at all!! I do that w...nope, doesn't sound crazy at all!! I do that with the cloth diapers and it's amazing, but I haven't had much luck with coloreds...although I just talked to a Tica friend today and she said leave the on the line for days on end...so maybe...Liz Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-4507171785668428812013-08-22T16:44:36.185+03:002013-08-22T16:44:36.185+03:00Oh, and it might sound crazy, but it even works on...Oh, and it might sound crazy, but it even works on those rainy overcast days. :) As I said, just takes a little longer.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07479835576761386301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-42114579357786538902013-08-22T16:43:37.866+03:002013-08-22T16:43:37.866+03:00Hang things out in the sun to bleach stains! Serio...Hang things out in the sun to bleach stains! Seriously, it works... Sometimes it may take a few days, though. Otherwise I use an oxygen bleach stain remover.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07479835576761386301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-88849871727418739632013-08-22T16:14:10.507+03:002013-08-22T16:14:10.507+03:00I don't havae any stain removing tips, and I&#...I don't havae any stain removing tips, and I'll be reading to see if others do 'cause I need all the help I can get.<br /><br />But what works for me is to do one load of laundry a day, it's my daily routine, just aload of whatever's most abundant in the laundry basket. (whites, towels, jeans, etc.) I do it without thinking and it's part of my routine...So I never have "laundry day."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com