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Winter brings snow, sleet, and piles of wet, soggy laundry. A quick walk to the mailbox can yield a heap of wet socks, drenched jeans, and soaking shirts. While some of us might be tempted just to shove all this extra winter laundry under the bed (not that we would...for shame…), winter laundry doesn't have to bring us to our laundry-carrying knees. Make a plan, execute, and sit back and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa without burying yourself in an avalanche of wet, soggy socks.
Wool, acrylic, cashmere; whatever the fabric, sweaters need love too. Before you toss a pile of sweaters into the wash, take time to check the care tag on each garment. Here’s a short run down on what to do with different common sweater fabrics:
Don’t forget the accessories! Scarves are worn next to the skin and accumulate sweat and odors, and hats - well it’s pretty self-explanatory why you need to wash those. Wash gloves, mittens, socks and anything else that comes in pair in a garment bag to avoid losing a mate. There’s nothing worse than a single glove. It’s just sad.
Store winter accessories in a waterproof plastic bin during non-winter months for easy access when the temps drop.
Don’t forget your underwear! Thermals and underoos can be washed on a regular cycle with similar colors. A mesh laundry bag is perfect for gathering up all those stinky unmentionables if you don’t have time to throw them in the washing machine right away. Always use a breathable bag to store dirty underwear in, it cuts down on odors and, well, having your underwear strewn all over your room.
Consider investing in a heavy-duty detergent like OxiClean for your under layers. Mix a quarter cup of detergent in a gallon of water and soak your underwear and thermals overnight before loading them into the washing machine.
Lastly, and this is a basic one, get yourself a good rack for hanging your heavy winter duds on before washing. Set it up in an out-of-the-way place in your home and hang things up as soon as you come in the door. The longer things sit in a pile on the ground, the more they will collect odors and start to mildew. Set up a drying station if you’re not able to to throw things in the washing machine as soon as you get home.
Winter shouldn’t be all about laundry. Watch those fabrics, keep gloves together, and skate through to an effortless snowy season.
The camping season is winding down in Utah, and snow will soon make most popular sites inaccessible until next spring. For many of us, Summer camping in Utah is a yearly highlight, and those cool evenings in the Uintas can be well-nigh restorative. As much as we love camping, the unpacking and post- camping laundry afterwards can be a bit of a downer. Whether it's putting your food storage equipment from Survival Cooking away for next year or disassembling the tent, it can be a bit of an anti-climax. Unpacking and doing laundry after a long trip can erase some of those peaceful mountain vibes we bring home with us. Maybe I'll have to look at empire outdoors reviews about tactical knives, dreaming about the peaceful scenery till next time we good. Here are a few things we suggest if you’re looking to ease up your post-camping laundry stress.
Unpacking is made so much easier if the initial packing is done thoughtfully. Pack clothes that are easy to wash and are versatile, cutting down on the amount of articles needed to wash upon return. Be economical in your packing, and don’t throw in five t-shirts when two will suffice. Even if you don’t end up wearing all the clothes you pack, there’s a good chance anything in your bag will get smokey from the campfire or dirty being around other, dirtier clothing. Take what you need, use what you take.
Remember that camping is a great time to take a break from the normal daily routines. While wearing the same shirt and pants for two days in a row at home might be socially unacceptable (or maybe not, we don’t want to pry into your personal life…) wearing the same outfit for long stretches is somewhat of a camping luxury, all the while cutting down on the amount of clothes you need to pack and then launder at home.
As you pack for your camping trip, throw in a separate bag where you can store clothes as they become dirty. The bag can be something as simple as a plastic grocery bag. Storing dirty clothes in a separate bag serves two purposes; on the one hand, it keep smelly dirty clothes away from clean clothes, cutting down on what you might need to wash at home, and on the other hand, it simplifies the unpacking process upon return.
Many stores sell small, cloth or nylon laundry bags intended just for camping use. These bags allow dirty clothes to breath a bit while still keeping them apart from other clothes and gear in the bag. Find one that’s compact and washable for easy storage and care. If nothing else, a pillowcase can make a fine laundry bag in a pinch if you forget to pack an official dirty clothes storage solution. And if you’re really into economical packing, a pillowcase full of dirty clothes can double as a pillow up in the woods. Because nothing builds character more than resting your head on an uneven bag of smokey, dirt-covered clothes while sleeping on rocks. Man, don’t we love camping?
Most camping trips are fun but exhausting. The process of breaking camp and cleaning up at the end of a trip can suck all the energy out of us. But before tossing off the hiking boots and sitting down for a break, grab the back of dirty clothes and put them immediately in the wash. Dirty camping clothes that sit around in a bag can deteriorate quickly, especially if they’re wet or muddy. If everything is in one spot, it should only take a few minutes to grab the dirty laundry bag and start a load or two. Then you can let modern machinery do most of the work while you put your feet up and take a breather.
Many people are also turning to laundry services to help ease the stress of post-camping laundry. It can be as easy as setting out your dusty camp clothes and letting a delivery service grab them for you. Having a laundry delivery service take care of your camping clothes saves time and stress, leaving your head in the mountains for just a little bit more. My friend told me that he learned even more about camping from fantastic websites similar to offgridspot.com. There are so many ways to reduce the amount of boring time and increase the fun before and during camping!
How long does it take to wash a load of laundry? Dry it? Fold it? Put it away? For a single person living alone, the task of laundry-doing probably doesn’t take up every free minute, but it might be more time than you think, or that you want to calculate. Let’s break it down and figure out just how much time you spend washing and caring for your clothing, based on a laundry schedule of two loads per week.
The process of laundry doesn’t start at the washing machine. When a piece of clothing needs washing, it has to make its way to the hamper first. Gathering dirty clothes doesn’t take up that much time, but let’s factor in the time spent on towels and sheets as well. Getting everything ready to go in one spot should take an individual about 15 minutes per load. Since we’re factoring on an average person washing two loads of laundry per week, so prep time would be 30 minutes total.
How dirty are your clothes? The running time on a standard Kenmore washing machine (for example) is 40 minutes, but if the soil level is above average, it can take over an how to wash a load. If you’re one of the organized types who can combine washing time with prep time, you’ll be able to cut that time down a bit. Transferring the clothes to the dryer and starting the load adds another 5 minutes, and, depending on where you live and how the humidity is in your area, it should only take about 40 minutes to dry a load in the machine. That’s a total for 85 minutes from wash to dry. Calculating for two loads, that’s 170 minutes per week.
Ready, set, go! See how fast it takes you to fold a shirt and put it away. For an average load of laundry, let’s guess it takes about 20 minutes to fold and put away clothes. This time can differ based on load size and how many loads are done at a time. If you’re a fast folder, or if you prefer to just shove your unfolded clothing in your drawers, you might only need 10 to 15 minutes for this step. For two loads, let’s estimate that the folding and put-away time is 1 hour total per week.
Let’s add up the time per week it takes to complete each step.
Based on these estimates, the average person spends about 260 minutes per week on laundry, or roughly four hours. If that seems like a lot of time dedicated to keeping our duds free of dirt, there are a few simple ways to cut down on washing time. Energy efficient washers and dryers can do their work in less time, cutting down on wait time. And keeping your clothing sorted into lights or darks with an organized hamper system will shave off minutes spent separating out colors.
For some, the burden of laundry can be overwhelming. Anticipate streaming and organizing the process can make it less daunting, and, for those that absolutely do not have four hours a week to dedicate to cleaning their clothes, options like Red Hanger’s wash n fold laundry service are an efficient way to cut that time to nearly zero.
