Welcome to The Cherry On Top.
We're starting a series on laundry. There are just so many aspects of laundry and we want to cover them all. Laundry is a huge part of our lives and we're here to see that it's not the most difficult or dreadful part of it.
We will cover the basics and go in the order of the entire washing process. From storing, to washing, detergents, alternative soaps, folding, ironing, putting it away and even more.
We will start where the laundry starts, as soon as it leaves the body. Where does it go? On the floor? In a basket or hamper? The very best place for the dirty washing is a well ventilated, easy to carry basket or hamper. Damp laundry, if left in a non ventilated contraption will not only smell, take forever to dry, but may also draw mildew.
Be sure it's everyone's habit to get all of the dirty wash in its proper place. This might be the one and only thing I can actually get everyone in the house in to do. I have hampers in everyone's bedroom and the bathroom, too. So, there are no excuses. No one goes to bed at night if there is laundry on the floor.
Here are some awesome ways to store dirty clothes and we'll start with the kids.
These are mostly from Pinterest and you can find the links to them on our Clean Clean, Clean board.
This is super cute, bright fun and certainly has incentive. (Just not super for ventilation or larger clothes items.)
Here's another fun, upcycle idea. This one isn't great for ventilation either, but if the clothes are relatively dry, it's no biggie and it's REALLY fun!
This is what I use for the boys. I bought them at Ikea for under $5. They are super for ventilation, flexible, light and can be used as...as... something really cool to play in. Only negative point is if you put something wet or damp in the basket and it touches the floor, you may have a problem. Keep that in mind with any kind of system similar to this one.
This is a pretty sweet system, too. Sort white, lights and darks, handles, ventilation just be careful for dampness and your floor.
This one looks super awesome, but once again, if you can't get to your wash daily it will discolour from sweat, damp and wet clothes and linens and of course, you'll have to be able to wash the bags, too. I had something like this and had to throw it out. I got holes in it from the washing and the mildew was really bad, too.
I also had a basket just like this one and it too succumbed to mildew. That's some tough stuff and I even wash twice a week.
This my friends, is THE best way to store your dirty laundry. I've been through several systems and this one is by far the best. There's a solid bottom so my floors are never ruined. Plenty of ventilation is available through all of the holes, it's very light and the handles are great, too. With a conventional laundry basket like this, you can also use it for toting clean laundry, it cleans easy and you can use it to carry other things besides laundry. Tip: I actually use my laundry baskets instead of luggage! Pack the clean clothes in the baskets, put them in the trunk, empty the clean clothes in to draws and cabinets then fill the basket with our dirty laundry and when we get home, it goes right into the garage.
Our bathroom furniture does not set on the ground and I put my matching, plastic laundry basket right underneath the sink. It's somewhat camouflaged and really easily accessed.
Keep in mind how much laundry you need to store before you get around to washing it as well. Some systems are so small, you can't even get a sheet or a couple of towels in there. Consider how far and what obstacles are in the way. If you have to go up and down stairs, then a basket with wheels isn't going to get you very far. I bought this huge, cylindrical, metal hamper and I could hardly pick it up once it was full, let alone carry it all the way to the garage. Hehehe...Duh!
There's our a start to the series of Dirty Laundry Do's and Don'ts. You've got some links, ideas and inspiration to get this laundry thing right.
How many of you wish for this? Hehehe...I'm framing this one up and adding it to my laundry area once it's finished. That's a story for another edition of the Dirty Laundry Series.
Thanks for checking us out!