"Laundry Day"

   "Laundry Day" 

It's a term I've heard thrown around my whole life.

 For some, it's the exact day and time they make their way to the laundry room to wash their clothes every single week like clock work. It is a routine that becomes a ritual. 

They carry their simple load of dirty laundry from the week in a basket, or perhaps in one of those cool laundry backpacks, to the hopefully unoccupied laundry room. And they go about their laundry process, returning exactly 36 minutes later when their timer has gone off to switch it to the dryer, being sure to pull out anything particularly delicate to hang dry on their little white rack that they keep in their closet. 

An hour passes and they return once again to the laundromat to pick up their dry clothes and return to their bedroom where they immediately sort, hang, fold and put away the clean laundry.

Perhaps on “laundry day” they are wearing one of their least favorite outfits, but it is still relatively put together. 

But for me...

"Laundry day" is an excuse for why I am wearing clothes I hate, shirts that don't fit, and swim suit bottoms. 

And I may not even be doing laundry that day! (although I do deeply hope that if I have reached the point of wearing swim suit bottoms for underwear that I do my freaking laundry). 

You see, my process for doing laundry is not so much a routine as it is a desperate attempt to pull my life together in the middle of long to-do lists and mounds of dirty clothes spilling from my closet. 

If I were to simply keep up with my laundry, say, once a week, I might find myself less overwhelmed by putting away the clean clothes or by the lack of options for outfits. I am actually a person who loves routines and is quite type A…but unfortunately, this has not manifested in my laundry habits.

However, when I actually find time to do laundry…it is a great sense of relief, accomplishment, and discovery. 

And so dear friends, I am going to write for myself a defense of a laundry routine. Because, perhaps it will motivate me to finally create a schedule and routine for my laundry, as my friends have encouraged me to do. Because, the sticky notes I left all over my apartment last year, reminding me to 'do my freaking laundry' were unfortunately, ineffective. And because, my dear riting professor has requested I do so. 

So without further ado…

”A Defense of Laundry: A Perhaps Mythical Situation That Will Hopefully Become Reality”

Doing your laundry once a week is the best possible situation. If one waits until four weeks they are left uncomfortable, feeling unproductive, and slightly embarrassed at their lack of put togetherness. Don’t get me wrong–it is okay to not be put together. But creating a weekly ritual of laundry can help manage the stress of overflowing clothes, and ensure that you at least have the opportunity to ‘look good, feel good.’ 

Doing laundry weekly also limits your laundry needs to one…maybe two loads (the school washers are tiny)...and with only one laundry unit between 40 students, it would be simply inconsiderate to systematically hijack the laundry machines for 6 loads. 

I carry my laundry in my laundry basket, it is more firm and easier for me to carry. I lightly dump the clothes into the washer. If using a school machine, kindly ignore the sign saying to fill it halfway full. This would result in only washing 3-4 items of clothing at a time, because of the ridiculously small size of these machines. I find a tank full of laundry gets the job done perfectly fine, anyway. 

While I would prefer to turn on the washing machine first, and mix my soap with the water before putting in the clothes, that is not how washing machines are made these days. At least on campus. So after the clothes comes the soap. I recommend a concentrated soap that automatically measures the amount of soap needed for a load. It is a small container and does 60 loads without taking up much space. 

More importantly than the size or distribution method of the soap, is that the soap is a natural brand made with essential oils or at least lacking in chemicals and fake fragrance. I also add scent boosters, although, admittedly, I do not know how natural these are…perhaps something to consider at another time. Regardless, I sprinkle thes in all over the top of my load and then snap the lid back on the container and return it to my laundry caddy. 

Once the laundry and soap are in, gently close the lid, and make sure it is on cold, dirty, and heavy load. Insert the chip of the laundry card in, and then…

Wait… 

Yes, wait for the beeps to go and the little light to flash several times until it flashes without the beeping sound and then…and only then…can you press start. But then you must wait one more brief moment for the sound of the washing machine to start and then quickly pull the card out with lightning speed before it can begin charging you for extra minutes.

This part of the laundry process takes laser focus and precision. 

While it may seem annoying it is actually a benefit of the ritual. It creates space for focus. It engages your mind in a simple task and asks you to pay attention to something in a new way. 

Once your laundry is in the washer it is … crucial you take note of the time remaining on the machine and immediately set a timer. It would also be wise to tell your roommates or some other responsible person in your life that you have laundry in the washer. 

Even better, you can implement something I have recently begun to do. Coordinate your laundry efforts with others in your living area. Tell them when your laundry will be done. Then, when that 36 minutes is up, even if you did forget to set a timer, your lovely friend and neighbor will politely pester you to go switch your laundry to the dryer so that she can use the washer. 

On the off chance that you forget your laundry so far as to leave to go grocery shopping or get coffee with a friend, your wonderful neighbor can switch the laundry for you with the promise of many a coffee to repay her. 

But, in the interest of this being a time of implementing more responsibility in our laundry process, let’s imagine for a moment that you and I have remembered to set a timer and we are headed to switch our clothes to the dryer.

This next part of the process is simple. If we have achieved the difficult task of actually remembering and showing up to switch our laundry, then we simply need to check the lint section of the dryer, remove any fuzz and throw it away. Then pull the clothes out of the washer and toss them into the dryer. 

I recommend putting in a few laundry dryer sheets. Toss in a few dryer balls to catch any lint or static. 

Then close the dryer lid, insert the chip of the laundry card, and repeat the ninja moves of waiting, pressing start, and snatching your card back out from the mouth of the dryer as you did with the washing machine. 

Again, take note of the time and SET AN ALARM! In fact, set five alarms--all with titles. Ask a friend to remind you and ask whoever’s laundry is in the washer to text you with the fury of a thousand angry penguins if you do not remove your laundry in 56 minutes. 

Then return to your apartment (or dorm) and relax. Do some homework. Make a meal. 

In anticipation perhaps you will check your phone a few times to make sure your alarm is at full volume. 

And when an hour is up, and your neighbor knocks softly on the door to teasingly get you to grab your laundry (because you, of course, set it for PM instead of AM), take your now empty laundry basket (and your KEYS) and fetch your laundry from the dryer. 

Be sure to remove any lint/fuzz from the front of the dryer before removing clothes if you wish to avoid it getting all over your clothes. Also be sure to cup your hand around the edge of the inside of the dryer moving it all the way around to check for any lost socks. Once you are sure none of your socks have escaped, take the laundry back to your room and immediately dump it on your bed so as to motivate you to do it before you sleep. 

While you may be tempted to scoop it back into the basket and leave it on the floor for 2 weeks instead of putting it away…or merely sleep on the clothes in exhaustion, it is best practice to immediately sort and put away the laundry. After all, you do this once a week so you only have one load to put away (right?).

It is simple. It is quick. There is a rhythm and a routine to it. And in it you find some structure. 

Now perhaps it isn’t perfect. 

Perhaps the ideal is not achieved and you have waited a few days too long to wash your clothing. 

Maybe you forgot to switch it and someone you don’t know left your clean clothes on top of the dryer. 

Maybe you made it through the process of washing the clothes, but now you have neglected to put it away for lack of time and energy and so you have been digging through the basket and pulling out items for the past few weeks. 

But in the midst of the chaos and the never ending to do’s, sometimes you need to go through a routine. Create space to do your laundry. Actually sit down during the 36 and 60 minutes you wait for your laundry to finish or be switched. Get homework done or eat, but actually sit…or stretch! But take a moment. Let the process of laundry create space in the waiting. 

Use the laundry process to help create focus. Put energy into a specific task with specific instructions that takes little to no creativity but all the more presence in what you are doing if you do not want your laundry to become musty or stained pink. 

Connect with those around you and bring them into your process, collaborating on who will do laundry when and keeping each other accountable to switch it. 

Find God’s grace in the laundry when you epically fail. When you are left with nothing but swimsuits. 

Show God’s love when others fail. When you go to put in your laundry and someone has left their clothes in the washer. Let it remind you that humans all screw up. And that you and this unknown owner of laundry are not that different. 

And when your clothes are finally clean. Take a moment to show care for your space, your mind, the clothes that you’ve been blessed to have, and your roommate by taking the time to thoughtfully put each item of clothing away in its home. To set your space up in a way that is not cluttered by clothes. But in a way that shows thought and care. It is open and mostly clean. That resets your day and releases your mind a bit. 

And then, when your clothes are all put away– delight in the fun outfits to be made. And relish in the accomplishment of a task!!

And use it as fuel and encouragement as you move on to the rest of your to do list and take it one task at a time. Or as Anne Lamott, an author I’m reading for my writing class, would say, bird by bird. 

Much love to you all! May we grow together in being better stewards of our laundry and in loving our fellow laundry-failing neighbors. 

Sincerely,

Sophi