I realized it was time to wash the whites again when I couldn’t find a clean flat sheet for my sister-in-law when she stayed over last week. This hasn’t happened in long time, mostly because we received five or six sets of sheets for our wedding. I don’t usually let the laundry pile up that much; I guess it’s been that kind of month though… the kind of month that feels like one long day. Things that used to be on the top of my list are lost and forgotten.
So I washed and dried all the sheets I could find, including the ones on both of my boys’ beds. I wanted to get this job all done at once. Tonight I had to face folding them and putting them all away… the part of laundry that I hate most of all. I still haven’t figured out how to fold those fitted sheets- with which I have a love-hate relationship. They are, of course, brilliantly practical, yet a ridiculous bulgy entanglement until they actually appear on the bed. I’ve tried and tried matching the seams up, folding down the part that’s curved, so there’s somewhat of a straight edge, but still I end up with this ugly rolled up package that looks like my three-year-old folded it, and I gave it entirely no effort which is the opposite of the truth. So, you can see why I avoid washing sheets every week.
I must also mention that the flat sheets give me trouble as well which I’m going to credit only to the massive size of the sheet. I mean really, have you ever tried folding a sheet that is the size of a small bedroom? I get it all spread out, match up the corners of one side, and then I can’t seem to make it to the other side without getting twisted up or misguided. It’s very frustrating. I’m tempted to give up, turn the entire pile of sheets into one big wad, and throw them in the linen closet- as is. Good luck everyone in finding a sheet when you need one!
However, I didn’t turn my clean basket of whites into a wad… after all, there were socks and underwear in there too! I took a deep breath, sorted it out and did my best as usual to make these large thin pieces of material appear as close to a neatly folded stack as possible. In the end, I was nearly completely dissatisfied by my efforts, but the good news is there are now clean sheets in the closet and an empty laundry basket for me to collect yet another load.
I fold while I'm watching tv. It takes my mind off the job. And like you, it gets done just as well whether I'm paying attention or not. :)
ReplyDeleteI also fold while I'm watching tv. In fact I rarely let myself watch tv unless I'm "doing" something like nursing or doing laundry. That way it seems like a treat and then laundry is fun!:)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college over one summer I worked at a hotel washing laundry. That summer they switched from putting a flat sheet on bottom to buying fitted sheets and there was an uproar in the laundry room because folding the suckers took FOREVER (we had a two-person sheet folding system where one sheet took about 30 seconds). My mom actually had to come in and teach everyone how to fold fitted sheets. It was pretty funny. :)
Add me to the list of people who watch TV while folding. I especially love long, epic period dramas. Some of them are so long, I can get through eight or nine loads before I finish one story!
ReplyDeleteYou are a better housewife than I am. My linen closet in in disarray. We have a range of full and queen size sheets, but only two sets of king size that fit our bed. The sheets we never use are just stuffed into a basket and thrown in the closet. I will take the time to make it look pretty if we ever have company over. In other words, when we move back to the states! My towels, though, are pristine. :)
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