In the arena of household chores, laundry gets a bad rap. It’s somewhat understandable, I suppose, since it’s one of those chores that’s never done. Even when you’re caught up you’re behind.Unless you’re naked. Then I guess you really are caught up. And actually, come to think of it, maybe that’s why some people choose not to wear clothes. Maybe nudists aren’t people who are just comfortable with their body, or want to be free of inhibitions, or whatever other mumbo jumbo they claim. Maybe they just really hate doing laundry.I try to be a modern, split-the-household-responsibilities kind of guy, so I do some laundry. Notice I said some. Not all. If one person had to do all the laundry for everyone in a house of six people I think psychological madness would ensue is short order. So I do some. Probably not even my fair share, but more than none.I did about six loads of laundry today and it got me thinking about some things.Before I get into that I just remembered one of the most disappointing moments of my life.I don’t know how old I was, maybe five or six, but I vividly recall watching the Snuggle fabric softener commercial and thinking the bear was so awesome. He looked so cuddly and Gizmo-esque. It’d be awesome to see him in person. But then—and I don’t recall how—I figured out that not only did the Snuggle bear not actually talk, laugh, or play in piles of clean laundry, but he wasn’t even real. So sad! Somehow I continued on though.Now, back to the issue at hand.First of all, I’m not sure we should complain about doing laundry at all. I mean what does laundry really entail? Carry some clothes into a room, put them in a machine, wait a while, put them into another machine, wait again, fold the clothes and put them away. Not exactly grueling work. It’s not like you’re down on all fours washing the floor, or scrubbing the clothes with an old school washboard. Machines do all the hard work for us. (Of course, if you are actually using a washboard then you’re hardcore!)I think part of the reason we hate doing laundry is that unless we keep up with it, we can waste an entire weekend day on it. An hour to wash, an hour to dry, and then putting it away, that really adds up. And even though we’re not actively working during that entire period, it still feels like it’s taking all day.I try to keep an eye on the clock so I’ll know exactly when both machines are done in the basement so I’m not wasting any time between loads. But I still end up with minutes when neither machine is running and I’m extending the time I have to think about laundry.This is where a laundromat has a distinct advantage over the at-home washer and dryer. If I wanted to schlep all of my laundry over to the nearest Bubbles & Heat, I could get eight washers and eight dryers going at once, and I’d be done with all of it in two hours. Of course, I’d also have to come up with about ninety bucks in quarters, too, not to mention having to rent a U-Haul to transport my bags of dirty laundry.So I guess there’s no convenient way to do laundry.There’s plenty of inconvenience involved though.Let’s begin with sorting. I’ve heard that people sort their laundry. I don’t. Well, I don’t sort clothes. Separating jeans and my disgusting running clothes from everything else is about the extent of my sorting. I also keep towels and sheets separate from clothes, but lights and darks, fabrics of different types, hot water, cold water…ain’t nobody got time for that.I’m not winning any fashion awards anyway, so I’m not too worried about it.Next, I think laundry soap is one of the biggest modern-day ripoffs. Obviously we have to use it, but does anyone actually measure that stuff as recommended? I’m supposed to fill it to the second line, but that requires a level of precision that I’m usually just not willing to put forth.And I think the detergent people know it. Otherwise they’d give us a smaller cap and just have us fill the cap. Instead they give us a huge cap, tell us to fill it up an eighth of the way, and then sell us more detergent when we only get 52 loads from that 60-load bottle.It all beats wearing stinky, dirty clothes though. But still, it would have been cool to meet Snuggle.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Come to the place where it's always warm and spring fresh: My Facebook page, Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.
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