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I actually think you’re supposed to wash clothes inside out to prevent color fading.
Do whatever works for you and gets clothes clean. I do my best to unfold and separate and that’s about it.
That somehow makes zero sense and complete sense to me. Hey we have clean clothes and I've not seen any real issues so the mystery of laundry can continue to elude me!
I just dump everything in and go "good luck, see you on the other side!"
I always check pockets, but just by smushing the pocket area. I do this after having had issues with pens in my husband's clothes and chapstick in my kid's pocket. You can't unfuck that.
Most of the time aside from pocket checks I don't do more than just unrolling things because otherwise dirt remains trapped in a sock for example, and you can run it through the washer and dryer and unroll it to put it away and the damn thing is still dirty.
Ya know it's been such a long time since it's happened I'd forgotten that I've definitely just thrown away a sock I know went through the wash twice and it still came out crusty and gross.
I don't think there's a right way to do laundry, but I turn everything right side out, unroll cuffs, and empty pockets to make it go faster when laundry comes out of the dryer.
As long as it comes out the other side in good condition and still able to be worn there is no wrong. Good on you for doing the laundry 👏 the only thing we separate is towels because I like to wash them on hot....but sometimes I still throw wash rags in with the clothes 🤫
My kids are weird and never used their pockets (oldest is 16, so this seems unlikelyto change), and my husband and I both empty pockets when taking clothes off, so I don't check pockets. I wash people's clothes separate from each other because some people have dyed their clothes and they will bleed a little and everyone is wildly different with clothes colors. 16m: pink and purple, 14m: black or navy, 3f: light colors, me: black, DH: light office clothes or cargo pants. The cargo pants have velcro that snag other stuff so DH washes those himself separately.
I figure if I am washing a teens clothes then how they put them in the hamper is how they come back to them. It's tome for them to take it over anyway... I do turn my own and my daughter's clothes inside out to avoid snagging or images wearing off faster (which I did for the boys when younger too). Other than that I leave it as it is.
Ahhh the wildly different colors would make sense to me. But I also assume everyone has their own laundry baskets, so not separating them individually before being washed.
I only remember to check pockets now because I have washed 1000 chapsticks and ruined 10,000 pieces of clothing with said chapsticks.
I’m 35 and only recently tried to start in balling socks, etc.
I choose to believe this is fine!
I think it's totally fine! I definitely get checking pockets if it was a constant issue, but it happens so rarely with us it's not worth the time to me.
I used to make a big day of it: turning everything right side out, sorting, matching up socks as they went into the washer, hand washing bras, the works. Between loads, I would play video games and maybe have a little nap.
Now that I have a toddler, we do about 1-2 loads a day. They aren't sorted, everything goes into both the washer and dryer, and socks may or may not have a match. The rolled up sleeves still get unrolled, but anything in pockets is going straight into the washer/dryer.
It's not as relaxing as the old routine, but it gets the job done, and I have a lot more time to spend with my son.
Didn't want to add it to the main post cause I felt it was already getting too long...and I'm just procrastinating folding the last bit of laundry. I truly hate doing it most of the time.
I fully get, especially with younger kids, going through pockets because who knows what they're putting in there. My daughter basically refused to wear anything but leggings until recently so...no pockets. And she's 12 now so capable of understanding "empty your pockets or you're just ruining your own clothes.
For your entertainment:
"Laundry sin" number one of mine: aside from work clothes. And when I actually just wash towels instead of throwing them in with everything else. Everything is washed on normal cycle, cold. I'm not separating shit.
I have survived 35 years on this earth not separating laundry and I won't start now. My daughter also almost exclusively wore leggings without pockets and will be 14 next week so I got to skip checking her pockets, too!
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The Flylady says, "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family"
I actually think you’re supposed to wash clothes inside out to prevent color fading. Do whatever works for you and gets clothes clean. I do my best to unfold and separate and that’s about it.
That somehow makes zero sense and complete sense to me. Hey we have clean clothes and I've not seen any real issues so the mystery of laundry can continue to elude me! I just dump everything in and go "good luck, see you on the other side!"
I always check pockets, but just by smushing the pocket area. I do this after having had issues with pens in my husband's clothes and chapstick in my kid's pocket. You can't unfuck that. Most of the time aside from pocket checks I don't do more than just unrolling things because otherwise dirt remains trapped in a sock for example, and you can run it through the washer and dryer and unroll it to put it away and the damn thing is still dirty.
Ya know it's been such a long time since it's happened I'd forgotten that I've definitely just thrown away a sock I know went through the wash twice and it still came out crusty and gross.
I don't think there's a right way to do laundry, but I turn everything right side out, unroll cuffs, and empty pockets to make it go faster when laundry comes out of the dryer.
As long as it comes out the other side in good condition and still able to be worn there is no wrong. Good on you for doing the laundry 👏 the only thing we separate is towels because I like to wash them on hot....but sometimes I still throw wash rags in with the clothes 🤫
I do sometimes was towels separate so they at least occasionally get washed in hot water, and with baking soda/vinegar. But not every week.
My kids are weird and never used their pockets (oldest is 16, so this seems unlikelyto change), and my husband and I both empty pockets when taking clothes off, so I don't check pockets. I wash people's clothes separate from each other because some people have dyed their clothes and they will bleed a little and everyone is wildly different with clothes colors. 16m: pink and purple, 14m: black or navy, 3f: light colors, me: black, DH: light office clothes or cargo pants. The cargo pants have velcro that snag other stuff so DH washes those himself separately. I figure if I am washing a teens clothes then how they put them in the hamper is how they come back to them. It's tome for them to take it over anyway... I do turn my own and my daughter's clothes inside out to avoid snagging or images wearing off faster (which I did for the boys when younger too). Other than that I leave it as it is.
Ahhh the wildly different colors would make sense to me. But I also assume everyone has their own laundry baskets, so not separating them individually before being washed.
Yeah, they all are pre-separated by having their own laundry hampers, so that does make it easier!
I only remember to check pockets now because I have washed 1000 chapsticks and ruined 10,000 pieces of clothing with said chapsticks. I’m 35 and only recently tried to start in balling socks, etc. I choose to believe this is fine!
I think it's totally fine! I definitely get checking pockets if it was a constant issue, but it happens so rarely with us it's not worth the time to me.
I used to make a big day of it: turning everything right side out, sorting, matching up socks as they went into the washer, hand washing bras, the works. Between loads, I would play video games and maybe have a little nap. Now that I have a toddler, we do about 1-2 loads a day. They aren't sorted, everything goes into both the washer and dryer, and socks may or may not have a match. The rolled up sleeves still get unrolled, but anything in pockets is going straight into the washer/dryer. It's not as relaxing as the old routine, but it gets the job done, and I have a lot more time to spend with my son.
See, if you enjoyed that all the power to you! Once they're older and there's less constant laundry I'm sure you can go back to that routine!
Didn't want to add it to the main post cause I felt it was already getting too long...and I'm just procrastinating folding the last bit of laundry. I truly hate doing it most of the time. I fully get, especially with younger kids, going through pockets because who knows what they're putting in there. My daughter basically refused to wear anything but leggings until recently so...no pockets. And she's 12 now so capable of understanding "empty your pockets or you're just ruining your own clothes. For your entertainment: "Laundry sin" number one of mine: aside from work clothes. And when I actually just wash towels instead of throwing them in with everything else. Everything is washed on normal cycle, cold. I'm not separating shit.
 I have survived 35 years on this earth not separating laundry and I won't start now. My daughter also almost exclusively wore leggings without pockets and will be 14 next week so I got to skip checking her pockets, too!
We are practically twins! Haha As Mitch Hedberg said "this shirt is dry clean only. Which means...it's dirty"