From Chaos to Control: Part 2: The Laundry

Step 1. Airing out the House is complete

The next step in bringing a feral house under control is to get the washing on.

Even if you haven't got the time or the energy to do anything else, when you stick a load on you're making a dent in the whole horrible crap-heap.

Step 2. Get The Washing On

• Place a washing basket in a central area
• Toss every article of clothing that is on the floor into the basket
• When the basket is full empty it in the middle of the laundry floor
• Repeat until there are no more clothes on the floor - this may take a while if you are a parent to girls who have to change outfits every 14 seconds
• If you have trained your children/husband to actually use the laundry baskets in their rooms, empty them on the pile - you will be amazed what you will find at the bottom. Amazed. 
• Add in all the dirty towels and bathroom mats
• Forget the beds.  Do them another time. Nobody ever died of sleeping on dirty sheets (well, not at my house)
• Have a rest and contemplate your pile of dirty laundry. 
• Now is a good time to photograph it and post it on the internet (unless you phone has a flat battery, ahem), 
• Also to check facebook, twitter and your blog stats,
• Sip your tea. Microwave it if its gone cold
• Next, sort the whole heaving mess into colour coordinated piles.

My teeny weeny laundry

• Now wash the pile that has the most important things in it
• Your own clothes first - I always used to do mine last, and never had anything to wear 
• Then, whatever you need to get you through the following day - eg school uniforms, underpants...
• Go and have a sit down and watch Dr Phil.  You've earned it.  Also he might be talking about 'abandoned child reunited with siblings,' or 'tarty girls get called tarty,' both excellent daytime viewing.

Home Made Laundry Powder

• Home made laundry powder is excellent stuff
• A lot cheaper than commercial brands
• Easy to make
• I use two parts lux flakes, one part borax, one part washing soda (NOTE: I'm having a lot of trouble finding lux flakes these days)
• Down To Earth has loads of info
• If you are overwhelmed and the house is trashed, its likely you have neither time nor energy for making your own laundry powder. Save it for when you've got time, and use the bought stuff for now.  That's what I do.
• Certain loads always need a bit more oomph (like when the article has been soaked in bodily fluids and left in a knotted up plastic bag for a week).  I always keep OMO and napisan on hand for loads like that (also tongs).

The brilliant thing about the washing is that it takes time - so if you are busy with other stuff you can do a load now and then, and still feel like you're getting the house under control.

Use the dryer, or hang-out the wet stuff - whichever is easiest. Be virtuous and save electricity when the house is calm and you have the energy.  Now is the time to use the short cuts like the dryer.

Time taken: About an hour.