Wash, rinse & repeat
Ok, it’s time to talk dirty. That is dirty clothes, ripped clothes and missing buttons. In simple terms: Laundry and Sewing. I have made it point to teach my daughter both of these skills, so she is prepared for living on her own.
Let’s start with laundry. Laundry can be simple till it’s not. Detergent, check. Fabric Softener, check. Color Safe Bleach, huh? Not to mention stain remover. I have a basket for my supplies on top of a laundry basket.
“Laundry can be frustrating, even for a laundry enthusiast. It's time-consuming, unceasing and there is so very much that can go wrong.” — Jolie Kerr, New York Times So let’s take some of the mystery out of doing laundry. The old standard was c0lor in warm water, whites in hot water (with bleach) and delicate clothes in cold water. However, today most detergents are made for high efficiency (HE) machines and can be used in cold water. I still use the old standard. Before you even get to detergent, clear you laundry of pins, stuff in pockets and sip zippers, secure Velcro, close hooks and leave buttons undone (Martha Stewart). My father had a rule that any money found in the laundry was his. You can bet my sister and I emptied our pockets! Be sure to pretreat any stains, as soon as oossible after it occurs. “If you stain a favorite item, the best chance it has at recovery is with pre-treatment. Drench the problem area in detergent or stain remover and let it sink in before washing.” — Morgan Goldberg, Food52
So now you have the basics of doing your own laundry. What if you have a rip, a lost button or in my daughter’s case need to hem pants, this is where sewing comes in.
You just can’t explain in words how to sew, this is why I taught my daughter by watching me at first and then helping her. Now she can hem her own pants.
Missing button? Watch here.
Got pants? Learn to hem them.