Washing Whites

I am doing a load of whites. A few weeks ago I mentioned I was sorting clothes to wash (whites, darks, reds, towels, jeans-is how it goes here), and someone was shocked that I actually sorted clothes! Doesn't everyone sort?!?

Not sorting?!? I can't imagine it! That's not how my mom taught me to do it! I remember when my she introduced me to the intricacies of washing clothes. One day, she told me to "come down to the basement"-she was going to teach me to wash clothes. " I don't want to learn!" I replied. Didn't matter.

The basement under our old farmhouse had hand-hewn redrock stone walls with bare dirt showing between. We had a cellar door to the outside, next to the inside stairs. The basement was chilly and clammy, and the washing machine and dryer ran steadily down there. My mom showed me how to sort, wash, dry, hang and fold. Sometimes we "hung things out" to dry on the clothesline. Then they smelled great.

Mom was an expert. She had tons of energy and was a great housekeeper, cook and mother, and she washed thousands of loads of washes. Still today (2009-and in her 70's) she is "famous" with her kids and grandkids for washing everything in sight, and liking it!

When she was first married in 1955, she ironed too (even sheets!), but after 5 kids and about 30 foster kids, she did not iron as much, although she still enjoyed it. I once told her that her old clothes that had been washed many times were whiter than many people's newer clothes. This observation pleased her. To me it was normal. I began to notice this area of her expertise after I began having my own kids and was buying secondhand kids clothes. Some of the nearly new things were already so grey! I was not used to that. Growing up, our stuff was clean and bright, no matter what we got into, or how old it was.

Learning how to wash clothes well was a very useful lesson that prepared me for life in a home with a farmer husband and six kids. I am like my mom, in that I actually enjoy washing clothes. Sometimes we hang things on the line, here, too. (Ironing is another matter, altogether!)

Here are some of the "washing whites" things I learned from mom:

1. Always wash whites alone. Do not mix with colors or they will get greyer. Darks and reds can go together in cold, but NEVER mix whites!

2. Whites should be washed in the hottest water you can use safely, and should be rinsed twice. The second rinse removes even more soap residue, which dulls clothes.

3. As I said, too much soap dulls your clothes. Cut back to about half of what the manufacturer recommends on the detergent bottle. (I have a front load washer now, and it is THE greatest! You can do LARGE loads, with less detergent, less water. Things spin out and dry faster. Wear is reduced. Blankets and pillows and most stuffed animals can be washed at home, because there is no agitator pulling on them. Air dry afterwards. )

4. Fill your washer with the water, soap and whitening agent (non-chlorine brightener-I like Oxi-Clean) of choice, put in the clothes. Stand there and watch it agitate a couple of minutes, then turn it off and leave it for an hour or more. (I often leave my white loads to soak overnight.) Come back later, start washer and do the usual wash cycle. Things will be brighter.