Monday, March 31, 2008

Not your ordinary laundry basket

I am totally in love with my new laundry basket! When I said I had gotten rid of it what I meant was the hard plastic laundry baskets that for some reason always sat in my bedroom mocking me whether it was with those few unmatched socks or the final pairs of underwear that just never made it to their final destinations. Sometimes it was just their presence; they were there and there was no home for them. Maybe they should live on top of the dryer, but as you have seen, my laundry room shares space with my pantry and is right off the kitchen. The door to this room rarely stays closed. Most times I keep it open to get some fresh morning sun into the kitchen or that much needed cool cross breeze.

So, sitting on top of the dryer, they would still mock me and taunt me even if by some miracle I was able to get all of the clean laundry put away before starting the next load which seems to be my impossible dream; but if not, enter the familiar feelings of guilt and shame . Mostly, they would drag my spirit down with feelings of never being "done". I tip my hat to you super moms who always put the clean clothes away when they are piping hot fresh from the dryer. My kids have too many times heard me say, "Check the laundry basket!" when looking for clothes to wear.

My mom actually had a laundry day. A day when all of the laundry could be done, folded and put away but she only had two children to wash for. I tried to hold onto that model of maintenance for as long as I could which was about the time that Shortcake came along at which point I had two "laundry days"; one for clothes and one for sheets, towels, etc.... Then, after BigBoy, laundry became an almost daily occcurence and I never quite got that same sense of "it's finished!" There was always more!!!


So why does this basket work for me better than the other ones?
Because it crunches!

It's called a Crunch Can and can be tucked under a bed or next to the dryer and somehow just knowing that it can be hidden away has become the best motivation for getting the laundry done.
I have heard from other moms that they experienced the same laundry revolution somewhere between child #3 and 4 so I don't think I am alone although maybe they have a better system for getting it all put away. Eliminating the quantity was the first step! Anyway, feel free to share your tips, tricks and hints for getting housework done... doesn't have to be specifically laundry oriented. Seems like 'tis the season!

UPDATE*********************************
If you do your laundry in the dungeon (love that image Barb!) or have to carry the clean clothes upstairs to be put away, then you should know that the straps on the crunch can are very thin and might seem too weak to carry a heavy load. You can also carry it by the metal frame on top, but there are no other built in handles. I don't have to worry about carrying it too much because my older kids come to the laundry room to get their clean clothes and put them away. I am usually left with our foldable laundry and BigBoy's stuff. Hangups are put away separately.

13 comments:

  1. I LOVE that! I promised myself I would buy no new organizing things until I'd totally decluttered. But...my laundry baskets have all decided to fall apart at once. Who knew one could experience such gleeful anticipation over a laundry basket??

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  2. Sweet!! We are in the process of eliminating our baskets, as well! They are unsightly, cracked in a few places and I simply have no place to store them. What an innovation...and they're very, very pretty as well! Thanks for the tip ;-D

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  3. You are so cute and color coordinated. I love the look of your laundry room, esp. the random sock basket. We all need one of those.

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  4. Laundry is definitely the albatross around my neck. It's not the doing of laundry I mind so much as the folding and putting away! Why is that? (I think it's because I have to peek in my sons' drawers...and don't tell me to have my sons put their laundry away, because that's why their drawers look the way they do!)

    We are such beautiful works in progress, aren't we? Those laundry baskets, especially, may put some fun into the tedium.

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  5. I adore the crunch can! The kids' (plastic, ugly) hamper just lost its lid and we were talking about how to replace it. Now I've got my answer! Thanks!

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  6. More laundry fun!! I have a very similar laundry room set up. So after your last laundry post, I ran to Home Depot to get some shelves for over my washer and dryer.... and start organzing!! My dh put them up for me on Friday, so now I'm working on arranging various bins over the top!! Keep the inspirational housecleaning posts coming!

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  7. The new machines were somewhat of a motivation for my dear wife. She likes the blinky lights. Stuff gets done pretty quickly these days, and put away not long after. (In her defense, the old machines were truly dead, and we had been polanning a major upgrade for nearly two years... but still, there are more fun ways to spend $2,000...) Tell your husand he is very lucky to have a wife that is amused and motivated by cheap baskets.

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  8. That is SO neat!! Thanks for the link... I'm not suppose to buy anything either until I finish decluttering. So, more motivation to get finished :) Your laundry room is looking wonderful!

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  9. You did a great job and you have inspired me! I AM going to organize my laundry room. I think I can. I think I can . . .

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  10. awe man....I want that now! I was all set to make do with what I have but that is so cute! The best part is that it stores away easily! That is going on my wish list for Mother's day....last year I got a trash can...lol I did ask for it though. This will be easy for hubby to get. I will just email him the link you gave us...thanks!

    P.S- I still have that song stuck in my head!!

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  11. Matilda, dear, you have created a run on Crunch Cans. Both colors are backordered now. You're a marketing trend!

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  12. Why would you even want to squish that one and hide it? It's really cute.

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  13. So happy to learn about the crunch can.

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and yourself!