I’m so thrilled to participate in 5 Days of Christmas with some of my best bloggy friends.  I’m (of course) hosting the Laundry Gifts.  I’ve found some new, creative laundry gifts for this year and look forward to sharing them with you.

Today we’re talking children’s books.  And they all have to do with laundry.

Who knew there were so many?!  Or any for that matter.

I have 4 little ones 6 and under, so children’s books are piled high here at the Hill House.  And this Mama Laundry is thrilled to have found some new-to-me reads.

Each of the excerpts below are taken from Amazon’s description of the book.

Knuffle Bunny
We are big Mo Willems fans, thanks to my brother introducing us to The Pigeon.  I’ve already ordered this one for my littles for Christmas.  Can’t wait to read it!

Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind… Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy’s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.

Llamas in the Laundry
My kiddos love rhyming and play-on-words.  Already ordered this one too.  (Love the Prime!)

Have you ever wondered if porcupines are ticklish, if fish wash, or how to say Rhinosterous? Do you know how to make a child-high sandwich? How porridge gets on the ceiling?  Why uncles wear plaid? William New’s rhyming verse enacts all these situations, ranging from the madcap to the mysterious. The poems are complemented by Vivian Bevis’s full page, full colour illustrations which capture the high-spirited and impetuous qualities of the verse.

Wanda’s Washing Machine
Love the pop-up game in the back of the book.  A nice surprise!

Wanda is a very messy eater! At Grandma Pearl’s Wanda spills pea soup and pink lemonade down the front of her favorite shirt. Luckily Walter the Washing Machine lives in Wanda’s kitchen. Each time Wanda shouts the magic words “Eat dirt, Walter!” Walter the Washing Machine rumbles and tumbles Wanda’s clothes clean. Follow Wanda as she gets more and more of her clothes dirty and Walter cleans them. A pop-up Walter the Washing Machine is featured on the last spread along with press-out messy clothes to wash. A good, clean, fun story—way to go, Walter!

Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash
Another fun rhyming book about silly things hung on the clothesline.

Each Monday at dawn, Mrs. Nelly McNosh brings out a barrel and does a big wash.  Mrs. McNosh’s wash is certainly big-and definitely wacky. You’ll be surprised to see what is hanging on her clothesline by the end of the day!

Elmo’s Wash and Dry
We own this beloved book and it is just that: beloved.  Elmo’s blanket is dirty and must be washed, so his mom sends in through the washing machine.  Elmo seems to allow his blanket to be washed more often than my girls!

Elmo’s blanket needs washing. Elmo waits while his blanket goes through the washer, then the dryer, and finally comes back to his arms. Dipping the book in and out of water makes bubble drawings appear and disappear in this very colorful tale.

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I’m excited to join my friends in 5 Days of Christmas.  There is a wide variety of Christmas topics covered, so there is a little something for everyone.  Enjoy stopping by each spot this week!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make

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Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.  Please see Mama’s Disclosure policy for further information.

One of the most popular posts here at Mama’s is How to Wash Stuffed Animals.  It is in the top three most viewed posts every day.  And while it offers good advice on how to launder stuffed animals, it doesn’t address those animals that can’t be submerged in water.

So what stuffed animals cannot go through the washer?
- Those with a music box
- Those with items that are glued on, such as buttons or a hat.  Glued-on eyes will probably survive washing okay if you follow Mama’s instructions
- The animal has on delicate clothing items that can’t be removed
- Those that have objects such as glitter or sequins
- Those that have styrofoam balls inside (ie: Beanie Babies)
- Those that have been over-loved and are extremely old or fragile

If you have a most-loved stuffed animal that cannot go through the washer for a good cleaning, use the following guide to spot-clean it by hand.  It’s not nearly as hard or time-consuming as you might think.

Assemble your supplies:

A clean toothbrush (it doesn’t have to be new, just clean)
Two clean white washcloths
A clean white towel
A small bowl or wash basin
High-Efficiency laundry detergent

I’ve tried washing stuffed animals using several different types of soaps (dish detergent and hand soap) but it works best to use an HE detergent due to its low-sudsing properties.

Use only a white or very light colored towel to wash and dry your stuffed animals.  A towel that is dark in color or hasn’t been washed a million times might transfer its color onto your animal.  And then you’ve got a whole new set of troubles.  So save yourself the headache and use white linens.

Depending upon the size of your bowl or basin, place a small amount of HE detergent in the bottom.  There is only about a tablespoon in this basin.

Fill the container with warm water, agitating the water as it fills the bowl so the detergent dissolves.

Dip your washcloth into the detergent solution and leave the cloth fairly wet, but not saturated.  In a circular motion, very gently rub the outside of the animal.  Continue washing until the whole stuffed animal is clean.

If you have a problem spot or stain, dip the toothbrush into your detergent solution and very lightly scrub the stubborn spot.  I will caution you that scrubbing any garment or stuffed animal with a toothbrush can cause damage.  So only use a toothbrush for stains after you’ve tried to lightly scrub it with the washcloth.  A toothbrush should be your last resort for a stain.

Wet the other washcloth under cool, running water and again leave it fairly wet but not saturated.  ‘Rinse’ the stuffed animal using the water-only wash cloth, gently rubbing in a circular motion.  You might have to rinse this washcloth several times and wash again to remove the bulk of the detergent.

It is best to let the stuffed animal hang-dry or sit in front of a fan to dry.  In all likelihood, if the animal is too delicate to go in the washer then it is probably too delicate for the heat of the dryer also.

A few additional notes:

• Once a stuffed animal is cleaned in any fashion (washing machine or spot-clean) the nap (the baby’s fur) will probably never look the same again.  While you are able to clean the animal, it won’t have that ‘brand-new’ look.  Make sure your expectations are realistic about what the animal will look like after it is clean.
• If you want to fluff up the nap of the stuffed animal, try lightly brushing or combing it.  If you don’t have the results you were hoping for, you can put it in the dryer on the air cycle for a few minutes.  Be extremely careful with the heat of the dryer. Delicate items cannot handle its heat and can melt quickly.
• Don’t overdo it on the detergent.  You want there to be enough detergent to be effective,  but you don’t want so much that you can’t get the soap off.  A dry soapy stuffed animal is a crunchy stuffed animal.

Questions about washing stuffed animals?  Feel free to leave them in the comments.

Have you priced Little Girl Tights lately?  Super expensive.  Even the ones at Wal-mart aren’t cheap, although they are definitely cheaper quality.

So how do you make them last as long as possible while still looking nice?

I’m so glad you asked.  Here are a few tips:

• Always wash tights on the delicate cycle.
  Little girl tights are often a poly/cotton blend, which can pill if washed with lots of agitation.  And moderate to heavy agitation can often cause pilling.  So wash the tights on cool/cold on the delicate cycle.  Every once in awhile (as in every 3-5 washes) the tights will probably need to be washed on the ‘normal’ cycle to get rid of sweat or dirt stains.  But definitely don’t wash on the ‘normal’ cycle every time.
• Wash tights in a mesh bag.
  If you read here much at all, you know I am a big fan of the mesh bag for everything from washing stuffed animals to washing lingerie.  For more delicate items, a mesh bag adds an added layer of protection.  Little girl tights are no exception, so use one every time.
• Never ever ever dry tights in the dryer.  Ever.
  The dryer heat makes them pill.  And it also makes the elastic old before its time.  In general, dryer heat makes them just look old before they really are.  I either hang dry them from clothes hangers or use my S-hooks if I only have a pair or two.
• Buy higher quality tights to start with.
  It’s painful to pay out $15 (or more!) for little girl tights, but if they last most of the season it seems smart to do.  If you pay for good quality items to start with, there seems to be more incentive to take better care of them.

Just out of curiosity, where do you buy your little girl tights?  Since I have two little girls in tights (and maybe 3 soon!) I’m always on the lookout for great quality at a good price.  If you know of any great sites, please leave them in the comments!

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

This weekend, my 16-month old was plagued by some type of stomach virus.  And if you’re a Mama, you instinctively know that this means loads (and loads) of ‘sick laundry.’ Bleh.

There was one bright spot that made the whole ordeal a little easier: layering crib sheets.

What a fabulous way to sail through multiple crib sheet changes in the middle of the night!  Try it once and you’ll be hooked!

Spring has finally sprung here in North Carolina!  My children couldn’t be more thrilled that they are able to go outside at least once daily.  And this Mama is thrilled they can go outside too.

But I must admit, there is one item I never look forward to at the changing of seasons: The Great Clothing Swap.

In years past, it seems to have lasted for months.  Out-of-season clothes stashed in nooks and crannies around the house.  It’s enough to drive me crazy.  I just want to take 2-3 days and knock it all out in one shot.

We have three children that are fairly close in age, so I’ve developed a system that works pretty well for us.  So like any other how-to post: read everything, use what you can, and leave the rest.

To store my children’s clothes, I use the XL size Ziploc bags.  The large size are too small and the XXL are definitely too big for my family’s use.  We tried using the equivalent size in the Hefty Brand, and while I enjoy the zippered closure it was poor quality.  I could only unzip them 2 or 3 times before the zipper broke.  And then the bag was useless.

I know that lots of moms use totes to store clothes.  But these also didn’t work for me simply because when stacked, the lids began to bow.  And when the lids bowed, it allowed air entry.  Air entry = bug entry.  I don’t do bugs of any type.  Ever.

In the baby stages, my clothes are sorted by age: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months.  I see no reason to sort by season since they fly through clothes so quickly.  So on the top right corner of my Ziploc bag I write in a black Sharpie: GIRL 0-3 months or BOY 9-12 months.

There are many other items to store from the baby days and I have them separated in the following bags:

• Baby Blankets/Towels/Washcloths
• All feeding supplies (bottles, cups, pump, etc)
• Cloth Diapers
• Bag of Baby Toys
• Shoes: Sizes 2-5 then Sizes 5-8 and so on

If there are special/certain items in the bag, I make sure I note that under the size.  For example, I document on the bag that is the one in which I put all of the baby socks.  Or if I ran out of space and there are a few 6 month outfits in the top of the 9-12 month bag.  Make sure you document what is in your bags.  I can absolutely promise you that you won’t remember. The better your labels, the happier you’ll be.

Once clothes start at the 2T range, I begin to sort by season.  So I’ll write on my bag: BOY 4T  – Mostly Winter or GIRL 3T Summer.

For older children, I sort these items separately:

• Coats – 1 bag of Girl Coats and 1 bag of Boy Coats (2T-5T stored in same bag)
• Shoes – Boy Sizes 5-8 then 8-12 and Girls Sizes 5-8 then 8-12

For items like belts and special dresses/sweaters I make sure I label those items on the outside of the bag I’ve put them in.  I want to easily see at a glance where those types of things are located.

Once all of these items are bagged, we store them in our attic.  We are very blessed to have a walk-up attic with ample storage space.  The bags are arranged by gender and then by size.  My youngest daughter is in 18-month clothes, so there is a hole in my stored girl clothes between 12-months and 2T.  When she has outgrown this size, I’ll purge what is not needed, bag what we want to keep and then return them to their ”home” in the attic in case they are needed again.

After scanning this method, you might be wondering: Why would you take so much time to keep so many clothes?  Doesn’t it just create clutter? I’m so glad you asked.

We have been blessed with more hand-me-downs than I can count.  And we are so blessed that others have freely given their clothes that they no longer need.  We’re very grateful.  I take the time to organize and take good care of them so we can use them if/when we have more children.  By being good stewards of the items we have, I can stay at home with my children every day.  I’m not saying this is the way it should work for every family…but this is definitely what works for our family!

Have a great storage method you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

I am pleased to link this post to WFMW over at We are THAT Family.  Head on over for a plethora of magnificent ideas.

How to wash stuffed animals must be a hot question these days, as I’ve gotten several emails about it recently.  So I thought a good how-to post was in order.

Unfortunately, our house was taken over by the stomach bug two weeks ago, and I got plenty of practice in washing these little babies.

There are many reasons you need to wash stuffed animals: the yuck stomach bug mentioned previously, they can be dusty from sitting on a shelf, a little too much love from the owner, lice or other varmints, or frequent washing for kiddos with allergies and asthma.

Stuffed animals are also like clothes – the less you wash them, the longer they will look new.  After an animal has been washed that crisp, new look probably won’t be there.  But at least they’ll look clean!

Stuffed animals cannot be washed if:
- They have a music box sewn inside
- They are extremely old and fragile
- They have items glued on – sequins, etc.  Glued-on eyes probably will survive a washing.
- They have delicate ‘clothing’ items on that can’t be removed (think glittery, net-type dresses or delicate little crowns or the like)
- They have small foam balls inside (like Beanie Babies) not batting.

(See the comments section for how to clean Beanie Baby-like stuffed animals.)

Before washing a stuffed animal, examine it carefully.  Are there parts that need to be removed first?  Any strings that need to be secured?

Stuffed animals are similar to pillows in that they wash much better if laundered in a machine that does not have an agitator.  If you have a top loader, you could always take a large load and wash them at the laundromat.  Washing with an agitator tends to make the animal ball up due to the agitator displacing the batting.

After determining your stuffed animal can be washed, place it in a mesh laundry bag.  The mesh bag gives it an extra level of protection from snagging or being pummeled too much in the machine.

Always wash stuffed animals on the gentle/delicate cycle.  They just can’t tolerate a more aggressive washing that a ‘normal’ cycle would give.  You can use a warm or cool wash but steer clear of hot.  If items are glued on, the hot water might dissolve some of the glue.

After washing, remove from the bag and hang dry.  I hang mine using a child’s clamp hanger or on my S-hooks.  Dryer heat – even on low – could potentially melt glued on or plastic parts.

To Summarize:
- Make sure the stuffed animal can be washed.
- Place in a mesh bag.
- Wash on warm/cool water temperature on the delicate cycle.
- Hang dry.  Don’t put in the dryer.

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Are you trying to live a more simple life?

I constantly look for tips, strategies and ideas to make the life of my family more simple.  Although my daily schedule doesn’t show it, I am not a fan of busy-ness.  At all.

Join me over at Homemaker’s Cottage today where I am guest posting!  Kristy hosts a Keeping it Simple series each week, and today I am posting on how to simplify children’s clothes.

I firmly believe that the beginnings of an efficient laundry routine starts with paring down clothes. 

Head on over to Homemaker’s Cottage for a little dose of simple.

There are many methods to folding a t-shirt. 

Some like the 2-second version, but I’m not really a fan of that.  The arms don’t really fold to my liking and come undone very easily.

Then there is the FlipFold.  If you are a person that loves uniformity (me! me!) you’d love this little device.  I use it on all of my clients’ clothes and it really is handy and quick.  And it comes in a junior version for children’s/teens t-shirts.

When doing our personal laundry, I use one of these two methods.

Mama’s T-Shirt Method #1:

First, lay your t-shirt face down so you are looking at the back of it.  Smooth out with your hands.

Bring the bottom of the shirt up so it is in line with the top.  I then give it a quick flap and smooth again.

Fold the left sleeve over just to the point in which the collar starts. 

Then fold it back on itself.  I do the sleeve motion in one fell swoop.

Do the same with the right sleeve.

Then fold the bottom up to the top.

Turn over and smooth one last time.

This is a great method if you need to easily see if the t-shirts are crew necks  or v-necks.

Mama’s T-Shirt Method #2:

Lay the shirt face down on the table and also sideways. 

Fold the shirt in half so the sleeves are mirror images.  Give it a quick flap and smooth. 

Place back on the table so the sleeves are at the top.  Fold the sleeves down so the shirt looks like a rectangle.

Fold the shirt in half.  And then fold in half again if that would make it fit better in your drawer or on your shelf.

I use the first method to fold adult t-shirts and the second method for folding all children’s t-shirts.  T-shirts lay beautifully in the drawer when folded this way.  They lay flat and stack very well.

What’s your favorite folding method for t-shirts?  Any tips you’d like to share?

It is absolutely inevitable that socks get lost in the wash.  I have no idea why.  But when I find the answer to that, you’ll be the first to know.

We have gone through many sock methods: buying whatever is cute, whatever is on sale, whatever matches a specific outfit…

Then I stumbled upon Hanes EZ Sort Socks.

And the sock lives of my little people are forever changed.

Oh?  You haven’t heard?  The Hanes logo is color coded by size on the bottom of the sock.  It’s genius.

Obviously a mama who was sick of losing socks and/or sick of trying to match socks thought up this brilliant idea.

So instead of having to write initials on the inside seam, or sew a different thread per child in the toes of every sock, just buy the Hanes EZ Sort Socks.

You’ll save money and save time.

Two wins in my book.

I’m pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life As MOM.  There are many bright ideas over there if you need some new inspiration!

(I was in no way compensated for this post.  I just love things that make my Laundry Life easier.)