(I must tell you that I searched high and low for the correct grammar of pluralizing ‘Do and Don’t’.  The correct way is sans apostrophes, although that looks horribly odd.  But I had to put an apostrophe in ‘Do’s’ because I just couldn’t take the ‘Dos’.  Just so you know.)

Our kitchen is definitely the most-used room in our home.  I homeschool my children, so we eat 3 meals a day in our little kitchen and those meals are mostly made from scratch.

3 made-from-scratch meals + real dishes (not paper plates) = a ridiculous amount of used dishcloths and towels

I will be the first to admit that I change dishcloths often, usually using 2 dishcloths per day.  I can’t bear to wash a sink of supper dishes with the same cloth I used to wash breakfast dishes the same morning.  The dishcloth has had all day to sit and grow all kinds of gross bacteria and other germs.  Food-borne illness can make you really sick and I’d like to avoid it at all costs.  So I avoid it by washing a million kitchen towels and dishcloths each week.

Note: When I refer to a ‘dishcloth’ in this post I’m talking about the cloth you actually put in the sudsy water to wash dishes, not the towel you use to dry them off. 

Dishcloth Do’s

Rinse dishcloths frequently in hot water.
Rinse your dishcloths often under hot water, especially when you’re wiping down kitchen surfaces. Rinse after you wipe off the table and then again after you wipe off the stove and then again after you wipe off the counter.  It’s even better if you can swish it around in a sink full of soapy, hot water and then wring out before you use it.  You really can’t rinse a dishcloth too often, in my opinion.

Use a dishcloth only for washing dishes.
If you’re using a dishcloth for dishes, make sure that is the only thing you use it for.  Don’t wipe the baby’s face with it or her high chair tray.  That type of washing deserves its own cloth or paper towel.  And by all means, do not wipe anything off of the floor with your dish cloth and then use it again to wash dishes.  The thoughts of that makes my skin crawl.  So don’t do it.

Use more than one dishcloth, if needed.
Don’t be afraid to use more than one dishcloth per day.  If you’ve washed two sinks full of dishes, you probably need a new cloth.  I think most of us believe we’re allowed a maximum of only one dishcloth per day, but I promise you can use two.

Always lay dishcloths flat to dry between each use throughout the day.

Dishcloth Don’ts

Don’t use the same dishcloth for the whole week.
Even if you only wash 1 or 2 dishes a day, you just can’t use the same cloth that many days in a row.  By the end of the week, the dishcloth has gotten wet multiple times and that by itself is enough to let bacteria grow.  Add in the washing off of food particles and you’ve got a gross piece of laundry there.

Don’t leave your dishcloth wadded up in a ball.
If you must use the same dishcloth all day, make sure you lay it out flat to dry between uses.  It’s even better if you can hang it up to air dry before you use it again.  Warm, balled up, wet dishcloths are great little breeding grounds for mold and mildew.  Avoid it at all costs.

Don’t be afraid to use paper towels.
If you’re wiping up a huge puddle of spilled milk, go ahead and just use paper towels.  Soured milk in a dishcloth is one of the worst smells ever and you’ll probably end up throwing the dishcloth away because of it.  Or for wiping a countertop contaminated with raw chicken, just use paper towels instead of a dishcloth.

In all likelihood, you won’t be able to wash those horribly germ-y dishcloths immediately and they’ll sit somewhere until wash day.  You don’t want them sitting somewhere, covered in salmonella.  Trust me.  I  know it’s not the eco-friendly thing to do, but use paper towels for the really gross stuff.

So tell me: Are you a person who changes dishcloths regularly or are you a once-a-weeker?  ‘Fess up!

Several of my favorite home-related bloggers and I write a monthly series on cleaning, de-cluttering and taking care of your home.  For other ideas related to the kitchen, stop by these other Room by Room bloggers!

• Jami from An Oregon Cottage is re-vamping and beautifying her “pitifully small” spice cabinet.
• Nony from A Slob Comes Clean is talking about how she keeps her food storage containers from causing an avalanche every time she opens the cabinet door.
• Christine from I Dream of Clean is sharing cleaning ideas she’s learned from watching cooking shows.
• Taylor from Stain Removal 101 is sharing tips, tricks, and how-tos of cleaning the fridge.

I have a very unique opportunity for my fabulous laundry readers here at Mama’s Laundry Talk.  If you would be interested in reviewing a new laundry product that has not yet been released to the public, read on.

The Bottle Crew company is releasing a new laundry product soon: Sole Mates.  They are looking for interested laundry washers to review their product before it is released to the public and provide feedback.

The Product: Sole Mate

Sole Mate is the answer to the age-old question: Where is my other sock?

After removing your dirty socks, simply place the socks into the holes.  Then throw the product in the hamper, then the washer, then the dryer.

After removing your clean, dry socks from the dryer, enjoy effortlessly matching both of the socks in the pair. (Love that it would eliminate The Sock Bin!)

Sole Mates are made out of a rubbery-type material which is safe for all kinds of socks, including hose and stockings.

For thicker socks, use one sock per insert. For thinner socks, loop them through both inserts to ensure stability as they tumble through the washer and dryer.

The Review: What You’ll Need to Do

If you choose to receive a package of Sole Mates for review, your job is fairly simple.

The Bottle Crew would like for you to use their product for several uses.  After you have used it enough times to form an opinion, they would like your honest feedback.  They would like to know your thoughts about the product as a whole: the packaging, its usability, your likes and dislikes.

In your package, you’ll receive detailed instructions on how to submit your opinions, which will be a very simple process.

To summarize:  You’ll receive your package of Sole Mates, you’ll use it several times, then you’ll send an email to someone with your feedback.  So simple!

Sign Up to Review Sole Mates!

If you’re interested in reviewing this yet-to-be released item (I love being on the cutting edge of laundry products!), simply sign up using the form below.

The only information needed is your email address and US mailing address.

The first 50 people to sign up using the form will be chosen as reviewers for Sole Mates.  I will close the form as soon as possible after reaching 50 reviewers.  If, however, you signed up and we already met the quota, I’ll send you an email so you aren’t looking for Sole Mates in your mailbox.

 ***This form is now closed***

The Fine Print: 

• Participation in the Sole Mates Product review is completely voluntary.
• This is not a paid review.  You will receive no financial compensation for reviewing Sole Mates from Mama’s Laundry Talk or from The Bottle Crew.
• You are not required to submit a review or offer feedback on your experience with  Sole Mates, however it is greatly encouraged and would be the honorable thing to do after receiving the product for review.
• The Bottle Crew nor Mama’s Laundry Talk accepts any responsibility for damage to your socks or other laundry items.  Use at your own risk.
• This product review is not considered a giveaway, sweepstakes or contest.
• You must live in the continental United States and must be over the age of 18 to accept review of this product.  By signing up using the Google Form, you acknowledge that you are in fact over 18 and live in the continental US.  Only 1 product per household, please.
• Your name, email address and mailing address will only be used for the sole purpose of mailing you your Sole Mates to review.  The Bottle Crew will be in contact with you only about this specific product and will not spam you with other emails.  Your name, email and mailing address will never be sold or re-distributed in any form. 
• After this review is completed, you will not be contacted by The Bottle Crew for any reason, unless you authorize consent beforehand.
• Disclosure:  I received financial compensation for my time, effort and influence in constructing this product review.

On Monday, February 13th,  I am hosting a unique opportunity for other Laundry Fans, like myself.  If you like being on the cutting edge of new laundry products, then Monday is your day.

I am coordinating the give-away of a new laundry product that has yet to be released on the market for the general public.  The makers of the product are interested in your feedback: how easy the product is to use, if you think the packaging is effective, etc.

The company is giving away 50 of their not-yet-revealed products for my readers to use, test, and provide their feedback.

While I can’t yet reveal what the actual product is, rest assured that everyone could use it.  You don’t have to have a specific family make-up or have young children to benefit from it.

So if you’re interested, make sure to stop by Mama’s bright and early on Monday morning, February 13th.  The post will go live at 7am EST, and I’ll take the first 50 to respond to the inquiry.

How fun!  I love new laundry products to try!  See y’all Monday.

Note: You will not be paid to review this product.  You will receive the product at absolutely no cost to you and we are depending on you to provide your feedback after you’ve had time to use the product and develop an opinion.

See if you can relate to this laundry scenario:

You have 5+ loads of clothes that must be washed today.  You have a 5 minute break in your schedule, so now is the perfect time to roll the laundry (take the clean, dry load out of the dryer, put the wet clothes on to tumble and put a new, dirty load in the washer).

You take the clothes from the dryer and toss them onto the bed.  You’ve got time to put the wet clothes in the dryer and start a fresh load in the washer.

But what about the clean clothes you’ve put on the bed?  You don’t possibly have time to fold them right now.

You can certainly choose not to fold them right now, but that’s going to create one cold, wrinkly pile of clothes you’ll have to deal with later.

So just deal with them now.  Here is a quick way when you don’t have much time.

(Click on the picture to see exactly what is in each pile.)

Underwear and Socks

Put all of the underwear in a pile and all of the socks into a separate pile.  These two items don’t need to be folded immediately, as they can be wrinkly and it really won’t matter.

Shirts and T-shirts

Hold the t-shirt by the shoulder seams and give it a good flap to get out the initial wrinkles.  Then lay it flat on the bed.  Repeat this same process with every t-shirt in the basket.  Simply lay them on top of one another.  They’ll appear slightly wrinkled but they’ll be fine once you fold them.

If it’s a shirt that needs to be hung on a hanger, lay them flat on your folding surface or bed in a single layer only.  Don’t put another shirt on top of it.

Jeans and Pants

If your load consists of jeans, take one pair out at the time.  Hold it by the waistband and give it a good, hard flap.  Then lay it out flat on your folding surface.  You can lay several pairs on top of one another without causing them to become wrinkly.  Follow the same method for most any pair of long pants or shorts.

Sheets and Towels

I personally cannot stand to fold wrinkly sheets, so I pull them out quickly and just lay them flat.  Interestingly enough, I can deal pretty easily with wrinkly towels, so I just leave them until I can work them in later in the day or evening.

If you could care less about wrinkly towels or sheets, simply leave them until later.

Now What?

So you now have these piles of clothes lying all over your folding surface or bed.  So now what?

Well, you’ll have to fold them.

Laying them out this way only buys you time if you have to get the next load of laundry going.  Unfortunately, it does not save you the trouble of folding them or the even more dreaded task of getting them put away.

How Often Should You Use This Method?

Choice #1:
Sparingly.

I do this maybe once or twice a week, at the most.  I don’t want to get in the habit of doing clothes with this method because it’s one of the few habits I have going for me these days!

When I do use this method, I have all of them waiting for me when I come upstairs for the evening and then I have to spend the time folding them and putting them away because they are on my bed.  And that makes me want to cry, because my bed is just calling for me to come get in it.

So I try really hard to get them all folded and put away prior to 4pm every day.

Choice #2:
Weekly.

Maybe you are a wash-once-a-week type of laundress.  If that’s the case, you may choose to save all of the folding until all of the loads are completed.  Turn on your favorite show from the DVR and fold away.

So what do you do when you have to move the laundry along but don’t have time to fold?

Nony from A Slob Comes Clean is by far, one of my favorite bloggers.  She is brutally honest about her deslobification (her word) journey.  Her genuine, realistic portrayal of her home is why people relate to her so well.

Well, today is the day.  Nony has written 28 Days to Hope for Your Home and it is finally released today!

Y’all, I’ve read it cover to cover and it is really good.

Take note that this ebook is not for the mildy disorganized.  If you are a person that looks for every opportunity to purge clutter, you mop your kitchen floor every Tuesday morning at 10 am or you can find a specific receipt any time you need it, then this book is not for you.

However, if you feel completely lost in where to start with getting your home under control, this ebook is going to be worth your time.

Nony helps you develop 4 habits in 4 weeks.  This is very do-able and will give you hope that your house won’t always be a disaster.

Because it won’t.  Nony is living proof of that.

28 Days to Hope for Your Home includes:

• Twenty-eight days of specific instructions to help you develop four basic (but essential) home management habits.
• Insights into why these concepts seem foreign to you.
• Practical tips to keep you from giving up.
• Bonus sections with realistic strategies for laundry management, meal prep, and decluttering.
• More than 45 pages of all new, exclusive content!

Nony is offering the book at $7.99, but during the month of February it is only $4.00.

Why Should You Order It?

I told you that I’ve read it.  And it’s good.  My Laundry Life is in fantastic shape.  But the rest of my home?  It’s not always so de-cluttered and sparkly…if ever.

Nony wrote this from a mother’s perspective, in that it is very practical help.  She knows the shame of having a house that is a disaster and how isolating that feels.  She knows what it is like  to hope that the doorbell doesn’t ring all day because you could never invite the ringer inside.

Did I mention she has a section on laundry management?  Oh yes ma’am, she does.

I’m excited to start her 4 habits.  Even though I do pretty okay on those habits, I definitely need her encouragement to keep on keepin’ on.

And you should also buy it because she is hilariously funny.  Really.  Very, very funny.

28 Days to Hope for Your Home could forever change the way your home looks and feels.  Company could stop over without you having to play Nobody’s Home.  You could have an impromptu dinner guest without having to shove everything in the guest room.  It could really be life-changing, if you let it.

To order your digital copy (which downloads right to your computer, of course) just click over to A Slob Comes Clean.

Disclosure: The links used in this post are affiliate links.  The opinions expressed are 100% mine.  For more information, please see Mama’s Disclosure Policy.

(Note that when I say ‘laundry basket’ I am referring to the basket I tote clean laundry around in. I’m not referring to a laundry sorter or any other basket I put dirty clothes in. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.)

I’ve owned many laundry baskets in my life.  Some baskets were lovely and girly and some were more functional.

My personal preference?

I choose the functional laundry basket every time.

I’ve learned that in this case, functional is better and makes my Laundry Life easier.  If a super cute, practical laundry basket was on the market, I’d be first in line.  Until then, I’ll stick with my plain old drab ones that get the job done.

Mama has several criteria when purchasing a laundry basket. Here they are in no particular order:

Buy a Basket with Sturdy Handles

A laundry basket with sturdy handles is an absolute must.  I detest a basket that has handles that bend when I pick it up.  You know with 6 people living in my house that our laundry baskets are piled high and that makes them heavy.  I need a basket where the handles stay put and can bear the weight of our laundry.

Make Sure it has a Rectangular Shape

I owned a round laundry basket when I lived alone and it was fine for just one person’s laundry.  It was always a pet peeve of mine that I couldn’t stack folded clothes in it, though.  Since the basket was round, it could only hold one stack of folded towels or one stack of shirts.

It is rare that I stack a load of folded clothes in a laundry basket, but in the event that I do, I want it to be a rectangle.  A round basket is completely impractical, in my opinion.

Only Buy a Laundry Basket with a Smooth Finish

Have you ever had a basket (think wicker) that snagged your laundry?  I despise that.  There’s nothing worse than having a nice knit shirt that has been picked because it got caught on the edge of my laundry basket

I completely avoid the whole issue and buy only laundry baskets that have a smooth finish.  I’ve only found plastic ones that are smooth, so plastic it is.

Steer Clear of the ‘Hip’ Laundry Baskets

You’ve seen those laundry baskets that are curved to fit around your hip, right?  They seem like they would be a good idea.  However, if you routinely stack folded clothes in your basket, they aren’t ideal.  As with the round baskets, they just don’t stack clothes well.

Make Sure Your Basket is Vented

All laundry baskets need to have vents, even if you only transport clean laundry in them like I do.  Vents are just the little holes that are all throughout the sides of the basket, allowing the laundry inside to breathe.  Laundry baskets that do not have vents tend to harbor more static electricity. If you do use your basket for dirty laundry, it must be vented so your laundry doesn’t mildew.  Mold and mildew are hard to remove from clothing, so avoid the problem all together and just go vented.

Do you have a laundry basket that you can’t live without?  Tell me all about it. I’m always looking for things that would make my Laundry Life more simple.

That can be a lot of work for some families.  It’s very worth it in the end, but I don’t want to sugar coat the fact that it can be hard to figure out the whole laundry routine concept.

I always find it refreshingly helpful to read how other people do things.  I love to see how other people store their favorite recipes or keep their floors clean or how they incorporate young children into their cleaning routines.

So I’ve been a busy bee creating a list of Laundry Routines for you to peruse.  I’ve given each of them a little description so you can easily see right off the bat if it will work for your family. There is no need for you to read a laundry routine about a mom of 6 if you and your husband or wife are empty-nesters.

Read through the routines and see if there are some you think would work for your family.  Then get you a routine in place, work it for awhile, and come back and tell me all about it!

Examples of Laundry Routines from Real Families

Welcome to Langan Land – This mom of 5 shares her best laundry secrets including not folding laundry and doing a load (or two) every day.

Malisa Price – Malisa shows a detailed look at the laundry routine of just two people.

Pretty Organized Palace – This mom of 6 shares tips on how she doesn’t sort clothes and how to kick anyone over the age of 10 out of her laundry regimen.  It’s a beautiful system she’s got here.

Mother of Fashion – This mom has good tips like washing each room’s clothes on a specific day of the week and throwing away matchless socks.  Yes, throwing away.  It’s drastic, but I’m sure it works.

Gospel Homemaking – Diligently washing 1-2 loads of laundry per day

Household Management 101 – Taylor describes her simple laundry routine and has a whole round-up of reader-submitted laundry routines.

4 Kids or More – This blog’s name obviously implies it is geared towards larger families.  Scroll through the comments for brilliant laundry routine ideas.  Some are really well-thought out.

Black Flip Flops – Now this is so smart.  This mama completely changes the way she thinks of laundry and uses it as a timer.

Homeschool Classroom – An example of a simple laundry routine where she eliminates unmatched socks.  (I see a theme here with the refusal to manage the mate-less socks!)

If you’re on Pinterest, I created a Laundry Routines board that I’ll update frequently.  If you need a Pinterest invitation, let me know and I’ll send you one!

So do you have a tried-and-true laundry routine that works for your family?  Tell us all about it and why it works.  If you’ve blogged about it, feel free to leave the permalink to your Laundry Routine Post.

I’m over at In a Nutshell today, writing about a few of my top favorite laundry items.

Apparently I have many favorite laundry items, as I’ve written a couple of these types of posts.  And each one contains different things.  Well, except for Oxi-Clean.  Y’all know how much I love it.

With all of these favorite laundry things, you’d think I’d have a larger laundry room!  Oh but in my next house, I will!!

Here are my other favorites if you care to take a peek:

Mama’s Top 3 Essential Laundry Items

Mama’s Laundry Room Must-Haves

Do you have a favorite laundry item?  Do tell.

If you have any experience ironing dress shirts at all, you know that it can be a little time consuming.  Dress shirts are not the easiest of garments to iron, so you want your shirts to look as nice on the hanger as they do fresh off of the ironing board.

If you want your dress shirts to stay nice and wrinkle-free in the closet, follow these simple steps.

Hang Up the Shirt Immediately After Ironing

While hanging up the shirt directly after ironing may seem obvious, it is not to some.  Trust me. I can’t tell you the people I know that iron a shirt and then lay it across the bed or hang it on a doorknob.

If you do that, you’re just asking for it to get knocked off of the doorknob.  You’re begging the dog to pull it from the bed to the floor.

Save yourself the heartache and hang the shirt immediately.  It’s difficult enough just to iron it once.  Don’t make yourself actually iron the same shirt twice.

Fasten every other button when hanging dress shirts

Hang your Dress Shirt on Any Coat Hanger that is Not Wire

The next step is to put your freshly ironed dress shirt on the hanger.  Use any hanger you like: wooden or heavy plastic.

Do not, however, use a wire hanger.  I realize that every dry cleaners in the country uses wire hangers, but they cause their own set of troubles.  It’s nice that wire hangers are so thin, since that causes them to take up less room in the closet.  But it’s this same thinness that makes points at the shoulders and causes the shirt to pucker.  If your dress shirt has any weight to it at all, a wire hanger will cause it to pucker around the yoke and shoulder in time.

Adjust the Yoke and Button the Collar

It’s best to hang your shirt while the hanger is actually hanging on the rod.  Don’t attempt to hang your shirt with the coat hanger in your mouth or tucked under your chin.  That method hurts your teeth and it’s hard to get the shirt on there correctly.

With the coat hanger hanging on the rod, drape your dress shirt across the hanger.  Adjust the yoke of the shirt (the back part through the shoulders) to make sure it is aligned correctly.  You don’t want one shoulder way in the front and one way in the back.  The shirt will wrinkle if you do this.

After the yoke is situated correctly, adjust the collar. Turn the collar down as it should be and make sure the collar buttons are fastened.

Now fasten the top collar button.  You’ll probably have to re-adjust the yoke again to make sure it hangs correctly.

Button Every Other Button

Now here is one of the most important steps if you don’t want your shirt to wrinkle in the closet: button every other button down the length of the shirt.

If you fasten just the top collar button, the shirt will not fall off of the hanger which is typically the goal.  However, if you want a wrinkle-free shirt (which should be your goal), you need to button every other button.  It keeps the shirt from shifting in the closet when you slide the hanger around on the rod.  Nobody likes a shifty shirt, so make sure you fasten every other one.

Place Coat Hangers 1-2 Inches Apart in Your Closet

The ideal spacing between coat hangers is 1-2 inches.  I know that this is not feasible for most of us.  While those huge walk-in closets with foot upon foot of hanging space is dreamy, that’s not what most of us have in our homes.

Most people tend to cram as many hangers in the closet as possible.  While this is efficient in keeping your clothes off of the floor, it tends to cause items to wrinkle.  They get pushed against one another, causing creases to form.  Not fun if you’ve just spent the past hour ironing your clothes for the week.

So do you have trouble with hanging your dress shirts?  Not enough closet space?  Too many clothes?  What’s your biggest dilemma with hanging shirts?

I’m pleased to have Danielle from Laundry Care guest post at Mama’s today.  She’s an experienced laundress and I couldn’t agree more with her assessment of white vinegar.

I’m often asked by friends and family what my favorite laundry product is. With the endless choices available I can see why people want guidance on the best products to use.

Take a stroll down the cleaning aisle of your local general store and you’ll encounter everything from detergent to stain treatment, from softeners to brighteners. To make things even more complicated, the expanding varieties of different fabrics, both natural and synthetic, used in clothing has made the quest for the one perfect product combination seem futile.

Before you throw your hands in the air and grab whatever’s on sale, there is one product I stand by that isn’t even in the laundry aisle. It’s commonly found with the salad dressings and it’s a very reasonable $3 to $6 per gallon.

The product I’m referring to is white vinegar.

The list of benefits that white vinegar provides to your clothing exceeds that of any commercial cleaner out there. Combine this with the fact that it’s nontoxic and green and you’ve got the perfect laundry product.

Convincing Reasons to use White Vinegar in the Wash

1.) It brightens. If you’re looking for a gentler alternative to color-safe bleach, white vinegar is your answer. It helps keep your colors bright without the risk of lifting dye.

2.) It whitens. The acidic properties of white vinegar help restore dingy whites to their original bright state. All you need to do is fill a bucket with hot water, add 2 cups of white vinegar and let dingy clothes soak overnight. By morning, your old clothes will be noticeably whiter. As an added bonus, this same property also kills bacteria that can sometimes be found on clothes.

3.) It deodorizes. Clothes can be a magnet for smells in the environment. Smoke, pet odor and overall funkiness can be easily removed by adding a ½ cup in the rinse cycle.

4.) It softens. The advantage white vinegar has over commercial softeners is that it softens and fluffs without leaving a residue build-up on your clothes. Commercial softeners used repeatedly in the wash can form a waxy build-up that breaks down the fabric’s integrity over time.

5.) It removes stains. Mix a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm water to remove moderately saturated stains or apply a paste of baking soda and white vinegar to muscle out stubborn stains. The mildness of the vinegar means there’s no risk of destroying the fabric or dye unlike other stain treatment products.

In addition to the reasons listed above it cleans your washer, helps remove pet hair from clothes, reduces static, and removes that mildew smell you get when clothes have been mistakenly left in a washer. What other product can do all this at such a low cost?

There are a lot of great options when it comes to laundry but if you want something that is both versatile and is multi-purpose, my recommendation is to add ½ cup of white vinegar to each load.

Danielle Douglas has 15 years of experience in cleaning clothes.  She is the owner of Laundry Care, a premier wash and fold service provider.