laundry psychology
kelly | 24 August 2007 - 5:39pm
I think how a person folds laundry says a lot about him or her. Or, at least, I've noticed that the different ways Rob and I approach the laundry basket definitely reflect our personalities.
Rob will go straight for the socks. He likes working a heap of them into bundles of proper pairs. This is the most challenging part of folding laundry, because you have to find the right match for each one. It's like a puzzle. Rob loves puzzles, and he always seeks a challenge, so sock-folding suits him. I, on the other hand, fucking hate folding socks. Because trying to find all those damn matches? STRESSFUL.
Rob pretty much avoids all the other items in the basket because he finds them "boring." In other words, too easy. He also does not see a point in turning underwear right-side out, nor does he think it's worth taking the time to meticulously fold the fitted sheet. Such things don't matter to an easy-going person.
But they do matter to an uptight, slightly neurotic person. And so towels are my favorite things to fold, because I can make them perfect. I can line up one straight side exactly even with the other. And then, when I put one folded towel on top of another, I can line those up perfectly, too, so that when I'm done my squarely-stacked towels are truly something to behold. Also, I always fold towels lengthwise first, so that they will unfold in the way I hang them on the towel rack. This is a highly efficient trick, one even Mr. Anal Efficiency overlooks. And so I always feel quite clever, as if folding towels is not nearly as simple as it may first appear but is perhaps almost as complicated as folding socks.
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It's soooo true!
I like to fold clothes in the way that most efficiently allows them to be placed in the drawers. So, if I fold the shirts THIS way, you can get four stacks of them across. But if you do it that other way, only three stacks fit, and you have an unusable area of wasted space!
I hate folding socks too. Bleh.
I never knew other people thought so much about these minute details as I do. I thought I was the only one!
My mother instilled her towel folding method in me early, and I like the nice neat stack too. Also? I took photos of how to fold a fitted sheet and posted them on the internet. I admit it--I am sick.
Also? I hate folding socks.
It's the putting away that gets me.
Sharkey, I remember your sheet post, and I aspire to such greatness. I've forgone Martha, though, and end up shoving my ill-folded sheet sets inside one of the pillow cases to keep everything together.
Sadly, I never fold my socks. Find the match and ball them together. Out of sheer laziness. I always do socks last. When I have absolutely nothing left to fold and must confront the issue at hand.
Hate hate HATE folding fitted sheets. Love folding (or more properly, balling) socks.
In the summer, I hang the clothes on the line to dry, because a) I'm totally cheap and 2) the smell? Yummm. So I kick the anal retentiveness up a notch by actually pairing up the socks so that they can hang on the line and dry with their buddy. One clothespin. Then, comes time to take in the laundry, it's unclip/ball/toss in the basket.
I can't stand when things are inside out - and in fact, we have an ongoing war here about taking socks off and tossing them into the hamper all balled up. A few times I got stubborn and just said "Fine, that's how they'll get washed then." Solved THAT problem.
But fitted sheets? There are people in this house who know how to fold them properly and care about it. I try not to get in the way of their enjoyment.
Mr. Anal Effiency has had that title for a year-and-a-half now. Wow.
Socks and sheets - total bleh. There's a reason why most of our laundry never gets folded and we walk around like shriveled cotton prunes.
SHARKEY! i swear i was just thinking of your fitted-sheet-folding-process posting just a week ago, searching my brain for who posted that and knowing i'd never remember! and here you are, mentioning it, helping me (re-)learn how to correctly fold a fitted sheet (i'm bookmarking it NOW). thanks to kalki's laundry-folding post and your reply, the universe is slightly more organized now! whew! :)
kelly, i just want you to know...i fold EXACTLY the way you do. even towels, the way they will be hung.
but what i want to know is...do you fold *underwear*??
I don't think I have ever felt as much satisfaction as the day I learned to properly fold a fitted sheet. So, how do you fold towels? I like them because they're perfectly straight and even too, but I can't ever seem to end up with the right shape when I'm done folding.
Also, what does it say about my husband that he prefers to not fold laundry at all? I think it has something to do with the part of his personality that would rather be playing video games.
That's an interesting approach, Ern. My drawers are almost always in a cram-and-jam sort of state, instead of stacks. That's probably another reason I like folding towels so much - because they actually stay the way I fold them on the shelf.
Sharkey, I cannot express how much I love that you posted a pictorial fitted-sheet-folding tutorial. And I'm totally going to try that method - I think it has the potential to be life-changing.
Putting them in pillow cases is a pretty clever idea too, mrtl. And yeah, I hate putting away.
When I'm folding alone, I do socks last too, Pat. It wouldn't be so bad except all of Rob's socks are nearly identical but just slightly different.
Nilbo, hanging laundry on the clothesline is one of those things that - even just the idea of it - makes me happy. It's just so simple, and universal. Everywhere I've traveled, I've seen clothes hanging out to dry. Always makes me smile.
He's deserved the title for much longer, UCM. I cannot remember a time when he wasn't thinking of the most efficient way to do something.
That is cool, Rz. I love when stuff like that happens. And I hate when I can't remember where I saw a post that I want to go back to.
What's funny, Andrea, is that when I wrote this post, you came to mind as someone who would relate. I just remember thinking that you'd get where I was coming from. :) As for the underwear, I used to fold them. But this is one area in which Rob has influenced me. He declared it totally stupid to fold underwear, and I kinda saw his point. I still fold his boxers (because technically they are shorts and I can't not fold shorts!), but I just toss my underwear into my underwear drawer. After turning them right-side out and getting them all smoothed out, of course.
geeky, I fold a towel in half lengthwise (because they hang from the towel rack this way) and then I fold it in half the other way and then fold it in half that way once more. Makes a perfect square.
This is too funny! I hate anything that has to do with folding or putting away the laundry. I don't mind washing and drying it,but if I could get by without having to fold it or put it away...
Fitted sheets are a b*tch. Guess I need to find Sharkey's post so I'll at least know how, not that I plan on folding any anytime soon. ;)
I do however sort socks last, right after I fold or roll up our underwear. Yes, I do fold hubby's because that is how he likes it. Mine get rolled up as to save space in my underwear drawer.
I hate how hubby loads the dishwasher, I don't let him near the laundry!!!!
I just watched the fitted sheet folding video. That is awesome! I'm gonna go play with mine. Seriously! Sharkey has inspired me.
I'll be crushed if I can't do it.
I LOVE folding clothes. I always wait until the end for the socks, though, because I want all socks present when I fold them and some could be hiding in unfolded clothes...therefore...I fold everything else first! But this post reminded of a video I once saw of a Japanese lady folding a shirt: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7502458538500026068
I think this is so cool!
I don't fold undies... we just hang them on the baby.... (you have to see the Ewok post at the Homestead to get that....)
I fold towels the same way... although I confess to washing the ones on the rack and just rehanging them most of the time..... same with sheets... if I get a really good fold on a set I will never use them because I don't want to unfold them... I just wash the set on the bed and put them back on....
I haven't tried it yet, Momo. Afraid of failure and all that... But if we can master the technique, we will be so cool. :)
Holy shit, Doreen! That was awesome! How did she...? WOW.
Ha, Homestead! And okay, I love that you won't use a set of sheets that you've folded particularly well. Totally sounds like something I'd do.
I love the coincidence. I have just finished folding my laundry! Seriously! I am not a big fan of the folding part but I like to do a good job. I start with the towels as you get the most bang for your buck. I even fold the undies too. Last are always the socks. But with summer I haven't had to wash any for weeks. Being a single gal I don't have to deal with anybody else's laundry so things are very simple. I can predict that if I should ever co-habitat with anybody there would be conflict in this area. Oh yeah...
Kranki, does Yoshi help? And by 'help' I mean jump into the basket full of clean clothes, mash them wrinkled, and then swat at every sock you try to slip out from under her?
No reason, just wondering.
;)
Socks - last. I put off the pain for as long as possible.
Cat and laundry - ugh. She used to just lay on a stack of warm towels or t-shirts (usually hubby's), especially if they were dark. Perhaps she thinks she is blending in, because goodness knows, her white belly hairs don't match one bit. The other day, she was stopping me from folding a t-shirt and no matter how much I tried to entice her away with underwear or a sock, she stubbornly clung on. I worry about the snags more than anything.
I was going to say I hate folding socks, but then I realized,
I FUCKING HATE FOLDING SOCKS.
Yep, sounds just like a certain kitty I know, Danielle.
That's right, jana, own it!