Mom’s Advice: Bed and Clothes

Our mom’s give us plenty of advice as we grow up, especially as we reach adulthood. But how often do we listen to it? When we’re moving out of the house is a great time to seek mom’s wisdom on some of the important things in life––like how to keep a house.

Make your bed!

fam1You’ve probably grown up hearing those words: make your bed. And while you may have ignored them many times, nothing cleans up a bedroom more than a bed that is made. And this doesn’t mean tossing your dirty laundry on the bed and covering it with the comforter before guests arrive. Visit wikihow.com to learn how to neatly make your bed, hospital corners and all.

A well-made bed may be aesthetically essential, but a clean set of sheets is hygienically important. You should get into the habit of changing to a clean set of sheets once a week. Not only will this remove dust mites and dirt, but it will help your sheets last longer too.

There are a few basic things you need for your bed. Obviously, first are the sheets. Unless you want to wash and dry your sheets immediately when changing the bed, it’s nice to have two sets––one to put on the bed while the others are being laundered. One important, yet often forgotten item for the bed––which never gets seen––is the mattress pad. Although this may seem like an unnecessary addition, it will keep your mattress (usually an expensive part of your bed set) cleaner and in better condition. And it adds extra softness to your slumber. If you’re like most people, you’ll probably want a pillow––or three. The number is up to you, as is the firmness and thickness. Next comes the blanket, although you may choose to take this off if you tend to get hot in the summer months. And lastly, most people have some sort of comforter or bedspread. The choice is up to you. Some prefer the frilliness of a bedspread; others, the simplicity of a duvet comforter; and others, the uniqueness of a homemade quilt.

Pick up your clothes!

More than likely, you have at least one thing that will need ironed while living on your own. And while you may never have had to iron at home, now’s the time to take a lesson from Mom. (You can also visit this article on ehow.com to learn about ironing a shirt.) There are several ways to ruin clothes while ironing, so it’s important to know what you’re doing. Obviously, leaving the hot iron sitting on your clothes will burn them. But a wrong setting on the iron can also damage your wardrobe. One thing that is often neglected is cleaning your iron. Make sure that you’re not ironing with a dirty soleplate. This grime may transfer onto your clothes.

fam41Of course, before you can iron your clothes, they need to be clean. Many people have had to do some bit of laundry before leaving home, so hopefully this will be somewhat familiar to you. If not, here’s a little Laundry 101.

Sort your stuff––First start by sorting your laundry by color––whites/lights and darks (reds are also separate). Then sort them further by delicates, towels (which produce lint), lingerie (lingerie bags are great for this), and heavier items such as jeans and sweatshirts.

Pretreat stains––If anything is stained or soiled, now is the time to deal with it. Check your clothing carefully for any stains that need to be treated. Once your clothes have been dried, the stains are pretty much set in. Go here for a list of stain removal tips.

Load the laundry––Now it’s time to fill the washer with your first load. Put in the laundry detergent while running the water in the machine. Remember to consider what temperature is recommended for your load (check the tags!) and which cycle to set it on (again, the tags!). (Keep in mind there are some clothes (silk, linen, wool) that may need to be dry cleaned.) Do not overload your machine! As proud as you may be to fit all 3 weeks’ worth of laundry into one load, it will not be clean when it comes out. There needs to be room for your clothes to agitate (move around) during the wash cycle.

Drying time––When your load is done washing, it’s time to dry. There are some items that may need to be kept out while drying, such as bras and other delicates. Note what setting the dryer needs to be on for your load.

Time to fold––All your hard work will be lost if you leave your clean laundry in a pile on the floor for the next week. As tiresome as it may seem after your day with the washer and dryer, you need to fold your laundry and put it away. If it needs ironed, iron it as soon as possible so you’re not having to iron a wrinkly dress 10 minutes before you need to leave for work.

Stay Tuned

Later, we’ll discuss basic clean-up and supplies needed, so check back soon!

By Lisa Grimenstein

Comments

  1. Would love to perpetually get updated great blog!

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