To Fold or Not to Fold…
We’re binge-watchers in our household. We’re proud of it.
Stranger Things. All four seasons in just a week and a half.
LOTR. Nailed it in a weekend. Plus, the Hobbit, too.
Schitt’s Creek. A couple of weeks of evenings.
The list goes on and on.
Does it make us unproductive at times? Oh, heck yes.
The thing is, our binge-watching is actually far more valuable to us than anything else. It’s the three of us (me, Travis, and Coco) curled up together on the couch. There’s snacking. There are snuggles, and there’s an inevitable nap. We are together consciously, and while it might annoy some avid binge-watchers, we talk as we watch the TV. Like, TALK...as in missed dialogue and rewinding required.
We share our downtime. And that is productive…it produces happiness, which is far more significant than tangible, physical output.
Time is important.
Time is HUGE.
We all track time but don’t often fully inhabit it.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m someone who frequently “comes to” while driving, having been on a sort of auto-pilot mode for a mile or so. Clearly, I might not have been inhabiting the moment. But, I rarely ever allow myself just to kill time. I am not a ruthless slaughterer of my precious minutes here on Earth.
Does it mean I am constantly mapping out what I will do in a day. No. Does it mean I’m plotting amazing holidays to picture-perfect destinations? Definitely a no. Am I determined to be a champion multitasker? Not. At. All.
We’re fooled into thinking time must be “well spent,” i.e., it has to be spent doing a specific type of task or a quantifiable something. It must be spent in a remarkable spot. It must appear on social media in a beautifully curated photo. It must be itemized and tracked, mood-boarded, whiteboarded, and visualized ahead of time. Ironically, we’re never ahead of time any more than you can be ahead of the breeze, a flowing body of water, or just about anything else.
Time doesn’t have to be any of those things. Time can be a moment of holding hands on a sofa with a furry, purring ball of fur on your lap, a fire snapping away, and a clear desire to burn this memory into your mind forever and always. It never ever has to be about measurable, quantifiable, tangible output/results/insert your personal burden here.
For me, there is always that wisdom of the late John Lennon, who warned us that “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I don’t make “other” plans; other than to be awake and aware.
And all that philosophizing brings me to laundry.
Yes, laundry.
Hello Laundry, My Old Frenemy
Life. Time. Chores. Choices.
You’re probably familiar with these words. After all, for many of us, they cycle through our minds throughout the days.
For example:
Why is so much of my time taken up by this chore?
Why is so much of my life about either/or choices?
Can’t I enjoy more free time by choosing NOT to do specific chores? Is that even allowed?
Okay, I’m about to tell you something important, so be sure you’re paying attention:
Not everyone believes in doing chores. At least, not all the most common chores.
Lawn care is a good example. Some homeowners grow lawns full of edible plants or pollinating plants instead of dedicating hours and resources to cultivating a sea of green, flawless grass.
Laundry is another example of a time-guzzling chore that you can choose NOT to do. Okay, let’s rephrase that – definitely wash and dry your clothes, but don’t commit yourself to hours of folding IF YOU DON’T WANT TO.
I love what essayist Kathleen Donahoe said about folding laundry:
“I can feel you wondering what we do if we do not fold clothes, let's go over the logistics:
We place unfolded clothes flat down in drawers.
We hang up nice/fancy/expensive clothes.
We buy fewer clothes…
The final rule, above of all the above rules… is do what you want. Perhaps yoga pants without wrinkles are really important to you. I, for one, do not mind wrinkles in my PJs or swimsuits or exercise clothes.
Do you feel attacked? Does this seem too simple? Have you spent hours, weeks, years of your life on labor that vanishes only to be given advice to lay clothes flat? Well, let me propose that when you stop folding clothes and just put them in drawers, you might start seeing other work you do that is unnecessary. You might wonder if you are doing things only because your mother did them… And what would happen if you stopped?
What are we doing with our one wild and precious life? So much of our lives are disappeared, our labor disappeared. To stop folding clothes is one small way of saying, ‘How I spend my time matters.’
… So, lie down your clothes. Lie down your body. Reclaim your time. Turn on the TV for no other reason than that you want to watch a show about ding dongs. Your clothes do not need your care. Your work, your time, your efforts? They deserve hours, weeks, years of your attention.”
She isn’t alone. The famous Minimalist Mom agrees, writing:
“I can’t find where I first heard about this idea but I know it was from a mother of a large family.
One of her tips for simplifying was to not fold laundry.
With many loads of laundry washed every day, not folding t-shirts, jeans and underwear saved her hours a week. The only person in the house that had their laundry folded was her husband. The children were given freshly washed laundry that was never folded – just placed in drawers.
This might be a bit radical for you, especially the neat nicks and organizers out there, but I think it’s brilliant. If you do laundry for a few people in your family you know how much work laundry is.”
She then goes on to explain how to implement a no fold system!
I can hear you saying, “Hold up there, Bartlett. Don’t YOU do laundry for a living?”
Why YES. Yes, I do.
Because of that, I’m on the side of folding laundry…but only if you want to fold laundry. See what I did there? I remained firmly on the fence because that is where I belong. Neutral. The Sweden of the fold/don’t fold argument.
Of course, not all clothing qualifies for the no fold lifestyle. There are items that must always exist on hangers, but also items harmed by being put on hangers. So, you can get away with a life without folding.
But there are distinct benefits from folding clothes, too. For example, folding clothes:
Prevents the worst wrinkling.
Boosts storage space.
May improve the lifespan of certain garments.
Saves a bit of time when getting dressed.
Keeps your space more organized.
May be meditative or soothing.
May be your personal jam or artful practice.
The famous Marie Kondo (she of "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”) even goes so far as to say that a life without knowledge of folding is a life suffering a “huge loss.” (NOTE: In 2023, she went on the record to admit she has “kind of given up” on tidying up, so…)
Maybe we can get to a clearer answer about whether to fold by fully evaluating just what folding the laundry means.
What the Heck Does Folding the Laundry Technically Mean?
When I say folding the laundry, it is more accurately a final step in a lengthier process. This process includes:
Sorting clothing properlyCleaning according to care labels
Drying in the appropriate method (machine or air, etc.)
Sorting for hanging/pressing/etc.
Hanging accordingly
Dealing with the remaining items
Folding your laundry can then be done in a variety of ways.
You might sort by likeness – i.e. separate all t-shirts and socks into individual piles.
You might just fold right out of the basket or pile, making tidy stacks of like items.
You might have a set of specific steps used on each item.
You might take Marie Kondo’s many tips to heart. For instance, you may stack items vertically in drawers with their folds facing out (free edges away), fold in thirds, and use the exact same technique on similar items.
You may do it without any background noise or may put on a favorite TV show or podcast while you sort, fold, and put away.
Folding the laundry can even be a bit of an escape, a sort of mindless mindfulness if you will. Newspaper writer Marni Jameson describes folding in a very Kondo-esque manner, saying “folding is therapeutic. When you feel powerless in the face of pandemic politics, global warming or personal weight gain, here’s something you can control.”
So, if you are distinctly on the side of folding the laundry, have we got a holiday for you!
Celebrate National Laundry Folding Day…or Not
Because we cannot tell you how to spend your time (where laundry or anything else is concerned) we decided to mark National Laundry Folding Day with a bunch of amazing videos for those who love to fold their laundry. There are some links to the mesmerizing skills of Natasha Swingler, a primer from Marie Kondo, and a few little videos of laundry experts showing their preferred techniques.
So, feel free to haul that basket (or baskets) over and fold away as you celebrate National Laundry Folding Day in the company of fellow enthusiasts.
And if you don’t love this particular chore, and just “dress out of the dryer” (seriously, we don’t know anyone who does that, right?) you can skip this holiday and choose to honor Take a Walk in the Park Day. It hits on the same day each year (March 30) and is all about spending time in nature.
And if you want the clothes folded AND to take that walk, remember that Oak Hill Dry Cleaners does all kinds of laundry and dry cleaning services – including full wash/dry/fold. We’ll even pick it up and deliver it a no additional cost. How’s that for enjoying your time!