Travel. A word that brings music to my ears. But not opera. Oh no, no way. More a mix of indie, folk rock, the 70’s greats and some sporadic head banging stuff cuz I’ve never been much of a pigeon hole person.
The invention of the coin-operated laundry machine is ascribed to Harry Greenwald of New York who created Greenwald Industries in 1957 ~wikipedia
One of the things I’ve learned about traveling with Mr. Bluejeans is that sometimes these trips can happen in the blink of an eye. One day I’m planning to can a bushel of tomatoes and the next I’m dropping a bushel of tomatoes off on any doorstep big enough to handle this bundle (then I run because who besides crazy homesteaders would welcome a bushel of tomatoes?).
Packing in a hurry used to be a mess. Yes, you may have read that I love to iron but NOT on vacation. I have no problem looking like my outfit was made out of elephant skin because I am NOT going to iron on vacation. Un-ironed linen does not make me flinch. I’m a complex woman.
Then I stumbled on a cool way to pack. Roll it! No it did not come to me while I was at that cigar factory in Puerto Rico. Honest (that’s because I never went to a cigar factory in Puerto Rico… I went to Bacardi. But that’s a whole other story). It’s such a simple and easy way to keep your laundry from getting wrinkled in your suitcase that I just had to try it.
That’s when it began. I started to roll all our laundry. It’s the only way I do it now. Not only does it pack quick and easy, it stores just as well. I roll all our shirts, socks and underwear to this day. Towels and sheets don’t save space using this method so I stick to the boring square but our clothes are always rolled.
When you think about it, actually seeing your socks, shirts and underwear in the drawer beats pawing through your dresser drawers in search of that perfect pair of palm tree socks or blue shirt with the hole that you just love. See, rolling lets you place each item up on its end and you don’t STACK anything.
I’m going to give you a chance to catch your breath here. I know this seems weird, it may be a shock to you so let’s just breathe deep for a second. I mean you’ve had a lifetime of flat folded clothing that has been bunched up in your drawer tighter than a clam with lockjaw. And who wants clams in their drawers… not I.
Doing this is very simple. I don’t think there’s only one way to do it. I mean, you just roll the clothes up. I typically fold a shirt the regular way by folding each side over lengthwise then instead of folding it to make a stackable and boring square, I just start from the bottom and roll to the top. Then I fasten a rubber-band around the finished garment. They can unroll easily without the rubber-band and I don’t like doubling my efforts.
And no. Your clothes will not be wrinkled any more that flat folding. If anything, they get shifted around less and hold their shape better with rolling! Ya, I’m laundry obsessed. Don’t believe me? Read this and get a homemade detergent recipe!
I’ve used this method for several years now and just can’t imagine the old fold ever coming back to our dressers or drawers. I mean what if I have to dash off to the coast and eat my weight in fresh oysters? A girls gotta be ready.
Are you a folder or roller?
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