Before
having children my household chores were minimal and easily
accomplished. I did not have little monsters darlings destroying a
room the moment I turn my back after cleaning and tidying it. My home
was not overrun with toys. I did not have little feet and hands
leaving messy prints throughout the house. My laundry pile was not a
never ending mountain and my laundry basket was often EMPTY! I did
not have hungry kids to feed and water creating an abundance of used
dishes and a dirty oven.
But
fast forward a few years and 2 kids my days and household chores have
changed. Now keeping the home at a respectable level of tidiness is a
constant battle and my list of household chores is never ending.
Whilst
the household chores seem endless and are tiring I would not change
them for the world. Having a busy, full house fills me with joy.
Surprisingly
one of our family household chores is something I quite enjoy -
laundry. Whilst I never seem to see the bottom of our laundry basket
anymore and laundry is an endless job of pre-treating stains, washing
clothes and bedding, drying laundry, ironing and folding clothes to
put away in wardrobes and drawers there is something about doing my
family’s laundry that I love.
When
the boys were babies I found pleasure in caring for their little baby
clothes and cloth nappies. It brought joy to my heart to hang their
delicate clothes outside to dry and then lovingly store them in their
nursery. When I was pregnant for the first time doing baby laundry as
I nested made the notion of being a mum and having my own child feel
real.
As
they have grown older tending to their dirty laundry has remained
something I still find oddly relaxing and rewarding. Whilst it is not
the most exciting task in the world when I tackle the mounds of
laundry I feel productive and thanks to my washing machine and the
wind, airers or tumble drier it is on the whole minimal work compared
to other chores. Dealing with the laundry then seeing clean clothes
hanging in the wardrobes and folded neatly in drawers along with
fresh bedding on our beds fills me with a sense of accomplishment.
The
best of doing laundry now that I am a mum is that I get to do it with
a little help from my boys who love to help load the machine, hang
the clothes out to dry, put clothes away and even make the beds!
Typically
we have numerous loads of washing a week, with the washing machine
being put through its paces nearly every day - sometimes more than
once a day if we have been on an outdoor adventure or have been
swimming.
Like
most households our laundry consists of mounds of towels, a household
worth of bedding, school uniforms, swimming costumes, sports kits and
everyday clothing for all 4 of us.
One
of the challenges of managing our laundry is that we have a wide
variety of laundry of different colours and fabric materials which
affects how we can wash and dry them. Thankfully over the years I
have found I instinctively sort clothes by colour and remember what
clothes can or cannot go in particular wash cycles or in the tumble
drier without any issue - ‘touch wood’ no pink shirts or shrunken
clothing here so far - and always ensure to read the care
labels on new clothes before washing.
An unfortunate problem with tackling a never ending laundry pile is that the weather can cause issues with drying clean laundry. Whilst we have a tumble drier I try not to use it when possible for economical reasons. Whenever possible I like to dry laundry outside on the washing line and love seeing laundry swaying on the line thanks to the wind. If the weather stops outdoor drying we either use clothes airers or the tumble drier. Thanks to living in west Wales where the weather is variable and often rainy drying clothes outdoors is often impossible so I have been dabbling with the idea of trying a heated clothes airer as another option of how to dry our laundry.
An unfortunate problem with tackling a never ending laundry pile is that the weather can cause issues with drying clean laundry. Whilst we have a tumble drier I try not to use it when possible for economical reasons. Whenever possible I like to dry laundry outside on the washing line and love seeing laundry swaying on the line thanks to the wind. If the weather stops outdoor drying we either use clothes airers or the tumble drier. Thanks to living in west Wales where the weather is variable and often rainy drying clothes outdoors is often impossible so I have been dabbling with the idea of trying a heated clothes airer as another option of how to dry our laundry.
Until
recently a big downfall in dealing with the laundry was our washing
machine. Whilst being reliable and sound for over 10 years before
going bang, before it went to washing machine heaven it had started
to be temperamental. In the past year or so some cycles refused to
work and clothes did not seem to come out of the machine as clean and
stain free as they once had after 1 cycle. Thankfully our new washing
machine which boasts VarioPerfect to ensure top wash results for all
types of fabrics and loads, a wide range of helpful cycles such as
soil and sand, sportswear and mixed load and an unique WaveDrum our
clothes are perfectly washed every time.
With
2 boisterous boys who seem to attract dirt, mess and muck our laundry
basket is being constantly filled. As I don’t mind doing the
laundry and believe that life should be embrace and lived to its
fullest I encourage the kids to get stuck in and have fun experiences
and adventures. Muddy clothes after a woodland adventure shows they
had fun running, climbing and exploring. Paint covered clothes after
arts and crafts showcases their creative side. Sandy clothes is
evidence of a fun filled day at the beach. Clothes covered in powder paint after an UV colourfest party showcases an unforgettable night. To me the mess doesn’t
matter, we are making memories and there is always baths and washing
machines to get us and our clothes clean again.
As
mud, paint, sand, soil, grass, sweat, sunscreen residue, food and even UV powder paint are
common sights on the boys’ clothes I am a big believer in
pre-treating stains. Along with using stain remover I also rely on a
laundry detergent that is tough on stains and has powerful cleaning
prowess. Whilst I look for laundry detergent that has powerful
cleaning qualities to help us tackle the whole family’s dirty
laundry another must-have quality I demand of my laundry detergent is
that it is kind to my family’s skin and clothes. Both the boys have
sensitive skin and as a sufferer of dermatographia (aka skin writing)
laundry detergent that is gentle on skin is a must. Another big bonus
is a long lasting scent.
Finding
a laundry detergent that combines being kind to skin and clothes,
long lasting lovely scent and powerful cleaning is difficult. As such
I have to have numerous laundry products for different family members
and laundry.
Helping
to make dealing with the laundry even easier I have tried a wonderful
laundry detergent that works wonders for the whole family - Ecover’s
new Non-Bio Concentrated Laundry Detergent.
From
opening the bottle for the first time I was awash with the beautiful
scent of the lavender and sandalwood. The scent is lovely and strong
without being overpowering. I love the natural scent which is a
lovely change to synthetic, overwhelming perfume scents often common
with laundry detergent. Whilst the clothes are being washed in the
machine the scent fills my kitchen which is a pleasant bonus. Much to
my delight the scent is long lasting and our clothes are left
smelling beautiful. I personally adore the lavender and sandalwood
scent.
What
I was particularly surprised by was the fact that the liquid is clear
and fluid like water. Thanks to the the bubbly liquid’s consistency
and colour which is a welcome relief to thicker and/or coloured
liquid detergent I feel confident that it is made with plant based
and mineral ingredients.
I
also appreciate and love the fact that it provides tough stain
action. It has managed to tackle a number of stains that my boys have
thrown at it over the past few weeks - grass, food, paint, mud - it
has conquered them all!
Much
to my delight as well as providing powerful cleaning power and a
lovely scent it is also very kind on our skin and clothes. Having
experienced reactions to other liquid detergents I was relieved that
this did not cause any issues especially as I love the scent so much!
Being
a fan of eco-friendly products I also love that it is full of smart
green science and is cruelty free.
After
very positive use over the past few weeks it is now my go-to laundry
detergent that we will be solely using again and again. I have highly
recommend it to family and friends and only wish I had experienced it
before now.
The
new Ecover Non-Bio Concentrated Laundry detergent provides amazingly
clean clothes, being brilliant for whites, colours, delicates,
towels, bedding and even beloved soft toys that need a bit of TLC.
Now
I take even more pride in my laundry. I love dressing my boys in
beautifully clean and wonderfully scented clothes and tucking them
into bed of a night in soft, clean bedding that has a wonderful,
relaxing aroma of lavender and sandalwood.
aw lovely little helpers! My two just love helping with laundry too. So nice to know something like Ecover is natural and good for the environment too x
ReplyDeleteI never knew cover did washing liquid so I'll have to try it as I love the brand!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the perfect detergent. I love a strong scent. The fact that it is kind to the environment and skin is wonderful x
ReplyDelete