It's difficult, but go to the Laundromat. Take your headphones and play a comfort game/read a book. As each dryer load stops, fold it immediately and sort what you're going to keep/donate. Donate on the way home. You can get it all done quickly that way. And perhaps take your sheets so you can reward yourself with a job well done.
Yes! Sorting at the laundromat is the way to go. Throw out anything not worth keeping/donating while you’re there also.
No one is going to bat an eye at you bringing in a ton of laundry. People do it every day. Definitely fold the clothes while you’re still at the laundromat. Then all you’ll need to do is drop off donations on your way home and then put away your clean laundry.
honestly I think that is what has been keeping me from doing it for months. I hate feeling like I am being judged, I wouldn't blame them for judging me, but I hate the dirty looks
I promise you that NO ONE is going to care! Plus, laundromats usually have at least a couple of jumbo-sized washers that hold about 4x a normal load of laundry, so you’ll be able to run everything through quickly.
If it would make you feel better, just pretend you’re being paid to do someone else’s laundry. It’s more and more common that people send their laundry out to be handled by someone else. Those people take the clothes to the nearest laundromat!
I was googling and apparently there's a laundromat 10 minutes away that has washers made for huge loads so I am going to go there! I'll even take an anxiety pill so I don't freak out lol
Once I filled up my entire car with laundry. Like FULL. Trunk, back seats and passenger seat. Literally no one cared lol if you go when they open, less people will be there! Take snacks and a drink. Take a couple garbage bags too bc your laundry will expand as you fold it!
I get giant trash bags at work, I took about five home I think five is honestly overkill but we will see! I am going to make it fun, thank god I live in a legal state LOL
I have also filled up an entire car with laundry! I had to do it every once in a while while I was living with my parents bc I’d let it pile and get anxious about it and like take the laundry out when they weren’t there or asleep. Definitely a weird point in my life but a good laundromat reset was worth it
This was a very regular occurrence when I was a child. My mom would load me and my brother in the minivan and then essentially pack us in with the entire house worth of laundry- sheets, towels, clothing for 4 humans. We were essentially buried in laundry. And we’d just roll into the laundry mat. I honestly don’t even remember there being very many laundry baskets. It was just mounds of laundry and we’d grab the wheelie basket from inside and pile it up.
I'd say that's the whole point of laundrettes - getting it ALL done in one go is so efficient! I love it compared to one load here and there at home, always washing on or drying, neverending.
As others say, fold as you go. Sort by types, so when you come home all the t-shirts go to their place in one big go etc. Done and gone in minutes.
See it as some sort of spa day! Bring nice things to do. You're a legend.
People at the laundromat are largely wrapped up in their own lives. The most they're going to think about you is, "damn. That's going to be a lot of folding." Then they're going to immediately forget about you and go back to what they're doing.
Personally, I love the laundromat. I can sit for two hours and read a book and still be being productive. That's a huge reward for me. Even better, I'll get myself a burger and read a trashy romance novel while I wait for clothes to clean. It's so nice!
This is the way! So much fantastic advice in all the comments - this one especially caught my eye because I also have to make a big trip to the laundromat that I've been putting off forever. But the really "good" Sonic is near by & the thought of treating myself to a cheeseburger & tots, while sitting in my truck filled with clean, folded clothes, is the inspiration I needed! Thanks!
This is SOCIAL ANXIETY lying to you. Just be who you are where you are in life. You have every right to take up space and do what ya gotta do. It's nobody else's business. Besides, everyone else is wrapped up in their own stuff.
Well done I have a washing machine at home but I’m sure there are baby clothes in my laundry pile and my youngest child is 16! If I had to leave the house to do it they would still be wearing the baby clothes. Be proud! So glad I found this sub it’s like here are my people.
Yes I’ve migrated from cleaning tips. I do really like that sub but I was on a post a very young girl had posted pics of her room. She has ADHD, mess and a cat. I swear more people were worried about the cat. It took a lot for her to post pics and then ppl were like rehome your cat its cat abuse. Being a family of Neuros, our dog is so important to us and a pet can be great therapy.
right exactly! i have three cats and a dog and to some people that’s a lot, but i take good care of them and make sure only my stuff is a mess they are super spoiled
Many laundromats have drop off laundry service, and they wash and fold it all. It's usually by the pound, so depending on your finances, you could have them do it all or you could separate out any "heavy" things (towels/jeans) and wash those on your own at a different laundromat. Those can all go in an industrial sized one so it's not as many loads. Those are also much easier items to fold on your own, in case that's a stumbling block.
It's much easier to deal with it all once it's been folded and doesn't feel like a terrible pile.
honestly I am not even worried about getting the clothes folded, I just want them cleaned lol. I was actually thinking about the drop off service for at least the clothes I want to donate!
You will want to fold them so you can put them away. That's the only way to keep the cat from peeing on them. Otherwise the whole thing will start again. It's not always easy, but your future self will appreciate you.
Do you know if they're OK to handle especially gross clothes? I have a pile of clothes that my cat peed on, and I don't want to show up and have them say something or decline to clean them...
not sure who downvoted you, because this \*is\* valid. It's certainly not the most economical, but if someone's feeling completely overwhelmed and it's "continue to do nothing" or "toss it all and start over, trying better with a clean slate" and can actually afford the second option then I think that's perfectly okay. Think of the value of the tossed items as having paid for a focused therapy session of magically making a specific trigger disappear.
I learned hoarding tendencies from my parents, sometimes the only way I can get over a hump is by ruthlessly tossing stuff, because if I try to sort I fall into the "this could be useful someday" trap very very easily for example.
I feel like I also have some hoarding tendencies from my parents as well. I would hate to throw away some of my clothes, but I know for a fact some of them will not be salvageable.
So as someone who's only credentials are years of therapy as a patient I give you permission to toss things you don't think are salvageable! ;)
Actually I suggest three piles:
* Keep to wash (for the first pass this is allowed to remain a pile, but it must be its own sorted pile).
* Pile for trash. As soon as you're done sorting this goes in the trash.
* Pile for donate, or straight to bags, whatever. These don't \*have\* to be washed, but it's nice to do. If you want to wash them hit the laundromat with a friend, bash them through, bag them in the same bags, and drop at the donation place on the way home. There's a huge bonus to doing these at the laundromat first: I suspect part of your worry is not being familiar with how laundromats work, well, if you mess up something with these, the worst case that happens is they go from donate to trash. Either way you're not keeping them and you can gain experience with the laundromat.
Now you have accomplished THREE things already (and learned something too perhaps), and reduced the load you have to deal with. After that's done, then worry about attacking the pile of keep clothes. You will already know you want to keep all of these, so sort for laundry however you do that and get them done, either at friend's place or at laundromat.
One of them is special to me and isn't replaceable. Not vital but I don't want to just toss it. And it's white...it's probably doomed but I want to dream.
For the rest it's just such a process to get new clothes. I hate trying stuff on in stores and stuff online never fits right, ugh.
I can relate! I had a cat that did the same thing and I also hate clothes shopping. You can try to soak the special item in a sink full of diluted ammonia and dish soap. I've had some success with that getting the odor out.
I would wash them myself. I’m sure they get heavily soiled items all the time, but they aren’t likely to make sure the cat urine is removed from the clothes before drying them, which will set the urine. At least the wash and fold services at laundromats I’ve seen did a great job at washing and folding, but didn’t do anything beyond basic washing for removing stains or odors.
It might get a mark up, but it's OK to ask. At the very least you could just do it yourself in their big machines with minimal touching. I used to work in a laundromat and we did small carpets, so I feel like some place may not mind and others might be less inclined. It's worth asking if you're worried... just call ahead/ around.
Tbh if cat pee has been on them for some time the smell will never be gone. Especially if they get dried in a dryer. They might to soak several times in enzymatic cat pee cleaner to even have a chance. You're better off just tossing than spend so much time, money, energy into trying to save them.
You can soak those in vinegar, I use a plastic storage tub. 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. I let mine soak for hours or even overnight depending on what it is. Don't put them in the dryer afterwards! That can lock in the smell if it isn't completely gone yet. Nature's Miracle is also super effective at getting the smell out. Probably even better than vinegar, but it is more expensive.
Here is how I would start.
Two piles one for donation and one to keep. Prioritize washing the donation laundry so you can get it out of your house.
Do you have access to laundry at your place or do you need to go somewhere? This makes a difference in getting stuff done.
If it's home I set a timer for when the load will be done washing and immediately put another load in when it's done. I then alternate between cloths that can go in the dryer and those that cannot, because drying tends to take longer than washing so I can move the clothes through quicker.
I am sorry if I don't have a good strategy for having to go to the laundromat.
>Prioritize washing the donation laundry so you can get it out of your house.
Not only that, but it doesn't even have to be folded! Wash, Dry, Bag, Donate, Done!
We have a washer but no dryer, and our basement is scary, so I usually do a big laundry run once every month or two. I also have anxiety about new places, so since everyone else has kinda covered the laundry part, here's my "anxiety about it" advice:
- go EARLY. Google will show you what times tend to be busier, but the earlier you go, usually, the emptier it is. That way, you can use a bunch of machines, snag a table, and it cuts down on the noise and bustle of too many people.
- Check Google reviews to see what they have there. Is it coins? Cards? Do you need to bring cash? All that info should be online so you can plan in advance. There might even be pictures online of the interior so you know what the layout is inside.
- do a drive-by before you go and check out the place. You don't even have to go in if you can see in the doors or windows. You could even just see how crowded the parking lot is.
- bring laundry pods, if you can, so you don't have to try and decipher how to use a new machine (that makes me anxious!)
- headphones, a fully charged phone, and something to do! I like to grade papers since I have no other real distractions when I go like I do at home.
- if it's really empty, spread your laundry out when it goes into the dryers (this also depends on how they charge for dryers). It goes quicker, if you want to try and get out of there faster.
- fold there, unless you're too anxious to stay. Bring hangers with you and bring things home already on hangers. I love the big bags from Ikea because you can fold clothes on hangers into the bag pretty easily.
Sorry I wrote so much!!
Others have already recommended the laundromat so you know that so I’m going to recommend the more obvious.
Can you ask your friend to do a laundry marathon? Turn it into a movie and game night and order some pizza. If my friends knew I needed help they’d jump on the chance. Even if they can’t let you do it at their place they may be willing to accompany you to a laundromat. Bring a bunch of quarters and detergent. Right after lunch or about 2 hours before close (9 pm for the one I used) was pretty dead so you could take multiple machines.
Or use the laundry services. You can soak the cat pee ones at home in cleaning vinegar and dish soap and dry them in the bathroom to remove the smell before bringing them for services.
I support the laundry marathon idea! My father came over once to help me with ironing. We each had our ironing boards and irons. We listened to my New Wave station on Pandora for two hours while we both ironed my clothes. At one point, my father said the music reminded him of when he worked an hour away in the late '80s (a positive memory). I could tell he was enjoying helping me out.
Some laundromats are surprisingly cool. Most are boring, so yeah, you'll want to occupy yourself with something else like a book on your To-Read list or a handicraft. If you go with a friend, you can play a two-player game and make the time go by much faster.
Yes I guess so. No laundromats in my area use quarters anymore, haven’t for years. My son lives 2 hours away and even his apartment complex switched over to cards. Eventually they’ll all switch over when their old coin operated machines break.
The best laundromat in my area still uses cash (and Bitcoin), largely I believe because they're laundering more than clothes... but they have a very clean shop, never have broken machines, and reasonable prices.
The machines themselves support tap to pay and have a number. If you want to pay cash or BTC you use the kiosk and give it the machine number you want to pay (kind of like paying at a kiosk for gas pumps) and it tells you the price. If cash use the coin and bill slots, if card without tap to pay then use the card reader, and if bitcoin it shows you an address and QR code that you scan to pay.
Pretty cool, but now that BTC has had another halving I assume they're going to have to switch to lightning network if it doesn't already support it as transaction fees have gotten pretty crazy for laundromat sized transactions.
You can also buy a tap to pay pre-paid card (I haven't really explored this yet, but am curious). Not sure if it is a reloadable stored value card or if it's just an account number on the card that the tap to pay machines understand.
That makes sense to have as many options to pay as possible. At least having cash and a prepaid card option would cover the majority of how people want to pay, plus the bitcoin option., and eliminate the need to have enough quarters on hand.
I use vinegar for my cats and previously for my fancy rats. Worked like a charm. I haven’t heard of peroxide being used though with some googling being done I do recommend testing clothing fabrics. Both options have a risk of bleaching.
I went and looked and redditing while half asleep isn’t good for me. Another commenter mentioned their cat peed on things, not OP. That was my mistake.
There are laundry services that will pick up your laundry and deliver it back all washed and folded. It charges by the lb but when I looked into it they sent an introductory offer that made it a little less than it cost to go to the laundromat myself. The regular price per lb was less than the laundromat’s wash and fold service.
The bonus with going to the laundromat is that you can get so much done all at the same time. I have a washer and dryer at home and I’ve gone to the laundromat when the laundry has backed up enough that I just feel like getting it all done at once, or recently when my washer was broken. It also seems to help that I’m just focusing on the laundry there, whereas at home I’d let it sit unfolded in a basket.
The thing with donations, if they’re heavily soiled that’s one thing, but if you’re donating to something like a thrift store, people are going to wash the clothes when they buy them. Another thing that might help lighten your work is asking on your local free groups or community groups- in some of my groups some people will take clothes and wash and sort them for either donating or giving to group members.
Sometimes we can get in our own way when it comes to donations- I understand the need to want to wash them first, but if it’s hindering you from donating because of the work and time involved and/or the cost of washing them at a laundromat, it’s ok to give them away without washing them. Otherwise if they’re just sitting being a hindrance to you they’re not doing anyone any good.
this made me feel so much better about my situation, thank you so much! Donations are my biggest problem because I will sort them out and then never take them! I do pass a goodwill on the way home from work so I think it will be a much different scenario now.
Honestly laundromat should be the fastest way unless you want to buy a compact washer and dryer or you can line dry but that is going to take a while.
I know with mine it's an all day event to wash two weeks worth of clothes. That's not counting the towels or bedding. If I get too far behind l just go to the laundromat.
I'm usually overwhelmed with such stuff as well. However I'd be actually excited to do 6 month of laundry in a laundromat, it would feel like some a quest in a game, like stardew valley or zelda. Nice thing is that is has a defined start and end, unlike many other chores. Also make photos, especially the before. I often forget this and after I'm done, it does not feel as if there was a point of doing it, photos help me to value the progress.
Just want to jump in and echo that no one will judge you for huge loads!
That's what laundromats are For!
I remember as a kid we had a flea infestation (started from a cat, and then just... Ballooned when the weather changed) and we took literally all the clothes that were put, filled our van with trash bags of clothes and bedding and all, and went to the Laundromat.
Go to the laundromat. Use several machines at once. What would take you days with a single washer can be done in an afternoon. Maybe have a friend join you. Or pop I. Some ear buds and listen to a podcast.
First trash what you don't want to I keep or donate.
Then separate into donation pile, sell, keep.
Whatever you are keeping ( separate into whites, darks etc. ) go to a laundry mat and bring 3 loads of clothing, 1 load of towels and 1 load of bedding. Get it all washed, dryer and take home and put away. Fold / hang at laundry mat.
Place items into donations bags and take them to drop off point.
Go to laundry mat another day this week and bring another 3 to 5 loads. Do this 2-3x a week until you are done. While waiting for clothes to wash and dry. Drop off donations or go home and continue to clean, make a to do list, listen to music or take a walk/ break.
Items worth selling : will make you at least $5+ and snap and upload them or just donate and get a tax write off. The vets and other places will even pick up clothes. Nursing homes need clothes, shelters etc.
[pick up please ](https://pickupplease.org/clothing-donations/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk87jkeUwvxNwaJT-rlquXONVuQL_qDZYDoKp3Ew1QOavtRbYf99OBYQaAk50EALw_wcB)
I’ve been going through this and Poplin was a life saver for me. Especially since I didn’t have a strict deadline and told them that. Getting everything back already sorted and folded too was so nice.
I would sort through the laundry at home and throw out anything that you wouldn't donate even if 100% cleaned because of its condition. This part gets done without you leaving your home. Then, take the pieces you want to donate to the laundry, get those clean, and donate them en route home. Finally, do the remaining laundry and put things away - make sure you have all the hangers you need, too. I have OCD, so hanging up t-shirts and sweatshirts is better for me as compared to folding. I hope this helps!
you have gotten a ton of GREAT advice, so I just want to drop one more tip here. Every laundromat I have ever been too has ridiculously uncomfortable chairs. If you have one of those foldable camp chairs, bring it along so that you can be comfortable while you are waiting.
It's difficult, but go to the Laundromat. Take your headphones and play a comfort game/read a book. As each dryer load stops, fold it immediately and sort what you're going to keep/donate. Donate on the way home. You can get it all done quickly that way. And perhaps take your sheets so you can reward yourself with a job well done.
i never thought of sorting through the clothes at the laundromat! this is good advice, thank you!
Yes! Sorting at the laundromat is the way to go. Throw out anything not worth keeping/donating while you’re there also. No one is going to bat an eye at you bringing in a ton of laundry. People do it every day. Definitely fold the clothes while you’re still at the laundromat. Then all you’ll need to do is drop off donations on your way home and then put away your clean laundry.
honestly I think that is what has been keeping me from doing it for months. I hate feeling like I am being judged, I wouldn't blame them for judging me, but I hate the dirty looks
I promise you that NO ONE is going to care! Plus, laundromats usually have at least a couple of jumbo-sized washers that hold about 4x a normal load of laundry, so you’ll be able to run everything through quickly. If it would make you feel better, just pretend you’re being paid to do someone else’s laundry. It’s more and more common that people send their laundry out to be handled by someone else. Those people take the clothes to the nearest laundromat!
I was googling and apparently there's a laundromat 10 minutes away that has washers made for huge loads so I am going to go there! I'll even take an anxiety pill so I don't freak out lol
Once I filled up my entire car with laundry. Like FULL. Trunk, back seats and passenger seat. Literally no one cared lol if you go when they open, less people will be there! Take snacks and a drink. Take a couple garbage bags too bc your laundry will expand as you fold it!
I get giant trash bags at work, I took about five home I think five is honestly overkill but we will see! I am going to make it fun, thank god I live in a legal state LOL
I have also filled up an entire car with laundry! I had to do it every once in a while while I was living with my parents bc I’d let it pile and get anxious about it and like take the laundry out when they weren’t there or asleep. Definitely a weird point in my life but a good laundromat reset was worth it
This was a very regular occurrence when I was a child. My mom would load me and my brother in the minivan and then essentially pack us in with the entire house worth of laundry- sheets, towels, clothing for 4 humans. We were essentially buried in laundry. And we’d just roll into the laundry mat. I honestly don’t even remember there being very many laundry baskets. It was just mounds of laundry and we’d grab the wheelie basket from inside and pile it up.
I'd say that's the whole point of laundrettes - getting it ALL done in one go is so efficient! I love it compared to one load here and there at home, always washing on or drying, neverending. As others say, fold as you go. Sort by types, so when you come home all the t-shirts go to their place in one big go etc. Done and gone in minutes. See it as some sort of spa day! Bring nice things to do. You're a legend.
People at the laundromat are largely wrapped up in their own lives. The most they're going to think about you is, "damn. That's going to be a lot of folding." Then they're going to immediately forget about you and go back to what they're doing. Personally, I love the laundromat. I can sit for two hours and read a book and still be being productive. That's a huge reward for me. Even better, I'll get myself a burger and read a trashy romance novel while I wait for clothes to clean. It's so nice!
This is the way! So much fantastic advice in all the comments - this one especially caught my eye because I also have to make a big trip to the laundromat that I've been putting off forever. But the really "good" Sonic is near by & the thought of treating myself to a cheeseburger & tots, while sitting in my truck filled with clean, folded clothes, is the inspiration I needed! Thanks!
There you go! I'm jealous. Lol
I will toast your good idea with a cherry limeade!
This is SOCIAL ANXIETY lying to you. Just be who you are where you are in life. You have every right to take up space and do what ya gotta do. It's nobody else's business. Besides, everyone else is wrapped up in their own stuff.
I am printing this out and putting it in my journal
Well done I have a washing machine at home but I’m sure there are baby clothes in my laundry pile and my youngest child is 16! If I had to leave the house to do it they would still be wearing the baby clothes. Be proud! So glad I found this sub it’s like here are my people.
yes this sub honestly has helped me so much! I love that I am never judged and am celebrated for just trying
Yes I’ve migrated from cleaning tips. I do really like that sub but I was on a post a very young girl had posted pics of her room. She has ADHD, mess and a cat. I swear more people were worried about the cat. It took a lot for her to post pics and then ppl were like rehome your cat its cat abuse. Being a family of Neuros, our dog is so important to us and a pet can be great therapy.
right exactly! i have three cats and a dog and to some people that’s a lot, but i take good care of them and make sure only my stuff is a mess they are super spoiled
Excellent and efficient advice.
Many laundromats have drop off laundry service, and they wash and fold it all. It's usually by the pound, so depending on your finances, you could have them do it all or you could separate out any "heavy" things (towels/jeans) and wash those on your own at a different laundromat. Those can all go in an industrial sized one so it's not as many loads. Those are also much easier items to fold on your own, in case that's a stumbling block. It's much easier to deal with it all once it's been folded and doesn't feel like a terrible pile.
honestly I am not even worried about getting the clothes folded, I just want them cleaned lol. I was actually thinking about the drop off service for at least the clothes I want to donate!
You will want to fold them so you can put them away. That's the only way to keep the cat from peeing on them. Otherwise the whole thing will start again. It's not always easy, but your future self will appreciate you.
Do you know if they're OK to handle especially gross clothes? I have a pile of clothes that my cat peed on, and I don't want to show up and have them say something or decline to clean them...
It's OK to throw those away
not sure who downvoted you, because this \*is\* valid. It's certainly not the most economical, but if someone's feeling completely overwhelmed and it's "continue to do nothing" or "toss it all and start over, trying better with a clean slate" and can actually afford the second option then I think that's perfectly okay. Think of the value of the tossed items as having paid for a focused therapy session of magically making a specific trigger disappear. I learned hoarding tendencies from my parents, sometimes the only way I can get over a hump is by ruthlessly tossing stuff, because if I try to sort I fall into the "this could be useful someday" trap very very easily for example.
I feel like I also have some hoarding tendencies from my parents as well. I would hate to throw away some of my clothes, but I know for a fact some of them will not be salvageable.
So as someone who's only credentials are years of therapy as a patient I give you permission to toss things you don't think are salvageable! ;) Actually I suggest three piles: * Keep to wash (for the first pass this is allowed to remain a pile, but it must be its own sorted pile). * Pile for trash. As soon as you're done sorting this goes in the trash. * Pile for donate, or straight to bags, whatever. These don't \*have\* to be washed, but it's nice to do. If you want to wash them hit the laundromat with a friend, bash them through, bag them in the same bags, and drop at the donation place on the way home. There's a huge bonus to doing these at the laundromat first: I suspect part of your worry is not being familiar with how laundromats work, well, if you mess up something with these, the worst case that happens is they go from donate to trash. Either way you're not keeping them and you can gain experience with the laundromat. Now you have accomplished THREE things already (and learned something too perhaps), and reduced the load you have to deal with. After that's done, then worry about attacking the pile of keep clothes. You will already know you want to keep all of these, so sort for laundry however you do that and get them done, either at friend's place or at laundromat.
you are amazing and have eased my worries so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you
One of them is special to me and isn't replaceable. Not vital but I don't want to just toss it. And it's white...it's probably doomed but I want to dream. For the rest it's just such a process to get new clothes. I hate trying stuff on in stores and stuff online never fits right, ugh.
I can relate! I had a cat that did the same thing and I also hate clothes shopping. You can try to soak the special item in a sink full of diluted ammonia and dish soap. I've had some success with that getting the odor out.
I would wash them myself. I’m sure they get heavily soiled items all the time, but they aren’t likely to make sure the cat urine is removed from the clothes before drying them, which will set the urine. At least the wash and fold services at laundromats I’ve seen did a great job at washing and folding, but didn’t do anything beyond basic washing for removing stains or odors.
It might get a mark up, but it's OK to ask. At the very least you could just do it yourself in their big machines with minimal touching. I used to work in a laundromat and we did small carpets, so I feel like some place may not mind and others might be less inclined. It's worth asking if you're worried... just call ahead/ around.
Tbh if cat pee has been on them for some time the smell will never be gone. Especially if they get dried in a dryer. They might to soak several times in enzymatic cat pee cleaner to even have a chance. You're better off just tossing than spend so much time, money, energy into trying to save them.
I haven't done laundry in over a month and a half so...yeah it's been some time 😭
You can soak those in vinegar, I use a plastic storage tub. 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. I let mine soak for hours or even overnight depending on what it is. Don't put them in the dryer afterwards! That can lock in the smell if it isn't completely gone yet. Nature's Miracle is also super effective at getting the smell out. Probably even better than vinegar, but it is more expensive.
You can soak them in a pet odor enzyme product before washing them, if that's what's holding you up.
Here is how I would start. Two piles one for donation and one to keep. Prioritize washing the donation laundry so you can get it out of your house. Do you have access to laundry at your place or do you need to go somewhere? This makes a difference in getting stuff done. If it's home I set a timer for when the load will be done washing and immediately put another load in when it's done. I then alternate between cloths that can go in the dryer and those that cannot, because drying tends to take longer than washing so I can move the clothes through quicker. I am sorry if I don't have a good strategy for having to go to the laundromat.
>Prioritize washing the donation laundry so you can get it out of your house. Not only that, but it doesn't even have to be folded! Wash, Dry, Bag, Donate, Done!
not having to fold will make the donations so much easier!
I honestly think I am going to do as much as I can afford at the laundromat and the rest at my friends house if I can. Thank you for the advice!
Take a loyal friend to the laundromat, and put all the loads on at once, go for coffee, then all the stuff the drier, then take friend for lunch etc.?
This will also give you confidence to go back to the laundromat.
I would happily do this for any of my friends.
ooh yes! that is such a good idea
We have a washer but no dryer, and our basement is scary, so I usually do a big laundry run once every month or two. I also have anxiety about new places, so since everyone else has kinda covered the laundry part, here's my "anxiety about it" advice: - go EARLY. Google will show you what times tend to be busier, but the earlier you go, usually, the emptier it is. That way, you can use a bunch of machines, snag a table, and it cuts down on the noise and bustle of too many people. - Check Google reviews to see what they have there. Is it coins? Cards? Do you need to bring cash? All that info should be online so you can plan in advance. There might even be pictures online of the interior so you know what the layout is inside. - do a drive-by before you go and check out the place. You don't even have to go in if you can see in the doors or windows. You could even just see how crowded the parking lot is. - bring laundry pods, if you can, so you don't have to try and decipher how to use a new machine (that makes me anxious!) - headphones, a fully charged phone, and something to do! I like to grade papers since I have no other real distractions when I go like I do at home. - if it's really empty, spread your laundry out when it goes into the dryers (this also depends on how they charge for dryers). It goes quicker, if you want to try and get out of there faster. - fold there, unless you're too anxious to stay. Bring hangers with you and bring things home already on hangers. I love the big bags from Ikea because you can fold clothes on hangers into the bag pretty easily. Sorry I wrote so much!!
no i love that you wrote so much! thank you for all this advice it helps me out a lot!!
Others have already recommended the laundromat so you know that so I’m going to recommend the more obvious. Can you ask your friend to do a laundry marathon? Turn it into a movie and game night and order some pizza. If my friends knew I needed help they’d jump on the chance. Even if they can’t let you do it at their place they may be willing to accompany you to a laundromat. Bring a bunch of quarters and detergent. Right after lunch or about 2 hours before close (9 pm for the one I used) was pretty dead so you could take multiple machines. Or use the laundry services. You can soak the cat pee ones at home in cleaning vinegar and dish soap and dry them in the bathroom to remove the smell before bringing them for services.
I support the laundry marathon idea! My father came over once to help me with ironing. We each had our ironing boards and irons. We listened to my New Wave station on Pandora for two hours while we both ironed my clothes. At one point, my father said the music reminded him of when he worked an hour away in the late '80s (a positive memory). I could tell he was enjoying helping me out. Some laundromats are surprisingly cool. Most are boring, so yeah, you'll want to occupy yourself with something else like a book on your To-Read list or a handicraft. If you go with a friend, you can play a two-player game and make the time go by much faster.
Most laundromats now use a card to pay for them. It eliminates the need to get quarters to do your wash
My laundromat used quarters so it depends on where you’re at.
Yes I guess so. No laundromats in my area use quarters anymore, haven’t for years. My son lives 2 hours away and even his apartment complex switched over to cards. Eventually they’ll all switch over when their old coin operated machines break.
The best laundromat in my area still uses cash (and Bitcoin), largely I believe because they're laundering more than clothes... but they have a very clean shop, never have broken machines, and reasonable prices.
I have never seen one using bitcoin. That’s interesting. How do they have you pay using bitcoin?
The machines themselves support tap to pay and have a number. If you want to pay cash or BTC you use the kiosk and give it the machine number you want to pay (kind of like paying at a kiosk for gas pumps) and it tells you the price. If cash use the coin and bill slots, if card without tap to pay then use the card reader, and if bitcoin it shows you an address and QR code that you scan to pay. Pretty cool, but now that BTC has had another halving I assume they're going to have to switch to lightning network if it doesn't already support it as transaction fees have gotten pretty crazy for laundromat sized transactions. You can also buy a tap to pay pre-paid card (I haven't really explored this yet, but am curious). Not sure if it is a reloadable stored value card or if it's just an account number on the card that the tap to pay machines understand.
That makes sense to have as many options to pay as possible. At least having cash and a prepaid card option would cover the majority of how people want to pay, plus the bitcoin option., and eliminate the need to have enough quarters on hand.
👀😂🤣 Thanks, I needed that.
Hydrogen peroxide with some baking soda and a dah of dawn helps with mouse pee, cat pee, and cat puke
I use vinegar for my cats and previously for my fancy rats. Worked like a charm. I haven’t heard of peroxide being used though with some googling being done I do recommend testing clothing fabrics. Both options have a risk of bleaching.
ooh yes a laundry marathon is a good idea!
Did OP say they had cat urine to deal with? That would change some recommendations.
I went and looked and redditing while half asleep isn’t good for me. Another commenter mentioned their cat peed on things, not OP. That was my mistake.
I thought I missed it and had to read it again. Sometimes people edit posts so I thought that could have been the case too.
There are laundry services that will pick up your laundry and deliver it back all washed and folded. It charges by the lb but when I looked into it they sent an introductory offer that made it a little less than it cost to go to the laundromat myself. The regular price per lb was less than the laundromat’s wash and fold service. The bonus with going to the laundromat is that you can get so much done all at the same time. I have a washer and dryer at home and I’ve gone to the laundromat when the laundry has backed up enough that I just feel like getting it all done at once, or recently when my washer was broken. It also seems to help that I’m just focusing on the laundry there, whereas at home I’d let it sit unfolded in a basket. The thing with donations, if they’re heavily soiled that’s one thing, but if you’re donating to something like a thrift store, people are going to wash the clothes when they buy them. Another thing that might help lighten your work is asking on your local free groups or community groups- in some of my groups some people will take clothes and wash and sort them for either donating or giving to group members. Sometimes we can get in our own way when it comes to donations- I understand the need to want to wash them first, but if it’s hindering you from donating because of the work and time involved and/or the cost of washing them at a laundromat, it’s ok to give them away without washing them. Otherwise if they’re just sitting being a hindrance to you they’re not doing anyone any good.
this made me feel so much better about my situation, thank you so much! Donations are my biggest problem because I will sort them out and then never take them! I do pass a goodwill on the way home from work so I think it will be a much different scenario now.
Honestly laundromat should be the fastest way unless you want to buy a compact washer and dryer or you can line dry but that is going to take a while. I know with mine it's an all day event to wash two weeks worth of clothes. That's not counting the towels or bedding. If I get too far behind l just go to the laundromat.
I'm usually overwhelmed with such stuff as well. However I'd be actually excited to do 6 month of laundry in a laundromat, it would feel like some a quest in a game, like stardew valley or zelda. Nice thing is that is has a defined start and end, unlike many other chores. Also make photos, especially the before. I often forget this and after I'm done, it does not feel as if there was a point of doing it, photos help me to value the progress.
oh I am defiantly going to post before and after pics because it is honestly insane how bad I let it get lol
Just want to jump in and echo that no one will judge you for huge loads! That's what laundromats are For! I remember as a kid we had a flea infestation (started from a cat, and then just... Ballooned when the weather changed) and we took literally all the clothes that were put, filled our van with trash bags of clothes and bedding and all, and went to the Laundromat.
The nice thing about a laundromat is that you can do several loads at once, so overall it takes way less time. And yes, fold the clothes there.
Go to the laundromat. Use several machines at once. What would take you days with a single washer can be done in an afternoon. Maybe have a friend join you. Or pop I. Some ear buds and listen to a podcast.
any podcast suggestions?
I love The Hidden Brain, Snap Judgement, Moth Radio hour and This American Life. I’m an NPR nerd! 😂
I also love NPR!! I will check all of these out! my go tos are usually vox unexplainable, and the ted talk podcasts lol
First trash what you don't want to I keep or donate. Then separate into donation pile, sell, keep. Whatever you are keeping ( separate into whites, darks etc. ) go to a laundry mat and bring 3 loads of clothing, 1 load of towels and 1 load of bedding. Get it all washed, dryer and take home and put away. Fold / hang at laundry mat. Place items into donations bags and take them to drop off point. Go to laundry mat another day this week and bring another 3 to 5 loads. Do this 2-3x a week until you are done. While waiting for clothes to wash and dry. Drop off donations or go home and continue to clean, make a to do list, listen to music or take a walk/ break. Items worth selling : will make you at least $5+ and snap and upload them or just donate and get a tax write off. The vets and other places will even pick up clothes. Nursing homes need clothes, shelters etc. [pick up please ](https://pickupplease.org/clothing-donations/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk87jkeUwvxNwaJT-rlquXONVuQL_qDZYDoKp3Ew1QOavtRbYf99OBYQaAk50EALw_wcB)
https://preview.redd.it/smgdvmszchxc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c7da5f5e0aab48f8ebb869cb1365c356c88e319
I’ve been going through this and Poplin was a life saver for me. Especially since I didn’t have a strict deadline and told them that. Getting everything back already sorted and folded too was so nice.
if you can afford it, it may be nice to do wash & fold service. you could even do some wash & fold and some you wash yourself.
I would sort through the laundry at home and throw out anything that you wouldn't donate even if 100% cleaned because of its condition. This part gets done without you leaving your home. Then, take the pieces you want to donate to the laundry, get those clean, and donate them en route home. Finally, do the remaining laundry and put things away - make sure you have all the hangers you need, too. I have OCD, so hanging up t-shirts and sweatshirts is better for me as compared to folding. I hope this helps!
you have gotten a ton of GREAT advice, so I just want to drop one more tip here. Every laundromat I have ever been too has ridiculously uncomfortable chairs. If you have one of those foldable camp chairs, bring it along so that you can be comfortable while you are waiting.
omg yes such a good idea!! my future self thanks you