Monday, May 26, 2008

Hand Laundry

Memorial Day is such an undemanding holiday: praying for our soldiers, sometimes a trip to the cemetary with flowers, and dinner cooked on the grill.

And of course it is the unofficial beginning of summer, right? We made it this far without the air-conditioning but now it's okay to give in, which we happily did today. Until a huge thunderstorm blew in, drove the children out of the swimming pool, and cooled things back off.


Today may be a holiday but it's still laundry day. In addition to the usual I gathered up all my fine wool sweaters for a massive hand-washing session in the kitchen. Last year I had moth damage to several woolen things, and I'm determined to prevent it this summer. Can't remember what was clean and what had been worn, so I washed everything.


I'll make notes in my calendar to air my wool things outside in a few hours of strong morning sun every three weeks through the warm weather. I just can't bring myself to load the closet with mothballs; they've got to be poisonous. Cedar and lavender and sunlight are going to be my defenses this year.

15 comments:

Keli said...

Anna,

Do you use the same calendar for your household stuff as you use for your business stuff? I know awhile back you posted about using your filofax. Just wondering how you incorporate everything!

Blessings,

Keli

Anonymous said...

That's definitely the right approach. I find the scent of moth balls to be one of the more offensive odors I can think of. Moths are certainly more attracted to dirty woolens, so you should be fine if you are keeping up with the laundering and airing. As well, there are always cedar chests.

Sarah said...

Even if they're not poisonous, moth balls smell awful. Lavender, cedar and sunlight are a much happier choice :)

~ Shannon said...

Mothballs are certainly a reminder that there are worse things in life than holes in your sweaters! Cedar and lavender sounds much better!


Yours in Christ,
Shannon

Tracie said...

The only thing we use mothballs for is to keep the Possums out of our roof. They don't like the smell. I don't mind sharing my backyard with possums but I draw the line at them living in our roof. Very noisy at night...(for all those who may not know, Possums are an Australian Native animal.)
By the way Anna love your Blog

Tracie

good_to_be_home said...

What a satisfying job! Washing wool! I would chose lavender, cedar, and sunlight over MOTH BALLS any day. . . . .
Blessing to you this week!~

The dB family said...

Mmmm! I love lavender! Definitely a much better option than moth balls!!

Blessings!

Rachel said...

You make housework so beautiful!

Lori(The Hen and Her Chicks) said...

I love your blog! I'm usually just a lurker but I just wanted to type and tell you that the blog is always a joy to read and you make everything so pretty.
I put my sweaters in a couple of sealed plastic containers in my closet. Your idea sounds better and will smell better.
Blessings,
Lori

YayaOrchid said...

Such pretty pictures! Great tip on the airing out the sweaters!

Krystle Laura said...

Anna,

I know this comment has nothing to do with this post, but could you please post the recipe for the cupcakes and icing?? I would love to make it for our churh potluck and top them with our homegrown strawberries!

Warmly,
Krystle

Krystle Laura said...

I meant "church"!

Anonymous said...

Using either Kookaburra Wool Wash or Eucalan Wool Wash on your knits will not only keep the fibers healthier, but also keep the creepy-crawlies away.

A said...

Umm . . . I still have my heat on.

A

Anonymous said...

CLOVES are also an excellent moth repellent, I wash my woollens, pack them in vintage suitcases with plenty of cloves and forget about them for months. Have never had a problem.

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