After yesterday’s blog-The Art of Not Showering-I heard a great deal of applause from the un-showered masses, most of them moms or freelance writers (or both). Yet, many of them told me: I might be with you on the not showering thing, but you’re on your own with the laundry.
Really?
It’s my goal today to convert you all to the Art of Not Doing Laundry Religion, and I’m going to start this little sermon by telling you about my favorite pair of jeans. I own 4 pairs of denim, but only two pairs that I really like to wear—and only one pair that I love. The pair that I love fits just right and, by that, I mean that they are snug enough to show off the backside that enticed my husband to marry me, but loose enough so I don’t feel as if I’ve got too much back side to go around, if you know what I mean.
They are so comfortable that I could sleep in them.
They’re new enough that they look great with a dressy top and shoes, but faded enough that they look just as great with fleece and sneakers.
Whenever I’m wearing them, I feel sexy—even if they are paired with fleece and sneakers.
If they were a man, I would leave my husband for them. Really, I would. This is no exaggeration.
Every woman should have such a pair of jeans.
Now I certainly would love if I could find a way to become a jean polygamist. What is a jean polygamist, you ask? It’s someone who owns seven pair of jeans, one pair for each day of the week, and who and loves them all equally.
That’s just not me. I love my one pair. The others are what I wear when I absolutely, positively HAVE to wash my beloved.
Do you remember how you felt when you first met your husband? Could you, at that time, imagine seeing him just once a week? You thought about him every second of every day, right? Seeing him just once a week was probably the greatest test of your self-control ever—assuming you even allowed that many days to go by before jumping his bones. (Now, I know, it’s another story entirely. You wish he would just disappear for weeks on end).
Well, it’s the same with my beloved jeans. I do not feel complete unless I’ve worn them, um, let’s say, should I really admit this?
Okay, what the heck. I will.
Four times a week.
I can’t do laundry every day. That’s just crazy talk. And, really, I sit in a desk chair most of the day. How dirty do my jeans really get?
I’ll tell you: not very.
I can wear them four days in a row and no one is the wiser. Not once has a single person said to me, “Um, Alisa, didn’t you just wear those jeans yesterday and the day before and the day before that?” No, because you know what? Unlike dresses and skirts, no one notices your jeans. Even if they ever remember that you wore jeans the day before, they just assume you’ve got seven pairs that you rotate.
More important, my jeans don’t smell. I really only need to wash them for two reasons:
Reason #1: I’ve wiped my hands on my jeans one too many times and there’s a visible stain that needs to be erased by the washing machine.
Reason #2: I’ve worn them so many days in a row that the denim has stretched out and I need to put them in the dryer to tighten them back up.
That’s it really.
Once I realized this about my beloved jeans, it got me thinking. Maybe the rest of my clothing doesn’t need to be washed after every single wear, either. When I was a teenager and wore 6 or 7 outfits a day, my mother was constantly trying to get me to accept this fact of laundry life. Clothes (with the exception of socks and underwear) really don’t get that dirty. They just don’t.
There’s no way the pioneers washed their clothes after every single wearing, not when they had to hand scrub them. No, this wash after every wear concept, I’m sure, came about after the invention of the washing machine.
And it’s just not necessary. In fact, I will argue that it’s detrimental. Wearing your clothes two, three, or even four (or more) times between washings:
Saves water and detergent.
Preserves the closet life of your clothes. Every time your clothes go through the washer and dryer, they fade.
Prevents arguments about who will fold the laundry, as there is much less laundry to fold.
Saves time. Why do laundry when you could really be doing something else, such as writing a blog about how much you love your jeans?
See? Have I converted you yet? Let me know by taking my poll or leaving a comment.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I often wear my jeans for 2 or 3 days in a row. Other clothes, it just depends on what I did.
Here’s another point of view: On doing laundry — I too have one pair of my favorite jeans. I have 3 other pairs currently that I like, although each has it problems. (on one, the zipper comes unzipped without my realizing waaaay too often) But they all have one thing in common — they are too loose on me after about an hour or less. I am wearing these after a 22 pound weight loss; they used to be the ones that were too small to wear. Now they are too big, but I don’t want to buy more because I am losing more weight. So washing them and, more importantly. drying them, is the only way they don’t fall off me after a day.
On showering — after a recent surgery, I got a topical yeast infection underneath my compression garment (to reduce swelling). My surgeon told me I must not only shower daily, but also use a clean towel after each shower AND wear clean PJ’s each night. The yeast stays on the fabrics and will spread it to other parts of you if you re-use it.
Besides that, I do smell after one day, no matter what I am doing. Not to be too blunt, but both my pits and privates. So that translates into one wearing of shirts and pants, as well as underwear (including a clean bra each day, which I didn’t used to do).
And my hair and scalp get dirty looking and itchy after one day.
So here’s to me — the minority (at least among your posters) who showers and does laundry daily.
My grandmother always said, “You don’t wear your clothes out; you wash them out.”
Hey there!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this post!! My husband always washes his clothes BEFORE he wears them.
Me? I love the feel of wearing new clothes. Besides, washing fades and stretches and does some of my clothes more harm than good!
I wear things until they need freshening but I have WAY too many things that are more fun than laundry!
I love your writing style!
Catherine
Your husband is right, Catherine. After working in retail for 2 years, you have no idea who tried the clothes you bought before you. People can be pretty nasty from what I’ve seen so it’s usually for hygiene that people pre-wash.
The colors of your blog really go well with each other, did you design it Yourself?
What about washing your towels? Do you reuse them more than once?
My dad and I use our towels about three times before we wash them (we have our own). My brother and sister-in-law that live with us use towels once and put them in the wash. They even hang their towels up like they will use them again, but they just end up using them again. There have been many times that I have HAD to use the same towel again just because my brother and sister have used up all the clean towels.
Is it really that gross to use the towels again?
I’ll wear jeans for several days without washing them. Tops – depends how much pet fur I have on them. My hubby’s dress shirts (for work) have to be washed after he wears them – he thinks so much on his job, his pits stink bad.
Towels – they get washed every two weeks – I based that on when the housekeepers come. Besides – you should be clean when you get out of the shower, so how is your towel getting dirty.
Bedding – same as towels – when the housekeepers change the beds. I used to go 4 to 6 weeks without changing the sheets – just too much effort.
i shower 2 or 3 times a year and change my clothes once every 2 monthes or 6 times a year so i have no problem people noticing my body odor..when i raise my arms in a check out line people look at me funny of coarse girls tell me i need to shower and throw my clothes into a fire so they get the full aroma of my bacteria soaked clothes i love it and its beautiful
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