When I was still in the office, one of the things I dreamed about and promised myself I would do when I was working at home was to really do laundry properly and enjoy it. There would be no running around, putting together a stopgap load of underwear, socks and a shirt for everyone that day. My mother-in-law has a beautiful laundry room full of art on the walls and plenty of room for folding and sorting, and when I see it, I think, now that’s the way to do laundry.

One thing I have done more, now that I have the time to do it, is put more laundry on the line. I know some areas have ordinances against this, and it blows me away. How does laundry on a line look trashy? I don’t understand it. It saves energy and makes clothes smell great. You do have to watch it during pollen season, though — if you have bad allergies, don’t put your sheets out when the trees are having their sexual explosion.

When you’re working at home all day, it’s easy to throw in a load of sheets in the morning and put them on the line as soon as they’re done. You’re around all day while they’re drying and can take a nice break to fold them up and put them away. If you don’t have a line, you can find a rack dryer at the hardware store and put it on your porch or balcony. If you worry about stiff sheets or towels, throw a half-cup of vinegar in with the rinse cycle.

I do have to say that with all this big talk about laundry, John is the one who does most of it. He claims he doesn’t like the way I do laundry — I do fold shirts differently, and he does a lot more separation of clothes than I do, which I think wastes water, and I wash more things in cold. On the other hand, he waits too long to do laundry, I think. And then, instead of washing the most urgent things first, he’ll do towels and placemats. What the? How’s that for a rant?