A five-step method for stress-free post-vacation laundry

If you just returned from a lovely, relaxing, and well-needed holiday you’ll be feeling very zen. Not much can beat a week away with nothing more taxing to worry about than which cocktail to try first. Or maybe you’re more of a sports-based-holiday type and had to decide between sports instead. Or both. Either way, you’ll have been able to chill and unwind.

But with the return from holiday comes the reality of everyday life. And the washing pile.

If you were self-catering, you might even have bedding and towels to wash. It’s likely to be a significant pile. But don’t despair! We’ll give you some tips on how to tackle the post-holiday laundry blues.

Top tips for reducing anxiety over the holiday laundry pile

1. Accept the inevitability

Don’t just pile your laundry up in a corner and leave it in the hope it might miraculously disappear on its own somehow. Or worse, somewhere out of sight. It’s not going anywhere.

The sooner you accept the inevitable, the better. There’s nothing more disheartening than knowing you have chores you’re trying to ignore. They will constantly nag away at you, like a persistent toothache. Acceptance is at the beginning of the road to peace of mind.

4. Make a plan

Maybe you’re straight back to work and can’t do laundry until the following weekend. That’s fine. Once you have a plan, you’re perfectly entitled to hide dirty laundry in the wardrobe. Just as long as you stick to it!

Maybe you’ll do one wash a day. Maybe you want to get through the entire lot the day you get home. It doesn’t matter what your plan is: as long it suits you and how you live.

3. Stick to the plan

A plan is worthless unless you stick to it. Making it will have eased anxiety, but if you don’t carry it out you’ll be back to square one: stressing about laundry. If you need to adapt it due to other circumstances, don’t despair. Adapting is fine, procrastinating is not.

 4. Sort your washing before you start

It’s no good just taking the top things off the pile, filling up the washing machine and repeating until it’s done. That’s not good for your laundry or the environment. Sort it before you start.

Sort by colours, types, or temperatures needed. Most clothes can be washed on lower temperatures but if you’ve got bedding or towels to do, they’ll need a 60°C wash. And if you’re worried that’s not eco, read our blog about washing sheets and towels for the facts.

Wash darks together, lights together, and whites together if you have enough for a load of each. If you don’t, then just wait until you do.

It’s better for the environment – and your clothes – to avoid tumble dryers. So, if you can do your laundry on days when you can dry it outside, even better. Swimwear should never go in a tumble dryer anyway. Or cocktail dresses. Or wetsuits.

5. Ask for help

If you’re the only person in the house who does laundry, why?

If your kids are old enough, get them involved. If you both work full time, make sure your partner does their share. And even if you don’t, doing laundry is a life skill and something all members of a household should be able to do, regardless of how important they think they are!

Use the right laundry detergent!

Avoid traditional laundry detergents. They contain harmful chemicals as well as bulkers. They’re packaged using huge quantities of plastics and some even contain them. Their weight and bulk increase emissions thrown out into the world. As they don’t always dissolve properly the resulting build-up of gunk harbours germs, stains laundry and can lead to washing machines breaking down.

Take out the stress, anxiety, and guilt by opting for Melt laundry detergent strips. They’re small, light and delivered straight to your door. They dissolve completely, even in cold water and won’t lead to residue building up. They contain natural enzymes and fragrance and use no plastic. They’re a zero-waste product.

 

One last tip for holiday laundry

If you’re the type of person who’d be more relaxed doing laundry while you’re on holiday instead of having piles when you get back (yes, those people exist!), then why not try Melt Travel? Like standard Melt, it works for machine or handwashing. But it won’t leak in your bag or cause you any trouble with airline hand-luggage policies.

So, when you’re back from holiday just remember: acceptance and planning will help you keep the holiday vibe.