I came across a blog entry a few weeks ago that made an argument for having less clothes because you’d do less laundry. I nodded in approval. That makes sense, right? But I also considered that having less clothes also meant you’d have to do laundry more frequently.

So which is better? I soon found out.

The dryers in my apartment building have gone rogue and management can’t keep up with fixing them, so I decided it was time for my first coin laundry experience. I went in with my bag and…major shocker for simple-minded me!

Oh, if only it was this empty that day...

• People were using two, three, even four jumbo sized dryers that could each fit three people inside.
• I saw a handful of people that were folding their clothes out of the dyer from the time I came in, and an hour later when I left they were still folding.
• I counted one lady putting eleven large garbage bags of clothes into the washers.
• One woman folded what seemed like enough towels to restock Bed Bath & Beyond in every color.
• I helped one poor woman carrying a baby get the clothes back into her car because the bins were too heavy for her to lift.
• One woman was folding jeans for half an hour. I’ll leave the number of jeans to your imagination.

I went in there to wash a week (maybe even two weeks) of clothes from Josh and me and our bed sheet set. I took up two of the smallest washers — one for whites and one for darks. I threw everything in a jumbo dryer, which didn’t even fill up a third of the way, and then folded to leave. I was in there for about an hour total and spent under $5. The bigger, high efficiency washers are four times more expensive than the smallest washers, by the way, and since I was able to dry all of my clothes in one jumbo dryer I actually saved a ton of money compared to doing it in my laundry room back at the apartment.

The other people there were, I think, monthly washers. I can only speculate that they leave all those clothes on the floor (there’s no hamper that fits five to ten garbage bags of clothes) and then once a month pack it up in the car and spend a lot of money to clean it all.

If you have a ton of clothes it’s easy to put off doing laundry. But wouldn’t you rather have to do laundry once a week and only spend an hour doing it, rather than spend an entire day and tons of money at once to get it done? It just seems so much simpler to me to have less and wash less!

More Laundry Stress-Saving Tips

• You’re probably using too much detergent. Especially Americans. I saw one lady pour about two whole cups of bleach into her white load of laundry. Unless you’re hiking in your clothes every day or work construction, a gentle wash with a little bit of detergent is all it takes to get them fresh.
• Wash gently, unless otherwise indicated. Read your labels and you may be surprised. Most clothes are supposed to go through the gentle cycle both in the washer and dryer. The only whites I have that recommend hot water are my bedsheets, but I do them in a cold gentle cycle as well. This saves energy, time, and also saves a lot of premature wear on your clothes.
• Re-wear clothes. Those jeans you wore to class for three hours aren’t dirty, and neither is that dress you wore to dinner. Washing clothes when they aren’t even soiled is totally overrated. I re-wear my clothes until they’re dirty and it saves me tons of time and money. If you’re super stingy you can refresh clothes with the iron’s steam setting.
• Buy clear detergent. I don’t understand why companies put dye into a cleaner. Buying a clear and gentle detergent is safer for the environment, your clothes, and your skin. So why not? Some people are addicted to scents but there are some that are wonderfully lightly scented. Or mist your clothes with Febreeze after washing!
• Fold your clothes. If you throw clean clothes around they wrinkle to the point of being unwearable and you either don’t wear it or toss it right back into the laundry basket. How many of us break out the ironing board? Just avoid the headache by folding directly after it comes out of the dryer!

Trying to organize my apartment has lead me to some knowledge along the way. I’d like to share! Here are some ways I’ve learned how to pull together a space not only to be organized, but so that it looks pleasing to the eye.

Place identical items together

A quick away to make a space look well thought out is to put all identical items next to each other. This looks especially nice in closets and display cases because it’s easy to do with bins and baskets. Here are some examples. Notice that identical bins, cases, and baskets are placed in a row.

Group items together

This tip is best for items stored in drawers or even a vanity table. Group similar items together in and give them their own space. Really, any space where you’re forced to place a lot of items can benefit from this. The organization helps you remember where things are. Plus, it looks nice!

Out of sight, out of mind

Unless I have to, I prefer to keep most items hidden away while at the same time using both of the above tips. This keeps your place looking clean even if your drawers are stuffed full. To which I suggest you try to empty them!

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

We slept with the window open in our small studio apartment last night and I woke up to a chilly room with raindrops on the window. The day really couldn’t’ have started off better!

At least, that’s what I though until I walked my two frantic dogs in the rain with a broken umbrella.

But happy nonetheless, I suited up (with a working umbrella this time) and headed out to pick up more things for my bathroom overhaul. I think I’ve done enough to show a progress shot this week! I’d like to replace towels and rugs, but that’s not happening until I have a paycheck in my hands.

Anyway, I had my fun in the rain. I also got a free car wash from mother nature that I’ve been waiting for. Something as simple as a change of weather can make my day nice. Sometimes you have to stop and appreciate the way the world works. According to Google Weather, the sun will be back by the end of the week. Oh well.

My love for mountains is showing. PS: Don't take pictures while driving.

A Somber Note

While I was writing this entry on my beautiful rainy day, I learned that Steve Jobs has passed away. It wouldn’t feel right not to mention his death. When I was nine years old my family of five got into a mini van and drove to southern Mexico, where we would end up living for a few years. The only thing us kids had to occupy ourselves during the long drive was a coloring book and an Apple laptop. Playing Reader Rabbit in black and white is my first memory of being on a computer. Fifteen years later I’m sitting here in my apartment on my very own Apple computer. It’s easy to use. It’s efficient. It helped me realize my passion as a designer. Steve Jobs was wise on simplicity and I’ve admired him for that. He knew a computer’s job was simple — help us create. Thank you, Steve Jobs. You’ll be missed by many.

Image Sources: 1, 2

A New Theme

Hey everyone! If you’re a regular visitor of the blog you may notice the dramatic change in scenery. While the previous theme was probably one of my favorite creations, I couldn’t live with the fact that many of you couldn’t see it properly. Especially those of you on smaller resolutions. So I apologize for that. It was my first time working with a three column layout and it didn’t go so well. Not to mention the coding left my head spinning and some coding incompatibilities popped up. Nothing major, but enough to bother me.

Instead I have reverted back to a two column theme. I tried to keep the spirit of the old one but revert back to what I prefer — simple, straightforward layouts. There still some tweaking needed to be done around here, but as usual please let me know if you see something that needs fixing.

There’s also something else I need to apologize for. Apparently my RSS feed wasn’t working for a long time. I’ve fixed it. You can also now subscribe via email and Google Reader. Just check out the sidebar for links.

A New Focus

This has also made me realize my blogging niche. For a while I thought my blog would also be a little random and personal. But after a year of trying this blogging idea, I’ve realized that what I like to write about is simplicity, minimalism, organization, and the occasional beauty entry with those things in mind. So that’s going to be what you find here. The new tagline in the header “life.beauty.simplicity” reflects the new focus of this blog. In essence it’s what I’ve mostly been writing about all along, but having a focus is a great feeling as a blogger.

In Short

• One Parade has a new blogging focus based on the beauty of simplicity.
• A new layout is here to reflect that, as well as fix some bugs along the way.
• The RSS feed is fixed.
• You can subscribe via email!
• Please let me know of any mistakes you see.