PerthZine

Tag: lifestyle

  • Domestic Dan #2: The Take Down

    Yo yo yo!

    Here we go again with another household hack for The Modern Dad!

    If you read my last pearl of domestic wisdom, hopefully it’s changed the game for ya! At the very least, it might have saved you a few minutes so you can spend them on yourself, doing whatever makes you you.

    So, what’s next?

    We’ve joined the Hang Gang and used the Flick and Fold to complete the One Peg Wonder. Well, once the clothes have dried, it’s time for The Take Down!

    This can work in a couple of ways, depending on whether you are a hanger or a folder. If you’re a folder, you are in luck!

    Clothes dried using the One Peg Wonder system come off the line pre-folded! Hallelujah! No need to iron either (who’s ironing these days anyway?).

    If you’re a hanger, the most efficient way to bring your laundry in is, well, hung (ahem). Take your hangers out to the line and every time you un-peg a garment, whack it straight on a hanger and hang it in the space left on the line. You’ll be left with a literal wardrobes worth of clothes, ready to rock and roll.

    Enlist the squids to take their items to their room(s) and put everything away, straight away. The key to the perfect Take Down is to complete The Put Away immediately.

    I know It’s the hardest step to muster motivation for, and it is by far the biggest harbinger of hysteria (well it is for me) but it’s worth it. Get the squids to help. It’s good for them! It’s good for you! It’s good for the good of the household!

    Keep crushing it fellas, you’ve got this!

  • Domestic Dan # 1: The Hang Gang

    Tips on efficient clothesline practices –

    Grab a squid (*Dan-slang for kid, get used to these), offer cash if required, and get your freshies out to the line.

    Anyone that hangs out laundry has no doubt come across the hellish hurdle of running out of pegs mid-hang. Or running out of space to hang. Or both!

    The following is a game changing hack that’s going to change your life. I call it The One Peg Wonder.

    Take a T shirt, hold it upside down from the corners with both hands (Fig 1.).

    Then do the Flick and Fold (Fig 2.).

    This is a quick, two step move that involves flicking out the shirt as if you are shaking beach sand from a towel and then a neat fold from left to right (or vice versa).

    Aim for precision but don’t waste time trying to perfectly align the edges of the garment.

    You’re now holding a T shirt, upside down and folded long ways (arm to arm).

    Take a single peg and hang the T shirt from the bottom edge of the garment (head and arm openings should be at the bottom) (Fig 3.).

    Voila! One peg and half the hanging space used.

    This technique works for everything, not just T shirts, and you will find your own way of flicking and folding your own garments, relevant to their shape and size. You may think they won’t dry properly. You’re wrong. You might think they’ll get a crease down the middle. You’re wrong. You might think the sun will bleach half the garment and leave it looking like a zebra crossing. You’re right! But only if you leave it out in the Aussie sun for a week – that’s not you, is it? Course not! You’re a Modern Dad and you’re crushing this!