When Benjamin Franklin said the only things certain in life were death and taxes, he forgot one thing: laundry. Laundry is a never-ending necessity that some people love and others hate.
For those in the latter party, completing every step of the laundry process is difficult. We have to sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away clothes? For the rest of our lives?! Seems like a scam.
Therefore, laundry loathers have come up with a new hack to trick (er, force) oneself to actually put away the laundry.
A Sleepy Solution To Laundry Sorting
Media company Betches recently shared its revolutionary laundry hack on Instagram, and people have very strong feelings about it.
In Betches’ reel, IG user @ohsoyouneke dumps a hamper of clean clothes onto her bed. “If you put your clothes on the bed,” the video reads, “it will motivate you to fold them.”
The logic is fairly sound. Folding and putting away laundry is one of those deceptively “easy” tasks. You know the ones—they’re so easy that you tell yourself you’ll do it later. Or tomorrow. Or the day after because tomorrow’s really busy.
But does this laundry hack actually work?
The Sheer Force Of Human Stubbornness
As the IG video would suggest, no, it does not. After @ohsoyouneke dumps her clothes onto the bed, the video then cuts to the bedroom at night.
She climbs into bed, clothes pile and all, ready to put off the laundry for yet another day. Been there, done that, and I have the wrinkly t-shirt to prove it.
And we’re not alone, either. IG user @Jennyg318 commented, “Lmaooooo I be snuggling right up to them.” @Rachelsklar adds, “The best weighted blanket.”
Still, other IG users were surprised someone would even need the extra motivation to fold their laundry in the first place. “Never understood this,” @embibems wrote. “Just fold the f&@$ing clothes????”
“Laughs in ADHD and depression,” replied @semimelanated_hellablack. “Good try though…”
Not All Who Hate Laundry Are Lazy
That last IG user brings up a fair point. It might seem extra to have to trick yourself into doing the laundry—kind of like putting your clean dishes on top of your food in the fridge—but for some people, it’s more than just not feeling like it.
Indeed, ADHD and depression both make accomplishing simple tasks more difficult.
ADHD Homestead has a handy guide for tricking a brain with ADHD into doing boring tasks like laundry. Blurt It Out offers a similar guide for those with depression.
But if the “cover your bed with laundry, so you have to fold it” trick works for you, then, by all means, keep it up! Which reminds me, I have some laundry to put away.