Readers Respond: Laundry Tips for Living With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Responses: 59

Updated February 04, 2010

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guess I'm lucky--I live alone so deal with only 1 person's laundry. Laundry basket is behind closed doors in my bedroom closet. Time to do laundry when my lingerie drawer is empty. I don't fold sheets or towels--replace them same day I do laundry.
—Guest linda

To conserve energy for other must do chores, I do only 1 wash load at night (cheaper utility bill at night is a plus) and dry the next day.
—cazinbon

I have made some changes that take out a lot of steps - particularly folding. Very little gets folded in my house anymore. We are lucky enough to have generous hangings space, so anything that can hang come staright out of the washer and onto hangers. They then go out onto the outside washing line (it's almost always good weather here in Australia). When dry they go straight to the wardrobe. A one time small investment in about 50 hangers saved a lot of energy involved in hanging, removing, and putting on hangers to go into the wardrobe. Shirts, pants, pyjamas and tshirts all get hung. Underpants simply get stacked, not folded, and hubby's exercise gear goes in a pile in a basket.
—Guest Mikala

My husband moved the washer and dryer upstairs and bought a new appliances. My washer is front loaded and my dryer (also front loaded) sits on top of the washer. I sit on a stool in front of the washer to get the clothes out so I don't have to do so much bending. If the items aren't heavy, I can just flip them up in the dryer, but since I do have weakness in my arms and hands, I don't do this often. I use the laundry basket to just slide the clothes in from the dryer and take them to the bed where I sit on the bed and fold what I can. I have trouble folding large items (sheets) and heavy items (towels, blankets, etc.) so I wait until my husband gets home and let him fold them. I still get to put things up because he always gets them in the wrong place but I'm still happy to ge this help.
—Guest mhlewallen

My laundry is 32 steps down from my bedroom. I wash for 6 people. I got several "dirty" hampers, and labeled them all by sort type: 'jeans basket' 'lights basket' 'delicates' 'brights' 'blacks' 'hubby's stinky stuff' and so on. Everyone brings their own clothes down and sorts them into the appropraite load. If someone puts their white shirt in the jeans basket...well, they are old enough to know better. I also have a table with 4 rigid baskets on it, one for each big kid and hubby. (I still do my youngests). I sort clean things into their 'clean' basket, and they put it away when they feel like it. Or, sometimes, not. Hubby prefers to just live out of the basket. The only things I carry are my own, now.
—Guest Sharon

I got lucky.....I was diagnosed with CFS 10 yrs ago and FMS 9 yrs ago, my sweetheart of a husband took laundry from me and does it so I could conserve my energy for other things, and he does an excellent job of it too! What a man! ;)
—Guest Xenatoyou

give yourself a head start put a load in every night before bedtime.the next morning your a step ahead of the game...they can dry whiile yyour watching your morning news.my daughter was helping bring in the laundry after my knee replacement...it was too heavy for her she rolled it in on a skateboard...so cute and smart...
—Guest vicky blake

My hubby & I throw dirty laundry directly into washer, to keep from bending over to reach into a hamper. Since I only wash special items separately, this works out well...if you wash in cold water. I drape shirts, towels, pants onto dryer door as I remove them from washer & pile up small things on top of dryer...then toss each large item in by itself and then all the small things at once. I sometimes lean back on the wall to brace myself as I toss in the big items. I take things out of dryer in stages to prevent repetitive movement & strain on my back. Some times I only fold half the laundry at a time.
—k.sweeney2

I have lived in this house for 24 years and finally figured out a way to hang up my clothes on hangers in the laundry room. It won't work for everyone but, it did with a little thought. My laundrey room has 3 doors in it. Entry door, pantry door and door to garage. The pantry door and garage door are opposite each other, so I bought a shower curtain rod to put just above the 2 doors and I hang the clothes right out of the dryer, up on the shower curtain rod. I also roll up my sweats. Take up less room in the drawers or racks I put them on.
—Guest Fidget2

After too many years of struggling with laundry-induced pain, I have found my savior in the Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer. They are both top-loading so all I do is drop the clothes into the washer. Then to transfer from washer to dryer, it's a simple move - you just take the clothes out of the washer and transfer them straight over to the dryer without bending. If you have any trouble reaching into the dryer to get the dry clothes, a simple long-reach grabber does the trick.
—lynn35757

Chairs are wonderful to help in many tasks. When my son and I had our bookstore, we ordered several folding chairs. When the store closed, I wondered what we would do with them. Now I have one in my bedroom for sorting laundry. Thanks to your suggestions, one will go into the laundry room to sort the laundry out of the dryer. When I have shirts with buttons down the front, I usually don't button it when I put it on a hanger. If it's a good shirt, I'll probably button it when I hang it up. My 'house shirts' get buttoned when I put them on. My son does his own laundry which helps. I'm going to try the small basket idea -- especially for socks and underwear. It's great to have a place like this where people understand the pain, the fog, and all the other oddities that we have.
—Guest Deborah

Husbands and kids over say age 10 can do their own laundry. Amazing how quickly they learn when they have to start picking their least dirty clothes off the floor. Older kids can do the laundry of the younger kids. I always have a rule...if it isn't in the dirty laundry basket I don't wash it. See ist paragraph regarding least dirty clothes. When you have a load accumulated throw it in. It is easier than letting it pile up and having to do it all at once. Get someone else to move the baskets from the laundry area to the bedroom. Use wheeled carts with telescoping handles (look like milk crates) rather than a lift and lug laundry basket. Here's hoping for less pain!
—Guest Sewbusy

We have our machines stacked. So the clothes go from the washing machine up to the dryer. And after the dryer, I'll put them in the basket and take them to the bedroom and sit on the bed and fold them. That relieves a lot stress from my back as I fold them. Helps to have the tv on too to take your mind off the time you are using. *G* My husband is against getting small laundry baskets. Too much clutter in his mind. We have a small house and both of us are disabled.
—Telsa

I USE A HAMPER ON WHEELS AND TRY TO ONLY DO 2 LOADS A DAY. THAT HAS HELPED ALOT NOT CARRING THE CLOTHES BASKET. I DO BETTER IF I JUST DO ONE LOAD A DAY. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR INFO WITH US
—Guest JANET wELBORN