How to complete household tasks with chronic illness

I’ve officially lived with chronic illness, chronic pain, and disability for 10 years. In that time I have gone from having an infant and a toddler to having a teen and a tween. When it comes to household tasks with chronic illness and chronic pain, I have seen it all. Most if not all of the household maintenance is my responsibility. Thanks to that, I have written posts about:

• kitchen tools for the chronically ill
• tips for cleaning with chronic pain
• kitchen and cooking tips for for fibromyalgia
• decluttering when you have no energy

1. Household tasks with chronic illness: laundry

I can’t believe I’m writing a post on this topic because it sounds so boring, but this is a real problem for people with chronic illness and disability. At one time I thought I had addressed pretty much every subject relating to household maintenance, but a discussion of my Facebook page lead to to think about laundry. It’s a dreaded task because no one likes it and it never goes away. Once you finish the laundry, you have to start doing it all over again. It feels like a grinding punishment for being an adult, especially when you’re sick. Despite that, I’m gotten pretty good at it, so I thought it was time to share my tips and tricks.

Doing laundry is hardly a sexy topic, but it's a task dreaded by everyone with chronic illness. It never goes away, once you finish it you have to start doing it all over again. Click To Tweet

Disclaimer: This advice is not for everyone. It does presume an accessible laundry room and a certain amount of freedom to move around. 

2. Household tasks with chronic illness: Develop a laundry system

The hardest part about laundry and other household tasks is how physically exhausting they are. That’s why I’ve developed a system that uses the labor of other people in my household.

I do laundry every single Monday come hell or high water (literally, I did it during Hurricane Harvey). The members of my family are responsible for getting their clothing into the laundry basket. If it’s still on the floor I do not wash it, no exceptions. My family learned pretty quick that I was not joking around about this and was willing to let them wear dirty clothes if they didn’t listen.

Every Sunday night I remind my children to throw their laundry baskets downstairs (they particularly enjoy chucking it over the banister, so I have to watch where I stand). I wash their clothes the following day, and when they get home from school we do what we call “laundry exercise.” We sit on the coach in front of the clean laundry basket, and I chuck their clothes at them. Then they fold their own clothes and go put them away, and I do the same with mine.

The first time we ran this exercise you would’ve thought we were trying to kill them, but overtime they accepted their fate. They knew what the expectations were, and while still whining about it they were prepared for the ritual.

Your system will probably look a bit different than mine, but come up with something you can do that works on a regular basis and uses the least amount of energy.

3. Use the right laundry tools

I’ve run a low budget chronic illness laundry situation for years. I even went three years without a working dryer, so I had to hang things on the line. Thank goodness that day is over and I have a little more options for getting organized, though I still have a tiny space for laundry. Having the right tools can save you some work, and therefore energy.

Permanent extra laundry basket

This basket should always reside in your laundry room. Mine is on top of the dryer, and it’s a cheap one left over from college (which was *ahem* quiet a while ago). I like to call mine “the basket of horror” because anything can be in there. Mismatched socks, clothes of questionable ownership, things I really need to hand wash etc. As you can see, it’s in no way organized because I don’t have the energy for that. If you do have energy for actual organization, go for it, but otherwise don’t feel to guilty if your laundry space is a mess. We’re looking for efficiency here, not perfection.

If you’re not cheap or limited on space there are some amazing options out there.

                                                                  

A place to hang clothes

My laundry has a tiny little bar that doesn’t do a whole lot of good, so I have to use a few tools such as this laundry bar that can stick out of the wall or the over the closet option.

For the recent high volume of masks coming through my laundry room, I bought something similar to this so that they could all hang up while drying. It’s a huge space saver

Many households look different than mine, but the same hacks can be applied. Whether you have kids to take care of or it’s just you alone, make sure your laundry space works for you as much as it possibly can.

4. Give yourself a break

Sometimes doing laundry is just too much of a task for your body and that’s okay. In that case other members of the household should do it, or you can hire out if possible. Laundry service is absolutely a thing, you can even get it done through taskrabbit.

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Don’t feel guilty if you don’t measure up

This is a note for women.

As women we carry the expectations of society, and for whatever reason women are often expected to take care of all the household tasks, chronic illness or not. If household tasks are not sufficiently completed, then it is often viewed as our fault. If the house is messy or there’s a huge pile of laundry it reflects poorly on us.

As women we carry the expectations of society, and for whatever reason women are often expected to take care of all the household tasks, chronic illness or not. Click To Tweet

This societal responsibility brings feelings of guilt and of failure. You are not a failure. Your body does not work correctly, and the household shouldn’t be just your responsibility anyway. Other members need to pitch in. If the housework is not done, that is a responsibility of all the adults in the home.