People find different things relaxing...some do yoga...some arrange flowers...I like to handwash my clothes. Underwear, shirts, sweaters...if the label doesn't say dry clean, I'll try to submerge it. Part of this is an inbred condition due to the fact that I was brought up in a household without a washing machine, dishwasher, or microwave (a sad and tragic tale). But I do think that clothes last longer, and look better, when they don't have to suffer the ravages of a machine. Plus, there's the theraputic value of being elbow deep in suds...who said "wash your troubles away"?

Thankfully the fine people at Woolite recognize my condition...some may say they even pander to it. Woolite Original washes whites and colors and Woolite Dark is specially designed not to fade blacks or greys. Their website (www.woolite.com) even has a fabric care center that gives hints for washing, drying, and caring for different fabrics.

Sweaters that don't have fuzzy balls on them after a few months or dark jeans that stay dark...surely that's worth a little manual labor...