I did a very dangerous thing last night - I sniffed a basket of laundry to see if it was clean or dirty. Wait, I haven't gotten to the dangerous part yet - the basket was filled with (insert your own favorite scary music here) . . . running clothes (*gasp*!!!). I'm not sure what posessed me to make such a careless sniff, but it happened. I was attempting to get caught up with the laundry while the kids were at my parents' for the night. It is much easier to cart the clothes up and down the stairs without children in tow and fold the clothes without having piles knocked down and strewn across the floor. The problem was that there were three filled baskets of clothes in front of the washer and dryer and I didn't know which were clean or dirty.
I suspected they were all clean, but couldn't clearly remember when the loads had been finished (if they had!). So, without thinking, I leaned in and sniffed each load. Towels - clean. Darks - clean. So far, so good. Running clothes (my husband and I both run, so you can imagine how ripe a load of running gear can get over the course of a few days) - clean. Whew! As soon as I confirmed that they were clean, it hit me what a crazy choice that was! That could have been a horrific experience. Beyond bad. Worse than changing diapers bad. I could have passed out!
My gasp at the realization that I had miraculously escaped danger of rank, sweat-drenched shorts, shirts and socks alerted my husband, who immediately called out from the nearby computer room - "Is everything okay?" I reported my carelessness and he responded, through a repressed laugh, "What made you think THAT would be a good idea?"
So, this is my message of warning to you all. I was lucky this time, but you never know when the tables will turn and YOU will be faced with an unknown laundry status. Approach your workout clothes with focus and extreme caution. And, please, give your nose (and your stomach!) a break and come up with an alternate course of action - no sniffing!
Oh, and let me know what you come up with, because I'm bound to need a Plan B next week when I'm faced with the laundry predicament again.
3 comments:
Ha ha!! Great public service announcement!
Oh, I've had to do that before and it was a BIG mistake!
Dang, I responded but blogger ate it.
Caught up on laundry? What language are you speaking???? hee hee
I advocate careful small sniffs from a good distance. You can usually tell from quite a distance without endangering yourself! :D
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