A laundry service and the 40-day challenge

I’m still on the mend from a broken ankle and the subsequent surgery.  In that time, I’ve developed various survival skills and the like.  Delivery services for food, for example.

But one thing I haven’t been able to work around has been laundry.

When I moved to the Town and Village in 2010, my apartment came with a small washing machine – and by small, I mean you couldn’t wash four T-shirts in it without the washer getting stuffed.  Eventually I transitioned into a routine of bringing tons of dirty clothes to the laundromat and washing them myself.  That later transitioned into a routine of bringing tons of dirty clothes to the local wash-n-fold and having someone wash and fold them for me.  You know, being a bachelor and all.

Oh, have I ever explained the concept of bachelor laundry?  I’ve got it at this link.

But … with this ankle injury, it’s not possible for me to drive to the laundromat.  And at some point in time, I’m going to run out of clean clothes.

So I need to find a solution.

And I think I found one.

Best Cleaners, a Capital Region-based laundry service, offers several different options for your clothing.  Including a pickup and dropoff service.

I called and set up an appointment and an account.

A few days later, they dropped off a green laundry bag at my door.  The plan is to fill the laundry bag with my dirty clothes, then leave the stuffed bag on my front porch for pickup.  A few days later, I should receive my freshly washed and folded clothing.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

They also offer that same service with dry cleaning, although those clothes must be placed in a blue bag.  You don’t want your important suits getting tossed in the washer with bleach and fabric softener, now do you?

And there’s an added benefit for this Best Cleaners laundry service, at least for me.

This year, I’m doing the “40 Days Challenge” with my clothes.

Let me explain.

There are 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter.  It’s the season of Lent.  That’s the season where you forego some personal pleasure – you swear off chocolate, for example – and it allows you some personal reflection and interspection of your life.

I am actually using Lent for my “40 Days Challenge,” where each day I take one item of clothing that I no longer use or wear, and I put it in a special bag.  At the end of the 40 days, I take those clothes to a community shelter or a thrift store so that those clothes can find new homes with people in need.  A T-shirt one day, a pair of shoes the next.

And it makes sense that if I’m doing this challenge, at least the clothes I donate should be washed and folded.  In other words, have some respect for those in need.  Don’t just give them your dirty, smelly laundry.

So in this concept, I am actually doing my best.  With Best Cleaners.

And, if I can use this service to help me get through this ankle restoration process…

It’s one less struggle I must undertake. 😀