Maglaba Ay 'Di Biro: Millennial moms share their laundry woes

When it comes to washing clothes, no one knows the nitty-gritty details of this housework more than moms.

Millennial homemakers share some of the challenges they encounter when doing laundry.

1. Stains

Aicon Redoble, a 27-year-old bank teller in Cebu, shared, "I have been a mother for almost six years, and honestly, stains have always been the most challenging part about washing clothes."

Meanwhile Thessa Diaz, a 34-year-old call center agent in Antipolo, and a mother of two, said, "stains can be very upsetting especially when they are impossible to remove from my kids' favorite clothes."

A mompreneur from Dumaguete City, Sasa Soroya, shared how annoyed she gets as "scrubbing stains away can be very time consuming," and how time is very crucial in her business.

Catering staff member Johannah Estrada from San Carlos City said that removing stains has become part of her duties as a mother, "my daughter thought it was fun to color on her dress." Estrada also explained why patience should be every parent's virtue.

Housewife from Masbate, Georgia Bondesto, 22, recalled, "my daughter just turned a year old, and I remember not seeing the print on her clothes anymore because of all the stains. Imagining the effort I have to put in, in removing those should have gotten her a slap on the wrist. But I thought I just have to be patient."

2. Color fading

Haydeyah Malawani, a 27-year-old DepEd officer from Iligan City, said, "when you are a mom, you will know that playful kids need to change at least five times a day because they sweat a lot. Mind you, I have a boy, a very active, energetic boy." She said that the laundry pile at her home is unimaginable. Because of this, the tendency to over wash is always a possibility, more often it results to color fading.

"The scary part about loving clothes is that you do not want to wear them all the time, in fear that they might fade eventually," Redoble said.

Diaz said since kids can be quite picky, so they wear their favorite clothes most of the time. "Because they love this and that so much, ikaw, as a mom, siyempre you would like to satisfy your kids so I wash them (clothes) repetitively."

"Gakataranta ko na kung gasalalamo na ang mga color kung mang laba kay damo naman masayang nga bayo (When colors start fading and get mixed while washing, I start to panic because more clothes are going to be wasted)," Estrada added.

3. Lint on clothes

For 26-year-old law student from Marawi, Jinnan Banding, "the more you wash clothes, the more fluffs of fabric appear. Marata pagilayn ago naba mapiya pagilayn." (They just do not look appealing.)

Both Diaz and Malawani shared how difficult it is to remove lint on clothes. "Nagkaka-fluff 'yung damit when you wash them too often. Tapos lumalala pa 'pag tinatanggal mo" (Clothes start to accumulate fluff when you wash them too often. And they just get worse when you remove them)." said Diaz.

4. Skin damage

Another problem these millennial moms usually encounter is how doing laundry tends to cause dryness and damage the skin.

Soroya said, "part of the pains of doing the laundry is what it does to your skin. I have been doing the laundry for as long as I can remember. Pero hantod karon, magka samad samad gihapon ko sa akong mga kamot." (Part of the pains of doing the laundry is what it does to your skin. I have been doing the laundry for as long as I can remember. But even today, I still get minor cuts or bruises on my fingers.)

Bondesto, on the other hand, shared what she does to prevent it, "most laundry detergents are not skin-friendly, so I stay away from them, and use powdered ones instead."

5. Keeping clothes fresh and fragrant on hotter days

All seven moms agree that the rainy season makes clothes "amoy kulob." While the hotter days prevent clothes from smelling fresh and fragrant.

As Malawani said, "the extremities of the seasons here in the Philippines make [doing] laundry a challenge. During summer, it only gets more challenging."

"Lisod jud labaw na ug humot kaayo ka paggawas sa balay, dayon inig uli baho nakang adlaw (It is very difficult, going outside the house all freshened up, and going back home still smelling fresh)," Soroya added.

"I read somewhere that odors intensify with warmth. This means all foul smells get even tougher to break during summer," Estrada said.

For Redoble and Diaz, commuting is an added factor. "Staying fresh and fragrant while commuting is hard enough. When you have the scorching heat on top of that, it's a nightmare," Redoble explained.

"As a Muslim, part of our tradition is for women to cover themselves from the hair, all the way down. So keeping fresh under the heat requires careful measures," Banding said.

When asked whether it is hard to maintain freshness in clothes, Bondesto answered, "Super! That's why I go to the beach often kasi if I don't, baka I'll end up showering every other hour para lang mag-freshen up." (Super! That's why I go to the beach often because if I do not, I could end up showering every other hour just to freshen up.)

To help all the moms out there, Surf's fabric conditioner is readily available to fight off the hot weather.

Surf Fabcon offers a solution to homemakers to beat the heat with its sunbloom technology-infused formula.

One of the leading fabric conditioners in the market, Surf Fabcon's newly applied sunbloom technology is the factor behind its ability to maintain freshness and fragrance in clothes, aside from softening tough fabrics.

No matter how strong the sun hits the clothes, Surf Fabcon can preserve the freshness from the outside to within.

Despite all the anxieties and stress, the irreplaceable love of these mothers for their kids outweigh whatever mishaps come their way.

"Having a child is a grand blessing. Before and during the delivery, it seems like going into a battlefield. But right after I saw my baby, myapikir akn ah, 'everything is going to be okay.' Apiya gyoto bu, na katawan akn na giya dn eh mapiya ([Having a child is] a grand blessing. Before and during the delivery, it seems like going into a battlefield. But right after I saw my baby, a sudden thought comes in, 'everything is going to be okay.' That's it, that's all the comfort I need.)," Banding said.

"They think just because I'm only 20, I don't know what I'm doing. I met 40-year-old mothers who are still having troubles and doubts about their parenting," said Estrada, explaining that there is no rule book to abide by, and that first-time mothers should follow their instincts when raising their family.

As Malawani concluded, "I would not exchange the responsibilities I have now as a wife, and as a mother, for some quiet nights, and stainless clothes."

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