Loads of Love

Today's mountain to climb: laundry. With lots of guests coming to the ranch each week comes a mountain of soiled towels, sheets, and fine linen napkins. After completing 12 loads at the lodge yesterday, plus 5 of our own here, I am becoming quite the laundry ninja.

Although laundering SOUNDS monotonous, it is very much an art, with each piece coming with tiny scripted instructions - EXCEPT for the linen napkins, which is where my current challenge begins. One of the maids left a recently used set if them pink-stained and soiled, as she washed them with reds and failed to treat them for stains. I know you cannot use chlorine bleach on linen napkins or they will yellow. I also know you must treat a stain on them immediately with one of about four approved treatments for the special flax-based material. I also know you cannot wash reds with whites. When treated properly, these napkins can outlast their cotton cousins and rest more beautifully alongside the dinnerware when crisply starched. At this moment, they are soaking in an oxodized stain remover... To be continued.