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There is a sign above the doors that lead to our washer and dryer that reads, “Self-Serve Laundromat, Open 24 Hours.”

For the most part, the sentiment rings true as my family has been known to do laundry most any time of day or night.

I taught my kids early how to fold clothes, beginning with wash cloths. It was a simple chore they could help with as I folded clothes.

As toddlers, they also loved to have me drop wet clothes on the fold-down door of the dryer so they could push the laundry in with all their strength.

Later on, they learned to hang clothes on hangers and how to fold more complicated things. Matching socks became a game as our family can easily generate several pairs every few days.

As they grew, I had baskets in my bedroom that held things for them to put away first thing in the morning that I had folded before the night before.

Slowly, they were learning how to manage laundry from start to finish.

The culmination of all of these lessons came during when I taught them how to sort laundry into piles of white and dark clothes. I taught them how to further sort laundry and the thought process I put behind it — learned through years of trial and error. Lots of error.

One such mistake came right after my husband and I were married. With a fist full of quarters, we made our way with our over-full laundry basket to the apartment’s community laundry room. We were trying to make the most of each load to save on money.

As we stuffed the washer full, we didn’t pay much mind to what we put in each load. One load included the red and white quilt my grandmother made us for as a wedding gift.

We discovered we shouldn’t wash anything with that blanket — ever. Even now, almost 24 years later, that particular blanket has to be washed alone because it will discolor anything else washed with it.

Through the years, my kids learned how to load the washer and how many clothes were too many for a good wash.

They learned how much detergent to use and why you do not want to overload the washer with too many suds — a lesson reinforced by an episode of “The Brady Bunch” when their laundry room exploded into a mass of bubbles.

No amount of training, however, can really prepare you for the day when the water hose on the back of the washer breaks and water begins to flood the hall carpet. That particular mess led to a lesson on how to cut off the washer’s water supply in case it happens again.

Despite all the training on how to sort, wash and fold, laundry accidents still happen.

We all learned the importance of checking pants pockets after two incidents of a rogue pen, left behind by my husband, exploded in the washer. Every now and then, I’ll still run across one of the spotty remains on someone’s clothing.

Recently, my son and I were doing laundry for the day. I told him that my new red shirt was in the hall waiting to be sorted into a dark load. I had only washed this shirt a few times.

My son loaded and turned on the washer and went back to his room. When the load finished washing, I went to transfer the clothes to the dryer.

I quickly discovered a sea of pink clothing and towels surrounding my red shirt. Even though Christopher had heard my warning, he confused the new red shirt for similar well-worn red shirt I wear to bed; one that’s generally safe to wash with anything now.

The results reminded us if the words of Eloise in the 2003 made-for-TV movie when she put a positive spin on what could have been her own laundry disaster: “Think Pink; it’s a better way of life.”

Indeed it is, Eloise, especially on those days when what goes into the washing machine looks different than what comes back out!

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.