I'm Ready for Life but “Can't” Find My Pants!

Skills for Independent Living

I’m Ready for Life but “Can’t” Find my Pants! (Or shoes, coat, belt, shirt, blouse, skirt, dress, underwear, etc.) Does this sound familiar? And … if you can find and locate your clothes, are they clean?

Who cares, you say? You “should” and this is why:

• According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in Atlanta, Georgia, dirty clothes can harbor microorganisms, and wearing clothes with these microorganisms on them can lead to rashes and even skin infections.

• Body odor can also occur when you wear clothes that are dirty and this too is because of the bacteria and fungi that are growing on unclean clothes. Clothes capture the bacteria, making them risky to wear again without washing them.

And now for something truly disgusting!

• Dirty underwear has traces of many germs, e-coli, and other bacteria from body fluids and solids that end up in your underwear, which makes infection more likely if worn again without washing. Yuk!

What to do?

• The only way to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria found on clothes from normal wear is to wash them and it’s also important to wash your hands after contact with dirty laundry.

• The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also describes high-risk dirty clothing as items containing blood from an injury, sweat, or contaminated foods or clothes that were in contact with animals. These clothes must be washed at 140 degrees Fahrenheit with a bleach-based product.

• In order to clean clothing completely, clothes must be dried immediately upon washing. Mold can occur on clothing left wet for a prolonged period of time, which can also cause odor and skin infections.

Keeping clean clothes in order:

• Once clothes are washed and dried, the next thing is to keep them organized so that they don’t end up on the floor, or in the back of your closet, or under your bed. Having a system for organizing clothes, shoes, underwear, socks, and outerwear will ensure that when you pull something out of a closet, drawer, or bin, it is clean and ready to go.

• This will also save you time on a busy morning and decrease stress as you will not get frustrated having to hunt or tear things apart in order to find a clothing item that you need.

© JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS, 2016 – AUTISM AND LEARNING DIFFERENCES: AN ACTIVE LEARNING TEACHING TOOLKIT BY MICHAEL P. MCMANMON, ED.D. © JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS, 2016 – AUTISM AND LEARNING DIFFERENCES: AN ACTIVE LEARNING TEACHING TOOLKIT BY MICHAEL P. MCMANMON, ED.D. Skills for Independent Living

I’m Ready for Life and “Can” Find My Pants! (Or shoes, coat, belt, shirt, blouse, skirt, dress, underwear, etc.)

✔ Organize hanging garments by type and color. Blouses, for example, can be sorted first by sleeve length and then by shade. By keeping like with like, options for a given outfit are clear at a glance.

✔ Choose the right hanger. Your closet will look neater if you use just one type of hanger–wood, wire, or plastic.

✔ Set up zones. A low rod holds tops and skirts; an eye-level pole, dresses; and a high bar, shirts and suits. A high shelf works fine for out-of-season shoes and sweaters.

✔ Arrange folded items. Any clothing that will stretch out of shape should be folded over hangers. When organizing the folded clothing you’ll store on shelves, place heavier items at the bottom of the pile, and lighter ones at the top. After folding, arrange garments by function (workout tops or shirts together, work tops or shirts together, going out on a date shirts or tops etc.) and color (white to pas- tels to bright colors to black). If your closet doesn’t have shelves, consider using part of your clothing rod for hanging canvas ones.

✔ Manage odds and end. Store bags, belts, ties, scarves, and other accessories in plain sight on hooks or racks, which can be attached to the inside of your closet door.

✔ Contain what doesn’t hang. Use color coded containers or consider a matching set of baskets– to hold accessories and clothing that can’t be hung, such as socks and undergarments. Smaller baskets or boxes can store a single type of accessory, such as scarves or hats.

✔ Pick a system for storing shoes. Choose between a shoe rack on the floor, a hanging shoe organizer, see-through plastic boxes, or original shoe boxes with photographs stapled to them to identify the boxes’ contents. Put shoes you don’t wear frequently in labeled plastic boxes on a high shelf, in another closet, or under your bed.