Messes are the markers of life, and in the warm weeks following summertime, life abounds. Children are off to school and there’s farmer’s markets, weekend yard-sales and concerts. Long summer days going into cooler autumn afternoons mean a lot of outside living. The food and drink on the tables we gather around find their way into our laps, brushed off on our jeans and wiped off surfaces, hands and faces. The clothes and fabrics we live in are part of these messes, so laundry loads multiply. Changing out linens and curtains for the season, cleaning out suitcases of traveled clothes and bathing beach towels are symptoms of staying clean and cool when life heats up. And through it can be a chore, it is satisfying knowing that fresh laundry is waiting for you.