How many different types of washing load do you do?

[INeedSomeHelp]

I live on my own so you would think washing clothes would be fairly straight forward.
But since I've bought sone new clothes for once I have become obsessed with how I do the washing. So I am now splitting it down into the following loads:-

• dark colours and denim
• anything coloured that doesn't fall into the above category
• white
• sports stuff (I do three classes per week so there's a fair bit)
• bed linen (special fabric conditioner for this)
• towels (don't use fabric conditioner)

So even if I only do one of each, that's 6 loads per week for one person (although I do use the mini load option on the washing machine)

I've gone completely mad, haven't I?

[ouryve]

Blacks & dark greys
Dark blues, greys & greens
Light blues, greys and greens
Reds
Gentler wash blues etc
Gentler wash reds etc
Whites (about once a fortnight - I don't have a lot of these, mostly vests and a bit of bedding)
Dark Towels
Light Towels
Bras
DS1's manky lunch bag when I can't get all the sticky crumbs out of the creases.

[Cindy34]

My machine has a daily wash option, that gets used a lot.
Rarely us any other setting, except for things like bedding which goes on a cotton cycle.

Sports stuff - just chuck it in with the rest. Tend to try to do it with other light items, similar colours. Not with Jeans or other things that may leak colour.

Darks wash, lights wash, bedding wash.... That should do you I would have thought.

[ouryve]

I forgot to add, since they've been out of season - woollens.

[ginmakesitallok]

Everything goes in together on a 40 wash, with a colour catcher thing if there's something bright. My whites are still white and my world has not collapsed.

[ViviDeBOOvoir]

Darks/jeans
Light colours
Dark colours
Reds
Whites
Woollen
Towels
Bedding.

My washing basket is never empty!

[killpeppa]

ouryve- god help your washing machine!

lights, darks, towels, bedding

[Mumof3xx]

Mine all goes in together!

[busylizzie76]

All together here....much to my mother's disgust!

[Geckos48]

I just throw all mine in together

[ouryve]

killpeppa - I do 10 loads a week, on average, not counting the tiny ones, like bras and lunchbags. 2 mucky boys and a sweaty husband. I don't know how we'd cope if I insisted on washing bath towels after every use or changing bedding every few days, like some people do.

[BackforGood]

Yup - if you are just washing for one person, then there would have to be a lot more merging of washes, or you'd have to buy a whole heap of clothes to keep you going until you've got enough for a wash, surely?

I have a standard - whites (hot), anything that's not white that goes in on a hotter wash, and then less dirty / more delicate. Depends on which load needs filling, I may then add things like sheets or towels to any of those washes. Oh, and I'm washing for 5 so pretty easy to collect enough for any of the washes.

[MarshaBrady]

Dark
White
Bright
Wool
Bed linen
Tea towels
Towels

[SpookedMackerel]

Whites, creams
Reds, pinks, purples, oranges,
Blues, greens, greys
Darks
Towels, bath mats
Bedding
Woollens
Mop heads (occasionally)

[TheAlyssWithTheMewlingQuim]

I just wash everything together, so one load. Is that weird?

[TwerkingNineToFive]

Darks
Whites
Colours (sometimes separated into light colours and dark colours)
I am amazed at this thread!

[MarshaBrady]

Forgot bath mats, they get their own wash too.

[Rattitude]

• Blacks and dark colours
• Whites and light colours
• Woolens and delicates.

On average, I probably do 1.5 wash/week. I live on my own-ish though.

[biffnbuster]

Bung it all in together, but if new jeans are being washed will put them with other dark stuff .

[Rattitude]

Actually, i do divide the woolens, etc. into darks and lights.

[LittleTulip]

Darks
Whites
Colours
Towels

[Clargo55]

Jeans wash
Bedding wash x2 (lights and darks)
Dark wash
Light wash
Light towel wash or bath mat wash
Dark towel wash
And delicates once a fortnight

So that's 7.5 washes a week for 2 people

[CointreauVersial]

Whites/lights
Darks
In Betweens
Woollens
Mud-removing prewash for DS's filthy footy kit.

That's pretty much it. Everything goes in together apart from that.

[Trills]

Towels/sheets
Normal clothes
Super delicate things (don't do one of these every week)

[Passmethecrisps]

White stuff
Other stuff
Baby stuff

[BrownSauceSandwich]

There's the ones at midnight, to be hung out in the morning.

The one in the afternoon, that was supposed to be hung out that morning, but has gone stinky, so needs washing again.

There's the one that my husband does, and goes on about it like he's the first human to work a washing machine, but it only contains his gym stuff.

There's the load that got hung outside, then a flock of starlings crapped all over it so that needs rewashing.

And the load that comes out of the washing machine covered in black slime, and needs rewashing after the machine's been cleaned.

There's the dog and cat beds, which, no matter what we do, ensure a continuous stream of pet hairs are deposited on our clothes for the rest of eternity.

There's the load that all comes out pink, even though there's nothing red within a 10 m radius.

There are the three loads in quick succession on a Sunday afternoon because every bugger here suddenly finds they dont have any clean shirts/skirts/socks/gym kits for Monday morning.

To be honest, I think I'm doing ok if it gets washed at all. I don't bother separating things out.