Uniform staying on after school?

Are you washing each set of clothes after each wear? Is so that's nuts. Only item that needs that sort of care is pants.

It depends here. Some days DD will stay in her uniform, some don't. But if she changes than she wears the bottoms (jeans, jogging bottoms, shorts) more than one day.

In Summer I normally ask her to change as she comes home sweaty and a polycotton shirt and jumper combo is not making her smelling fresh at 4pm.

My girls change when they get in and tend to wear an old t shirt or something that they will then wear to bed. It is weekends and sch holidays when the excess washing piles up and they stick stuff in the washing bin they might have only just tried on and then discarded for another outfit.

Yes like pp said, the skirt of the uniform can be worn a few times before laundering.

The answer is very simple. Change into a comfortable and cozy lounge outfit which gets washed once or twice a week. It’s not like you have ten children, op. You have 2.

I have a drawer in my nightstand where I keep an item or two of clothes, usually trousers, that I’ve lightly worn but are not dirty yet. Your girls could do the same with their after school comfy outfit. Daytime clothes (uniform) that will go into the hamper, comfy lounge set, and pajamas for bed that like the lounge set are also are laundered once or twice a week.

My mother used to have us wear our uniform after school to save on washing. We had one skirt and two blouses, one wool top and one jacket in high school. In primary we wore the same dress all week long.

We survived and we never smelled. That's actually outside my comfort zone as an adult though. Now I would feel very uncomfortable like that. I change my clothes every day and would ,at least, change the blouse each day. I've provided for my children to change their tops each day and two skirts.

No as soon as mine comes in it's straight off as he will not sit in it a minute longer than he has too. He either puts his Pjs on or a pair or joggers and T-shirt. Whatever he wants really.

So you're making them wear the same uniform all day every day, how often do you wash that then?

Surely if they wear it all day it needs washing more often than if they only wear it for school and change when they get home?

Just explain about how much time and money washing actually costs and have them re-wear comfy home stuff each afternoon/evening several times before it gets washed.

I had a clean shirt every day (sweaty teenager) ditto underwear.

Same skirt, tie, blazer and jumper for the week.

Off when I got home and into jeans/tshirt/pj's depending on what we were doing after school and those items would last several days unless some sort of spillage accident occurred.

On average I'd have two outfits and a pair of PJ's for the weekdays ( I did not and do not sleep in them though!), and one skirt, tie, blazer plus 5 shirts and 5 sets of underwear. Thats barely one load particularly as the blazer really did not get washed weekly. Add in weekend clothes, call that another half load. I don't think a load and a half per person is excessive.

Mine wear the same pair of joggers and a t-shirt Mon to Fri after school until they go to bed. Being teenagers, they don't get mucky, and I refuse to wash clothes they've only worn for a couple of hours.

Mine stay in uniform unless going to a club, but it's (for ds) shorts and poloshirt, which is approximately what he'd change into.
Next year when he's sixth form, he'll still be wearing shorts and t-shirt, I'm sure, just not uniform ones.

My kids stay in uniform. They are too lazy to change and it annoys me. It makes the uniform dirty quicker and it likey so uncomfortable. Why is it creating so much washing for your DD who changes? Just ask her to wear the same thing everyday after school and that's one outfit. If she changes it daily or if you're washing uniform daily then that's a lot. My kids wear 3 shirts per week (I have 2 boys and yes they use deodorant and don't smell!) and 1 paid of trousers.

Ive recently noticed how much money ive saved on electricity by doing half the washing i normally would

Also, are you sure this is really down to your other daughter not changing? It's not half the washing you'd normally do, since there are at least 3 of you and if one of your daughters is now remaining in uniform, that's not going to be half the wash. Your energy usage will have gone down a lot recently just generally, since we're in late spring and it's warm and light.

I don't know how efficient your machine is, but washing machines aren't that energy intensive. This https://inthewash.co.uk/washing-machines/how-much-electricity-does-a-washing-machine-use/ suggests energy usage on average of 27p per cycle. It lists some energy inefficient ones as 99p per cycle.

(This seems realistic enough: in 2018 the BBC reported that the average cycle was 9p- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44340082 )

You say money is tight, but is it really so tight that a few extra t-shirts a week are making any difference? Her comfortable clothes are going to be like one load a month. Is that really worth making your child uncomfortable to you?

In what way is the uniform "nice", OP? Just that it looks smart? Most of them are heavy on the polyester and not that comfortable.

You (presumably, since you don't say so for comparison) don't have to wear a specific uniform for work (as opposed to just smart or semi-smart wear you've chosen yourself). So you get to choose your clothing day-to-day and wear things you find reasonably comfortable. Your daughters don't get that choice for most of the working day, because their schools impose a uniform. You now want to take her being able to relax in comfortable clothes she likes away from her. Why should she only wear comfortable clothes 2 days a week? How grim.

I got changed first thing I got home in my school days.

Very unreasonable. Just don't wash it after the 6 hours of post-school wear or whatever it is.

Mine have to get changed as they get the uniform dirty. One likes to put clean clothes on every day after school, I just put them back in the ‘clean clothes to be folded and put away basket’. Saves arguing and washing.

Surely if they they are wearing the uniform more you would be washing that more?
Mine changes and hangs up his uniform as soon as he gets home, into joggers or if it's shower night and we're not going out straight into PJ's.
I change as soon as I get home also, mostly into lounge wear or PJ's, if I was going out somewhere I would shower and put on clean clothes.
I work hard in a public facing role, I don't really want to be able to smell that when I'm relaxing at home or out and about after.
I want my son's uniform to stay clean and fresh, it's the only thing I iron so the less use the better, it's not to be lounging around in.
There is no way be would be allowed to play out after school in uniform.
If he really is wanted to keep it on I wouldn't insist but it's a habit since he started school, we both have sensory issues so it makes sense to go for comfort.

I agree with the others. If they change then it’s the same comfy outfit they wear all week. Or they can keep putting clothes in the washing basket but they won’t get washed until ‘X day’ so it’s up to them to decide how quickly they run through what’s left!

I would suggest she changes into pjs. Then reuse the PJs for a few days.

When I was younger I stayed in my uniform. Mum and dad didn't want the extra washing.

I keep mine in their uniform too. I'm loving the reduction in washing.

If they have to change, they change into pjs.

At that age they can be helping with the washing.
My daughter changes into jammies (she doesn't get home til almost 6).

My dc change into their pjs unless they are going outside. If they go out they have to change into their civvies first. Their uniform is not generic and very expensive so I encourage nag them to take care of it.

I had this issue with my youngest teen. Would come home from school, change, wear the outfit for 5 hours and put it in the wash to change into PJs. That's an extra 5 outfits of wash a week! A whole extra load(s) to wash and dry.

I told them to re-wear clothes. When it happened again I just put the school uniform through the wash and put the full dirty (not really) laundry still in the laundry bag back in their room.

After that they were better and reused the clothes. Hoodies do not need washing after 5 hours wear.