To take all our washing to the launderette once a week to escape the daily washing nightmare?

In your shoes, I'd do my washing and DDs, and require her to put away the clean stuff as soon as you tell her.

Your DH and DS are old enough to do their own laundry.

You are clearly exhausted and 'chasing your tail'. By all means take some time out but don't waste it at a laundrette. That kind of thinking is just another symptom of the roll your lifestyle is currently taking.

When you have had your quick break, sort out the root of the problem.

How difficult is it for the 'lazy fuckers' to find space to put clean clothes away ? Do whatever is necessary for there to be plenty of space of the clean clothes to be put away.

Give yourself another break by having service awash and putting things away as soon as they arrive back home. Get everyone involved for a few times til they get the hang of it then just hand them the fresh laundry when it arrives and get them to put it away right away

No food and drinks til it's put away sounds reasonable. Don't put it down put it away

No clothes out ever, they are either being worn or are put away.

That gives you some breathing space to tackle the important things in life. All the best.

I cannot emphasise this enough ... GO FOR IT!!!
And I absolutely share your laundry related pain

Family meeting. State min expectations. They're taking the piss. Sack off ironing. You don't have time.

I'd be getting rid of the cat tbh.

It's obvious you need to sort your family out, not your washing.

We put everything in one laundry basket and it all gets done together.
DS (20) washes his own bedding and towels and has done since he was about 16. I do his other things.

If he took the piss like OP's family members he would be doing all of his own.
As it is he is appreciative, puts his clothes away promptly, helps out where he can (e.g. by hanging clothes on the line) and only puts things into the wash when they need it. So I don't mind doing his.

I don’t get this, I don’t think it would be easier for me to put it all in the car, get in the car and drive there and unload it.

i literally chuck on a wash in the morning, hang on heated drier or chuck in the tumble drier. Don’t iron a single thing

I also really enjoy putting clean clothes away so maybe that’s why I don’t get this

Surely little and often is easier. I do 2/3 loads a day. I'd run out of gym / work clothes going once a week.

Drying it is the problem. If I could book sunshine and a breeze I could clear it faster.

Has everyone gone mad? 3 pages I’ve read of everyone saying it’s a great idea. How? The launderette doesn’t put it away for you or stop the cat shitting on it. It’s more time and hassle not less surely.

Funny

Obviously there are more issues here than the laundry. Yourself and your DH working 10+ hours a day SEVEN days a week, this is totally unhealthy. When does your 12 ever get to see you? Why is your 20 yr old not doing their own laundry - just stop taking any responsibility for it. Same with your DH’s laundry. Cat is a major issue too - if they leave mess everywhere, at the least confine her to one room in the house.

Why is the cat shitting on your laundry?

I may have been unlucky with launderettes but when I have used them they don't clean my stuff as well, or take great care of it.

Gosh at those ages (and a husband!) they should absolutely be helping with housework that's rediculous. I'd not want to go to a laundromat because id hate to have to fold it all at once but if that works for you why not

The only person you need to be doing chores for is your 12yo.

As you are wfh then it is easier for you to put the washing machine on, turn the oven on etc but that doesn’t mean that they can’t load the washing machine, prep the food, do the dishes etc.

But ultimately you are living a lifestyle that you cannot maintain.

You are saying that you work 10 hour days, 7 days a week and your DH works the same but you have a 12yo.
It’s just not fair.

You both need to reduce your hours and live within your means.

I often do this when I was the bedding. R after a holiday etc. Great to get all done together.

You might need extra clothes etc if washing only once a week?

It does run expensive (I'm in ireland) but I've no idea what it costs to wash a load at home. I don't have a dryer anyway. Any of the other 3 who are adults should split the cost ... effectively pay you to give them a box of clean clothes.

Beware of going on a Saturday.. probably busiest time so you might end up waiting for machines, turning 3 hrs into 6. Could you bookend it into your workday.... drop to wash in the morning and pop in before lunch to put into dryer, then take out and fold during lunch (this is the longers part).

Bring separate baskets/bags if it's not too busy and separate as you take out of dryer. Then each person gets a box of clean clothes,not a pile to fall off bed and get mixed up with dirty.

Enjoy.

Absolutely!! I do thus, I sort the clothes out in to separate washes and drop in all in for a service wash, they ring me when it's dry and folded, I just wash the undies and towels. Cost from £20. I work 60hrs a week, this frees up my days off.

This sounds completely ridiculous. If you're both working 70+ hours a week without being able to afford significant paid help at home you need to rethink your careers. And fgs keep your cat's arse away from your washing, that is just disgusting.

DD (17) does her own laundry and cleans her room once a week (dirty clothes in laundry, clean clothes put away, rubbish in the bin, books on the bookshelf). She would happily live in squalor if i didn't insist. Plus loads and unloads the dishwasher as her contribution to the shared housework in the kitchen.

If she doesn't I take her phone off her until it's done - switching off the WiFi is also an option. Housework is non-negotiable - we both contribute to creating the work so we both contribute to cleaning up.

You need to sort out your family instead of doing it all for them. Of course they won't do it willingly at first because they are used to being waited on hand and foot.

Her family is filthy. At least the cat only needs its shit cleared up once and the cooking consists of opening a tin twice a day. My cat did have a few accidents before he died and I hated it. But not as much as I hate my partner's shoes being left wherever he takes them off and my kid leaving half empty water glasses on every surface.

I've recently bought 6 new laundry baskets and written the kids names on theirs. Dry laundry goes into the named basket from the line/dryer/rack and has to be taken straight upstairs and put away. We're still working on socks though.

Dh and I both work full time 70+hours a week between us.

At the age of your kids, they NEED to be helping out around the house. They're not too old or young to be shown how to use the washing machine. Our 12yo's aren't confident in loading/setting it running without questions but the 14 and 16 yo will. The little ones then unload and hang out. We all fold and separate so no one should argue over their siblings wearing their clothes. We're in early days with a few blips but the individual basket system has very much minimised that and helps our neurodivergent kids organise themselves.

They have a wash basket in their room and there's 1 in our bathroom. If it's not in the basket, it doesn't get washed. If it's clearly clean, it gets taken back out of the basket. Like yours, my youngest 3 went through a stage of tidying their room by throwing the 'floordrobe' clothes back in the basket because it was quicker than putting in away.

@catza I’d rather have all of the above than a cat pooping on the laundry, anyplace in the house, anyday of the week. It’s filthy.

How so? If the cat is removed, OP is still doing 100% of all chores, kids' rooms are still a tip, husband is still not doing his share and laundry is still not being put away.

Op, I think your biggest problem is the cat.

Do you both own businesses to be working that many hours? if you seriously both work that many hours you have no life whatsoever and if you are renting and don’t even have a property you own, what are you working towards? It’s not even for security for the future.

The launderette is a drop in the ocean to the challenges you have. What you need is a complete rethink and a family meeting to reset.

• Work hours - no employer would/could enforce those sorts of hours so if you are the employer, you need to readjust and both give yourselves at least one day off
• I never really understand the idea of a cleaner once a fortnight as the house gets dirty weekly - can you up the cleaner to weekly? If you are planning to spend on laundry, I would use the money on this - maybe laundry can be part of their duties?
• Re tidying for the cleaner, that needs to be everyone’s job. When we had a cleaner, all members of the family were tasked with prepping for cleaner the night before Putting laundry away needs to be part of that.
• Re clean laundry, you need a room that you keep the door shut and cats out where the laundry sits until it’s collected,.
• Your kids need to be assigned chores. Does dd get pocket money? No pocket money if chores are not done. Mine are responsible for dishwasher loading/unloading, setting/clearing dinner table, changing their bed sheets, tiding/dusting their bedroom weekly and putting their clean laundry away but you tailor the jobs to what helps you the most
• Is ds working and paying you rent or studying? Either way, to live with you, he needs to understand that he pulls his weight.

Please take a step back and ask yourself if this is the life you want to be living and make some serious changes

Good luck!