I can't keep up with my washing. Am so ashamed.

[Conspiracy3]

Firstly I have really bad depression. Anxiety. Other mental health issues at play (personality disorder)

Family of 7.

Ive tried today to sort it and I have about 12 baskets of washing to do.

I'm sat here crying my eyes out. I just can't do it.

Even when I have a huge sort out it just piles up again.

The kids SEEM to have too many clothes but then the older ones have a growth spurt and need more and stuff gets passed down.

There's bags and baskets of washing everywhere.
I don't drive so can't go laundrette.

I just want to have a bonfire and burn it all and be nudists

I'm so embarrassed. So ashamed.

I just can't keep on top of it

Teach the older kids to sort washing , load the machine and run it.

Have you got room to put away the clean clothes - you mentioned leaving out piles? It is easier if everything has a home (you should see the size of my ironing pile though!) and if you can't put it away then it makes it harder.

Don't feel you have to keep lots of clothing for each person, anything that does not fit should not be in the wardrobe or drawers.

Do two or three loads of laundry a day and you'll catch up in the next few weeks, don't expect to do it all in a day or a week. Run both tumble dryers at the same time if you have to!

Excellent start, you've a washing machine and two dryers.

Sort out two loads just to start.
One in, when it's finished straight in the dryer.
The other load in, when it's finished straight in the dryer.
By that point the first load should be dry and you can take it out, fold it and put it wherever it needs to be.
And on...
If you've got the energy, do another 2 loads.

That's 4 loads done in one day.

If you can afford to do so, chuck the stuff in the laundry baskets then start again with a clear plan (daily laundry loads might be better for a large family). No amount of laundry is worth your sanity.

I just read about the taxi they actually won't think anything except you are going to do washing. Years ago when I was at my lowest I used the laundrette to catch up those machines are huge do a few loads at home this afternoon and go to the laundrette tomorrow with a few suitcase worth . You will get it cleared in no time.

My soul has died a little for you OP. I am a household of 2 and I find washing so dull.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Get the kids to help. My 10 year old has to do a load of washing a week.

Get the kids sorting out the whites from the colours and get them putting it on. Ban all television/sweets etc until they have helped you.

How old are the children?

Mine did the washing when they were 10. I had a friend here for 4 months and that made us a family of 8 working full time. They can put a load on and either tumble dryer it or hand it up on the line. They fold it up and put it into different tubs and then each child from 5 upwards was responsbile for emptying and bringing it back downstairs (the tub), they have all been taught how to do thisI missed if you are a single parent or not. But if not -Can't you take it in turns?

I echo the pps who have said you need to teach the DC to help - honestly, they can do so from an early age.

I first got my DC to start to help sort the washing, put it in the machine etc and turn it on age 4 (I'd hear a little voice calling from the utility room 'Mummy, do you want an extra rinse? )

Seriously, get them to bring their relevant coloured laundry to the machine two or 3 times a week - or do batches depending on colour/dirtiness/size and stick a schedule/rota on the wall? They can hang it out too - we used to have to when we were little and it wasn't an issue at all

In order to keep on top of the washing (there were 6 in my family), when children were in the bath I would put on 1 load of laundry, usually that days clothes and some from the basket.

First thing in the morning remove wet washing, peg out and put in another load. peg that out.

As you see the pile diminish you may feel like doing an extra wash as you are in control and will feel a sense of achievement with a job done.

It’s horrible to feel so overwhelmed just make sure you do some every day.

Good luck.

I personally hate laundry. There are 6 of us and I have to do it in a certain way otherwise I drown!

Each child and adult has their own laundry bag.

When it's full (it holds about a single load)
Then it gets washed along with the laundry bag. separate lights and darks, but I have mostly boys and it's mostly darks.

This is their wash. It goes on, then into dryer, then when it's at its hottest (I set a timer) I will open it and flap the items like mad. This means no more ironing. Fold and smooth, back into the laundry bag, back into their room for them to put away.

Then the next child's laundry .....

If I do it like this, I don't get overwhelmed, I don't have to sort clothes and decide who get who's socks. It's theirs.

If it piles up I can't cope. I can feel your pain, I panic with lots of laundry.

You need a plan going forward...depends in the age of each child, but perhaps everyone in the house over 10 years old has there own washing basket in their room and responsibility for putting there own washing in and removing it. Mixed load with colour catcher. Then there’s no sorting. Show them how to fold when they are still tumble dryer warm and there’s no ironing either.

I have 3 under 10 at the moment. It’s definitely a load or two every day. Comes from the tumble dryer straight into a trug for each person. The trug lives in their rooms and if it gets folded and put away that’s a bonus, otherwise they all seem to manage to take clean clothes from the trug. House seems less messy with everyone’s washing tucked away in their room whether it’s been put away or not.

12 loads is a pain but enlist some of the older kids and you’ll get through it.

Do one load in the machine, one drying. As soon it's dry bring it in, fold it straight away and put away straight away. As soon as a load goes out to dry out a new one out to wash.

It's alright op, you'll get on top of it.

Yes it's the sorting it.

Get the kids to help.
Mine are expected to help.
At 4, they had to put their pants and socks away in the right place.
By 5, they can sort the socks and underwear into people piles. DD would pair the socks, DS (SN and motor issues) never managed to pair, he just sorted them.
By 6, they were putting their trousers and shorts away too.
At 7, they were helping to fold their trousers themselves and put their folded T-shirt's and jumpers away.
Youngest is now 8 and I expect them to help fold the bedding together and towels if I ask them to. Usually I do it whilst they're at school as I'm not working now. Also they strip their beds when it needs washing and put the sheet and pillowcase back on.

It's bad enough with 4, must be overwhelming with 7! Don't be too hard on yourself.

If you really can't face putting a couple of loads on then get on Facebook and get someone to pick it up wash and return and just pay them. Once it's done then just do one load a day pop it in the night before and just turn on in the lot when you wake up that's what I do (single parent with 4 children?

I bet a lot of the clothes aren’t even dirty. My dgd throws in stuff like jeans after just one wear. She literally fills a basket in one or two days.

We only do 3 types of wash, you might be over sorting, or I'm slovenly which I don't care about particularly, it works for us.

Towels - hot wash
Sheets - hot wash
Clothes - 40 degree quickies 1 hour wash

If you're worried about colour run on clothes just buy the colour stop sheets but generally on 40 degrees the colour doesn't run.

I also make sure everything, except undies are worn more than once. My 2 DC wear their tops and trousers for 2 or 3 days. Could you go through the clothes and put anything that isn't dirty or smelly in a pile back in the Dcs rooms for a re wear.

Have you got a load of IKEA bags? If you put one load in each bag, you can stack them all up in a tower and chuck one in the washing machine each time it's empty. You could probably do 4 or 5 loads today. Put the kids in charge of taking the clothes back to their rooms.

I felt like this and began checking if the dcs clothes actually needed washing each bedtime. They would throw things in the wash because they couldn't be bothered to put them away. I get them back out of the washing basket and make them put them away. Maybe check the items are actually dirty.

Since lockdown my dd seems to get changed multiple times a day, I have told her she has to wear one outfit a day now

How old are your dcs? My dd is still a bit young but once he's around 10 I intend to start getting him to do his own washing under supervision.

Facing 12 loads of washing to do is a nightmare, it sometimes happens to me if I'm poorly or especially busy at work so I am not surprised you feel overwhelmed! I've put my "routine" below in case it helps - I have 4 kids, 21, 14, 6 & 4.

Clothes are to be put in the wash-basket by their owners - clothes on bedroom floors don't get washed.

Clothes are turned the right way out or I don't wash them, they go back to their owners room

Clothes are not attached to each other - it is not my job to separate underwear from trousers. They go back to their owners room.

As soon as nothing fits in the wash basket this means I've got 2/3 loads to do. I do washing every other day. I have one washer, one dryer, and two washing lines.

I separate into darks, lights and whites. Darks and lights get done during the day, as soon as a wash is complete it goes on the washing line and the next load goes on!

Whites are always done overnight as they take ages.

Once stuff is dry its brought in either by me or whoever is nearest the garden at the time. I fold it all and put into piles, then my 14 year old takes up washing of an evening to the right rooms and the older two put their own away. I do it for my 4 year old and I supervise my 6 year old (They're never too young to learn this stuff)

I iron anything that needs it once a week on a Sunday night!

Take it one load at a time and you will get there :)

Ugh. You poor thing. Ok, while you wading through the 12 loads, have a 'lockdown' on dirty clothes. Apart from pants and socks everything else gets reworn unless covered in sick, mud, shit or wee. It will only be a max of three days say? I'm sure everyone can live in unwashed clothes for that long. Ban socks, no need. Nor pjs. Even after you clear the 12 loads, no one needs one wear one wash. Unless you are the world's smelliest family and I doubt that.

This is a suggestion to cut down on the sorting etc. which can take up loads of time and get overwhelming. Give each child a washing basket or a plastic bag. Only wash one basket at a time. Do not muddle up different children’s stuff. Wash it all together, dry it, fold it and give it back to the child or put in their room. Don’t have any fancy fabric that needs special care or can’t be tumbled dried. Throw out anything that the colour runs or needs ironing. Keep it simple. One bag per child, one wash per child. Do the same with the beds, only change 1 or 2 at a time. Wash & dry & put it straight back on the bed. Don’t use another set otherwise the dirty stuff will get left & pile up. I hope this helps, I feel for you

That sounds overwhelming but like everyone else has said just put a load on and don't worry about the rest.

When mine builds up too much I do a load of underwear as that seems to run out first and then whatever else seems most useful. If you've got 12 loads just stick anything on and have a cup of tea, you'll get there in the end.

Everyone here puts their own washing away which makes it easier, I try and fold as soon as it's dry or else it just builds up and seems like a big job when it's actually a series of really small jobs throughout the day.

Don't feel bad about it though, it's just clothes and as long as the kids are fed and safe you're doing a good job!

I don't want to sound unsympathetic, but I don't really understand this. Get a couple of the children to help you sort them out, as soon as you have an adequate load of one type of washing put it in, then work systematically through the rest. Go and do something else (or have a break) whilst the machines do all the work.

My sorting is very similar to TorysSucks'. I don't even bother to sort out darks and lights as in my (extensive) experience it makes zero difference.