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How do you Laundry?

213 replies

MrsHusky · 13/03/2021 16:49

No i'm not mad, i promise.

I do everyone's washing in turn, so all of DS's, then all of DD's, then all of Mine, then towels/bedding, and start again.

Do you do that, or do you do a mix and just split everyones into darks/colours/whites?

OP posts:
Ifailed · 13/03/2021 17:56

everything in together at 30 degrees with the cheapest powder I can find, and a hard-water tablet.
It all comes out clean, which is the purpose of doing laundry.

MrsHusky · 13/03/2021 17:58

@PrincessesRUs

Op - I actually feel quite upset by your system - if you separate per person how do you ever have enough for separate colours/whites etc washes??
The only wash i separate out from all of us is the whites, there is literally half a load of them, a couple of tshirts and DD's crop tops and socks, and a few of my PJ shirts.

I'm a goth, so my clothes are majority black/red with a few lighter colours like pink/grey/light blue, DS only wears black/blue, DD's uniform is all navy/blue and she hates girls clothes, so again, the majority of her casual clothes are black/red/blue as she wears boys joggers and tshirts.

OP posts:
BlibBlabBlob · 13/03/2021 18:03

The Organised Mum Method (TOMM) inspired my laundry system. Complete load of laundry EVERY day. That way it never builds up, never becomes overwhelming, never end up with a massive pile of clean laundry covering the spare bed and thus being used as bedding by our mucky hair-shedding cats.

Every night: load the machine with everything that isn't white and set it on a timer to finish when I get up in the morning. Put away everything that was washed earlier that day, if it's dry (leave until morning if not).

Every morning: Get the wet laundry out and put on overdoor airer. Put away anything from yesterday that wasn't dealt with last night because it wasn't quite dry.

Every Saturday: Normal daily wash, plus a separate whites wash for school shirts and DH's white t-shirts. (I basically don't own anything white myself, can't be trusted not to spill curry on it.)

Every Sunday: Normal daily wash, plus a separate towel and cloth wash at 60 degrees with no fabric conditioner - every towel in the house, plus the cleaning cloths.

Bedding gets done on whatever day it needs to be changed, immediately upon being removed from the bed. All double beds, so all a single load each. We have super cosy polyester bedding (sounds yuck, but it's heavenly) so it dries pretty fast draped over the bannister and can be put away within 24 hours.

And I do a special 'pants wash' every few days during my period, because I have those special period knickers that you rinse out immediately after use, store in a wet bag or box and then wash on gentle with no fabric conditioner and line dry.

I have to stay regimented with laundry or (due to executive functioning difficulties) I get utterly overwhelmed and it all falls apart. Also one child has sensory issues and gets very attached to certain items of clothing; with my system nothing gets buried in the laundry basket so as long as she has two tops and two pairs of leggings that she likes, they get worn and washed on rotation and she's always got one of her favourites ready to wear.

reluctantbrit · 13/03/2021 18:06

Red, whites, white mixed, dark. I do do some on a handwash/gentle cycle.

Underwear, towels and bedding is separate as well as they go on a higher temperature.

HaggisTheGreat · 13/03/2021 18:07

More or less the same as @Ifailed. Everyone’s stuff and all shades / types of laundry go in one wash. Comes out just fine.
I am always amazed at how complicated some people make laundry!

MrsHusky · 13/03/2021 18:09

@SleepingStandingUp

Not everyone is privileged enough to be able to afford to have 14 sets of uniform for their kids. I couldn't afford that if i tried.

If they have stuff that needs cleaning before the rota is up, i will either put it in with mine, or leave mine and do theirs again... its not set in stone, i just do a load every other day.

I have accumulated enough clothes as i haven't changed size in years, that i can last and do mine when everyone elses is done.

OP posts:
Looseleaf · 13/03/2021 18:10

We only have one laundry basket which need to improve, so generally there’s a pile of laundry on the bathroom floor and I’ll separate it into lights and darks and do one of those most days.
I wash sheets and towels every week and choose the day according to how sunny it is (love using the washing line!) and

dementedpixie · 13/03/2021 18:13

I have 2 laundry baskets in my bedroom- 1 for lights and one for dark clothes. The 2 kids have a basket each too so I make up a load from everyone baskets

beyondtheshoe · 13/03/2021 18:14

grumpily and daily!

But as above, by colour, not by individual.

I suppose individual laundry makes sorting and putting away a lot easier, but with 1 black/white/colour at least per person, that would pile up quickly!

TinyPickle · 13/03/2021 18:15
  • Darks
  • Lights
  • Towels
  • Bedding
  • Delicates
beyondtheshoe · 13/03/2021 18:16

ot everyone is privileged enough to be able to afford to have 14 sets of uniform for their kids

14 is a bit much, but 5 is more realistic.
Nowadays, its' more 3 sets of uniforms and 2 sets of PE as they are no longer allowed to change at school

ememem84 · 13/03/2021 18:16

Today I have done the following loads:

Jeans
Darks
Whites
Lights
Brights
Ds’ reuseable pull-ups and my reuseable sanitary towels
Tea towels and cleaning cloths.

TinyPickle · 13/03/2021 18:17

Oh, and I do DD’s clothes separately but she’s two and accumulates a whole wash load at twice the rate of me and DH combined Grin

MrsHusky · 13/03/2021 18:23

@beyondtheshoe

ot everyone is privileged enough to be able to afford to have 14 sets of uniform for their kids

14 is a bit much, but 5 is more realistic.
Nowadays, its' more 3 sets of uniforms and 2 sets of PE as they are no longer allowed to change at school

5 is what we have, kids change every other day, so they last over the two weeks.

Their schools insist on logo'd everything at £100-£150 a set, i've had to rely a lot on their second hand shop and hand-me-downs from my friends.

OP posts:
nixso29 · 13/03/2021 18:24

Whites, Darks, Colours, bedding/towels

Knittingnanny · 13/03/2021 18:25

Reminds me of back in the day when I had three boys at home. Every other day I would shout/shriek up the stairs” white/dark/muddy/towel/bed linen wash going on in 10 minutes”
They had a laundry basket each in their own rooms and were responsible for getting it to the machine for the correct wash. Can’t understand how it would work doing it for each child separately.

MrsHusky · 13/03/2021 18:26

@TinyPickle

Oh, and I do DD’s clothes separately but she’s two and accumulates a whole wash load at twice the rate of me and DH combined Grin
Thats honestly how this started Grin

I used to do theirs together, but now DS is adult sized, his takes up 2 loads on its own by the time i've got through mine and DD's.

I think the only time i really mix is end of term when i'll shove all their uniforms/PE kits through just to get it done and out of the way.

OP posts:
SimonJT · 13/03/2021 18:27

I split lights, darks, whites, towels, bedding.

I wash my sons and my clothes together, or my partner and my sons clothes together. I don’t wash my clothes with my partners as I then have to work out which pants are mine etc, where as I know my pants definitely aren’t paw patrol.

Wimpeyspread · 13/03/2021 18:29

@CurlyhairedAssassin

While I'm thinking this, I'm now wondering what happens when teens go off to uni. I lived at home in my first year then moved into a rented flat which didn't have a washing machine at first but just took clothes to my muum and dad's home to wash every week.

What do students do who don't come home all term? They must have a lot of clothes to make up a full load of their own, or do they share a load with mates or something? Do halls of residences have enough washing machines?

This reminded me of two boys in a shared house when I was at college - they chucked all dirty clothes in a bin bag to take home to mum. If they ran out of clothes before the end of term, they emptied it out and wore everything again
dudsville · 13/03/2021 18:31

We do ours separately. OH lines his clothes washed on lava temperature for 3 hours I like mine to go on 30 for an hour. Neither of us bothers to separate colours.

MisfitNotMissFit · 13/03/2021 18:32

Clearly I'mthe only person who just chucks it all in regardless.

No one has died yet, my 14 year old is responsible for the household laundry (we have a drier) and all four of us (three in uniforms, me wfh currently) look ok, not Grand Ball ready, but certainly passable.

Modern fabrics and washing machines don't need this level of interaction. My rule is, if the item of clothing isn't strong enough to survive the laundry process and the individual doesn't take steps to launder it in any other way - then it wasn't meant to be.
😂

SquigglePigs · 13/03/2021 18:33

I largely do toddler clothes on their own because 99% of them tumble dry. I will mix her whites with ours though because she has very little that's white. Mine and DH's go in together. Usually a tumble load of undies and pj's. Then dark/white - at least 2 dark loads to every one white. Then towels and bedding separately. I don't do them at set times of the week, just when the washing basket gets full or there looks like enough for a load.

SciFiScream · 13/03/2021 18:34

Darks, whites, towels, bedding.

dementedma · 13/03/2021 18:35

Dear God some of these are too complicated to figure out. I do two types of washes: one dark, one light. Everybody's stuff goes in together.
DCs are old enough to do their own bedlinen so I have no idea how often it gets/ doesnt get done.
I probably do about 4 loads a week. We reuse and rewear.( apart from pants)

FinallyHere · 13/03/2021 18:36

DH is vairy precious about his white's wash. I leave him to his.

I have no white clothes, everything in together works fine for my clothes. One load of towels each week, plus any household stuff, hand towels from the downstairs loo and tea towels

We change the bed on Sunday, wash and hang sheets to dry, they are then picked up by the ironing service on Mondays.