How do you Laundry?

[MrsHusky]

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?

I separate a lot: whites, dark, red/pink, my and DH ‘s towels, DD’s towels, light bedding, dark bedding, delicates, wool/cashmere, DD’s clothes sorted by colours, very worn and quick wash, etc. I also can’t put a big load as we don’t have tumble dryer so doing things in smaller loads helps to manage drying.

Mixed. White, dark, colours. Darker yellows go in with colours while pale yellow goes in with white.

If I did a wash per person people would run out of clothes while I waited for a full load of the right colour!

However it does end up being mostly one person's stuff because we have 3x laundry baskets, one for each bedroom. I fill it up with whatever colour is dominant then go around the other baskets and top up.

DH and my mum reckon stuff doesn't run if you mix, but their whites go dingy and they don't notice! I can tell the difference and it annoys me.

I can do a 20 or 30 minute half load at 30 or 40 degrees. I use that for most loads of just normal use clothes. It's quicker to do two quick half loads than it is to do any other full wash cycle.

I'll often even do the bedding on a quick wash in the summer when it gets washed more often and then just occasionally do a longer wash.

It's mostly going outside to dry in the summer anyway.

Everything goes in as one. It all gets the same temperature wash anyway, so no big deal. We don't have enough whites to bother trying to make up a separate wash.

@Twillow

Laundry basket in each bedroom (can't stand the idea of visitors poking about in your dirty laundry if it was in the bathroom!) Have a quick sort though and take what I need then stuff the rest back in. Sets of bedding done together (always straight after changing the bed so the basket doesn't get stuffed) with maybe an extra towel to make up the load. Darks, lights/whites, woollens, towels and tea towels all done in sets. Adult child at home does her own.

I can honestly say that although I have done some weird things, I have never ever felt the need to have a look in someone else's laundry basket.

Is this something you would do yourself?

Family of 4, everybody's gets washed together. Although my children are 6 and 3 so when they're smelly teens I might wash separately
Darks
Colours
Whites
Hand wash/delicates
Towels and bedding 60degrees
Gym wear

@ThisConundrum

Yeah but wouldn't you have to do lots of half loads that way?!

It doesn't take long to delve into all baskets and make one wash to keep everyone freshly up together with laundry!

no, only load that ends up being a half load is the whites.

By the time i've gone through DDs, mine, bedding and towels, and got back to DS, he's generally got enough for 1 or more loads to himself.

DH wears white tshirts for work and also white sport socks for exercise and DS wears pale grey shorts and tshirts so I never have much of an issue getting a white wash or two a week and mostly do short half washes anyway.

DH wears white tshirts for work and also white sport socks for exercise and DS wears pale grey shorts and tshirts so I never have much of an issue getting a white wash or two a week and mostly do short half washes anyway.

We have 2 baskets, one in our bathroom and one in the one the boys share.

Visitors (when we had them) used downstairs loo.

Dark/colours/lights. All clothes go in one basket as we have a large load washer so makes no sense to wash each persons seperately. If it isn't put in the basket hard luck.

Seperate basket for bedding/towels mainly because I don't have drier and when the weather is bad and I am having trouble getting things dry clothes take priority, this occasionally means in winter bedding doesn't get washed as often as I would lime due to practicalities

It's only me and DP but we club washing together like this:

• All 60C darks (pants, socks, pyjamas)
• All 40C darks (blacks, blues)
• All 40C lights
• My bright red jumper that I love but which dies anything and everything pink unless it has its own wash
• All whites

We don't separate mine and his out, just wash all together.

Separated as follows: whites, lights, darks, coloured bedding/towels, white bedding/towels, jeans and extra bits like bath mats, door mats and sanpro separately. DP has a separate wash as most of his stuff is workwear. Everyone else's goes in together. Towels and bedding on 60, everything else on 40/30 with liquid detergents.
We tried ecoegg for DDs skin but it just wasn't enough for DCs stains/dirt.