Finally found a system to keep on top of the laundry, thought it might help someone else

[Bowtie292]

Incredibly boring I know but I've always struggling with the laundry. Usually end up with mountains of it that I then can't get dry. Our tumble drier is temperamental and I'm trying to keep our electric bill down.

So every week day morning I do a quick wash (ours is 15 mins) followed by a 10 minute spin.

Clothes go on the airer while we're at work.

Around 7pm I put the big items (t shirts, trousers, towels) in the tumble drier for about 10 mins. That's all they need to finish off drying. I then put the socks and pants in the drier with the door closed and the residual heat dries them over night.

Everything folded and put away with the socks and pants from the previous days wash.

Sounds a bit of a faff but it's really working well.

I wouldn't be happy with a 15minute quick wash for any of our clothes or towels!

I do a 1hr 30minute wash each night, hang up on clothes horse and the next night I give then a quick tumble dry to finish them off.... and so I dont need to iron them. Job done!

Do your clothes actually get clean on a fifteen minute cycle? On my machine that cycle is cold water and useful for prewashing stuff or freshening up something lightly worn. No way would underwear, socks, mucky kids clothes etc come out fully clean and long term I suspect they’d smell.

But if it works for you then great!

I do a delay wash, set at night to be ready when we get up. It can be a 4hr long eco wash without the waiting.

Sounds good for items only worn once or so. Might start making use of the 15 min cycle!

For me, I would want underwear and towels etc washed for longer.

They do, no stains, no smells. I do the whites on a proper white wash as it wouldn’t be enough for DS's school shirts but the rest come out perfectly clean. Ds is 14 though so the messy toddler clothes are long gone.

I would say for a lot of clothes if they are clean after a quick wash, do they really need washing at all?

15 min quick wash can’t wash everything properly especially sweaty running or sports kit.

DragonDoor yes we do tend to only wear clothes once. Stuff like jeans which I get a good few wears out of I'd put on the 60 minute cycle.

Agree with all this. We have massive amounts of laundry. (Lots of sports in this house).

I use a 15 min wash for quick, light washes eg a sports kit my son has only one of & is needed a few times a week.

But no way would towels, school uniforms & underwear be clean on a 15 min wash

Sorry, I thought it might help someone but obviously not. It works well for our household.

@Agadorsparticus

I do a delay wash, set at night to be ready when we get up. It can be a 4hr long eco wash without the waiting.

Do you not worry having the washing machine on over night though?

15 min was here is for lightly washing swimwear. Clothes get a two hour cycle...

@Agadorsparticus

I do a delay wash, set at night to be ready when we get up. It can be a 4hr long eco wash without the waiting.

That's what I do.

@2pinkginsplease

I wouldn't be happy with a 15minute quick wash for any of our clothes or towels!

I do a 1hr 30minute wash each night, hang up on clothes horse and the next night I give then a quick tumble dry to finish them off.... and so I dont need to iron them. Job done!

Me too. My wash is 60 minutes on my machine though.

15 mins is not long enough to be getting properly clean, especially on a low temp.

Might as well wash outer garments less frequently but properly.

Thanks OP, I am going to give this a go! My house is permanently full of heaps of clothes

Well I think it sounds a great system and thank you for sharing it - God knows I could do with some help in this! I seem to be bloody brilliant at putting washing in the machine but then become rapidly hopeless at sorting it back into the right places afterwards.

That sounds very organised - it’s very satisfying to find a system that works for you.
I’ve discovered that I prefer washing our clothes separately so I do a wash with my clothes and then one with DS’s. I have to wait longer for there to be a full load but something about it makes me happy. It seems simpler.

Sounds like you've found a good system that works for you OP - isn't it great when you get into a routine that works! I've just ordered a dryer for the first time in my life. It's having the time to actually hang the clothes on the airer that pushed me to it in the end - bloody hate it!

Actually I think it’s the putting away that my system helps with - there is no sorting as it all belongs to one person. So it removes a step.

If they are lightly worn, a 15 minute wash is more than enough to refresh it all surely.

If I leave anything in our drier with the door closed, it doesn't dry out with residual heat, it gets damper.

@Bowtie292

DragonDoor yes we do tend to only wear clothes once. Stuff like jeans which I get a good few wears out of I'd put on the 60 minute cycle.

Well... with that amount of waste you haven't quite 'cracked it'.

Good for you op! Sounds like it's working well. So much better for the environment too 👍

How filthy do people actually get? I sit in an office all day, DS sits at a desk. The clothes come out smelling nice and clean and they're so easy to dry. The problem I had was with damp washing, that's when clothes get wiffy.

babouchette AngelicaElizaAndPeggy I hope it helps!