How many loads of washing for a house of 2?

[catfunk]

We usually have 4 ...

1x darks
1x lights inc 2 bath towels
1x bedding
1x socks pants boxers which get tumble dried
In winter a wool wash every other week.

Is this excessive for 2 adults in one house? All done on eco setting but lights are 60 degrees eco.
I keep seeing posters saying they only do one load a week - how ? My bedding and towels would be an extra load!

God I probably do at least one a day. Two dogs though and at this time of year the walks are so muddy, so end up washing more of my own clothes plus their leads, collars, coats, blankets and bedding. I'm very paranoid about the house smelling like dog!

Wool wash every 1-2 weeks.
Clothes on eco 2-3 times a week.
Towels and bedding once a week, separately.

@CIaireFraser

One a week for me and DH.

Me, too! If that!

Of all the things that stun me about other people's lives on MN, high up there is washing! 4 loads a week for two people; then tumble dried? What?! I mean, apart from 'The Planet', people must be made of money!

But then, I get clean in the shower so my drying towel isn't in need of a twice weekly wash. I go to bed, clean, so my bedding only needs a wash every 2 weeks. My jeans get worn for a fortnight before washes, as I wear trackies indoors. And so on.

I bet there'll be a few rethinks once the bills come in...

@Foxyloxy1plus1

One towels, One bedding One delicates One basic stuff

But, how many towels do two people get through, in a week, in order to do a towel-wash per week? Or a separate bedding wash?

Genuinely interested!

I can’t fit much more in our machine than our bedding.

Dh and I and I’ll do 7 a week, I don’t understand how anyone can get away with 1 load a week.
2 bedding (superking size so can’t fit duvet cover plus sheet and pillow cases all together)
1 towels
1 dark
1 light
1 bathroom mats plus steam cleaner pads
1 dh’s shirts

I’ll also do a wool wash about once a month.

But, how many towels do two people get through, in a week, in order to do a towel-wash per week? Or a separate bedding wash?

We use one bath towel a week each, plus I change the hand towels in the two bathrooms every other day. That makes a full load.

I think we average five for two adults:

Towels
Bedding
Wool wash (only in winter)
2 x general loads

Sometimes an extra “hot” wash if DP is in work every day and has shirts, but at the moment he is just in a couple of days a week.

I should add I may do 7 loads a week but I only tumble dry towels, everything else goes outside no the line or on clothes dryers inside.

I wonder if it is an age thing?

I'm just shy of 60, so was brought up by (pre) war baby parents, both born 1933. People who grew up without indoor plumbing. Genuinely.

Until my early- mid teens, 'Wash day' at my house (once a week) was an absolute parlarver. An all day, physically demanding affair. Lines filled of billowing sheets, piles of ironing.

The new technologies arrived, but were initially considered to be expensive to buy and use. It was slow progress to our modern front loaders and tumble driers! But here we are.

This is possibly why I am much more careful with my use of such things; whereas, possibly, were you born 10-20-30 years, plus, after 1962, you'd be sticking everything in the wash after one wear.

In the same way, we all now shower twice a day. I think a daily shower or bath is much more important than washing things after one use, or wear.

I don’t wash things after one wear, except underwear, and I still do 7 loads a week.

How do you have enough socks and pants for a load on their own?

@LizzieSiddal

Dh and I and I’ll do 7 a week, I don’t understand how anyone can get away with 1 load a week. 2 bedding (superking size so can’t fit duvet cover plus sheet and pillow cases all together) 1 towels 1 dark 1 light 1 bathroom mats plus steam cleaner pads 1 dh’s shirts

I’ll also do a wool wash about once a month.

Well most people don’t have a super King bed, for starters. We have a double and our bedding fits in one load with space for other stuff. How do you have enough stuff for a full load each of lights and darks if DH’s shirts aren’t even included in that? And how do you have a load of bathroom mats? We change the bath mat once a week same as the towels, we only have two!

I'm genuinely fascinated!

I just couldn't pull 7 loads together in a week (assuming one does a full load, not 2 pairs of socks and a bra- though that might have to be two loads... 😂).

I mean, bathroom hand towels- presumably people wash their hands with soap? So why would anyone wash them after two days? Bath towels, yes, once a week. Bedding? Unless one performs hot, sweaty sex on a nightly basis, and assuming everyone goes to bed, clean, once a fortnight!- consisting of a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and two pillow cases (the flat sheet removes the need to wash the duvet cover once a month, tops. Human skin doesn't touch it).

Pants/socks? 14 pants, 7 pairs of socks, 3 bras. Not a machine load, really; you could add DH's 3 wfh shirts and one pair of jeans to that! Once a week.

But, I know, everyone rolls differently, but with no disrespect, I wonder how many about to be plunged into fuel poverty are washing 5-7 times a week for two people!

I think we're the only household that does a load per person instead of lights/darks etc. I do my washing, dh does his and we'll throw a bedding and a towel load in so that's 4.

I don’t understand how anyone can get away with 1 load a week

Easily!

Double duvet cover/2 pillow cases washed fortnightly

Never wash after only one wear, apart from underwear/socks obviously

We don't leave the house much (maybe three or four times a week between us, for shopping) so don't get through many clothes anyway

All our clothes (including underwear) and bedding/towels are dark colours so no need for separate light and dark loads

Bathtowel each which we wash weekly and air dry in between, plus a couple of hand towels

4 a week for clothes/towels/undies on an eco wash. I have horses and DH has an active job so we get through a lot. If I’ve been to a horse show I might do an extra load to clean my clothes, depending on how much room there is in the normal cycle.

1 separate wash on a much higher temp for bedding as DH is a warm person so they need a good clean.

Occasional wash of the bathroom rug if it’s accidentally been left of the floor and one of the cats has decided to use it as a toilet

1 or 2 bath washes a month for fleece rugs/fly rugs/saddlecloths/horse hoodies. I’ve been banned from using the washing machine for them

Never in my life have I considered doing a separate load for lights/darks or undies & socks. I’m a slattern

DH, myself and DDog
I x dark 40°
1x light 40°
1x white 60°
1x bedding and towels 60°
1x dog bedding and towels 40°

DH has clean white shirts everyday as part of his uniform and bottom sheets are white cotton so they all go in together as well as white knickers for me.

We live on Salisbury Plain so DDog is always muddy so her stuff is done weekly.

I bung everything in together, and only wash bedding if I know I can line dry it. So maybe one wash a week, maybe 2 occasionally. I couldn't afford to run the washer more than that!

We do probably 4 or 5 a week. I have never counted. Will do so this week just to see.

Cat and I, no work clothes,delicates lot of wool, bedding and mixed load, then sofa throw.
Summer wash duvet too, coats too

Just me and I reckon I do 3 washes in 10 days just because of the way it works out and sometimes I wash towels after 6 days or bedding after 8 days type thing
I don't have anything light so it all goes in together
Bedding once a week and other stuff goes in with it
Towels once a week but that's a bath towel and a hand towel so again other stuff in
Then a load that works out as purely clothes so WFH outfits, pjs, socks, gym stuff

At least one a day sadly. 2/3 lots of medical uniform. One bedding, one towels one lights one darks. Then added in from time to time, cat blankets, throws, etc

@Celoo

I do a load most days for me and husband

Thank goodness I’m not the only one. Probably 7 loads a week for 2 of us …. Includes gym gear / swimming and towels too !

From this thread OP yours sounds pretty average so as long as can afford it I would just carry on as you are