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Original poster

How would you tackle this laundry backlog?!!

108 replies

periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:12

For 3 days per week I am at home looking after young DC being 100% mum (weekend and Friday).

For 4 days a week I'm working from home whilst DC are at nursery.

Like a lot of women I feel like I'm always spinning plates and juggling various responsibilities and tasks. I do majority of housework as I'm home more, and I always seem to have overflowing laundry baskets, and baskets of clean clothes to put away.

So with the above schedule, would you:

A) only do laundry on the 4 wfh days, and not do any on Fri-Sun (family time).

B) do all laundry on the 3 "mum" days (Friday, Sat & Sun) and rope in family to help out. Leave the 4 wfh days clear for work only.

C) spread it out across the week / everyday / most days

D) something else - a magic organised system I'm missing...

OP posts:
NCgoingdry · 19/09/2023 12:14

Sorry but I really think you're overthinking this.

Surely, as someone who is at home a lot - laundry should be simple.

Basket full, stick a wash on. Takes seconds.

Hang up when done. Again, it doesn't take hours.

I work FT outside of the house and manage to get laundry on when it's needed.

MaybeSane · 19/09/2023 12:19

I just put a load in most days before I go to bed. Put a second load on during the daytime if there's a big pileup. It keeps everything ticking over without much thought - most things are clean most of the time.

I'm not so good at folding and putting away. No system whatsoever apart from demanding the DC help sort and fold when the clean laundry baskets are overflowing

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 19/09/2023 12:20

When the DC were young and I worked part time I did one load every day. I would load it up when I had a moment during the day and switch it on after putting the DC to bed (the kitchen was across the hall from DS's bedroom and the white noise helped him to sleep). When it was done I would hang it on an airer overnight and leave the washing machine door open so it didn't go mouldy. In the morning I would close the washing machine door (kitchen was small so even that bit of space mattered), put the dry clothes into a laundry basket and collapse the airer, put the laundry basket into the bedroom where the majority of the clothes belonged.

Because I did it every day without fail it was a fairly quick and efficient thing. I struggle more now that the DC are old enough to do their own laundry and I have a utility room as there is more opportunity for a backlog to build up.

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Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:21

There are constant basket loads and it's not as simple as "stick a wash on" is it. You have to get it out again, some stuff needs hanging up, some needs tumbling. (No outside space). Then folding before it crumples. Then putting away. Then there's the towels, the bedding etc. I'm constantly doing one of these tasks every few hours, and I always have one of these on my mind - must remember to get the laundry out / put it away etc etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:22

Sorry that response was to @NCgoingdry

OP posts:
QforCucumber · 19/09/2023 12:22

How many of you are there at home? There are 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 DC. DH and I both work FT 5 days -

Every morning at 7am the washing machine is started off, every evening around 5:30 it either gets hung out or transferred to the drier.

Folding gets done when the kids are in bed and each pile put in its respective bedroom ready to be pout away on the morning while getting ready.

Invisimamma · 19/09/2023 12:23

Do a load everyday, set it on timer the night before and hang it out first thing. Bring it in and lay it away straight away.

You can also add in certain days for certain things e.g. Saturday I do lights (school shirts), Sunday I do towels, Monday I do sports kits.

dinmin · 19/09/2023 12:23

you need to figure out how many loads you have per week in total and whether they all get hung up to dry or put in the tumble dryer if you have one. Then you can decide when to fit them in. I find it helps to do the same set load on a set day e.g. bedding wash and dry on a Monday, whites on a Tuesday, cotton underwear etc wash and dry on a Wednesday

floofbag · 19/09/2023 12:24

It really is simple tbh , just bung a load on , takes 10 mins to hang then the next day do the same and fold up the dry stuff .

Get a heated airer if you don't have a dryer

FloweryWowery · 19/09/2023 12:24

You work four days a week and are female. Why does this mean all the laundry is your responsibility?

Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:24

Oh my god that sounds so organised!!! Im clueless it seems!!! Different categories - aaah!

OP posts:
Greenshake · 19/09/2023 12:25

@NCgoingdry I’m with you. Just do it! It’s really not a drama.

Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:26

FloweryWowery · 19/09/2023 12:24

You work four days a week and are female. Why does this mean all the laundry is your responsibility?

Husband and I have designated housework areas we are solely responsible for - this one is mine!

OP posts:
ValkyrieAssassin · 19/09/2023 12:26

When I have a backlog I do one load every day. Never takes more than a few days. Load on, hung up then the next load tomorrow.

Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:26

Greenshake · 19/09/2023 12:25

@NCgoingdry I’m with you. Just do it! It’s really not a drama.

Never said it was drama, just a pain in the ass and I reckon I'm not doing it as efficiently as some people do. HTH

OP posts:
Freezingcoldinseptember · 19/09/2023 12:27

Surely weather dependant?

CyberCritical · 19/09/2023 12:27

Clothes are put in the machine as they come off, mixed colours, everything gets washed on a 30degree wash, colours don't run at that temperature.

Once a week towels wash, once a week sheets wash.

Dry days, washing goes on as soon as we wake up and straight out on the line before work, then folded as it comes off the line and straight up to everyone's rooms.

Wet days, washing goes on when work is done then into tumble dryer, folded as it comes out and up into everyone's rooms,

Overall it's about 20 minutes work a day but split into several 5 minute pieces. Nothing is ironed.

Original poster
periperisaucemama · 19/09/2023 12:28

@Freezingcoldinseptember we have no outside space so everything goes in the washer/dryer basically.

OP posts:
floofbag · 19/09/2023 12:28

Agree timers are great , so load at night and set until so it's ready to hang when you get up .

skyeisthelimit · 19/09/2023 12:28

I WFH full time (self employed) and I will put a load on at 9am before I go into my office, and then put it into the dryer at say 11am when I make a coffee.

It's not difficult to stay on top of it. I fold it in the evening after tea when we are watching the tv

randomsabreuse · 19/09/2023 12:29

I'd do at least 1 a day as your limiting factor will be drying space not washing machine time. DH decided to blitz the washing at the weekend and some of the stuff is still wet as our big airer has things too close to dry quickly - I usually do alternate rows/staggered.

ValkyrieAssassin · 19/09/2023 12:29

Oh to add.. I always do bedclothes and towelson Tuesdays and Thursdays. Dcs tues and us thurs. it’s just habit now.

Desecratedcoconut · 19/09/2023 12:29

1 load a day

Evening: fold dry washing hung over horse/ in dryer.
Fill machine with washing, set timer to finish for when you wake up.

Morning:
Put wet washing over horse/ put in dryer to finish before you leave out the door for work. (Only works if you don't have one of those new dryers that takes eons to dry washing

Garman · 19/09/2023 12:31

I wfh and have 3dc and 2 adults living here. It’s really easy to keep on top of laundry working from home tbh 🤷🏻‍♀️ Wash, stick in dryer (on line in summer), fold when dry and when I have the time, put away. Folding and putting them away takes about ten minutes each, if you just do it and don’t let it build up it’s fine.

Olika · 19/09/2023 12:33

When I was WFH I would wash all laundry Monday morning to Thursday morning so that all was out of the way in closets by Friday evening.