Can we talk honestly about Laundry?

[Giggleslikespickles]

I have a husband and two young boys and I CANNOT keep on top of my washing unless I become obsessed and it’s all I do and all I think about (yes I’m over exaggerating but genuinely feels like this sometimes)

I need some helpful tips or like minded people to make me feel better about my failures 😝

I’m literally always routing through clean clothes that are still on top of the washing machine because I hate how soul destroying it is putting clothes into piles and then walking upstairs over and over again to put them away just to se them either thrown on the floor or back in the laundry - it’s monotonous, tedious and quite frankly boring

What can I do to make my life easier and embrace the task? I’m done being surrounded by clothes that aren’t in the places they should be

Yes these threads are utterly depressing. Women ‘overwhelmed’ by housework but I bet their husbands don’t give it second thought. It’s like we are still living in the 1950s.

@Ddakji I would imagine it's because she knows her Dad would do absolutely anything for her. The really cheeky part is that she walzed off back to uni and left him to it.😂

Oh wow! So many good suggestions and ideas I hadn’t thought of. Thanks so much ❤️

Husband would definitely help but I kind of banned him as he always messes my ‘system’ up or clothes get missed and left in the machine for days that I then have to rewash rinse repeat…

I think shelves in the utility room would be really helpful and maybe label them so people can grab their own stuff and put away 🤔

I do get the boys to help even though they detest it as much as I do

It’s frustrating as they’re both into sports and their clothes can be pretty filthy/muddy on times - completely unavoidable but not an option for a second wear.

Honestly, it’s such a thankless monotonous job 😒

Absolutely not the theme of this post. I think it’s really important to respect people’s private home decisions and how they split their ‘home jobs’

Just because a woman does the laundry doesn’t equal suppression or anti feminism. Pure feminism is about women having rights and choices whether we agree with them or not ❤️

When I had 3 boys and a useless exh, I used 3 baskets and mostly washed one boys at at time.
Would put urgently required stuff in with my own and did towels, then bedding once weekly
I got them used to putting clothes in baskets as they undressed( if it was clean I’d put it back in their drawers.
kids can do this from about 5 ime
Your DH is lazy, and needs to be told there’s no such thing as a laundry fairy.

Muddy sports kit shouldn’t be left in baskets but put near the washer when taken out of their bags.
I think you need to “ relax” your system, but I absolutely understand what you mean!

It's much easier to do it all together, IMO! But we're all different.

It’s mainly the drying and then putting it all away. It’s tiring up and down the stairs etc. Tbf my husband and the boys would totally do their bit, they’re all super hands on and helpful but it’s the one thing I’ve banned my husband from doing but then I’m stuck doing it all and I’m clearly struggling (hence this post 😝)

Maybe I need to accept help even if it’s not up to my standard 🤔

Wow you’ve got a really good system going, I need to up my game 🫣

Absolutely not the theme of this post. I think it’s really important to respect people’s private home decisions and how they split their ‘home jobs’

Just because a woman does the laundry doesn’t equal suppression or anti feminism. Pure feminism is about women having rights and choices whether we agree with them or not ❤️

Keep it simple.
Load machine with one type - darks, or colours, or whites, or towels, or sheets.
Wash in cold water.
Line dry.
Bring in.
Fold.
Put away.

Once complete - next day - or whenever you can - next load.
Repeat above steps.

Your husband and sons are utilising weaponised incompetence, consciously or not. Perhaps just write down any super important instructions about the washing (if you’re feeling generous) and then stop doing any washing but your own? They’ll soon learn. If they ruin clothes, they can replace from their pocket money/funds until they learn.

Unfortunately it’ll probably end up another woman’s frustration one day.

I also do not iron I taught all of them how to peg out laundry properly - a dying art. And then fold and if clothes were left in the machine - well mean as it was they learnt the hard way.

Either they were dumped on their bed, the garden or in a black sack in the bin. Laundry involves taking it out and it is a pet peeve and they learnt quickly. Teach them also once how to dry it out (the seal) and leave a cloth over the door so it never ever goes mouldy !

And once a week they clean the filter on a cycle properly to maintain it

That's not anything like what 'pure' feminism is (whatever pure feminism is in the first place). It absolutely is the core issue of the post though. Your husbands strategic incompetence means that you're overwhelmed and writing on mumsnet trying to figure put how to make it work. He's not stressing about it cos he knows the magic laundry fairy will ultimately do it for him. If he leaves his clothes in the machine, just take them out and dump them on the floor. If he damages his own clothes, let him buy new ones and figure out how not to do it again. This is all part of the bigger picture.

Not really. Feminism is about liberation from the patriarchy. Choicey-choicey feminism tends to benefit men.

'Husband would definitely help but I kind of banned him as he always messes my ‘system’ up or clothes get missed and left in the machine for days that I then have to rewash rinse repeat…'

So your DH leaves stuff in the wash so you feel you have to sort it - so much so that you banned him from doing it. But feminism is about choices blah blah. Well he's made a choice to be so crap at it that he now has to do none of it at all.

No tips here, I fucking hate laundry and can never get on top of it. It’s endless, constantly fucking rains so I can’t hang anything out, the tumble dryer makes a noise like a jet taking off and whatever I do it ends up dirty on the floor in 2 seconds

I feel exactly the same! I think I just hate it and need to accept that 😂

I’m sorry you feel so angered to have to come on ‘mums’net to be so rude to people.

Have a lovely Easter 🐣

I’m sorry you feel so angered to have to come one ‘mums’net to be so rude to people.

Have a lovely Easter 🐣

Yep I did similar.

dh and I washing in our bedroom- we put both adults and put our own stuff away.

kid I bought a rail from Argos and an ikea thing with the square baskets. Anything that will hang up goes on the rail, anyone else in their basket. They fetch it from there.

i only ever do full loads, and only wash stuff that is brought downstairs.

washing machine does most of it, not that big a chore.

i sort the washing, dh does the ironing. Reckon I get the better deal 😂

When we were young everybody had to put their own clothes away. I never brought it in here and I regret it.