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

3 teens here. we all do laundry.
train your dc early - it's worth it.

8

better hope he’s not a 15 year old like mine who plays rugby, football, cricket daily depending on the season. He will be stuck by the washing machine every day after school as often need for the next morning. And there’s only so many spares you get when they get to this age as so much sports kit and so expensive!

As well and needs clean school shirt at least every single day due to hormones

oh and home clothes get one day use too due to being a hormonal teenager!

It’s you saying he’d mess the system up , it’s washing not running a big conglomerate which men seem to be able to do. Washing basket gets full, one or other of the adults notices puts a wash in , whoever gets to the utility room first empties washing machine and puts in dryer , whoever hears that the dryer has finished puts it in the ironing basket and then one adult says I’ll do the ironing - in our house usually husband as he likes it as he can watch tv whilst ironing .

and yes fine that we do have jobs in the house we gravitate to but if you are unable to do that job or it’s getting too much
for you then get the other adult to help surely.

Can we have a floooplan of your house please? Needed for the time and motion study.

I am genuinely curious how many more loads
you have to do op when you’ve been doing it on and off all day already?!

This is the system we have and it works.

Morning - put a load on and hang out the load from last night if good weather. Otherwise tumble dry.

Evening - remove morning load and tumble dry/hang out. Put on second load of the day for drying the next morning.

Dry stuff goes in a big plastic box upstairs on the landing. During the kids' bath-time, it is sub-sorted into smaller plastic boxes outside individual rooms. There it stays and items are picked out for school/nursery unless I'm highly motivated to fold stuff away into cupboards and drawers.

Sheets/duvets are changed weekly, and 2 "special loads" are done on Friday afternoon/Saturday morning to get through these.

Ironing is not a concept in our house. Older DC wears non-iron shirts to school and they seem to "iron on", as far as I'm concerned.

Today I’ve only been packing away what I’ve already done (well this afternoon, we were out all morning at the beach and with friends). I have around 10+ loads left I reckon - 3 big laundry bins full and a basket.

I’m definitely getting shelves for the utility room and some storage boxes which I think will help 😊

10 loads

10????!!!!!

And that is after you have already put away stacks of laundry today?

op, how many clothes do two adults and two young children have?!

Aren't you all getting rather low on clothes 😁?

When my (admittedly large) laundry bin is full up, we're beginning to struggle to find things to wear.

‘My washing’
is your 1st problem

only 1/4 of it is yours.

stop the other 3/4 until they respect the work you do.

It's you who said you're a failure at it, it's soul destroying, monotonous, tedious, frustrating etc.

We have a lot of clothes
I can go weeks without washing a uniform and they both wear clean every day - maybe this is my downfall 😂

That won’t be the case when hit puberty op

weeks without washing would mean you have dozens and dozens for school shirts

It’s not a job that I love doing
Hopefully I can shake things up a bit and improve the system

I have this now, dozens of polo shirts and shirts - luckily they don’t have bad body odour yet 😒

Bloody hell op

you don’t make life easy on yourself do you

each boy has, what 20 school polo shirts?
and you watch them pile up and not you or your husband just throw them in a wash.

ok. I’ll leave you to it. This is starting to sound like a lost cause!

Good grief!!
I had 5 sets of uniform with a spare pack of polo shirts each in the next size just in case.
I washed it all on a Friday evening , put on hangers Saturday with pants/ vests/socks

If you have a months worth and don't wash it then no wonder it's piled up!
Just get rid of it all and keep a weeks worth.
Sounds like you are drowning in clutter.

They have around 15 polos/shirts each and same amount of shorts/trousers, socks, pants etc. I like to have plenty so I’m not caught short or sometimes they get damaged and need throwing away etc.

They get put in a laundry basket that goes in the utility room. I do wash bits here and there but they get left on top the machines where the clean clothes go and then I create a massive back log for myself. Hence why I’m looking for tips to keep on top of it all better 😂

Maybe that’s my answer. Maybe I buy too much clothing I don’t know 🤔

I do a clear out every so often but still have so much clothes. I just don’t want to be bogged down by doing washing every single day 😒

I never washed everyday
Unless vomited or weed on
How old are your DC?
Tinies-use long sleeved painting bibs, the sort they insert their arms into and tie at the back.
School kids-a couple of sets of jeans/ t shirts for playing and a couple of nicer outfits
Trackies and tshirts for lounging
10 pairs of pants/ socks
Sell the rest as a job lot on Vinted

You have just reduced your laundry.
Wash and hang on a Friday evening, finish and fold Sat morning -done

Op, your house generally…. I’m imagining that there’s a LOT of STUFF

do you both work full time?
cleaner a possibility?

Thank you all so much for you in put, there have been some really helpful tips which I will absolutely take on board. I’ve loved hearing all the many ways you all sort your laundry jobs, it’s fascinating how one way will work for one but not another, it’s great 😊

I have been chatting to my DH and we’ve decided that I will do the washing and drying and he will put all of it away with the DC and see if it feels less daunting (it’s mainly the putting away I hate). Also he’s putting up shelves with storage boxes for us all each to have our things in to feel a bit more organised. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
(I also think I need to clamp down on my clothes shopping 😝)

Happy Easter, enjoy the rest of your day ❤️

No not at all, that’s the thing, I’m majorly minimalistic but inundated with huge amounts of washing - I don’t take it too seriously but thought maybe I’m missing a trick 🤔 😂

Oh hilarious - DH doesn't put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Engaging with the laundry thing though - I do two washes per week, don't iron, don't seperate clothes, purposely own nothing white, wash towels/bedding once a week-ish, child does not have clean uniform every day and still looks smart and smells fragrant!