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

Sure you are Op

”majorly minimalistic” my arse!

any reason why you don’t answer whether you both work full time and whether a cleaner would be a possibility / considered?

Someone who has 30 school polo shirts for two young boys is most definitely not “majorly minimalistic”

nor with 10 loads of dirty laundry to do
and that is after a day of putting away clean laundry

My system works like this - 3 laundry baskets upstairs, each one holds a single washing machine load and everyone puts their dirty clothes in the right basket (light colours, dark colours, bright colours). Every night I check and if one of the baskets is full I put it on overnight to wash. In the light load I use a colour catcher so the whites don't go grey.

In the morning before work, I put to dry outside if possible or using combination of tumble dryer and heated airer if not. When I get home from work I fold and put away. Everyone puts their own away although in reality I sometimes do it all to make sure it is done.

On Fridays bedding is changed and I wash and dry the bedding overnight Friday/daytime Saturday. DH folds bedding and puts away. Towels are usually washed on a Sunday and I also wash any delicates then (usually these are mine but sometimes DD's I have a separate bag for these). DH irons his own shirts. I iron anything else that really needs ironing. If there is a lot I use an ironing service as an occasional treat.

The rule is if it's not in the basket it isn't getting washed and DC have been responsible for this since they were about 4.

This works if you stay on top of it.

Sorry to disappoint but that is the way I am 😂
I’ve always believed in ‘cluttered surroundings cluttered mind’ (for myself). I like things clean and clear for me (some people thrive in clutter and more built up surroundings which is great for them if that’s how they like it).

The utility room has three doors to get through so can hide a multitude of washing sins 😂

I wouldn’t want to get a cleaner to do washing, that’s not really an option that would suit me personally

Your problem is having too many clothes per person. 30 polo shirts for 2 kids is a ridiculous amount. You only need a weeks worth at a push.

I think my daughter has a lot of clothes, but I only need to do 7 loads a week for 4 of us and that keeps on top of it all. It is dried on the line or in the dryer and immediately put away once it is dry.

I have one washing basket and everything goes in it. Then whites, darks and lights are sorted when I am putting a load on. What works for me as I work, is putting a load in at night on a timer so it finishes at 7am the next morning and then it is put out or in the dryer before going on school run, then back home (if a wfh day) and it is put away in my lunch break. If I'm in the office it is put away as soon as I get home.

Towels and bedding is done on a weekend for everybody. Get a larger capacity washing machine and dryer and just be organised. Get rid of a load of clothes, because you have so many you are not encouraged to do it regularly so it is all building up.

I like this a lot!
great way to deal with it all

I don’t do any ironing. DH irons his work shirts and the boys school shirts etc but that’s about all the ironing that we do thankfully 😅

Ha this is why we have 35 pairs of socks, ten shirts, ten pairs of trousers, lots of PE kit - most of it is second hand from the thriving uniform shop of the PTA. We also have an outside sink and two boot buddies. You play it, you clean it and you dry it. Mine have never moaned about it - why would they? We have a decent machine, decent washing line, plenty of pegs, tumble dryer, two swimming costumes etc (for the summer) it’s a no brainer. You can always find excuses - there is always a solution. Always.

They do their own kit - and I do make sure there is plenty of it. The youngest likes puddles so we have two pairs of school shoes - you pick your battles. We aren’t wealthy but I love my school’s PTA second hand uniform and I also love passing uniform on.

So the ten school jumpers from this year will be donated back to the PTA for next year’s year 7, and so on.

As I say you pick your battles and we aren’t worried about taking second hand coats, wellies or whatever and we’ve always found it works well

I meant to do your other hated job… the dusting!

I’ve always believed in ‘cluttered surroundings cluttered mind’ (for myself).

10 loads of dirty laundry
and a mountain of clean laundry dumped

the existence of this in your utility room preys on your mind. Indeed, it was cluttering your
kind this morning hence reaching out for help!

Minimalist 😂
Your Op said you had piles of clean laundry that you rooted through
Dirty and clean laundry all over bedroom floors and 10 loads to do -assuming a 10 kg drum that's a man mountain sized amount of laundry !

Chinny reckon
I'm out

You can always find excuses - there is always a solution. Always.

no excuses

I actively do not want my 8 year old or 11 year old or indeed 15 old doing all their own laundry, especially as it’s multiples of mine.

They will have decades and decades to do it.

as I say… I rocked up at 18 never having done it.

5 minute bonding tutorial with new uni friends (still friends 25 years later!) and I was on my way

different strokes for different folks. Neither better than the other, and
neither anything to feel superior about, as I am Sure you’ll agree

A single mum of 9?! Bloody hell.

Yes absolutely, I definitely reached out for some tips and ideas for my laundry. It’s been a great help 😃

Yes absolutely! Laundry is my Everest, hopefully a few new tips from some lovely posters here will help massively

Minimalist is what I am, always have been. Doesn’t automatically make you a laundry queen though unfortunately 😂 😂 😂

Why do people have so much laundry?

I work from home on Thursdays and Fridays.

I wash my clothes on a Thursday and do the kids laundry on a Friday. I put it away on a Saturday morning.

Bedding is washed on rotation - kids' one week and ours the next. Towels go in with the bedding on a 60°C wash.

My wife does her own laundry.

So that's 4 loads a week - unless one of the kids soils their bedding.

2 adults and two boys aged 5 and 2.

For the older one, who is at school, I have a week's worth of school uniform plus a spare set - 5 shirts, 2 jumpers, 3 trousers/shorts, 6 pairs of school socks. Then for PE days (twice a week), 3 PE tops, 3 joggers, 3 shorts and 5 pairs of PE socks.

I expect my DC to wear the trousers/shorts/joggers and jumper again unless it gets dirty, but there is a spare available if necessary. DC gets clean shirt/top each day.

For hobbies, we have the same - a week's worth plus a spare (so 2 x football kit, 1 x swimming kit plus a spare of each).

Similarly for non-school clothes - DC has 7 x non-school joggers/trousers (and will have 7 X shorts for the summer),' 7 x t-shirts (mixture long sleeve/short sleeve), 10 each x socks/pants, plus a couple of spares of each.

One coat plus one spare.

It would all fill a large laundry bin, so it does sound to me like the sheer number of clothes you have in the house is part of the problem.

Wow. I wash DD trousers/skirt/jumper once every half term, unless she actually spills something on them. Though she’s in secondary. She don’t have a uniform at primary which saved a whole load of faffage. I’ve also never washed swimmers (they get rinsed in cold water and hung out to dry) and use those thin camping towels.

I wash her tops after one use, sometimes two. Jumpers and hoodies and jeans can be worn for weeks on end without washing.

I bag it all up and dump it at the local launderette for a service wash once a week. Pick it all up the next day (or same day) and it's all done - washed, dry and folded.

It was the only logical solution after tearing my hair out for years and threatening to burn the house down.

If you ditch 60% of their clothes they will have more room to put it away AND come seeking clean clothes.

I have 4 DDs, seriously you need minimal clothes or it’s overwhelming.

You have a teenage daughter and you wash her school trousers once a term? The poor girl. That's seriously awful for her.

Sorry I am not a MN'er who washes a towel immediately after use, but not washing her jumpers or trousers that she is wearing 5 days a week for school every 6 weeks is fucking grim. You need to step up the hygiene.

Every half term. Why would they need washing more? They’re not dirty, they don’t smell, she doesn’t wear them every day (swaps with the skirt). She takes them off as soon as she gets home.

Why? She’s not wearing the jumper next to her skin and doesn’t wear it every day anyway. I rarely wash my own jumpers and cardies. Sure, her trousers are next to her skin but she’s clean, she doesn’t wear them every day, they don’t smell.

OMG I need to do this!!!!!!
You little lifesaver!

Thank you ❤️

Even if she wears them half the time that's the equivalent of 15 days of wear for the trousers and the same for a skirt at a minimum. I think maybe you have gone nose blind as there is no way they are not dirty or smell after 15 days of 8-9 hours a day of wearing them.