I am in my fourth load of washing today already.

[Streatfeild]

Three kids.

Two beds worth of bedding
swim towels and all the other used towels
school uniforms
other clothes

it’s not even like I don’t do any in the week

I have a 9kg washer for 3 of us and still do a minimum of 5 loads a week. If I don’t get time to do any during the week I can just about turn it around across a weekend and get it all ironed and put away by Sunday night. I try and line dry but if it is a wet weekend the tumble dryer is a lifesaver. I’ve just got a dehumidifier/airer set up to get the delicates dry a bit faster as well.

It is a thankless task.

I tend to do a load a day, then 2-3 a day at the weekend. Family of 3, plus fleece lined guinea pig cage that requires washing every 2-3 days.

Family of 4 and the washing seems endless - it's depressing! We are far from neat freaks, so it isn't that either. I would estimate 8-9 loads a week. We don't have a tumble drier, which is fine in Summer (line dry) and deep Winter (central heating on lots), but really tricky inbetween. At those times of year I can't afford to go a few days without washing as there isn't enough space for more than 2 loads to dry at a time, and the thicker items take 2 days to dry with the heating off, even if I run the dehumidifier.

Mine and DCs' sport is swimming, so not a lot of washing there as there are always so many costumes and towels in rotation - I give them all sniff a couple of times a week and chunk anything musty in the basket. I take the same sniff test approach to our bath towels, but TBH they're rarely used as we're all showering at the pool so frequently.
DH's stuff makes up about at least 50%. Partly it's because he's bigger but also his regular clothes all seem to be a much thicker fabric than mine and DCs. He also uses sports gear plus a towel 4 times a week. I've tried to get him to take smaller towels/switch to microfibre, but 9/10 he grabs a bath sheet...
DCs are getting better at keeping their clothes clean, and both now usually get 2 days out of their school jumpers and skirts/shorts/trousers. Very occasionally they'll manage 3 days.
Mine & DH's bedding is a whole wash on it's own, and as DH has aged, I've found he sweats a lot more in the night. Combined with his hair wax, this means his pillow case and our bottom sheet often needs to be added to the next wash for a second go through the machine, despite changing weekly. DC1 isn't teen-level stinky yet and has a double bed, so I can often get away with changing her bedding fortnightly as she switches pillows and the side she sleeps on around constantly. DC2 has a single which doesn't take up too much soace in the machine.

However, all our roast chickens are Mumsnet Chickens, so maybe it balances out? Can't have it all... 😂

I do t understand that. I live alone I do 4/5 a week.

Some of you need bigger washing machines. Ours is 8 kilos so not huge by modern standards but the king size thick cotton bed change still doesn't fill it up.

I also wonder if there's a lot of 'washing everything after one use' so rarely strictly necessary for a lot of items. Also those of you with DC in double beds, which seems to be a thing on MN, aren't helping yourselves with unnecessarily large laundry volumes.

What size drum is your washing machine @Mymanyellow? do you wash all clothing after one wear?

I have a big machine but still do quite a lot....like yesterday I had to do a white wash so dc had clean school shirts but the machine was about a third full...its annoying..i just didn't have enough white laundry which needed doing but i had to get the shirts done.

Washing is endless. Thankfully it is one of my preferred household tasks. Bedding alone is two washes and towels another wash. Gym and swimming stuff another load. So 4 loads before we even get to standard clothes. I make sure that we rewear clothes where possible but it still adds up especially as DS and I are clumsy and often spill things on ourselves.

Sometimes I fantasise about a short stay in prison. Ideally the solitary confinement type. It'd be a lovely holiday from laundry and meal planning.

We are a family of 2 adults, 1 primary aged child and a dog, and still the laundry is relentless. Kid needs clean uniform daily (sometimes manage to stretch a pair of trousers for a second wear), a couple of work uniforms each week, there's usually one trip to the gym a week for both adults, usually at least one swimming trip, plus kid lesson, then theres bedding, towels, sofa throws, dog towels (a couple a week at this time of year).

Most things get tumble dried here admittedly!

I did 8 loads yesterday.

• dh And my bedding (king size)
• kids bedding (2x singles)
• towels
• sports kits from the week (all 4 of us)
• school uniforms
• whites
• darks
• jeans

first one finished at 7am and we went from there. It was gloriously sunny and windy here. So took full advantage and dried most (except towels) outside.

All full loads?
my two loads were…
whites/lights - light grey towels, whites and lights so socks,underwear, tea towels, school shirts, etc including a double white bedding set.
Darks- literally everything else and a few darker grey towels.

That seems a lot. Do you wash your bedding once a week? If you all wear pyjamas that shouldn’t be necessary (unless kids wet the bed etc). Once every two weeks is enough, surely. And unless you are going out for a 15km run in the mud or playing very sweaty squash, sports clothes can be worn more than once. Trousers, skirts, jumpers only need to be occasionally washed. You wear things underneath them. if you wear a t shirt under shirts they can do two or even three days, air in between. Towels once a week. Underwear and socks changed every day would only theoretically need 7 or 8 pairs, so not that much.

Wr all do too much laundry. It’s so damaging for the environment.

sports clothes can be worn more than once

Oooof, that's rarely the case for any one who sweats.
Kit worn for any sort of run would surely need a wash.

Mine both came home from training absolutely sodden and covered in mud on Friday, there’s no way that could be worn more than once!

As an aside, what are your bills? I try to avoid using the tumble dryer, but when I put it on the smart meter goes berserk. The dial is well into the red.

I have half-price electricity on a Sunday, but then there are the other six days! Not to mention the water…

I have really cheap electricity overnight because I’m on an EV tariff so I set the tumble dryer to come on at 6am and it’s dry for 7am.

Really, @DingDongJingle ? Your cheap EV tariff is cheaper even for your normal domestic usage? Please tell me your electricity supplier (I have an EV and can't even get the cheap tariff to charge my car overnight - my car isnt compatible and my charger is no longer compatible, grrrr!).

I seem to do 3 or 4 loads a day, it’s never ending.

i have teen girls who refuse to wear anything more than once and use 2 or 3 towels at a time when they bath/shower instead of reusing them. Ones asd/adh and has a fear of being dirty/wearing dirty clothes and one has a manual job where her uniform gets really dirty every day.

plus my manual job uniform and everything else.its a nightmare.

I have a tumble drier which helps and a heated airer

Yikes….your elec bill must be massive if you’re tumble drying towels every day.

Do you mean, you shower every night and DO put clean pjs on?

No we shower daily but not fresh pjs each night. Pjs for a week.

No not all clothing. Trousers couple, pjs couple. But tops, knickers, socks. Bedding and towels I do once a week, that’s two loads there. Couple of mixed clothing. That’s 4. Then throws, cushion covers. Obviously not weekly or even monthly.
I just can’t see 1 or 2 a week. Drum size is 8 kg.

Maybe I'm gross but my general rules are:

Bedding once a week
Towels once a week
Jeans - barely ever (Big fan of raw demin)
Jumpers / Joggers every 3-5 wears
Everything else after each wear

This results in 3 washes per week for 2 people

Not heard of that before.

Not heard of wearing pjs for a week? Hardly strange…