How do I cut down kids clothes.

[Wintersun2026]

I'm just woundering. How many clothes do your children have ie 10 /20 tops 6 joggers etc. My children have always had to many clothes. And the washing gets out of hand. So i want to cut down. But I'm not sure what amount is reasonable to have?

Depends on the age of the child. But 20 tops and six joggers sounds quite a lot. Do things actually need washing every wear if that’s what you’re doing?

Wrong problem, the issue is the amount of time they wear them before putting in the wash. That is what you need to tackle otherwise you are going to still be washing the same amount but running out more quickly. also change out of school clothes as soon as home so they can wear to school the next day and having play clothes which they wear half the week even if dirty.

The number of clothes shouldn't affect the amount of laundry much - they can only wear one thing at a time - so more clothes should just allow you to do less frequent washes.
It sounds like they may be aren't wearing clothes until they need washing - so their school t-shirts might need washing after one day, but their jumpers might only need washing once or twice a week.
Would having fewer clothes really reduced the laundry load, or just put more pressure on you to turn items around faster?

depends on age really. if they are at school in a uniform then its only really changing after school and as its only a few hours before bedtime, you could easily half the amount of clothes

Thats not the case for me.i struggle with washing alot. It's really stressful. So I just want an ok amount not to much not to little so its easier to manage

Thats not what we have that was an example of what I'm asking. They are 10 11 16

What age are they? Doesn't sound like an obscene amount for little kids.

My teenagers usually have a bit less but only because they're stuff is more expensive. For context DS 15 has 3 pairs of joggers, but he also has pairs of smart shorts, casual shorts, jeans, golf trousers, school trousers etc. T-shirts if we're going away for a week they need at least 7, plus smarter bits for evening, plus things to travel so at least 10 t-shirts needed. When they were little we needed a lot because they got messy and it was cheaper.

Do a load a day to keep op top of it, set it in the evening on timer so it'll be finished in the morning and hang it out, and repeat. At the weekend so an extra load for bedding and towels .

What i put in my op was just an example. We don't really go out like that. Its really just for playing and in the house. They really just have jumpers /hoodies t shirts jeans joggers. Track suits. But I'm just not sure how much of each is reasonable.

Honestly I really struggle I'm trying to make it easier for myself so I can manage better I really struggle with house work washing everything and I just want it more manageable

does your kid wear school uniform?
do they change into home clothes every day?
do they do a sport which means they wear kit half the weekend?
if you divide the year into 3 sections of about 17 weeks that’s 34 weekenddays per “season” (i’m conflating spring and autumn)

i think 3 pairs of bottoms, 6 tops, 3 jumpers/sweatshirts appropriate to each season is ample for a kid who doesn’t change after school.

if they change into home clothes 6 bottoms 12 tops 4 jumpers would be ample.

DS2 (teenager) is pretty minimal on clothes.

3 pairs school trousers, 5 school shirts, 2 sets PE kit.

5 pairs shorts, 3 pairs joggers. If we insist on something smarter, he nicks a pair of his brothers jeans, or wears school trousers (!).
Half a dozen short sleeved teeshirts, 2 hoodies.

But honestly, it doesn't change the amount if washing. If they wear a oair of clean trousers every day, you need to wash 7 pairs. It doesn't matter if that is the same 3 pairs several times, or one of 17 pairs - it needs washing after wearing and its owner deciding it's dirty.

Having less clothes won't change the amount of laundry, they still need to wear clothes every day. It might actually make the situation worse, if you don't get things turned around quick enough they won't have anything to wear!

My DSs are 12 and 13. They have 4 pairs of joggers, 3 pairs pyjamas, 7 pairs socks, 7 pants, 4 t-shirts, 2 sweatshirts, 1 light jacket and 1 winter coat. Even that's probably too much, but it fits in their wardrobe and it allows me to go without washing for a couple of days.

I find just the opposite. Having more of everything means I can wait until I have a full load of darks or lights for each person. Then I never have to sort clothing.

a good stash also means I can plan outfits in advance and put them away as a package. It saves the chaos of gathering pieces together.

Since my eldest has started school, I realised she needs far fewer clothes because most of the time she is in school uniform or pyjamas, so I’ve really tried to reduce the amount of stuff I buy.

I suppose the right amount would be enough for a 10 day holiday?

But it also depends on what they like to wear. Based on that, my DD would need: 10x dresses (7 casual/ 3 party), 2x playsuits, 3x cardigans, 4x T-shirts, 2x leggings, 1 pair of shorts, 2x skirts (Summer wardrobe).

My DS goes to nursery so still needs a larger wardrobe, but once he starts school I suppose he would need: 4x joggers, 4x shorts, 4x jumpers, 8x T-shirts, 1x shirt sleeved shirt, 1x long sleeved shirt, 1x smart trousers. Maybe more shorts for the summer.

Do you know roughly how much your DC have of everything?

I want to get through half term without having to guarantee I've washed the right stuff so my minimum would probably be 10 tops (mix of long and short), couple of jumpers / hoodies, 5 joggers / jeans, 3 shorts in the summer. 10 socks, 10 pants.

but as others have said, the only way it'll help your washing is if you currently let weeks and weeks of it pile up cos they've got so much, and then have to do loads of it. but it will mean that you HAVE to wash regularly to ensure they have clothes

It does for me if theres 20 tops 10 joggers 10 jeans . 7 pj's just for example. Thats 47 items I'm washing per child. Its to easy to just grab another pair of joggers until theres none left.

Which part of the laundry do you struggle with? The washing? The drying? Or the putting away?
I find the drying a small problem and the putting away a major struggle.
So I only wash if one room to dry it either on the line or on the clothes horse, or if the electricity is cheap and I can use the drier.
For putting away I tend to chuck it all on the kitchen sofa and put it away in one go. So if I’ve done 6-7 washer loads it’s a massive pile.
A daily wash I struggle with as there’s always washing around. I either do it once a week or once a fortnight, when the electricity is cheap as I’m on a dynamic tariff

Mine of a similar age have approx 12 tops/tshirts, 4 joggers, 6 hoodies/fleece/jumpers, 2 jeans, 4 shorts, 8 pairs of Pjs. They mostly just wear school uniform and pjs so very minimal washing generated these days.

I do agree with others though shrinking the amount of clothes might make your issue worse as they’ll run out of clothes quicker which means you’ll need to wash sooner.

Instead of throwing their stuff out, can you just trial it by putting half of each child’s clothes in a suitcase and chucking it out of the way (under the bed/ in the loft etc) and see how you get on for a few weeks.

But don’t save them all up to wash once they have all been worn surely ?

you just put the machine on when you have a full load which is a mix or your and your kids clothes ?

Fewer clothes isn't the solution. You would end up having to wash more frequently.

Getting help from the kids themselves with housework might improve things. They're all old enough to help significantly.

If you're struggling, though, I'd talk to your doctor about possible depression.

How many times are they wearing clothes before you’re washing them? I’m confused, my DH has 100 t-shirts (probably not far off a guess!) but even if I cut him down to 10, I’d still be washing the same amount each week.

If that is an accurate list of items for one child, then yes, that's a lot. They could do with half that number of joggers and jeans. Which you would end up washing regardless.

What is keeping you from just bunging clothes into the washing machine, putting clothes out to dry, taking the clothes down, folding, and putting away?

Google how often things can be worn. Only dirty things and underwear need to be washed daily.