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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think its laziness to was smalls in the washine machine?

283 replies

OliPolly · 12/03/2011 12:34

I mean, it's not like your knickers need a full cycle to get clean?

DH and I wash our smalls after a shower/bath - they are never in the main laundry. My kids boxers/knickers are washed in washing machine with the rest of theit laundry though.

I thought about this this morning when I went to drop off my friends son. My friend had the whole washing line outside full of boxers and knickers!

OP posts:
AintMissBeehiving · 12/03/2011 13:02

Lost.For.Words

backwardpossom · 12/03/2011 13:02

Every day is laundry day in our house Sad

NettoSuperstar · 12/03/2011 13:04

My uni housemate didn't wash his pants at all, he had what he called the pants airing system, whereby only wearing each pair once a week meant they got clean in the 6 days they weren't worn.

JulesJules · 12/03/2011 13:04

Um. You are bonkers.

LoveBeingAKnockedUp · 12/03/2011 13:04

Erm not sure what else to add???

WhatKatieDid · 12/03/2011 13:09

I do not get the 'after a bath/shower' bit... do you wash them in your dirty bath water then? We are a household that goes commando so it's not an issue here Wink

Original poster
OliPolly · 12/03/2011 13:15

Waal, I am clearly mad or misunderstood.

I will try and explain my reasoning/weirdeness. I wasn't exposed to a washing machine until about 10 years ago so I am used to handwashing pretty much everything. It has always been my routine to wash knickers after having a bath/shower and then hang them out to dry.

I put kids smalls in the washing machine because my DCs are 7 and 4 so they are too young to wash underwear themselves and sometimes, there are some skid marks!

Maybe laziness was a wrong word to use so I hold my hands up and say IABU.

Forgiven?

OP posts:
Original poster
OliPolly · 12/03/2011 13:16

I wash them in the sink in the bathroom with a bar of washing soap - not shower gel.

OP posts:
MamaVoo · 12/03/2011 13:21

Does that mean you only need two pairs of knickers? One to wear and one that's drying? I think you're quite eccentric OP, but in a charming way Wink

Please treat yourself and chuck your knickers in the washing machine.

valiumredhead · 12/03/2011 13:21

Yeah but if you have a machine NOW why not just bung yours in with the main wash?

hocuspontas · 12/03/2011 13:21

I can understand your reasoning if you only have one pair of knickers.

Original poster
OliPolly · 12/03/2011 13:22

No I have loads of underwear!

OP posts:
complexnumber · 12/03/2011 13:23

I think it's a flaming miracle you met someone who was prepared to do this too.

KatieMiddleton · 12/03/2011 13:26

What happened to you that prevented your exposure to the washing machine??

I really need to know this!

Littlepurpleprincess · 12/03/2011 13:27

You and you DP must be abolsutely made for each other, quite sweet really.

You are being unreasonable tho, and a bit mad. Grin

thumbwitch · 12/03/2011 13:28

As others have said, you need to wash your underwear properly at a temp of above 50 deg (although I draw the line at 60 deg as it tends to shred the elastic) in order to kill off the bugs that you have deposited in them! Gross not to.

Hand soap isn't going to do the job for you either, unless you are using antibacterial hand soap, but even then it's not going to knock out any fungal traces.

And of course knickers get washed with other stuff, not just on their own! Things like towels, which have also been around the germy areas and also need to be washed at 50/60 degrees for disinfection purposes.

You have already said YABU - you are - but I hope you realise why now.

Original poster
OliPolly · 12/03/2011 13:29

I grew up in Zimbabwe where washing machines are a luxury to the few people that can afford them.

DH is from there too so he would have been used to washing his own smalls! Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
OliPolly · 12/03/2011 13:30

I get all the points about the importance of washing in 50 deg or whatever but I hope you are not saying that handwashing is unhygeinic!

OP posts:
EngelbertFustianMcSlinkydog · 12/03/2011 13:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alemci · 12/03/2011 13:31

i do hand wash bras because of the wires but all the knickers/boxers go in the washing machine

KatieMiddleton · 12/03/2011 13:33

I really think you should treat yourself and dh to the joys of machine laundered pants. If you've only had use of washing machine for last 10 years you've earned it for all the other years when you had to hand wash in Zimbabwe.

Enjoy!

thumbwitch · 12/03/2011 13:33

Hand hot is not going to be above 50 degrees unless you have hands of asbestos. So you aren't killing off the bugs in your knicks by handwashing them, are you?
Hand hot that you can keep your hand in is probably at best 45 deg.

beesimo · 12/03/2011 13:33

I have just realised I have may have become slightly weird cos we now have three washing machines one in outside shed to wash work gear [farmers] one in the scullery medium dirty items and one in in the utility to wash our good stuff and delicates in. I honestly haven't got OCD I just don't want my clean dirty stuff washed in the same machine as my dirter dirty stuff.

MumSecret · 12/03/2011 13:34

Shocked

AIBU to think this possibly the most U thread in AIBU?

Handwashing knickers with soap whenever you have a shower?!?

Holy shit that is unreasonable

expatinscotland · 12/03/2011 13:36

I wash them with the towels on 60.

The machine is far more water efficient than hand-washing.

I don't get what your gripe is.

Every day is laundry day here.