Toto think DS should know the difference between a 'light' coloured wash and 'whites'

[upahill]

Ds (14) was moaning on last night that neither of his school shirts had been washed. It was 10.30pm
I told him to get a grip and he knows perfectly well where the washing machine is and he should have sorted it out at 5.00pm and there would still have been drying time on the line.

So he says 'fine, I'll get a wash on' So far so good

But we come to empty the machine this morning and I find he has put my white knickers in with the pale blue shirts!

HE BLOODY WELL KNOWS BETTER.

The Muppet!!

I'm amazed by how much washing some people are doing - two loads a day? We do about 2 a week! I know it increases when you have children, but am naively thinking - children are small, at least to start with, how much of an increase can it be? (I know, I know, remind me to come back and read this post when I'm drowning in dirty washing post-baby!).

Depends on what you consider essential as well. If you like to wash all towels after one use, that's going to be nearly a load a day in itself for many households. Have heard of some people washing all bedding (and PJs) after they've been slept in once - though can not imagine having the time or energy to do that, even if I thought it was sensible!

Ephiny - we are a family of four and do about 7 loads a week. We have our own bath towels which get changed once a week. Bedding about once a fortnight, unless there's been an accident. We all have clean underwear every day, natch, but don't necessarily change tops or pyjamas or vests every day. Trousers and skirts have to keep going until they are dirty. Our machine is slightly bigger than standard - I think it does 6kg - believe me, the amount of washing you do will more than double when you have children. Even just one small baby - they wee, poo and spew all over themselves, their beds, their pram blankets, or the lucky adult who happens to be holding them at the time !

My Granny used to use "blue bags", for the express purpose of keeping "white" laundry white. As in:

"Long before the age of modern washing machines and powerful laundry detergents there was Reckitt's Blue considered to be one of the first laundry whiteners; it was produced by Reckitt & Sons (also known as Reckitt & Coleman) a company founded by Isaac Reckitt a Quaker of Hull in 1840. Reckitt's Blue was used in the final rinse when washing with dolly tubs otherwise the soap turned the white linens/cottons yellow, it had various names over the years including Reckitt's Blue, Bag Blue, Paris Blue, Crown Blue, Laundry Blue or Dolly Bags and was either sold in 1oz Paper Wrapped Cubes or wrapped in flannel; as is the case with this type. The main ingredients of Reckitt's Blue are ultramarine and baking soda and was used in wash houses through out the world including Royal Laundries. Reckitt's Blue can also be used in the treatment of stings and spiritual ceremonies!"

I am still squirming at undies in with jeans, and I don't even own anything decent in the wya of undies.................................or jeans actually [grin

I do pale, dark, jeans, towels/bedding - and you change bedding twice a week that's impressive I must say, I HATE changing bedding

My DS1 has left home now so thats one lot of washing out the way.

But DS2 cant wear anything twice in a row and his stuff has to be washed at 60.
DS 3 and 4 are little enough that their clothes are always filth by the time they have finished with them and DS3 thinks toilet training is for nursery hours only

DS2 is very allergic to house dust mites so I wash throws and curtains and bedding a lot.

Stuff gets poo'd on and sicked on a lot in my house - nice. I am always bloody washing.

Ephiny, my 6yo DS comes home from school looking like he's cleaned the entire street with his clothes. EVERYTHING he wears goes in the wash every single night. Re PJs - I dont wear anything to bed, but I wear PJ bottoms and either a dressing gown or T-shirt to lounge in. They end up with dinner/baby food/wine all over them, so they go in the wash every 1-2 days. It's easy to see where lots of washing comes from. And baby ds2 - where all his dirty washing comes from, I have no idea, but he could have his own load every 2 days, easily. And he only goes through one outfit a day (plus bibs/muslin cloths/sleepsuit/grobags etc).

TheBigJessie, re trainers - I dont wash mine often, but a stinky 6yo boy needs his washed now and again, as do DH's cos he goes for long walks. My shoes seem to smell bad quickly, for some reason (probably cos theyre cheap and I dont always wear socks), and I wash my 3 pairs of slippers every couple of weeks too, cos they fucking stink.

at slippers

I've done three loads today already.
Towel wash that is in now

A light wash my walking pants, t shirts, shorts etc

a dark hot wash this morning jeans and socks.

There will be another load that I will do overnight so DH can peg it out,

upahill, meant to be chucking it down all weekend pretty much everywhere

I'm assuming you mean "pants" in the American way, when you talk of "walking pants"?

AND YOU SHOULDNT WASH JEANS ON A HOT WASH! THATS WHAT MAKES THE COLOUR RUN AND IT SHRINKS THEM!!

That is all.

I am form oop North and always referred to trousers as pants, moved down south for 10 years and everyone thought I was talking about underwear I must admit I always say trousers now, even being back up North and yes agree with not putting jeans on hot wash, yikes!

Ok, so to just join in...

I do

lights
whites
darks
reds.

My DP cannot seem to get a grip on the fact lights are not whites!!! In fact, we had words over it just last weekend.

I put blues (light and turquoise, not dark) with whites for the reasons quinion gives. Never had a problem.

Amazed that anyone washes towels after ONE day! I do bath towels weekly and hand towels as needed. What could possibly be going on for a bath towel to need washing daily .
I do white or white/light depending on amount
bright
dark including dark socks and boxers
jeans
red

My son rang me fron Uni saying he had sorted his wash into light and dark, but where would the navy and white striped shirt go?

Laundry story.
My oldest son had moved out. He brought his laundry over, but went home before it was finished, to come back another day. I noticed that white t-shirts were all grungy looking. (1990's). I took it upon myself to bleach them and hang them in the sun to get them bright. It took several washes to accomplish this feat. I thought how pleased he would be, all smug with my great laundry skills.
He had a conniption when he came over and I had "ruined his shirts". That he washed with blacks and colours on purpose to get them that way.
I didn't do his wash again.

Well I just stick all our clothes in together on the 30 degree wash and they turn out fine! Some of you guys have way too much spare time!!

My neighbour has a housekeeper (yes, really )who puts out the washing according to the day of the week, so whites one day, nappies next, darks, lights, bedding, towels and so on through the week. It is a lovely sight to see such organisation...

I just do darks and lights, lights include some darks that are old and won't run.

I don't like anyone else to put things in the dryer, though as a lot of things shrink and I like to be the judge of shrinkableness

DP is 24 and he can't cope with separating brights from whites, let alone lights and whites! so good luck with that one!

Ivy What are brights? I'm imagining a neon load...

Is anyone else old enough to remember the ad which said

'for a bluey whiteness you'll really like'? It might have been Daz, I think.

in our house we do:

childrens clothes light incl their bedding
childrens clothes dark / looks a bit untrustworthy re colour
woollies with woolite
fleeces (rare, but does happen)
teatowels on their own i have a LOT of teatowels
towels on their own at 90 once a week
bedding on its own once a week

dh and i just chuck our clothes together and hope for the best.

am always bloody washing. dh says my system is too complicated, and leaves it all to me...

OriginalPoster well a lot of DD's clothes are almost that bright

I do lights, pale stuff but that isn't white, brights, mainly DD's clothes and some of mine, darks and whites. DP does 'how much can i stuff in here then'

QuinionsRainbow - funny how you forget things, but when I read your post I just had a vivid memory of my mum putting blue bag on my wasp sting.

Btw, can I ask where your name comes from? Quinion is a name in DH's family & very rare, so I always tend to be interested when I come across it, but I don't want to pry if it would out you...

Wow - I think I'd collapse in shock if DS told me he was putting a wash on! You should be proud of your son!!

I only do a lights and darks wash - it's not as if the pale blue shirts are going to run so why does it matter?

I'd never have enough white stuff to warrant a separate "white wash".