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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I just think this is crazy! Do I need to stop being such a mum?

303 replies

michelleseashell · 31/07/2011 19:11

One of my friend's washing machine is broken so I'm helping her out by doing her washing. Rather than waiting around, she's just left me with two big bags of mostly baby clothes.

The thing is about 95% of the clothes are ruined! They're all gray and absolutely covered in bobbles. This is baby clothes so they can't possibly have had time to get in such a state. They've obviously just been put in with darks, jeans, on really hot washes etc.

I just don't understand it! I am literally aghast! Why would somebody do this? Isn't it just a terrible waste of money? These are all Next and Gap but even supermarket stuff can be kept in good condition, surely? A charity shop would throw these clothes out.

I put on a 'white' wash with a stain remover pouch and a colour catcher and the colour catches came out dark gray.

Aghast!!

OP posts:
melika · 01/08/2011 09:53

Exactly michelle, when the kids were little and used to have little accidents in pants, DH used to say if it were up to him he would chuck the pants out. I said if that were the case I would have to buy pants every week!

Some people have no idea how to save money.

yok2t · 01/08/2011 09:55

I aspire to have an advanced washing system one day. At the moment I seem to have more of a beginner system,I do whites, dark and colours.And nappies separately obviously.
Now what I really want to know: Have you found a way to get banana stains out of baby clothes? If you have I will worship the ground your washing machine stands on! :o

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 01/08/2011 10:00

My washing machine eats washing between that at the moths I am suprised I have any clothes at all.
DH can't do washing, at least not my way, he actually gave up some time ago although and he always puts washing away damp so it gets that horrid old person wee smell Sad. It is because he would prefer to do "outside" jobs, I know it is - although that being said he can't get the dvd player to attach to the tv so perhaps he really just can't do it Grin

Original poster
michelleseashell · 01/08/2011 10:13

Yok2t- I've banned bananas!

OP posts:
TimeWasting · 01/08/2011 10:17

Your friends washing machine is broken. Could the knackered washing machine be to blame for the greyness?

Thumbwitch · 01/08/2011 10:18

yok2t - there is no way to get banana stains out of clothes once they're washed in, I've tried. The only way is to cold wash the banana out before they go in the washing machine. Or ban bananas!Wink

TimeWasting · 01/08/2011 10:20

yok2t, there is no way to remove banana stains form baby clothes.
If you rinse it off straight away it should be fine, but once it's stained it's stained.

Michelle, is this a wind-up, are you serious, or are you attempting light-hearted self-deprecation to disguise your real feelings of OCD???

Thumbwitch · 01/08/2011 10:34

yes sorry, timewasting is correct - once the banana has dried, you're screwed. It has to be cold-washed off before it browns and dries.

RedHotPokers · 01/08/2011 10:34

Melika - I'm with your DH. I have thrown DDs pants out in the past after a total poo disaster. I know its wasteful but life's too short.

Original poster
michelleseashell · 01/08/2011 10:38

No it's not a wind up- my friend really did ruin her washing and I really am obsessed with doing mine and I really was Shock when I saw the state of her washing

BUT

I can see the funny side :o

OP posts:
zukiecat · 01/08/2011 11:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

spiderpig8 · 01/08/2011 12:08

her baby, her clothes, her business.

crockydoodle · 01/08/2011 12:42

YANBU. Clean laundry should look clean.

mrskbpw · 01/08/2011 12:54

I cut a vest off my son once when the poo had gone right up to his neck and I couldn't for the life of me work out how to get it over his head without it ending up all over his face (it was too tight to go down).

I nearly always separate my laundry but even with four of us in the house, I don't always have enough for a whites load. How do people have enough washing to do stripes/orange/pink/etc loads?

Also, how do you have the time?! I barely have time to brush my hair and it's a constant battle to keep on top of the laundry, let alone having different liquids for stripy clothes or whatever. Am secretly jealous though.

TrinIsASadSpottyFatRhino · 01/08/2011 12:58

not het up just dont understand why you wouldn't want& to be able to do things

even if you choose not to
I mean I'm quite capable of changing plugs, tyres and mowing my lawn ( so big it take a good couple of hours), checking and changing oil, fuses, radiator bleeding, small joinery diy job etc but I dont always do it

I have and I can but dp likes to do it and I'm fine with that Grin

its the fact that I can of I need/want to

it about choice, why wouldn't you want to have all the skills, even if you NEVER use them

zukiecat · 01/08/2011 13:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Insomnia11 · 01/08/2011 13:07

I wouldn't pass comment on a friend's laundry but sort it out as I would mine. I do three types - dark colours, things that won't run; middle - light/bright colours and mixed, so say like stripey/flowery tops and dresses, and light colours and whites, so pastel colours and whites. The first two types I do with colour tablets, the latter with a normal bio tablet (supermarket own brand tablets). All with a spoonful of Napisan and fabric softener.

We have at least three full loads of clothes a week (often five or six with bedding, towels etc) so it works out quite well. I even have a washing basket that divides it into two - couldn't yet one that divides into three. We put all the dark colours on one side and the whites/colours for the mixed load on the other side, then I usually just have to do a fine sort of one side, though a few stray items get in the wrong place, so I still have a general sort as well, but somehow it feels less dispiriting than having a pile of jumbled clothes in one basket.

I think if the OP sorts and washes the laundry as she would her own it will probably end up a least a bit brighter and her friend will be very pleased.

TimeWasting · 01/08/2011 13:13

Zukie, if a man cannot use a washing machine, there's something wrong.

He was either brought up wrong or thinks it's beneath him.

DH generally doesn't use the washing machine, due to time constraints etc. it's simply easier for me to do it.
But he can.

CurrySpice · 01/08/2011 13:14

I can only assume your judgey pants are sparkly white OP

I think you may want to think about getting out a bit more. :o

ShushBaby · 01/08/2011 13:18

Am finding this thread hilarious! I am a washing-separater myself and can't imagine why you wouldn't care for your clothes. Don't really buy the whole 'life's too short' argument- life is short but it's much nicer if your surroundings and self are clean and pleasant, surely?

But there is a more serious point, about respecting belongings and, actually, respecting the priveleges that we have in the developed world.

It strikes me as ignorant and wasteful to just let clothes (or whatever) get into a state. Sure you can pop to Asda and buy another ten pack of babygrows for a tenner. But that's just an example of our throwaway, disposable, carelesss attitude that shows ignorance towards the world's resources and how lucky we are to be able to have such scant regard for possessions. They wouldn't have done that in the war, mark you.

Wooh, my judgeypants are swingin' today!

harassedandherbug · 01/08/2011 13:29

Another fanatical washing seperator here! I've even got dh doing it my way now.

I don't understand why you'd pay good money for clothes and then ruin them. It's really a waste of money! Those babygro's are decent makes and would easily have been good enough to pass down several times.

My sil gives me loads of clothes for my dd, but she doesn't seperate her colours and has no idea what a wool or hand wash is. It's sad (and wasteful), because she's givem me some gorgeous woollens for dd but they've been felted in her washes!!

MightyQuim · 01/08/2011 13:40

It would only be wasteful if the OP's friend greyed her clothes and threw them away and bought more - she hasn't - she's still using them so I don't see how it's wasteful.
For the record the only clothes I have ever found that grey when I haven't separated them are dd's school polo shirts so I only wash them with other white things now. I obviously wouldn't put anything new that was black or red in with pale washing but once things have been washed for the hundreth time no more dye comes out of them. So imo separating everything into blue washes, red washes and yellow washes etc is a massive waste of time.

Bumpsadaisie · 01/08/2011 13:44

Please, what is a "colour catcher"? Confused

I have eczema so can only wash my stuff with the mildest non-biological plant based liquid, which although is smells nice I am sure is pretty weedy at getting clothes really clean. Frankly most of my stuff is a bit grey. Grin

Thumbwitch · 01/08/2011 13:49

My mum used to colour separate everything but then wash it all on a wash no. 5 (remember those?) because she could do a prewash on that setting. The number of Dad's jumpers that she shrunk! Wool isn't supposed to be pre-washed anyway.

capricorn76 · 01/08/2011 14:16

I thought most people separated their clothes? It literally takes seconds and you can still do full loads. What's the point of spending money on something and purposely ruining it? It's so wasteful and is a good example of todays throwaway society.

I like to try and preserve my DDs clothes in case I have another child. If that doesn't happen I will pass them on to a friend or charity. I would never willfully destroy my stuff just because I can't be bothered to separate strong colours.

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