how do you do yours?

[mrshyde27]

Well I'm on one this last week or so with household chores..how do you sort your washing? Christ I need to get out more (been housebound with flu)
DH says I'm ridiculous as I use the following categories (he just bungs everything in together, like Widow Twankys wash service). All our stuff is also washed with dettol laundry cleanser (another thing that irritates him no end)..

colours - eg tops, trousers on a 30 wash
pants - 70 wash
socks - 70 wash
bath towels - 70 wash
tea towels and dish cloths - 90 wash

I seperate lights and darks but nothing is washed above 40°, in fact quite a lot of our clothes have 30° on them so that's what they get washed at. Bedding & towels are generally in with the 40° wash.

I didn't realise Dettoll made laundry products. I use Ecover for everything and it cleans everything - even DS's football kit!

Bedding, towels, pants, socks, pyjama bottoms - mixed together, 60
Everything else - mixed together, 40

We barely have anything white so have a white wash maybe once every six months or something ridiculous. If it's my sole white bra I stick it in with everything else because I don't care, or I wait to wash white stuff till the partially white duvet cover is going in (figure the dark bits are less likely to run if the item was designed to be partially white). Mostly I just avoid wearing my few white items of clothing, so I don't have to bother.

iPaid no, of course I silently judged my slatterny friend, but I am far too well mannered to lecture her on the error of her ways.

multivac it matters to me that clothes remain looking as decent as possible because they get handed down from one kid to another in our family.

For those of you who think sorting is a faff, we have four washing baskets and everyone places their dirty washing in the relevant basket. Washing is done when a basket is full (there are 6 of us so if doesn't take long). No extra time or expense compared to bunging it all in together.

Wanted to add, when we had a front loader washing machine in the old house, it had a problem so we did some research online and found website forums where people talk about watching their laundry go round and round in those windowed front loaders! I have to admit it was a teensy bit fascinating, as in I figured it was meditative somehow? for these people to watch their wash go tumbling around? They were obsessed and knew the model numbers and all the intricacies of washing. So it's out there for anyone who enjoy doing laundry (a lot). Also, there are a couple of home keeping books that go into detail about laundry and laundry rooms, Martha Stewart has one and I can't remember the other one right now.

Also, we no longer use any static/softener sheets in the dryer, as I developed a sensitivity to Tide and also Bounce static sheets. So to keep down the static in the winter, I don't put any polyester or synthetic items in the dryer. I let them air dry which doesn't take long anyway because of the fiber. And now I wouldn't go back to using the dryer sheets ever, and I guess we've saved a bit of money from not buying them.

Whites, pinks and darks separately, all on 40. I use bold, vanish, and soda crystals in every wash (I heard bold is not the best detergent, but I love the smell, so use vanish to compensate!).
What are these scented beads???

Little beauty I guess your not on the uk? The Vast and I mean vast majority have front loaders!

Sorry little beauty just re-read your post and think I misunderstood,holds head in shame

Whites, darks, brights. Depending on the level of filth temperature is anywhere from 30°-60°. Towels get boiled every now and again, but usually just washed at 60°. No separate washes for bedding and undies, they get colour sorted with everything else. No ridiculous dettol bollocks, just wash powder and softener if I decide insane a different fragrance.

Whites @ 90 - mainly bedding, towels, school shirts and underwear
Hot coloureds @ 60 - bedding, towels and underwear (not bras though)
Warm coloureds @ 40 - everything else

Non-bio tabs for everything, conditioner in everything. Whitening powder with the whites. I have some Dettol Laundry liquid but only ever use it if one of my DDs has been sick on stuff that goes in at 40.

I have three separate washing baskets so sorting gets done at source.

That's ok, Country, you're right, I'm not in the UK, I'm in the US. (and we had to put our washer and dryer in our kitchen in old house because we didn't have much of a choice, that's not done much here, but I think it is in the UK just as UK has mostly front loaders).

Apparently these people that we stumbled upon in the online forum sit in a chair or on a stool in front of their washing machines and watch the wash tumble around because it's fascinating to them! My dh and I were amazed that people just sit there and watch it for the entire cycle. I guess I can see how it's relaxing somehow.

Whites which are mainly school blouses on 40 with powder, half scoop of vanish and some comfort
Everything else on 40 with powder and some comfort

I have four laundry bins:
Coloureds (which go on 40C cotton wash, takes about 2 hours)
Darks (40C dark wash, takes about 1.25 hours)
Whites (60C intensive wash, takes just over an hour)
Woollies (30C wool or hand/delicate wash, depends if there's any cashmere in there)

Towels go separately (as I don't use softener for them) on a 90C wash - mainly to clean the machine at that temp! I also wash CSPs within that wash.
Bedding goes on a 60C 'medical rinse' (whatever that is!) cotton wash

All clothes get tumbledried in the winter, except children's socks and tights (which always seem to shrink) and woollies, which go on the radiators. In the summer everything goes on the line.

I often leave towels out on the line in the rain in the summer - softens them up a treat!

Bedding and towels at 60.
Then we each do our personal laundry seperately. I put mine in one or two loads depending on amount - I don't sort. No fabric conditioner. Wash at 30.

ds2 is a different kettle of fish, we have to freeze all his bedding and towels, wait till they defrost in an anti allergen vacuum pack and then put them on a 60/90 wash every 2 weeks, same with cuddly toys and pillows.
His clothes have to be washed with fairy non bio in his own washing machine, put in the tumble dryer for over 20 mins and all his clothes get steam ironed.

Our washing and machine - I wash our bedding and towels on a 90 wash and a 60 wash for everything else, most get put into the tumble dryer to kill dust mites, except jeans and wolly jumpers, which gets stored in our utility room which ds2 isn't allowed in.

I roughly do about 7 to 10 washings per week for 4 of us, however have 2 sporty males in the family.

Most stuff gets washed together at 30.

Very dirty stuff gets washed at 50 or 60 with towels or sheets if I need to fill up the machine. This is rare.

And we just use liquid detergent.. Ariel or something. And salt tablets because we live in a very hard water area. No dettol, no fabric softener.

So am I the only one whose machine doesn't have a 90 option?

Bedding and towels 60

Whites 40

Reds/blues/multis/blacks/coloureds 30/40 all with non-bio (at the moment Asda as it seems to be the less smelly one) and rarely a scoop of Vanish if needed (not often) and Comfort pure

OH's precious socks get soaked in handwash then bunged in for a quick non fabric conditioner wash

I agree with your DH. Most things go in all together on a 40 wash unless they are likely to run. Towels and bedding might go on a 60 but nothing higher than that.
Washing powder/tablets are designed to get things clean on a lower wash these days. Socks and pants would get ruined on a 70 wash.
Also I would never use dettel laundry cleanser I would be worried my clothes would end up smelling like disinfectant

Hot whites at 60 deg - white bedding, towels, flannels and tea towels. If no tea towels in the wash I'll include white cotton knickers.

Hot colours at 60 deg - coloured bedding, towels, flannels and tea towels.

Warm hard darks at 40 deg - jeans, school uniform trousers/skirts, any other denims, washable dark coats etc. Can put in some of dh's dark socks and ds's muddy sports kit (pre rinsed and soaked in bath) to make up the load.

Warm soft darks - school uniform jumpers, dark coloured t shirts, leggings, underwear, socks, tights, anything black or navy wiithout buckles and zips basically.

Warm bright colours at 40 deg - football shirts, pyjamas, underwear, socks, t shirts, tops in bright colours.

Warm pastel colours - as above but lighter colours like pink, grey etc.

Warm whites - anything white which needs a 40 deg wash rather than a 60 wash. Mainly school uniform shirts, t shirts and undies.

Dh's work shirts - usually go on 40 degrees because I worry about shrinkage. They are mainly checked/striped.

Delicates - mainly mine and dd's tops which can't go in with a robust 40 deg cottons wash.

Woollens

Bath mats - our white cotton bath mats go in their own separate hot wash at 60 deg.

Use big box bio or colours powder, depending on load, usually Sainsburys own brand. Any fabric cobditioner on special offer. No to dettol laundry cleanser bollocks.

Baby DD's stuff - all in together, usually on 30 unless there is something particularly grim, in which case 40

Our stuff is separated into whites, reds/pinks, and everything else. DH always washes at 30; I throw in a 40 now and then because I'm not convinced 30 gets things properly clean (odd things have still been whiffy).

Towels etc when I can remember usually do at 40, occasionally 60.

Nappies - always 60 with a rinse before and sometimes after as well.

Lights - 40
DP's dark work clothes - 60
All other darks - 40
Bedding & my knickers - 60
Towels, bath mats and tea towels - 60 without fabric conditioner.
Dog's bedding, towels, drying coats and doormats, etc - 40 with bio liquid.
Delicates, silks and woolens at whatever temperature the machine is - 30?
Every so often I'll run the machine at 90 with the dishcloth in.

I wash everything together usually at 30.
I'll do bedding and towels on 40.
I don't waste time separating.

Everything in together usually, except for the towels that run. Bedding usually on 90 wash with lots of fabric conditioner (except for DS2 who has eczema). Recently though the toddlers lovely pink clothes have been fading so I think maybe the 60 wash for her stuff is too much, will try a 40 and hope the spaghetti stains come out.