Seventeen Loads of Washing... I'm not am I?

[RedRainRocks]

AIBU in the slightest? Seventeen (spelt out so you're sure it's not a typo). 17 loads of washing this week I have done and put away. (As well as working 72+ hours) I accept I am a little bit OCD about the sheets and towels being on a hot wash alone and that only white things go in the white wash but I do not understand how this household can make so much damn washing!?!!! These are all full loads.

AIBU to ask how many loads you do on an average week, if towels and bedding are done at least once a week and if 22 flannels are an average weeks usage in your household?? I probably am but please ...tell me they are not going to put "now we have no clean clothes to wear" on my gravestone?

There has to be an easier way than this... Surely?

Five adults we all tend to do our own washes, I would say on an average 10 -14 washloads a week. I have I washing machine and a washer -dryer that has a large capacity, they both tend to go on at the same time, usually when its drying weather.

4 loads a week, but no kids, so that's probably why. But then I'll wear tops for 3 days, they don't smell.

Those saying they can tell, by smell, if people have reworn clothes, even if they are not dirty and do not smell bad, you do realise that you actually can't? You are basing your assumption on whether that person is using vile fabric conditioner (aka unnecessary chemicals). The smell from fabric conditioner dissipates when the item is worn - this is why you think you can tell when an item is reworn. People like me never use fabric conditioners - so my clothes never have that sickening smell of fabric softener. So not stinking of fabric softener doesn't mean clothes aren't clean on.

Finallyfree. It's not about being able to smell the fake chemical smells to tell if clothes are clean or not, it's obvious that they're not fresh because they smell of, well, people . It's not a huge issue in terms of general life but don't kid yourself if your a bit minging.

It's an interesting question about 'smell.' Most people think certain smells - perhaps oniony breath, dried urine and perspiration - are unpleasant. For others chemical fragrances - heavy use of perfume/aftershave, air freshener, - can also be unpleasant.

In general though, if someone washes or showers and brushes their teeth and changes their underwear - plus any garment that's got sweated on - every day, I don't think colleagues or companions would be wrinkling their noses.

I'm impressed about the time that people have to separate washing into darks, whites, lights (what does that mean?), bedding, towels, flannels, delicates etc.

I wash everything at 60 degrees. All darks go in together, so there may be towels in with clothes. The same with whites, anything that is not dark goes in there. Only bedding has a separate wash as it takes up a full load. Life is too short!

Oh agreed dolkapots. I've had a few white T-shirts go funny colours when brand new jeans have run, but it's hardly the end of the world. The T-shirts fade in time.

No time needed to sort- separated laundry containers for clothes upstairs. Laundry basket in futility room for dishcloths/teatowels/ cleaning cloths that go on a boil wash, laundry bag in futility room for dark leaning cloths/ gardening clothes/ cleaning clothes. Bedding / towels can go straight in the machine without needing to trouble the basket as they make up complete loads.

I must be queen skank then! I do 3 loads on a busy week, never separate whites and colours, they dont run these days you know..... Everything goes in together. I do a bedding wash once a week which will take it to four loads a week tops. Then it goes in the dryer, pile it on top of spare bed and sort it from there. 17 loads is too too much! Stop being a slave to the laundry! Oh, and i dont even own an iron

I get flannels for faces and flannels for cleaning my oh uses the face ones for cleaning by mistake passes me off something rotten because he puts it back in the right place and it stinks of bleach.....not good for face

We do 7 loads a week - 2 adults and 2 dcs - 14 and 16 - in my household. I cant imagine how you would do 17. Definitely ditch the flannels or get them to rinse them themselves. Dh and I both do the washing (whoever has most time) though its a battle to get dcs to help. Planning to ask them to do their own from summer (when they can dry stuff on line) but I regret not getting them involved younger. I would definitely get your dcs in the habit of hanging, folding washing etc now. Also check what gets thrown in the washing - perhaps dcs are putting stuff in that doesnt really need washing.

There's not need to separate darks and lights, as Toria says, they don't run. Nor is there any need to wash towels more than once a week unless you don't bother to wash yourself properly before you use them.

People who do such a large amount of washing must be using loads of electricity as I assume most is getting tumble dried? We don't have a tumble dryer, so everything needs to dry on a line or airer.

I do one load a day, and maybe 2 or so extra at weekends. So 7-10 loads for a household of 4. I am pretty harsh on people not putting "worn once for a few hours" stuff in the washing baskets, though, and not obsessive about sheets & towels. Everyone in house has to put their own clean washing away - that focuses their minds, I find.

Dh and 4 dc all have different clothes daily when not at school it winds me up as they are rarely dirty and I like to space out my clothing if it's still clean it can be worn again winds me up again same with my dh and flannels I can understand if an accident happens. However bedsheets and quilt covers are bi weekly dogs monthly we have a 7kg and do at least 2 loads one colour one white but it piles up if everyone changes into Jammies so I leave it until end of day

Perhaps not having a tumble drier is the secret. We either hang stuff on the Dutch drier - overflow on radiators- though we only got central heating a few years back. Or else out in the garden. So you don't do excessive laundry because it may not dry quickly. Also we were really broke for years, which means the habit of not using loads of electricity stays with you.

Seems a bit odd you create a mountain of unnecessary work for yourself and then come on here looking for sympathy.

A normal family of 4/5 shouldn't require more than 3 loads a week.

5 of us - 2 adults, 3 DC age 8, 6 & 2. 6 & 2 year olds are incapable of not getting mucky!

We do about 12 loads a week:
2 x towels (one bath towels, one swimming towels & costumes)
3 x bedding
plus approx one load of clothes every day - sometimes it's more, sometimes less, but averages out at 7 a week.

Three loads a week- I have just done three loads this morning.

So 15 sets of underwear since Friday, ( there are 5 of us) 5 leotards , 15 t shirts, 7 pairs of trousers, 15 sets of nightwear. 30 socks, eight towels, 5 pairs of leggings, 5 sweatshirts, two sets of gym kit, 3 school work shirts, one set of bed sheets, a bathroom mat, 10 kitchen tea towels.

Thats for 3 days.
I can't see how I can cut this down- towels are used 2 or three times, trousers and jumpers are worn for 2 or three days.

5 of us.
I reckon on
2 loads for all the bed sheets and towels (I mix these and we don't wash sheets every week)
1-2 very dark
1 white
sometimes an additional pales wash.

• As we replace towels we go for smaller ones (used to have bath sheets, but have no space for them now there are 5 of us).
• we have a big washing machine
• strongly recommend the Dylon Colour Catchers for a mixed-ish wash

Uhm... I'm not sure how I feel about this now. I'm in the "nesting" stage of late pregnancy and thought I was being OCD keeping on top of all our housework. But I don't think I am quite that bad...

There is DH and me, and prep for the baby arriving. At present, we I do:

• lights/whites (once a fortnight - we don't wear many light coloured things but will likely change this for baby loads every couple days)
• darks (which includes all our coloured garments)
• blacks
• denim/jeans (if there's enough to warrant a load - if not, they go in with the black or dark stuff, dependant on how dark the denim is. normally just the dark load though)

These are done once a week if I can stop myself doing it a second time in the week once I have enough for a decent but not too huge load.

Towels and bedding are done once a week (bedding sometimes up to 10 days )

DH's work clothes are done as required - mainly by him - as he works in construction and they get minging with rain and cement and mud. All going well, on a clean week, he has enough clothes to see him through the full 5/6 day working week and I just hoof them in the machine when he strips to boxers and t-shirt after his last day.

So, maybe up to 6 loads a week if there's enough? Doesn't necessarily have to be in a 7 day period though!

I think there are perfectionists and minimalists.

I'm in the latter camp. Smelly stuff has to be washed and when it's put in the wash there has to be something clean to put on. That's about it. Since Spouse retired, he now leads on laundry.

Stuff I enjoy - like cooking - I'll spend more time on.

If you do more than a few loads per week, it must take up a lot of time - as well as money. Time you could spend reading or talking to people or having fun, (I suppose for some people laundry might be fun, but I thought that was just on the soap powder ads of my childhood.)

Two of us plus animals (use washable bedding for them).

The most that I'd do in a week is:

Darks
Lights
Towels
Human bedding x 2
Animal bedding x 2
Rinse wash

However, usually it would be:
Darks
Towels
(Human bedding x 1 - if that)
Animal bedding x 1
Rinse wash

So usually 4 a week, at the max 8.

5 of us and about 7 - 9 on average a week of loads although my son puts his white T shirt on separately. That includes two the cleaner puts on as she does all the sheets and towels.

I'm not a perfectionist, but I do lots of laundry. Surely everyone needs a change of close clothing every day- so minimum of t shirt/shirt, underwear and pjs. Multiply by 35 and that starts to be a lot of washing.

About 10 to 12 a week in this house. 3 adults, 2 Ds. I consider that we are a normal family, but there is a lot of sports kit in this house. Dss (22) is studying sport, works in a gym and works out everyday. Ds1 swims 4x a week (I was towels every other swim) both ds's plays football and ds1 had started playing tag rugby outside with his friends after school. I cannot not wash these type of clothes.

Bedding and towels once a weekish.

I air my tailored work clothes as these don't really get dirty.