To wonder why people only do their own washing?

[sweeneytoddsrazor]

Just that really.

I see so many posts where people say DP's or any child over the age of about 12 do their own washing. Surely it's easier to just empty the laundry basket and do one wash of everyones washing rather than have 4 people do 4 washes with not much in it.

Disclaimer: I haven’t read the full thread!

One thing I have picked up in though is that I either do way too much laundry or most of you do too little lol. I do 3 loads every day, seven days a week (no I’m not a SAHM, I work full time). There’s only me, DH and DD.

“I do 3 loads every day, seven days a week”

For 3 people?... what are you washing?

Sorry that was a bit abrupt...

Just I’m sat here going, but 3 sets of clothes, pyjamas, towels and 2 sets of bedding doesn’t even make 3 washes and youd surely not wash bedding every day... and there’s nothing left to wash if you’re doing that much every day...

Where does the extra come from?

My six year old has just put a load of washing on.

For a marble.

I'm sat here fannying around on Mumsnet and right now, I feel like I'm winning at life. You lot all need a big bag of marbles.

Liverpoolmum - do you have a tiny machine? Or a lot of dogs? I do maybe 2-3 full loads per week for a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 little ones). That's enough.

Well there’s about 6 sets of clothes (my baby has reflux), 3 sets of PJs, 3 towels, 2 tea towels, 2 dish cloths, 2 flannels, 1 hand towel out of the bathroom, loads of bibs and muslins every day as well as 2 sets of king bedding and 2 sets of cot bedding every week and changes of bath mat and pedestal mats.

I try and wash coats, dressing gowns, gro bag and pram blankets once per week too. By the time it’s all separated it’s about 3 per day of full loads.

Oh a baby... babies are different, they create mountains of washing.

Not necessarily.

I wash my clothes and our boys and my hub washes his own unless he asks me to do his.

My boys have eczema and I don’t like heavy fragrances in my clothes so I use non-bio for us whereas my hub uses fragrance beads, fabric softener, and bio washing detergent in his clothes and likes his clothes to be washed a certain way as well as dried so it’s easier for us to do separate laundry. We have three baskets mine, kids, and hub and I use laundry bags to keep certain items from tangling.

My parents were the same way. Dad did his separately and mom, sister and I did each other’s. When I had roommates, we did our own and I wouldn’t even want anyone to do my laundry anyway. I think it’s odd if roommates would do each other’s laundry unless they were very close.

My mum always taught me that adults do their own washing, so that’s stuck with me. It’s no hardship, just everyone taking responsibility for their own things. I hear too many (especially women) moaning at work about children/husbands that can’t put their clothes in the basket etc. Not for me, count me out of that one.

Liverpoolmum - wow how do you have time to do all that? Not to mention the drying, folding, putting away... I couldn't be bothered with washing pj's/towels/dish clothes every day! It's lucky if I manage to change bedsheets once in a while LOL coats get washed when visibly dirty... Already the husband thinks I'm OTT with cleaning the house, he would go nuts if I did that :)

All family washing done together by whoever gets to basket/machine first at weekend (usually DP) - takes 4 or 5 washes to get through all. Individuals washes occasionally for extras/needed urgently during week. Bed linen sent out weekly for a service wash and dry.

"One thing I have picked up in though is that I either do way too much laundry"

Yes you do Liverpoolmumof1

Do you really need clean pyjamas every night, and only use a towel once? How wasteful.

My husband waits til he literally has no clean clothes left then does 3 loads in a row! He washes his stuff with different detergent, at a different temperature to me,and tumble dries everything (which I don't). So yes we do separate washes. If one of us has a small load or whites etc we will ask the other but we have separate laundry baskets. We started off doing combined until I washed his ties and quickly reverted back!

Separating clothes takes no time. On a sunny wash day morning I dump all the dirty stuff on the floor from the laundry basket and separate as I fill.I will have 2 or three loads.
Separating takes no more time than filling- I just grab and stuff, being mindful of what I am putting in the machine.

That's just one lot of sorting that you do there.

Then after drying it you'll have to sort again. If going straight to ironing after drying it you'll have to sort then.

Doing a load for each individual removes all sorting, it kind of self sorts.

If I do more than one person's washing in a day (normally weather driven) when taking it all in from the line it goes in seperate baskets for each person ready for ironing.

My lot are trained that if its not in their laundry bins its not going in the washer.

Dh works away in the week, he has two sets of work clothes (while he's away I wash/press the other set) this means I'm not faffing with washing on the weekend to get it ready for him to take back with him.

DS1 went through a stage of wanting to do his own laundry. He doesn't own many clothes as he is on a low wage so would want to wash 6 items and then want to tumble dry them.. such a waste of electric.

Both boys (17 and 19) have a laundry basket in their room. When I put a load on i will go and empty their baskets. However I will not pick up dirty clothes from floors or other surfaces!

The exception to this is bedding. I expect them to do their own bedding and towels which can go in one load.

"Doing a load for each individual removes all sorting, it kind of self sorts."

If you stuff everything in together and don't mind your whites coming out grey then this would be ideal.

I line dry my washing so when I hang it out I hang all of DD's stuff together, OH's stuff together, and my stuff together . When I take it in there is no sorting out to do.

Sorry, these threads always get a lot of very different views but coats washed once a week, really? It's a wonder the coats last more than a few months .. unless perhaps it's a small child I wouldn't want to wash my coats that often.

jellyshoeswithdiamonds , washing one persons clothes in one load wouldn't work for me, too many different fabric types.soiling etc.

So
One person may have

Stretchy black lycra
Light lycra
white cotton shirts
black jeans
black hoodie
lacey bras & camisoles
sweaty gym gear
woolens

How can that all go in one wash all mixed up?

How can you wash black jeans with white cotton shirts?

I even use different detergents - unless you want faded black jeans and grey white shirts.

The people who owned our house before us were into all sorts of labour-saving/efficient adaptations and devices, one of which is a shallow set of three cupboards along a landing with openings in the top for laundry. We stick whites in one, colours in another and delicates in the third. Ready-sorted washing. It so happens that I usually put the washing on (my husband does most of the cooking) but either of us could. It would be completely barmy with this set-up for each of us to do our own washing (and someone would still have to do the kids'...).

Or a 60 degree wash for soiled dark clothes- you wouldn't wash a black lycra leotard at that temperature.

Clothes are expensive- I don't want to ruin them in the washing process.

Welsh I have 4 main types of washing load- a dark warm ( jeans cotton knickers and sweaty gym gear.
A light warm for cotton whites. A delicate dark and a delicate light.
Two different types of detergent.

I’m in awe if the number of baskets round at jellyshoes house

Tell me you have a laundry room to accommodate each person’s Washed Awaiting Ironing baskets

How can anyone need to be taught how to do laundry or find doing laundry an exhausting task? Do some people still have twin tubs?
My machine just needs stuff thrown in and a button pressed.

Big stone by the river it appears.

I do 12 loads a week- it takes no time.