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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why people only do their own washing?

563 replies

sweeneytoddsrazor · 14/05/2018 01:03

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.

OP posts:
Tink06 · 14/05/2018 05:36

I prefer to do it all. The alternative is adult ds will wash and then tumble dry 2 or 3 items are time - total waste of water and electricity. It has to be in the washing basket and I don't do any ironing.

QuiteCleanBandit · 14/05/2018 05:46

Nothing ever makes it to the basket and I got sick of being responsible for other adults laundry.
Its bloody brilliant just doing my own- takes me no time at all .

Pluckedpencil · 14/05/2018 05:55

Yes this is definitely when you realise Mumsnet does not reflect a normal walking talking member of the public! Of course everything goes in together!

Magmatic80 · 14/05/2018 05:58

DP and I do our own, and if either of us don’t have a full load, then we’ll ask the other if they need any doing to ensure machine is full. I don’t think it’s particularly controversial, we’re both adults taking responsibility for our own stuff.

Puremince · 14/05/2018 05:59

When I went to Uni I found doing laundry difficult, and I wanted my kids to be in the habit so they knew what they were doing before they left home. They did their own from age 15. I did all the whites, because no one had enough whites for a load on their own, but they did the rest.No tiny loads, they just did it when they had a full load ready.

twofloorsup · 14/05/2018 06:04

My teenagers do their own.
I was fed up of doing the laundry and then a whole basket appearing when they tidied their rooms.

I bought them a basket and an airer and they do a load a week each. It gives them responsibility rather than moaning on Monday morning that their PE kit isn't ready.

They do nothing else in the house so I don't think it's too much to ask.

I have chef whites so always round up any whites they want done when I do mine.

Don't really care if it's seen as weird d it works for us !

Plasebeafleabite · 14/05/2018 06:06

I was taught to do washing as a teenager but then used my skill to do the family washing not just my own

Yes I find it odd OP to do own washing -other than examples above like workclothes or where the wash is full otherwise

Lovelydovey · 14/05/2018 06:07

I did it at home from age 12. I didn’t like the way my mum did the washing - she’d leave it in the machine to go damp and smelly, she didn’t separate out things that needed special treatment and she objected to me providing her with it once a week. She also made a huge deal if I’d leaked on my period, especially on bedding.

So I did it myself. And so did my siblings when they reached that age.

UrsulaPandress · 14/05/2018 06:08

We do our own washing. Each have our own laundry basket.

If DD asks me to put hers in I will.

frenchfancy · 14/05/2018 06:09

Well I am obviously just a figment of my own imagination and only exist on mn.

I have 3dds and got completely fed up of them complaining that their sister had their tshirt/knickers. So now everyone has their own laundry basket. We each do about 1 full load per week. The machine never turns half full. If it isn't full we grab a towel or tea towels to fill it.I

I no longer get complaints that someone else has their clothes or that their favourite top isn't clean.

You never hear of men taking sole responsibility for the family's laundry - why do we women do it to ourselves?

Believeitornot · 14/05/2018 06:15

Yes this is definitely when you realise Mumsnet does not reflect a normal walking talking member of the public! Of course everything goes in together!

Whenever I read comments like this, I think “does this person think they’re special and the only normal one here, as they ignore the fact that they aren’t the only one with this view on MN” Hmm

My dcs are 8&6. Their washing is done in a separate load because we have a nanny and it’s easier for her to her job that way. But when she’s off, we mix it all together.

I get the dcs to help me with laundry so they learn to help each other with housework.

Trying to avoid them turning out like dh who was taught only to do his own and had no concept of helping as a family.

TipseyTorvey · 14/05/2018 06:18

Crock of crap over here too then. Each person has their own laundry basket. I do the kids mostly but i keep each load separate so its really easy to keep track of what belongs to who when it comes back upstairs. DP does his own as he's a adult and when the DCs are old enough they'll be doing their own too. I work FT and need a clear system and it works for us. I think whatever works for you. I certainly don't care how others do it!

BertieBotts · 14/05/2018 06:22

If you only have your own washing then it wouldn't build up into a huge pile before having enough to wash. Whereas if you're waiting for 3+ people's washing to accumulate into 3 loads × however many categories (colour wise) that you do it's going to look like a laundry mountain before too long.

That said we have got into a crap habit of making separate dinners. DS tends to be hungry at 5ish and goes to bed by 8, and we're normally knackered when It's time to make his so we just do something quick and sort ourselves later, sometimes the same thing, sometimes different. Or we're eating convenience foods (frozen pizza etc) which are best if only one is in the oven at a time. I do feel this may be one source of our large electricity bills so I would like to change this.

IWouldLikeToKnow · 14/05/2018 06:26

Mine and my husband's go in the wash together. That doesn't mean I do his washing or he does mine. Whenever it needs doing, it gets done. One of us does it. I was never "taught" to do laundry as a child. You just know how to do it.
My 3 yr old has a separate laundry basket, as his clothes get washed with a separate detergent. He knows how to put his clothes in there, but we don't make him do it most times. He also knows how to help to put them in the washing machine. He wasn't taught, he just sees it happen. It really doesn't need to be a big deal IMO

clearsommespace · 14/05/2018 06:27

I know men who take responsability for the whole family's laundry. FIL does. And now SIL's DH does (because when they met she didn't know how to use the machine).

FWIW ours goes in together. Not sure where we would store all the dirty laundry while waiting for a full load if we did it individually and we'd need loads more clothes than we currently own!

QuiteCleanBandit · 14/05/2018 06:28

Grin oooh Im not normal Hmm
Possibly some posters dont have teens/adult DC living at home .
My DD prefers doing her own and I got tired of asking if anyone had any laundry -always a resounding NO!
Then it would appear from the floordrobe at 10pm on a Sunday evening with Omg I need my xyz for tomorrow.
Nope not having it .

TalkFastThinkSlow · 14/05/2018 06:28

OP, I'm with you.

Everything goes into two laundry baskets, and I just throw everything into the washing machine. I also walk around the house looking for anything that needs to be washed. DP does his fair share of laundry. DS is not yet 2 but when he's older, we'll take turns rather than him only doing his own.

Mominatrix · 14/05/2018 06:32

Seems extremely inefficient to me. If I did this, everyone would need many more items of clothing as it would take much longer to accumulate enough laundry to run a full machine. By doing all wash together, laundry gets done daily and clean clothes are quickly available.

Oh, when I lived alone I did have much smaller loads, and would feel very guilty about running the washing machine less than half full each time.

pitterpatterrain · 14/05/2018 06:34

We have our own baskets - DH / DC / me. We both tend to prioritise the DC, and do our own

OutsideContextProblem · 14/05/2018 06:34

That doesn’t make sense Bertie. Either you’re an “all colours and fabrics in together” washer or you’re not. If you are then a household wash will be ready to go in a quarter of the time of an individual one - no need to wait until you have more than that. If you’re more of a sorter then your individual washes must be tiny.

QuiteCleanBandit · 14/05/2018 06:34

I have one load whites/one darks per week.
Its really not that difficult .
I wash when I have a full load.

JenBarber · 14/05/2018 06:35

DP is weird with his laundry. We all have our own laundry baskets but DP seems to drape all clothing over his valet so I have no idea what's clean or not so I leave him to do it.

If it's put sensibly in a basket/pile I'll happily stick it on but mostly it's just chaos.

He also takes too long to put it away which drives me nuts. Will trot downstairs every morning for a week for clean pants from his basket rather than bring it up/put the fuckers away.

pitterpatterrain · 14/05/2018 06:35

The machine is always full - we rarely run a load daily as we are both out of the house

Pebblesandsea · 14/05/2018 06:35

My DD (17) often does a load of her own but that’s more as I’m trying to get her to be more independent before uni. However, if she only has a few bits it goes in the same load as everybody else. I also put tea towels and bath towels in with the main wash - another mumsnet no no!! And for the record, none of us have been ill (sick) in 10 years so it can’t be that bad!

speakout · 14/05/2018 06:38

I do all the washing for everyone. I don't think OH has ever used the washing machine.

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