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.

I gladly do more of the washing as that means that dh does more of the ironing (usually at weekends). I hate ironing.

"I want one of these machines you all seem to have where doing laundry is just a matter of chucking a load in the machine in the morning and another at night time and that is all there is to it. Presumably the machine, dries it, sorts it out and decides which black t-shirt belongs to which teen, folds it, then puts it away in the respective wardrobe"

@frenchfancy - i have one of these machines - it's called dh, and I'm sorry, but you can't have him! He irons too.

“It's all good and well people saying it's easier for one person's (the woman 🙄) to do all the washing but reading these posts it would appear you either don't work or work part time.

When both of you work full time it's a different story.”

Of course it is. I work part time. OH will put a load on, as will I. I don’t expect my very stressed teenager to do any of her own washing until after her A levels though.

“We work on the basis that, if laundry is put in the washing basket in a timely manner (ie. each day's dirty washing is put straight in the basket) then it gets done when there's enough for a load.”

That is our method as well. We don’t have room for multiple washing baskets in our house.

“as my bedding takes a full load in itself.”

You must all sleep in superkings or have a very small washing machine

“I can't believe how much time people spend on laundry!!”

Neither can I

“It would so complicated for anyone to wash just their own clothes as you can't mix colours and whiles or wool vests so you'd need so many empty washes? No idea how people make that work!”

Don’t have that many whites, definitely don’t have any wool vests... really not that complicated.

Myself and DH share a laundry basket so ours gets done together by either him or me, whoever grabs it, notices a load is finished or whatever, my DD(18) has her own laundry basket so looks after hers, my DSS (19) and DS (14) share one and they do need constant reminders to bring it down, put it in the machine etc but I make sure they do it themselves because they'd treat us like slaves if they could get away with it

You must all sleep in superkings or have a very small washing machine

1 superking and 3 kingsize. Each bed has 6 pillows. Just looked (as i was putting on my 4th load today) and the washing machine is actually 7kg, not 9kg as i thought. It's the tumble is 9kg.

Do you run a B & B MrsKoala?

We have a superking, but only 3 pillows - 2 for OH and one for me. If I put just our bedding in the washer I have room for a few other bits. DD just has a single bed so her bedding wouldn't make up a load anyway.

It feels like it! With all the washing and separate bloody meals!

We all sleep together and mix and match in various beds, no one has a set bedroom to sleep in yet.

Magical machine :)

Someone puts a load on and it's usually same person who then hangs up. DH then does mine and his ironing and some of the boys depending on what else they have on. Ironed stuff is split into ours and boys and it gets sorted into individual piles by one adult and one boy and we each out our own away. We are not anal about it though. Sometimes I might split it into 4 and we each take our own, sometimes DH or I will put away both ours.

Last week ds2 wet the super king 2 nights in a row and i almost cried. The wet proof mattress protector takes up one full load of it's own.

I have a 7kg but we use very light duvets (2.5 tog). I get a king bed set including mattress cover and duvet in a wash. Nothing else and pillows/covers get done when it's a decent drying day. Boys have doubles and do the same.

*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*

I have a tower cupboard in my small utility room, it contains those stackable/folding crates for each of us for clothes needing ironing, plus one for the dog's towels.

I've written our names on each crate so they can find their clothes quickly. Dh has two

I also have 5 extra rectangular baskets they hold the ironing overflow which occurs due to doing multiple loads if the weather is good.

These get stored on the work surface along with my iron press when not in use.

I go away a lot, leaving my young adult kids to fend for themselves (they do their own washing when I'm away) also have a holiday let that I do the changeover day for which generates a lot of washing. Not at all naturally organised but need to be with laundry or it'd be even more chaotic here than it is

Nope. Im not a live in maid. DH has done his own laundry since we moved in. Oldest 2 (18 and 12) do their own and have done since summer before secondary school.

I do my laundry once a week and it takes a load and a half to do. If im off on a Friday I do the household laundry or DD does it.

"“It would so complicated for anyone to wash just their own clothes as you can't mix colours and whiles or wool vests so you'd need so many empty washes? No idea how people make that work!”"

Lol at the wool vests and I'm someone who feels the cold!
How do you think single people wash their clothes?

"No white bed clothes to go in as well if you absolutely need the white thing quickly?

Washing for the sake of it then instead of having your white top routinely washed with someone elses"

If your white bed clothes need washing, it's not 'washing for the sake of it' is it?

I'm just stopped in my tracks now at the poster who said they had red sheets. Red sheets!
I feel like there's a whole thread right there. ..

We have red sheets but not on our bed. DS2s room is grey and red so currently has red fitted sheets and pillowslips to co-ordinate with the rest of his bedding/curtains. In the past both boys had red single sheets to match in with the theme of their bedroom. One even had black sheets for a while.

What's wrong with red sheets?

We have some bergundy sheets, does that count as red? Not getting the problem at all!

It is interesting to read all the different laundry practices on here. I didn't really 'get' the big deal about laundry as lets face it, it really isn't taxing these days. But someone says they do 21 loads a week for a family of 3, wow that really does sound exhausting!

I think we probably do around 8 loads a week for a family of 5 (I don't count it to be honest). I try to avoid the tumble drier as much as possible so 3 loads a day just wouldn't work. 21 loads a week would have a significant cost, both financially and environmentally, personally I would be really pondering over whether I could cut back.

Depending on which room the sheets we have (and matching pillows) are burnt orange, bright red, navy blue, deep purple and grass green. The duvet covers are bright/colourful from a range I love called Harlequin. We love strong colours here. DS1 wont sleep in his bed if the sheets aren't red!

I have coloured duvets and matching pillow cases. All base sheets and extra pillows are white.
We have 5 double beds in the house. Makes it easier this way.
I love white sheets they feel so clean.

Our curtains are a deep red so I bought bedding to match.

When i met DH he had a round bed and black sating sheets and duvet cover

sating sheets

Oo er.

If i didn't have to work now I would totally start a new thread! What's wrong with red sheets..nothing I suppose..I think I just assumed most sheets were white. Or pale blue or something. I don't do polycotton though (too scratchy) so maybe cotton sheets are mainly white?
White seems fresher.
I have white sheets and patterned duvet covers from TKMAXX. Got a fab Clarissa Hulse one in a wild floral design so I'm not anti colour in general.