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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 14/05/2018 07:26

I now have this picture of loads of MNetters jealously hoarding their own little piles of washing, like Gollum, muttering “My precious...” And then going batshit crazy if another member of the family dares to try to get in on their wash.

A pp wrote “I wouldn’t wash another adults clothes”. Where does it stop? Do you only wash up/load the dishwasher with your crockery? Only hoover up your dust? And how the hell does cleaning the bathroom work? - it must take ages to work out which bit of that you made dirty. And I guess you wouldn’t cook another adult’s meals, either?

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2018 07:27

"Of course if you don't separate colours then it probably doesn't make any difference if you do everyone's washing together or separately."

You only need to separate whites from the rest. White clothes can go in with the white or cream bed sheets if you don't have enough for a full load.

CocoaGin · 14/05/2018 07:27

I do mine, DHs, towels and bedding. Our adult DDs do their own clothes washing, as frankly they don't even wear things and it ends up in their laundry baskets. I did their washing until they were 16. It's making them into responsible adults!

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2018 07:28

" But, it is so much more time efficient to just chuck it all in when there is enough for a full load. "

How is it more time efficient to go and get everyone's washing than to just take your own to the machine.

SoupDragon · 14/05/2018 07:29

For sorting, we each have a collapsible plastic crate. Clothes are taken off the line/airer, sorted into each crate and the owner puts them away.

ClemDanfango · 14/05/2018 07:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoupDragon · 14/05/2018 07:30

How is it more time efficient to go and get everyone's washing than to just take your own to the machine.

I don’t have to “go and get everyone’s washing” because it is all in the same place.

museumum · 14/05/2018 07:30

We have separate baskets and each of us does a wash a week (roughly). A week is easily long enough for me to wear a full load of laundry. No waste here.
It’s not about the doing the washing itself it’s about the monitoring of who is running out of pants, who needs work shirts, who did extra sport. Much easier to know that yourself than expect someone else to.

SoupDragon · 14/05/2018 07:32

I don’t monitor who needs clean clothes I wash what is in the laundry basket.

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2018 07:32

"What a waste of electricity."

How dense are some people! It doesn't use any more electricity than washing things together! You wait until you have a full load, just like single people do.

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:34

14 loads a week:

DD1 showers every day and washes her bedding every week. She does 3-4 loads a week (usually 3) - her bedding is one of them.

DD2 does hers when she is running out of clothes (not always every week) and also washes her towels and bedding. 3-4 loads for her too.

DH does mine and his. His work clothes need a separate load. Then our superkingsize bedding takes 1 or 2 loads, sometimes 3, depending on whether he is washing the throws and or mattres protector. The rest is normal clothes and towels - we both shower every day - we don’t use a clean towel every day but it mounts up.

It’s easy when you include bedding and towels.

Nanna50 · 14/05/2018 07:34

My DH is a rubbish washer, chucks it all in together so he’s not allowed to touch my washing! I would never mix towels / whites / colours / heavy with lightweight etc.

He does his own, he has 2 work loads a week & 1 colours. One of us does 1 load of towels a week & whoever changes the bed does the bedding.

Me, I do separate loads of whites, delicates, light colours, dark colours, jeans, usually once a fortnight but my machine has a half load setting if need be.

When the children were at home they did their own washing from their late teens.

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2018 07:35

"I don't know anybody in real life that dies this."

You have to consider that some people won't tell the truth. My DM liked to pretend she was domesticated to fit in with other people's conversations.

speakout · 14/05/2018 07:35

It;s also the drying that needs to be planned.

I don't have a tumble drier, I dry as much as I can outdoors, and have drying racks indoors. I watch the weather forecast, and plan my washing around that. If it will be dry and sunny I will do several loads of bedding and towels ( we have 5 double beds in the house), if it has been raining constantly then I limit my washing according to how full the racks are.

Furano · 14/05/2018 07:37

Because I don’t do little loads?

I do a full load of my own clothes.

If I’m doing a white wash I might ask if people have any whites to make up a load but apart from that - crack on with your own.

Adults

LoniceraJaponica · 14/05/2018 07:38

Unless you're using an old fashioned wash board and scrubbing everything by hand, I don't see how it's any great hardship to just turn the bloody washing machine on regardless of whose clothes are in it

I agree. I think everyone doing their own washing is very inefficient and not very environmentally friendly. Both DD and I own a lot of white/light coloured clothes, so they get separated out. None of us own enough clothes to make up a full load of one type, so it seems bonkers to me to make everyone do their own.

Do the households that make everyone do their own washing not even wash things like bedding and towels together?

I have neither the time or inclination to separate mine my husband and babies clothes into separate washes. It's darks and lights here and that's as far as it goes.

And that is how our household operates. I agree with the comments on the parallel MN universe because I don’t know anyone in RL who does this.

Possibly some posters dont have teens/adult DC living at home

DD is 17 and up to her eyes in A level revision. This thread has prompted a discussion about her needing to know about everything required to look after herself at university – including how to use a washing machine. And before anyone berates me for not making her do the laundry/clean the house from top to bottom, wash the cars, go to work before she goes to bed etc, she is on meds for anxiety and depression, and I am not prepared to add to her worries just now.

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:38

I should add to my 14 loads a week breakdown that I’m a cleaner and change my work clothes every day and change into different clothes when I get home. That’s four tops and four pairs of trousers just for work.

pourmeanotherglass · 14/05/2018 07:39

I do everyone's - but thinking of changing system, as now the girls are teenagers it takes ages sorting out stuff like black tights and black socks to figure out whose is whose.

HecTick · 14/05/2018 07:41

I have 5 laundry baskets in the bathroom.
Dark colours --> Dh clothes x1 (special detergent); jeans in winter; DC and my clothes
Lighter colours --> pastel and white; reds oranges pinks and purples
Hot wash --> underwear, towels and bedding
Special wash > wool; handwash gets emptied once in a blue moon--
Sports wash --> DH's stinky special fabric stuff

I expect the DC to help if they're there. Load the machine. The fight over who gets to press the buttons. Help hang the washing up. Help to sort it and put their own clothes away.

Lovemusic33 · 14/05/2018 07:41

I do everyone’s, we don’t have a laundry basket either, we just shove in into the machine and when it’s full I wash it (4 times a week, mayb 2 loads at the weekend). Waiting for my teens to do washing just wouldn’t happen.

speakout · 14/05/2018 07:42

I actually enjoy doing laundry.
I love hanging it out, the small of the clean fabric, listening to the birds, the breeze, the sun.
If feels cleansing and energetic.

Fresta · 14/05/2018 07:42

I don't anyone who makes their children do their own washing. Mine wouldn't have time- too busy doing homework, socialising with friends and being at school. It's not necessary for them to wash, it's not character building and it's not something that takes years to learn so need to start doing it as a child. DD would help me if she was around because she's kind and helpful, but I def. don't make her have the responsibility for all her towels, clothes, bedding etc. it's no fun job. DH shares the doing of washing with me- whoever has time does it- but we both do everyone's, not just our own!

BeyondThePage · 14/05/2018 07:43

We have all just dug in and done what needs doing, I might even do the unmumsnetty thing and actually use some words if I feel stuff needs doing that no-one else has noticed...

DD17 - put a dark wash on will you, DD15 - hang it out when its done.

Pikehau · 14/05/2018 07:43

I don’t understand why you wouldn’t do all the washing. Wouldn’t you just be hanging around waiting for a load to finish that you could have used too?

How very odd mumsnet is. I have never seen or heard this ever!

LoniceraJaponica · 14/05/2018 07:44

That must be a large bathroom you have Hec. We don't even have room for one laundry basket in ours.

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