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AIBU?

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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:
vampirethriller · 14/05/2018 07:44

I grew up with 7 siblings. Everything was washed together by my mother or myself. Separate loads would have been ridiculous.
My youngest two brothers still live with her and the washing is done all together, they take it in turns.

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:44

We don’t have communal laundry baskets - I think that is why some people think it’s more weird than it is. Everyone has their own in their room.

Nobody is picking through a big basket of washing looking for their own stuff. That would be daft and a waste of time! DH and I share a laundry basket and he does mine and his together.

ClinkyMonkey · 14/05/2018 07:44

Crikey, 'doing the washing' is hardly the most difficult job. It's not as if we're all traipsing down to the river with a bar of soap and a washboard. Hanging it up though - that's another story😀

BertieBotts · 14/05/2018 07:45

I separate darks, lights/whites and brights. If there's something absorbent in there I'll use hygeine wash in place of fabric softener.

I agree DH doesn't see the need to separate stuff, or skip fabric softener and it makes me twitchy so it's easier if I do it. I have bought some colour catchers for when the baby is born because I expect he'll get up to more washing then and I can't bear the thought of little perfect white babygros getting all grey and ruined! I know this is unimaginably precious and they'll be covered in poo and strawberries before very long but I can have my little dream.

I do not buy anything hand wash only because it just sits in the bottom of the basket never ever getting washed because I don't have anything else which goes on a hand wash.

Stephisaur · 14/05/2018 07:46

We have separate laundry baskets. Mine is always overflowing because I hate doing laundry. DH does at least one load a week.

Why would we do each other’s when we’re both capable of doing our own?

thisagain · 14/05/2018 07:46

I didn't realise people didn't keep all their wash together. I grew up in a house where my mum did all the washing and ironing and now I do all the washing and ironing. But to be fair, my husband does as much towards the washing as me and I do the ironing while he cooks our Sunday dinner so it's hardly a chore I resent. Briefly before my eldest moved out, she did her own washing and ironing, because she was on her summer holidays having finished a post-grad course and my ironing pile seemed endless. Other than that, it has always been together.

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:47

Those who feel it is weird also seem to do washing as and when rather than once a week.

We definitely don’t hang around waiting for a load to fill or waste water/energy on lots of little half loads.

longestlurkerever · 14/05/2018 07:47

I'm on the fence here. On the one hand I agree doing your own washing separately sounds like a total drag. On the other hand when you think about it it's not really, if you organise things differently. We all have a dirty laundry basket in our bedrooms, as each of our bedrooms is on a separate floor. So when I do the washing (my dds are little) I have to go to three different rooms to collect it, then once it's washed I sort it and deliver it to three different rooms (others help with this bit sometimes). Whereas I suppose it'd be more efficient to do each room separately as there'd be less sorting involved at the end. But this would require all of us to have an awful lot of clothes because dd1 for example would probably run out of school uniform before she had a full load to put on.

As an aside - Someone upthread mentioned a 20 minute wash. My washing machine takes nearly 3 hours. Am I using the wrong setting?

SoupDragon · 14/05/2018 07:49

Someone upthread mentioned a 20 minute wash. My washing machine takes nearly 3 hours. Am I using the wrong setting?

Mine has loads of different settings including “quick wash” that takes about 30 minutes.

Lethaldrizzle · 14/05/2018 07:50

I do younger kids but not older kids as i don't go in their bedroom!

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 14/05/2018 07:50

We all do our own washing in this house. That way I know where my clothes are, when they're clean etc etc.

It also stops all the males in the house having to write their names in all their underwear, moaning when "these aren't my socks" and shirking out of doing any washing. Invariably mum ends up doing all the washing otherwise - "I didn't notice the laundry bin was full".

Works very well for us & we won't be reverting back to communism at any time soon.... Grin

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:51

@Fresta Our children have all wanted to do their own - we’ve never, ever had to make them. They prefer it this way and would say no if we offered to do theirs.

LoniceraJaponica · 14/05/2018 07:51

You never go into your older children's bedroom, ever?
DD has allergies so I need to vacuum her room regularly.

Ticketsfrom · 14/05/2018 07:51

Here’s how it works in our house - we all do the laundry. If you need something particular of yours washed you put it in the machine and then ADD other clothes from one of the laundry baskets. We have one for the parents and one for the kids in bedrooms. If the baskets are looking full you put a load or two on. If it’s the end of the week uniforms get priority.
What we don’t have is one adult ( mum it seems from most of MN posts) doing everyone’s laundry all the time. The adults currently do their own ironing. When the kids are In secondary school they will also be doing their own ironing for shirts etc.
That way - we all know where our clothes are and if we need something specific for a meeting, sport etc. then that person makes sure it’s ready.

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 14/05/2018 07:52

Mine has loads of different settings including “quick wash” that takes about 30 minutes.

14 minutes is the quickest wash on our machine Shock - only gets used for oily rags out of the garage or dog towels when we had one.

Our Standard daily wash is 59 minutes.

speakout · 14/05/2018 07:52

I buy washing machines that have a short cold cycle.
I use a 15 minute cold cycle for lots of washes- delicates, woollens, lacy stuff- things that are only slightly dirty and just need freshening up.
I wouldn't buy a machine that only did long cycles.

LoniceraJaponica · 14/05/2018 07:52

There are only 3 of us and it us very clear who owns what BTW.

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 14/05/2018 07:52

DD has allergies so I need to vacuum her room regularly.

Is one of her allergies hoovers??? Grin

GothMummy · 14/05/2018 07:54

We have one washing basket, 2 adults and 2 DCs. I have taught both kids to notice when the washing basket is full. DS (12) will put a load on if he notices its full. DD (6) will call me for help because she forgets which programme to use.

I wouldn't bat an eyelid at washing guests laundry in with ours..hats the problem? It all gets clean?

fleshmarketclose · 14/05/2018 07:55

I do all the laundry here and until my adult dc left home I did all theirs as well. None of them struggled to operate a washing machine, tumble dryer or iron once they had their own places despite never having done their own laundry previously as it's not exactly rocket science.
All laundry goes in one shared basket and a load gets done when there is enough to fill the machine I can't imagine having to wait for days on end until I had enough of my own clothes to fill the machine it seems so much simpler and more economical to combine the laundry.

He11y · 14/05/2018 07:56

@longestlurkerever When our children were small, the washing was all done together and, if one person did it all now, they wouldn’t separate it into piles by ownership. I can’t see how that makes sense although I’m sure it works for some.

Most of our washing is done on an hour long programme - the normal wash takes over two hours but it reduces to around an hour (the temperature makes a slight difference) if we press the quick wash button.

HecTick · 14/05/2018 07:56

LoniceraJaponica Was meant to have a bath in it, but they put a shower instead. With the baskets along one wall, we've just enough space to walk between them and the toilet and sink to the shower. Can't pass anyone though! DC don't really have space in their bedrooms and it seemed easier to train them to split the colours than have to delve through each time I wanted to put a wash on.

He11y · 14/05/2018 08:02

@LoniceraJaponica Our daughters clean their own rooms too. Eldest most weekends and the youngest not as often as I’d like but it’s her room and she fully blitzes it every now and again. They would both object to me cleaning their rooms - they prefer to have privacy.

MorrisZapp · 14/05/2018 08:03

To me it's a personal task, like brushing teeth. My dirty laundry isn't for anyone else to deal with.

And on the affair threads, apparently the number one cause of illicit relationships failing is when the OW becomes acquainted with lover boys skiddy kecks.

It's a no thanks from me.

MorningsEleven · 14/05/2018 08:05

Same with meals. Normal families have their meals together, and don't cook individually

I was going to argue that point, given that I cooked for myself from the age of 12. Then I clocked the word "normal". I don't think I had "normal".