To wonder how many people don't do their spouse's laundry?

[Goostacean]

I see this on threads quite regularly: OP says they do cleaning/laundry etc, next posters say "why do you do [his] laundry?"

Do many households have separate laundry baskets- one per person? Or do people mean they take turns to do communal loads? How many of you only do your own laundry?

I've only ever seen this on MN, although in fairness I've not made a habit of asking friends and acquaintances how they manage the load (excuse the pun) in their households...

AIBU to ask what happens in your homes?

Oh I realised I don't do putting away either! I will put stuff in piles for each person, the DCs get given theirs, DC2 I help put stuff away, DC1 does their own, DH's pile of clean things get left on his side of the bed, if he wants to decide if it needs ironing, that's down to him.

I'm not good at the whole laundry thing really. Those with special pegging out systems make me feel tired...

This just makes me so glad my DH is very public spirited. I never even think about the washing, as he puts it on before bed, and is up first to hang it up to dry, before bringing me my tea in bed... Reading this thread, I think I need to step up a bit!

Although there are times I wish he understood darks and lights a little better!! My husband refuses to believe that you need to sort lights and darks. I'd rather he left it alone but he won't.

No, you have to stick it in the washing machine and press a button. THEN you have to sort out what can and can't be tumble dried, hang up all the non-TD stuff. TD the TD stuff. Then check its dry. Then fold it up and put it away.

Not having a tumble dryer solves all that. It all goes outside on the line or on a heated airer inside. Then what needs ironing is ironed. What doesn't is put away. I'm not keen on the ironing but it doesn't bother me that much.

Ours just all goes in the same basket (DC included) and then either DH or I put a load on when needed as we sort by colour.

Generally I do more of the laundry as I tend to put a load on after school and he's not home until 6ish.

My husband refuses to believe that you need to sort lights and darks

I refuse to believe this too!

Why should that change just because he's married?

But don't things often change when you marry?

As a single person living alone in a house you do everything - you're responsible for paying all the bills, doing all the housework, etc. When you move in together you start to work as a team and share the responsibilities.

So someone may do all of one chore, but someone else does all of another. Or you might just share chores, For example, n our house both of us do the washing, dh does all the ironing for the family, I do all the food shopping, etc. and so on.

Our 'jobs' worked out as they did mainly as was at home more than dh - Im in by 5 most days, dh isn't home til 7pm. So it makes sense for me to do the working week meals as I am home and can get it ready for us all to eat once he's home. Then it makes sense for him to do the dishwasher and tidy the kitchen as he's home and I can be doing my own things.

If there's something one of us knows we need, e.g. work uniform or a favourite top, we make sure we get that in, then add other stuff from basket to make a full load. So we do mostly our own stuff then some of the other person's too. I remember to do it more often but he's better at it, he actually removes my bras and other delicate/shrinkable things whereas I chuck everything in the dryer

One thing though is that DH doesn't think to do towels, bath mats, sheets etc. though so I have to ask. But we often end up changing sheets together at the weekend, and then I wash towels I've used and let him know when his are getting a bit stinky!

We each did our own laundry. No reason it just evolved like that and worked well for us. I did all the bed clothes though, and towels. We each used to ask the other if they had anything needing washing if we had a small load but that was about it.

The washing machine is the only thing in the house no one else touches except me! My choice, I hate spoilt clothes. I am very fussy about sorting, temperature and spin speeds. My issue.

Everything else in the house is on a needs must basis, we both cook, clean etc when required very amicably and kids pitch in too.

I don't do DH's laundry, I do mine, DDs and the household washing (towels, sheets). We had a row ages ago about him not helping round the house, laundry fairy magically doing clothes etc., and he's done his ever since. We just have a basket each and it seems to work ok, apart from his irritating habit of hanging things on the line without pegs.

We share all the chores, if the bins are full I'll grab a load and put it on, DP will do the same if he notices. It works out about half and half. Some weeks DP is better than me and vice versa. It always gets kept on top of.

I do all the washing. Dh works longer hours. Let's face it. Putting something in a washing machine and then either hanging it or switching the machine into drying mode isn't going to kill me.
I can't imagine why, unless someone is fussy about their stuff, would couples do separate washing? But hey, if it works for you all, why not.

DH does all the laundry including kids stuff and my delicates. I just help fold and put away the kids/my clothes. Apparently, I don't do washing "right"? Fine by me :) not done it in 16 years!

Where's the teamwork? I wouldn't dream of doing just my washing if my DH had a pile of his near mine, that clearly needed throwing in the wash. And I know he'd say the same.

I always thought marriage was about pitching in to help eachother out and work as a team. Not just doing your own chores.

aragog funny how 'things changing once you get married' often means women gaining more household chores and men fewer.....

Our current set up sees a pretty equal split of household chores....if one person suddenly took over all the laundry that would no longer be the the case.

Ynbu. It is odd to have separate laundry. It is like having separate benches in the kitchen for dirty dishes. My plate goes here. His bowl goes there. Imagine if you ended up washing a dish someone else in your family had used! Why should you have to do that! They can do their own bloody dishes!

Dh does the laundry

I am allergic to all but the most mild non-bio/anti allergy laundry detergent. My husband finds that the stuff I use doesn’t get his clothes clean enough, especially his shirts. So we have a washing basket each and normally do our own (towels and sheets go in with mine obviously so they don’t cause a reaction in me). We will peg each other’s out, or do a load for each other if needed, but on the whole keeping it separate works for us.

We do everyone’s in together just sorted into colours, fabrics etc. It’s a shared chore - the person who puts it in the machine might be different to the person who hangs it out etc depending on what each other are doing. It’s just a job that needs doing and so gets done.

Clothes that don't tumble dry aren't welcome in our house so we don't have that issue.

Until dh announced he wanted to be exh I did his laundry, I did my kids laundry until they were 18

I don't get this. Of course I do DP's washing and he does mine. We just bung in whatever is in the laundry basket!
We share most chores, it just depends on who is working when and what we've got going on that day. I'd not be happy if he put a wash on just for his clothes if there was room for my bits too!

I don't have a partner now, but when I did washing was sorted by colour, not by person, with the exception of babies under a year old. Their things always went in seperately in a half load.
I can't imagine not doing other family member's washing. I mean, how petty can you get?

@feelingverylazytoday that's how I feel about it