Page 4 | Drowning in laundry

BusyLizzie61 · 07/04/2021 18:23

@tuliplily

How do people keep on top of their laundry? 2 adults, toddler and baby and I feel like I'm drowning in washing and putting away. Don't even iron! Anyone got any tips?

Before children, I was the same, now I am rarely snowed under, unless returning from a long holiday.

I have learned to have a semi routine. So I do towels and whites twice a week, 3or 4 days apart. Lights and bedding is done Monday or Tuesday. Darks Friday. Ironing Sunday evening in front of the TV with whatever evening drama is on.
Sounds regimental, but it means that it never gets overwhelming.

lazyarse123 · 07/04/2021 18:45

@Wingingitsince2018

Does your machine have a delay start function? I put a load in each night on a delayed start so it is done early morning. It isn't on overnight, but when I am up getting myself and DC ready and waiting for the caffeine to kick in. Usually finished just after breakfast, throw it in the tumble dryer and head out to work. If I have extra time/lots of laundry, I throw another load in on a delay to finish just after I get home. My machine only nags me that it is finished for about an hour and if it doesn't nag I forget about it.

Please don't leave dryer on when you are out. My friend used to do it - and it caught fire luckily it was in the conservatory so didn't damage the house as a neighbour spotted it. Fire brigade told us that dryers and washers that don't switch off are a major cause of house fires.

Original poster

tuliplily · 07/04/2021 20:18

Wow thanks so much for all of the help. I've been reading through the ideas and they're all helpful.

A few people have asked what my routine is and why it's overwhelming.

One load per day and then I use the tumble dryer, Pulley Maid/Dutch Airer and sometimes the radiators if needed. Sometimes hang the clothes outside but don't have a line so it's a bit of a faff getting the clothes horse outside etc.

It's the taking down and sorting which I find overwhelming as there's just so much to do.

My DH is a teacher so since Covid, we've been washing his clothes daily to reduce risk of infection.

I think I might try to different baskets for each person but that might not work with DH's work clothes but worth a try.

Those of you who have dehumidifiers, do you have these in addition to Pulley Maid, tumble dryer etc or not?

Thanks again!

OP posts:

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 07/04/2021 20:28

No one's catching covid from clothes so you can safely cut out that washing imo

DappledThings · 07/04/2021 20:38

Why do you have so much going on the airer and radiators if you have a tumble dryer? I put pretty much everything in ours other than a few jumpers.

I do hang outside in the summer and not use the the dryer at all but since getting the dryer last year I've not had the airer out once.

Original poster

tuliplily · 07/04/2021 20:41

@DappledThings I am convinced that my dryer shrinks mine and DH's clothes. It's a reasonably expensive one too so can't replace it but I don't feel comfortable putting grown up's clothes in it.

OP posts:

Ilovechocolatetoomuch · 07/04/2021 20:47

Get a washing line if you can, I can get three loads on mine.
I tend to do a huge washing day on a fri/sat then hopefully all dry by Sunday even better Saturday if it dries on the line.
I tumble dry towels and bedding.
I then dump it all on the spare bed with three baskets and sort everybody washing into their own basket and put it away. Sometimes it dosn’t all get out away straight away but at least it’s all in the basket ready.

Nancylovesthecock · 07/04/2021 20:54

10kg washer and dryer. It has been life changing and now I do 4/5 washes a week instead of 14 (two 6kg a day)

Nancylovesthecock · 07/04/2021 20:55

[quote tuliplily]@DappledThings I am convinced that my dryer shrinks mine and DH's clothes. It's a reasonably expensive one too so can't replace it but I don't feel comfortable putting grown up's clothes in it. [/quote]
Make sure your using the right heat settings. It's not one size fits all.

UserTwice · 07/04/2021 21:24

It's the taking down and sorting which I find overwhelming as there's just so much to do.

When things are dry take down and fold into 4 piles in basket (one per person) or straight onto hangers for hanging things. I actually hang stuff on the drier with a person's stuff together as much as possible to make this bit quicker. Put the toddlers' stuff away when you are in their room for some other reason. As soon as the DC are old enough to do this bit themselves, make them do it.

Hedgesgalore · 07/04/2021 21:35

@MirandaMarple

A friend has a laundry basket for each person in the house. She washes each persons laundry bag contents one at a time which means you are drying/folding/putting away just one persons washing each time. She pools the whites as they don't have many.

This is what I do.

When the load is finished I sort out the smalls and socks which I tumble. Then the rest is pegged out.

As well as whites, I pool towels for a load (we all have our own towels) and bedding for another load(s). Dh's work shirts go in a separate wash. These loads are done weekly.

Op, found with my pulley dryer its best to put everything on hangers, saves on ironing. If it can't go on a hanger like trousers, jeans then they go on my airer in front of the aga.

Haven't got a dehumidifier, most of my washing is pegged out on the line unless its raining. My pulley is above a big radiator so overnight things dry quick. We have 12ft high ceiling in the utility room.

I don't tumble clothes either just smalls, socks, towels and bedding.

Washer goes on the delay setting so its ready to peg out in the morning. Also got the biggest rotary line I could find.

Chicchicchicchiclana · 07/04/2021 21:38

We are a family of 4. We have a 8kg machine. We wash about 6/7/8/9 loads a week depending on the weather.

In the summer I do extra stuff like mattress protectors and winter coats because I know I can get them dry quickly.

But none of us change our jeans, jumpers, hoodies, towels daily. Pillow cases are changed weekly, sheets and duvet covers fortnightly. We don't create unneccessary laundry.

justasking111 · 07/04/2021 21:41

My friend takes bedding and towels to a launderette that washes dries and folds. You do need spares but she says it's worth it

MissMooMoo · 07/04/2021 21:43

Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 dc (3 and 1) I wash the children's laundry all together 1x a week. Cloth nappies get washed 2x a week.
I do adult laundry 2x a week
Sheets and towels 1x a week.

I have a 10kg machine which helps massively. Our tumble dryer broke about 2 months ago but currently just hanging it all outside anyways and it hasn't seemed to be an issue.

Once laundry is dry I sort it all and fold in the bedrooms so it's easy to put away immediately. I find seperating adult /children's laundry helps me with this because I know that everything I'm folding in the "adult" basket goes away in that room. Kids rooms are beside each other so its quick to take a pile from one room to another. Sounds silly but doing it this way has massively helped me get it all washed and put away within 1 day.

AlwaysLatte · 07/04/2021 21:49

Get a laundry organiser trolley! Every morning I empty everyone's laundry bags into it, then whichever is the fullest gets washed. Two loads a day finished and hung up on the line or in the laundry room or tumble dried of towels/bedding. While the first load's on I put away the dry clothes from the day before (fold straight from airer) and all the laundry stuff is done and out of sight by 10am. Game changer! Only things that need ironing are school uniform/smart shorts/trousers which makes up one basket a week which my husband does on Sundays - so 5x sets of uniform ready for the week. I used to be SO haphazard with the laundry and now it hardly takes any time at all.

Soontobe60 · 07/04/2021 22:04

@aintnocoffeebigenough

How do people get their stuff to dry faster when it’s hanging? We have no radiators, no outdoor space to dry outside and no room for a tumble drier. Our washing gets so backed up and the pile is always huge because things take 2+ days to dry on our airer, and I can’t do another load until the stuff on the airer is off and folded because there’s nowhere else to hang stuff! Where am I going wrong?!

Get a heated clothes airer. It’ll be a game changer!

Mistressinthetulips · 07/04/2021 22:07

Since I got a new washing machine which takes 2.5 hours for its standard synthetic wash, laundry is taking me even longer! Can't run through multiple loads on a day off now.

RaiseTheBeastie · 07/04/2021 22:10

I wash by type.

So I do a full wash of 'kids tops', 'adult tops', 'trousers/shorts', 'underwea', 'towels' etc.

I never mix them, NEVER. My main hate with laundry is pulling out a load then having to untangle tops from socks from shorts and have the faff of hanging them in different places depending on what they are. Bleughh.

Only doing a load of kids tops which go straight on hangers and over curtain rails or a load of trousers which go over airers makes it easier and hence less likely I'll put it off!

Mummywantsaweewee · 07/04/2021 22:10

Three load types here - lights/darks both on a 30/40 degree hour wash cycle , and hygiene on a 60 degree hour wash cycle with dettol additive. Hang up to dry either inside (DH built a rack above the boiler) or outside. Stick a load on first thing in the morning and get it hung up as soon as finished.
Fold and put away yesterday’s washing at some point in the day (it dries within 24hrs) Don’t iron. If something needs ironing we either do it as needed or... DH likes to stick his shirts in tumbler for 2 mins and stick them straight on before work.
We never have laundry piling up due to this system

Mummywantsaweewee · 07/04/2021 22:26

Oh sorry should add we are two adults one toddler at the moment. Also have you tried colour catchers! They do a fab job stopping colour bleeds in the wash so less separation needed!
Everyone has their own towel and we use them a few times over (stick over radiator between uses) undies and vests and socks straight in laundry but tops and bottoms get two or three days use (unless actually dirty like mud or food etc).

PattyPan · 07/04/2021 22:30

Use things for longer between washes. Your DH is not going to catch coronavirus from his clothes.

We don’t have a tumble dryer but when I hang things on the airer I try to group them to make them easier to put away eg making sure that socks are hung in pairs.

DappledThings · 07/04/2021 22:30

3 days of clothes for 4 people made up one load which went in this evening. Now all in dryer bar 3 things on radiators. Socks, underwear etc will be sorted first thing tomorrow and make it back into drawers right away. Rest will be ironed in front of tv tomorrow evening and put away first thing next morning. Nothing else needs doing till Sunday, maybe Saturday.

Never understood faffing with separating stuff and making up extra loads etc.

rabbitheadlights · 07/04/2021 22:39

Not RTFT but thee are 9 of us in this house 2 adults and 7DC I do at least 3 loads a day darks/lights/whites first thing in the morning, flick on the kettle and load the washer by the time breakfast is over first load is done, into dryer then next load on, dishes and tidy then up to make beds etc, hoover around and any other jobs.

Sort lunch empty dryer, move load from washer to dryer and put 3rd load in ... Eat lunch, clear up hang dry load and put away, the second load will be hung and put away just before I start dinner and the 3rd load once the kids are all in bed.

CandyLeBonBon · 08/04/2021 01:17

@rabbitheadlights

Not RTFT but thee are 9 of us in this house 2 adults and 7DC I do at least 3 loads a day darks/lights/whites first thing in the morning, flick on the kettle and load the washer by the time breakfast is over first load is done, into dryer then next load on, dishes and tidy then up to make beds etc, hoover around and any other jobs.

Sort lunch empty dryer, move load from washer to dryer and put 3rd load in ... Eat lunch, clear up hang dry load and put away, the second load will be hung and put away just before I start dinner and the 3rd load once the kids are all in bed.

I need to lie down in a dark room after reading that.

That existence sounds grim 😢

Laureline · 08/04/2021 07:15

Don’t wash clothes at night. I used to do this until last year my washing machine caught on fire. The only reason catastrophe was avoided was because I came back to the kitchen because my child who was in bed was thirsty and wanted a glass of water, and I smelled the scent of burning wires.