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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if this job actually exists?

39 replies

ChristmasIvy · 26/04/2021 21:18

Lighthearted but I’m looking for a genuine answer...
I’ve been inspired by the thread “what is the bane of your life?”. Mine is laundry - doing it, hanging it out, ironing, and putting away.
Is it actually possible to hire someone to do this for you? Serious question. How would you find someone/ what would the job title be? I feel like a full time housekeeper would do this, but how about just paying someone to come twice a week for a few hours to break the back of it? Does this exist? I wouldn’t want a full time housekeeper and we already have a cleaner who doesn’t help with laundry (I wouldn’t want to let the current cleaner go).

OP posts:
Blankspace101 · 26/04/2021 21:19

What?

Dee1975 · 26/04/2021 21:20

You might be able to find someone on your local FB who will collect your washing and bring it back clean and ironed. You will still have to put it away though ...!

HollowTalk · 26/04/2021 21:20

Could you pay the cleaner for more hours so she covers the laundry, too?

HollowTalk · 26/04/2021 21:22

Loads of places offer a washing and ironing service, OP.

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/04/2021 21:22

Sent it out then pay your existing cleaner to put it away?

HollowTalk · 26/04/2021 21:23

Have you googled it? There are tons in my area.

Original poster
ChristmasIvy · 26/04/2021 21:24

@HollowTalk the cleaner specifically doesn’t want to do it due to having no capacity. Oh ok yes I’d forgotten about those services... I think I was dreaming that there might be cleaners who take on jobs like this in your own home (yes I really am this lazy, but the difference it would make would be amazing!)

OP posts:
recklessgran · 26/04/2021 21:26

Ha! Ha! You require a laundress OP. I believe that is the correct job title but I'm mystified about why you can't feed your own washing machine.

Original poster
ChristmasIvy · 26/04/2021 21:28

@recklessgran sheer laziness!! Just trying to make life better in simple ways as we are both so busy... we can afford it and DH says to go for it. Just didn’t know whether I would actually be able to find someone!

OP posts:
recklessgran · 26/04/2021 21:31

I'd love that job - where d'ya live OP - I'll be round. I LOVE LAUNDRY!

chloeb8 · 26/04/2021 21:32

We send our ironing out to a lovely lady during very busy times, it’s a godsend to be able to do this.
Not sure it takes much effort to actually wash the stuff though?

MolotovMocktail · 26/04/2021 22:25

My cleaner comes twice a week and does the laundry, but it was specified in the job description when we hired her.

tuttifuckinfruity · 26/04/2021 22:30

I get it, OP. I actually don't mind washing hanging it out to dry....but I hate putting it away.

People will do most things for the right price. Put an ad out for a laundress? Or just a housekeeper for a set number of hours? I'd love a really efficient housekeeper. I bet they would achieve so much in so little time compared to my woeful attempts at cleaning / tidying / organisation.

pangolina · 26/04/2021 22:37

I would do this job! I love laundry

SonicStars · 26/04/2021 22:46

Many launderettes will do the cleaning ironing and folding for you if you drop the bag of washing off. You'd still have to put it back in the drawers though unless you have some young children you can train for that bit.

Or you could use taskrabbit or the good old card in a shop window technique.

SciFiScream · 26/04/2021 22:58

Advertise for another cleaner but one that will do laundry and then hire that person for that task only. Keep your other cleaner for cleaning.

Oinkypig · 26/04/2021 23:32

I had a fabulous person who cleaned, did laundry,
ironed, put away and changed sheets (my house did have to be tidy), then I moved countries and I’m still trying to find a cleaner. So no help but it’s definitely worth it if you can find the right person!

feliciabirthgiver · 26/04/2021 23:37

I totally understand your pain and I have to confess I take my laundry to our local laundrette for a service wash. They sort it, wash it, dry it and fold it so that almost nothing ever needs ironing. I dump it there in one large bag (which I bought especially for my laundry) and it's ready for me a few days later, perfectly folded into piles for each member of the family so super easy to put away.

It's £11 for a medium bag and £15 for a large bag - it has revolutionised my life!

PickAChew · 26/04/2021 23:48

I'd need a full time butler to do mine.

81Byerley · 27/04/2021 00:10

I was a cleaner. I'd gladly have taken on a job like this!

notangelinajolie · 27/04/2021 00:14

Laundry I don't mind.
But hoovering I hate. It's a good job DD3 thinks our cordless Dyson is the best thing since sliced bread 😁

BluePeterVag · 27/04/2021 00:23

I’d like to set up a job swap but it would really have to work on mutual trust not to take the piss, or have limits.
Eg I love to batch bake meals. I would exchange a weeks worth of prepped meals for a family of 4 (subject to someone buying the food) in exchange for someone to do all my laundry and put it away. Quite how it work out to be a fair exchange I don’t know, but could be onto something.
I’d do all the admin on finding best deals for shopping, utilities and insurances for someone to come and dig my borders over (not a euphemism) Grin

BoomBoomsCousin · 27/04/2021 00:42

It's a reasonably common additional chore that cleaners take on (especially the ironing and folding). You could just look for a cleaner who does have the capacity to do laundry too and replace your current one.

I think you need to be a bit mindful if you go that route (adding it to a cleaner's tasks), though. Laundry can be tricky - knowing which items have to be treated differently is fine when you just do one household, but for someone working in many households remembering that the period pants need line drying but the rest can go in the tumble drier and that the whites are done in x way in one house but y way in another etc. is not so feasible. And the stuff you might remember for your own washing (the blue top that's sitting on top of the washer needs pretreating because it's stained, but the green top just got tossed there because it was found under the sofa last night, etc.) would need to be more formally handled if you are handing over to someone else. So it's can be a task that requires a bit of personalisation to the household if you're even moderately fussy about the care of your clothes and it may take someone you hire longer to do than it takes you to do yourself (which, in my experience, is quite a contrast to cleaning!). You might be better off just outsourcing the bulk of it to a laundry service and handling the "special cases" yourself*.

(*Note any reference to "you" can apply to your whole family, it might even be enough to just get everyone doing a fair share to make it seem less daunting).

There's also , though I think it's just a prototype at the moment.

WorraLiberty · 27/04/2021 00:46

You're looking for a genuine answer as to whether laundry services exist?

Errrm yes they do

chloeb8 · 27/04/2021 09:30

I think I would feel really weird about a stranger handling my dirty underwear in all honesty 😬🤣

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