AIBU so tired of washing

[Tircongal]

How do other people manage washing?? Have 4 clothes horses full of wet washing this evening and another 2 washes waiting to go . There are 2 adults and 3 kids in this house. Was ok during summer but weather awful for last few days so no outside drying. I work full time and this may sound odd but it's really getting to me tonight. Can't move for wet washing 😡 any tips how to make it easier.

Get stuff outside as much as possible. Even for a couple of hours, especially if windy.

Get a dehumidifier for inside to stop the damp.

Stop washing so often. Clothes go in when they are visibly dirty or actually smell. Towels once per week and bedding every fortnight is enough.
Bedding is worth trying to get outside too, dries quickly as you can unfold it.

Wash every single day
Even less than half loads

Tumble dry if you have one

It’s not great for the environment, my approach
But it’s good for my mental health! As I’m very house proud

It was incredibly sunny all day in south east today! Where are you? I got two loads dry in a few hours outside

Towels are strictly once a week unless dirty btw

I agree about little and often.
I watch the weather forecast and only do several loads or sheets etc if it is going to be dry.
If my drying racks are full and it is wet outside then I don't wash any more clothes.
I find it harder to dry clothes in wet warm summer months- at least in winter I have hot radiators.

If things get really on top of you OP Then wash everything you need to and take it all down to the laundrette and stuff in the drier.
At least that will take you back to an easy place.

So, I didnt have a washing machine for level 4 lockdown (nz), and I’m the washing queen! So, I discovered the laundromat! My sister did small loads of clothes through the week for us and one day a week I’d drop all the sheets, towels, tea towels etc to the laundromat down the road for a service wash - wash, dried, not folded, 90 minutes, 16 bucks, I LOVED IT!!!!!

We are just going into summer so no worries now, but next winter that’s my plan.

I’d second a pulley airer. They’re brilliant.

Also do a load a day. Wear clothes longer. Wash towels after a few uses.

We had a little rail put in the airing cupboard, adult sized tops get shaken when out of the machine and hung there, on wooden hangers, I rarely iron

We’ve got a Lakeland heated airer, it’s a godsend

We’ve also got one of those multi clip hanger things for DD’s little clothes and uniform, dry things on there, then sling in the drier to finish off

Towels get washed weekly, then dried on heated airer overnight

I only really use the drier (other than for airing) to dry bedding, when it’s too wet to hang outside

Get it out on the line or tumble dryer. I bought a tumble dryer after having DD2. After living in damp, unheated student accommodation and trying ineffectively to dry clothes indoors there was no way I was going to attempt that with four of us.

@Tircongal

I think that is part of the problem silverswirl. Think we are putting stuff in wash too often. Dreading the winter months

That's what I was going to say.

Educate yourselves/ them about how often clothes actually need washing. Obviously they don't have to walk around in dirty clothes but is e.g. a pair of jeans worn for 1-2 days really dirty? Does your bedding really need changing every week, or a new towel for every shower?

Some of my family members complain of a lot of washing but I look at how often they wash stuff and I'm like

Washing costs money and also has an environmental impact.

Teach your kids otherwise they will grow up over-washing everything too.

How old are the kids. Mine now 19, 24 & 26 but as DH and I have always worked full time certain jobs were handed over to DC from early age. (At start of secondary school)

Making packed lunches
Cooking one family meal per week
Own washing.

Youngest started Uni last week and can't believe quite how helpless most of her neighbours are.

You have to teach all the above obviously, but it is a big investment that pays huge dividends.

(If very young then get a tumble drier and put a couple of loads in together to maximise cost/efficiency)

Each time you wash your clothes you are also releasing microplastics into the sea.

It's really important to reduce it and not wash when you don't need to. This is a good chance to educate your family.

This is an interesting article:
www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2015/07/16/environmental-impact-of-the-washing-machine

A heated airer us your friend here OP if you can stretch to it...we have the Lakeland one and it's brilliant.
Washing and putting away clothes is the Bain of my life.

On the micro plastics point, presumably that’s only if the clothes are synthetic? So important to use biodegradable fabrics (cotton, wool etc) but agree also no need to wash unless actually dirty or smelly

I check every day if there's a load that needs doing.

Airing lots of wet laundry inside can lead to dampness issues - you'd be amazed how much water a wet towel holds for instance. We have a condenser dryer so use that, the airer is just for things that can't go in the dryer like woollens.

I second the old fashioned pulley. We have an original one which used to hang in the kitchen and we have moved it to the utility room. They’re very easy to install and once the washing is on it, you just hoist it up and out of the way.

It’s only DH and I, so we don’t have tons of laundry, but we are both very active, so we do accumulate a couple of extra loads of sweaty sports gear each week that I don’t like washing with our regular clothes. I set the machine at night to finish at 6am. If I can, I get it out on the line when I get up, then it’s dry before DH leaves for work at 9am. If not, I put it on the pulley and it’s dry by the next morning (ready for another load if necessary).

Don’t overwash. If dc are small they don’t sweat. If it’s not visibly dirty and doesn’t smell I don’t wash it. They wear school dresses for 3 days if not dirty. I wash my tops after 1-2 wears, trousers 3-5, underwear daily obviously. Towels weekly, bedding for adults weekly, for kids fortnightly.

Get a tumble dryer, or if no space get a heated clothes rack to dry stuff quicker.

We got a condenser tumble dryer, it's amazing. Hadn't made much difference to my electric bill and you just empty the water out of the container once it's full. Definitely recommend one if you have the space.
I still have loads of washing but it's all dried within an hour.

Our clothes dry much much faster on one of these over the stairs than clothes horse - hot air rises!
pulleymaid.com/classic_clothes_airer.htm

Heated drying rail, definitely. Lakeland is usually recommended, but we have Black & Decker version, which is more robust and doesn't wobble as much

Try to keep an eye on weather and get it outside if at all poss.

Use Tumble Dryer for towels and socks etc or they go crusty.

I was wondering about a Lakeland airer as I also end up using radiators in winter and still sometimes don’t have enough space.

I’m not sure if you iron but if you fold the clothes when you take them out the washing machine and kind of flatten them out with you hands as folding. Pile them up and leave for about 20 mins and then put on the clothes horse you shouldn’t need to iron them.
(Doesn’t work for shirts and the like!)

A midwife told my mum to do this rather than ironing everything

Tumble dryer, wouldn’t survive without it.

@Tircongal

I think that is part of the problem silverswirl. Think we are putting stuff in wash too often. Dreading the winter months

Instead of dreading it, why not take action?

How many wears do you get out of clothing / PJs? I don’t wash my clothes after every wear, except underwear.

Any clothes worn to work are hung up afterwards to air and then put back in the wardrobe. If they fail the sniff test then they get washed or they get washed after a few wears regardless.

PJs, again, do not get washed after every wear, only if they feel unclean.
/sweaty.

An extra spin at the end of the cycle, and a dehumidifier.