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.

This was my philosophy with 5 of us. Washing machine on only on Saturday or Sunday depending on plans. Light wash, dark wash, delicate wash and either towel wash or bedding wash. Tumble towels and bedding and hang out/tumble full load from the other washes. All done in one day, hung out stuff put away the following day. Sponging is your friend! Uniform with food on - sponge or baby wipe clean. Wear jeans, skirts, tops multiple times. If you have a sweaty family then buy extra cheap shirts and T-shirts to get through the week. The thought of having to wash all week is so depressing and the obsession with not having any dirty laundry so need to wash every few items is insane.

If you’re going to get a dehumidifier, I’d recommend a compressor type rather than a dessicant type. We have one of each and find the dessicant one to be pretty well useless for drying clothes inside. The compressor one works really quickly and doesn’t use much power (about 1 kWh for a full load of towels and we have a large capacity machine so that’s a lot of towels).

I also second doing an extra spin in the machine (If I can be bothered, I take out half the load and spin again, then swap and spin the second half). I used to have a spin dryer and they do get things drier than a washing machine but it’s even more work and another bit of kit to buy.

And wash less frequently! Your clothes will last longer too.

I have a sort of pergola, but with a corrugated plastic roof in the garden, in summer it is used for sitting out, barbequeing in bad weather etc, in winter the washing line spinner, is moved under it, so I can hang out the washing even if there is a risk of rain. I sometimes have to finish off drying indoors, but it is suprising how much it dries.

I don't wash hardly anything after 1 wear unless it's actually dirty apart from pants and socks. I wash towels once a week, we each have our own and the bedding once a week, kids bedding I do stretch for a little longer. I have a tumble dryer for the winter months for bedding and towels and if I have anything more than what fits on 1 airer.

@manywildhorses

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.

Are you me?!

Get everyone doing their own laundry.
Colour catchers are useful for mixed loads.
It's not so much the washing as the sorting, pegging out, folding, ironing, putting away that takes the time.
They will soon decide what their priorities are!
I have one that folds everything Marie Kondo's style, another that lives out of their clean laundry basket, and DH irons all his stuff.

Are you wearing things once then washing ?

Second spin really helps, go through laundry and take out things don’t look dirty or smell bad. Especially things like jumpers or jeans that take ages to dry. Better really to gather clothes soon as taken off so can rehang them before look really creased, quick spray of fabreeze and good as new for another wear.

All those kids are plenty old enough to be doing their own laundry. Do they know any other basic life skills?

Any chance you can take wet washing to launderette and shove all in one dryer? Take a book.

Have a look at laundry services that collect and deliver. I paid £20 for a large black bin bag wash and dry. Gave me a chance to catch up.

Get a decent dehumidifier. I shove all my clothes in a room with it on and shut the door. It's also lovely and toasty and smells nice when you go in. I try and get at least load processed every day. DD is 13 so does a lot of hanging and sorting and DH and I put away. We also have a drier but I only use it for emergencies or to finish off towels for 10 mins to make them soft (came with the house!)

I felt like this but then moved somewhere that fit a dryer and it was life changing! Sounds dramatic but my house is so much less cluttered and it’s so much faster.
Bought an LG heat pump drier. Uses hardly any electricity and can have a load washed, dried and in the cupboard in 2-3hours.

And heat pump doesn’t have to be plumbed so it’s more flexible about where you can put it - plug in and go

Buy a dehumidifier and place it near your airing racks. Stuff dries in no time.

The DrySoon from Lakeland is a lifesaver. I hate tumble drying as I never find it comes out smelling fresh. The DrySoon is great for my daughters clothes , she's only 2.5 so her clothes are still quite tiny but I find I can get two washing loads worth on there and it's normally dry within 24 hours. I think you can buy a cover to help the drying along too.

@cliffdonville

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.

We have a condenser dryer but DH plumbed it in so it drains itself. One of the best decisions cos you don't open the door to a half wet load cos the drawer filled up really quickly (happened with a large load of towels a couple of times).

She has a tumble dryer but she doesn't want to use it.

I use a tumble dryer for all underwear, casuals sports clothes,pyjamas, towels, sheets, t towels etc. The airer is for everything else . I do a load most days and this work well for ages, particularly as DS's uniform always fried really quickly on hangers

However I am having problems now that Ds is a sweaty teenager who wears thick hoodies every day . They take an age to dry and as he refuses to wear t-shirts under them or to wear deodorant ( DS has ASD and ADHD) they smell after one wear. He does shower every day and put on a new top ( I finally won that battle) but he now needs at least 5-6 really big thick hoodies to make sure there is always one clean for him to put on as they take about 3-4 days to dry at the moment. I can't use the tumble dryer as they shrink a bit and DS stops wearing them . He will only wear massive ones like.xxxl (sigh!)

Sorry op that was a bit of a detour but I am also having an ' I hate washing moment'

Tumble dryer heated airer, maidens and line dry when you can. I don't get how people just re wear stuff without washing. Things like jeans are OK, but I wouldn't rewear a top or put my kids in uniform that wasn't clean.

Tumble drier for me Im afraid! Will put outside if possible .However in this climate I think its essential .Damp washing is not good for MH or indeed coughing also .

@furbabymama87

Tumble dryer heated airer, maidens and line dry when you can. I don't get how people just re wear stuff without washing. Things like jeans are OK, but I wouldn't rewear a top or put my kids in uniform that wasn't clean.

My kids get 2 days out of jumpers and trousers. They go to school clean ffs

oh dear! The only item I wash with any regularity is underwear. Other clothes might only get the initial wear, then they get shaken and hung in the fresh air ( maybe with a squirt of Febreze) then put back in the wardrobe. Washing clothes frequently will wear them out more quickly as fibres get washed out and into the waste water thence into the oceans (microplastics). Not to mention the polluting effects of detergents, conditioners and the profligate use of water!!

oh! for regularity read frequency!