Washing machine loads - the new MN chicken?

[Singlebutmarried]

Is it just me or are there a lot of

‘5 loads of washing a week, what are you doing, we’re a family of 5 and only make 1 load of washing a week’

Full disclosure

Family of three

At least 8 loads a week. Do these one load a weekers have mahoosive machines?

Can we add on only running the dishwasher once a week?

I put a washload in most days

I can't say I've seen many washing posts.. however, we are also a family of 3 & I probably have a similar amount of loads to you. It soon mounts up between work clothes, school uniform, bedding, towels etc.

Good spot! It feels like this to me

Yabu. I wash my childrens clothes with unicorn tears once a month. Anything more is wasteful.

I think the opposite. Can't believe the amount of washing done!

Nope, but things really dont need to be washed after every wear unless you're doing something particularly mucky or sweat inducing, apart from undies of which we have enough to last the week! We're a family of 4 and do 2 loads a week, one lights, one darks/colours 🤷‍♀️

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Yabu. I wash my childrens clothes with unicorn tears once a month. Anything more is wasteful.

Unicorn tears? That's so exploitative and cruel. How do you live with yourself? You need to give your head a wobble.

DH does not have enough pairs of non-holy boxers to make it through a whole week without putting a wash on. I'd say we have at least one load on a day and I stuff the machine to capacity....then again I'm a huge fan of blankets and dressing gowns so these often need washing as they'll end up covered in food.

We are 4 and I really do 4 or 5 loads a week. Me and my DC wear clothes at least 3 times before they go in the wash (apart from pants). Towels once a week and bedding every 2 weeks. I only wash when there's a full load.

@SpaghettiNotCourgetti fear not, the unicorn is a beloved member of the family and produces the tears when thinking of the environment.

On a serious note... washing machines come in different sizes. Mines 8kg... I've seen a lot smaller and a lit bigger...

Also I think some people forget to count their towel and bedding loads!

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Yabu. I wash my childrens clothes with unicorn tears once a month. Anything more is wasteful.

I hang mine out in the rain

I think so much depends on your individual circumstances. I am a bit when I see people who casually mention that their children can wear the same clothes more than once. My 5 year old very very rarely keeps his clothes clean enough for a second wear and my 2 year old never does.

My washing machine is broken. its been over a month and I am still not bothered.

in conclusion I have too many clothes.

Ha ha! Absolutely OP.

Family of 4 and I do at least 8 full loads a week.

Can't get my head around the competitive non (clothes) washers. Bonus points for saying you only change bedding every 3 months.

I think the opposite. Can't believe the amount of washing done!

Me too. Although I do have a large capacity machine.

It's all the single use towels and sheets everyone on MN has. Just reuse stuff.

Family of three, retired/wfh (mostly)/school aged. Quite a lot of sport. About 2-3 wash loads a week. Would be more if DH and I were working out of the home.

Since COVID I have not done any dry cleaning because I don't wear my work clothes anymore.

@NotAScoobyToBeSeen

Nope, but things really dont need to be washed after every wear unless you're doing something particularly mucky or sweat inducing, apart from undies of which we have enough to last the week! We're a family of 4 and do 2 loads a week, one lights, one darks/colours 🤷‍♀️

What about towels, bedding, tea towels?

Haha yes, I was just commenting on this in another thread because someone said it was normal for someone living alone to do just one or at most two loads a week.

I probably do an average of 3, sometimes 4, and I live alone. This is partly because different items need washing at different temperatures or with like colours - I can't chuck my t-shirts in with tea towels or black jeans with a white jumper.

Depends on your washing machine capacity too. Mine is 8kg but any of the quicker cycles on it actually should only be done as half loads, so I sometimes do that.

My friend was shocked at my number, I explained her twins were 2 so their clothes were tiny compared to washing 4 lots of adult sized clothes when I have sons who grew taller than me when they were 12.

Plus I have school uniform to wash and quite frankly schools are disgusting germ filled places so in primary they got a whole clean set every day. In secondary they wear their jumper twice before it gets washed. My towels and bedding get washed once a week. Dh has gym clothes that he definitely cannot wear twice I also use reusable cloths for everything housekeeping wise so they need washing too.

I average 10 loads a week but it does depend on the size of the washing machine. I wish I had bought a 10kg machine last time I got one. We all wear some clothes more than once, ie joggers, hoodies.

@PureBlackVoid

😂😂😂

😂😬
Family of 6. 4 children aged 7 and under.
9kg machine

I do 3 loads a week. Maybe 4 if I've stripped the beds.

Towels get used more than once, bedding doesn't get stripped very often.
Pj's/lounge wear gets worn more than once.
School uniform gets at least three wears before it goes for a wash.
We are obviously a very tinky family 😂

My SiL, her 3 year old and her partner and they do 8 loads a week but my SiL will never let her wear anything dirty so the second it's got a mark on it, she's changing her and bunged a wash on.

Why do you need to do 3 loads of washing per person? What are you all doing to generate enough for 8 loads of washing every week?

I usually don’t comment on those threads. We do at least 2 loads per day, often more. I commented once and was made to feel like I alone was responsible for global warming. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We've got a 9kg drum and there's only 3 of us, 2 adults and a 7yo so we get away with 4 loads a week. 2 of clothes, 1 towels, 1 bedding.