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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Washing machine loads - the new MN chicken?

416 replies

Singlebutmarried · 22/02/2022 14:39

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?

OP posts:
LuckyAmy1986 · 22/02/2022 17:46

@chicagononsense why does your bedding take 3 loads? Is it a small machine?

thewhatsit · 22/02/2022 17:47

@AlwaysLatte

Do you wash bedding every single week? That's normal though! Especially in the summer. In addition to the daily clothes we all wear (not many get re used because we have a labrador who we go on daily muddy walks with) we have: Bedding for 5 beds = 3 loads Towels for four of us = 2 loads Tea towels/oven gloves/kitchen hand towels/aprons/shower scrunches = 1 load Floor mop heads + cleaning cloths = 1 load Dog bedding = 1 load School uniform whites = 1 load School uniform blacks = 1 load Dining tablecloths and napkins = 1 load on special occasion (otherwise oilcloth wipe clean) Dressing gowns = 1 load (get washed fortnightly) Trainers = 1 load on average Outerwear - coats etc occasional load PE kits = 1 load Swimming gear if we go = 1 load It's not excessive but it adds up. I think people are just forgetting what they're putting in!
I’m confused about all this 1 load counts. Why wouldn’t swimming gear, PE kit, uniform etc for in a load together? Surely PE kit, even if you have like 4 children, doesn’t take up the whole space in a washing machine? Are you washing dressing gowns in a dressing gown only wash? I would just shove a dressing gown in with all normal clothes if it was dirty.

I don’t separate out my washing at all. If something needs washing it goes in the washing basket and when there is enough to fill a load, I put it on. Works out as every other day for a family of 4 roughly.

LookMoreCloselier · 22/02/2022 17:47

Family of 4 and 2 or 3 loads per week. Full loads but not jammed in. Big machine. I know a lot of people have their washer on every day but it's not full. I couldn't be arsed with that.

AlwaysLatte · 22/02/2022 17:48

can the swimwear not go in with other stuff? The PE kits in with the other uniform? Why do they need their own loads? I'm so confused!
Because 10 pairs of black school trousers fill a load and the 10 white shirts plus a couple of my husband's white shirts also fill a load! And when we go swimming at the pool or in the river we usually have 4 towels, four lots of swimming gear and whatever we sit on on the grass, so that's also a full load. The PE kit can go in with other things but if you add it to gym stuff it takes a load on its own too. I think people on here have tardis's for machines!

Gazelda · 22/02/2022 17:48

I'm currently in the laundrette watching mine go around
Washer dryer broken at home.
At £7 a go, I can't afford to do more than a couple of loads this week!

Ladywinesalot · 22/02/2022 17:50

Yeah, I prob average 2 loads a day…
9 kg machine
family of 6
Towels twice a week.
Bedding once a week
Rest is school uniform, sports wear and normal clothes
No idea how ppl manage on 2-4 loads a week!!

Springandsummerarecoming · 22/02/2022 17:50

@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 🤷‍♀️
We do three as we do a bedding and towels load too, but, yeah, 4 of us too. Can’t believe how much some people do.
Bootothegoose · 22/02/2022 17:51

God yes. It’s the tribe that were on the i clothe my kids for £10 a decade the other week.

We always wash on Friday and Saturday, iron and put away on Sunday. We do at least six loads. Usually three darks, two whites plus a uniform wash. On top of that we do special washes during the week. Towels/washcloths/reusable baby wipes on bathroom day.
Our bedding and the children’s bedding once a week, more if they’ve had an accident and sometimes that takes a couple of loads each. Especially with our bedding. Kitchen rags/tea towels/aprons/dressing gowns/coats/shoes/cushions/sofa covers/cat blankets/bed throws/curtains etc. There’s always something finicky that needs washing. We must use our washer at least 10+ times a week.

I paid extra for the extra eco setting. I’m going to bloody use it!

AlwaysLatte · 22/02/2022 17:52

why does your bedding take 3 loads? Is it a small machine
Ours takes 3 too - 3 kingsize sheets and two single sheets, 3 kingsize duvet covers , one double and one single (the kids have the thick teddy ones and one of those is a double) then all the pillowcases, including booster cushions for the big beds so it's quite a squeeze to get it into 3 actually. Sometimes wash the mattress protectors as well, obviously.

ddshocker · 22/02/2022 17:52

@AlwaysLatte you need a bigger machine!!

pawpaws2022 · 22/02/2022 17:52

I probably do 2 loads (live alone) and I wash stuff together
Works out as one load of clothing then a load for bedding/towels. But I use towels for a week (change kitchen ones more often) and change bedding weekly too

chicagononsense · 22/02/2022 17:52

[quote LuckyAmy1986]@chicagononsense why does your bedding take 3 loads? Is it a small machine?[/quote]
It’s a 8kg machine. The duvet cover for the superking on our bed is too big and heavy so it needs a wash by itself or with other whites that need done. Then the second wash is the pillow cases, flat sheet and fitted sheet. We have a flat sheet so I don’t have to do the duvet cover every week, particularly in winter.

apprenticewage · 22/02/2022 17:53

10kg machine and I can do one wash for both my dc bedding and another sheet if needed!

chicagononsense · 22/02/2022 17:53

Oh and DS has a king size bed so that’s the third load.

Bootothegoose · 22/02/2022 17:54

@Flowersandbread

Family of 4 here and easily 8 loads a week. We're farmers and gym go'ers which doesn't help. My 3yo in particular is a scruff
He’d get on grand at our house! We’re all scruffs, chuck it in the machine and move on!
ToMockAKillingBird · 22/02/2022 17:55

Family of 3, 4 when DD home from Uni.

Bedding changed weekly. Towels used twice maximum.
Undies, Bras and socks changed daily.
DS has clean school uniform each day.
Pyjamas I change daily due to peri but everyone else wears twice.
Dog bedding and blankets changed at least twice a week.

We have a 10kg machine and it's on daily, so probably around 7 or 8 loads each week.

I'm amazed that families can get by with 2 or 3 washes in a week. How?!

mrsbyers · 22/02/2022 17:55

I haven’t seen anyone claim to do one load a week but people have quite rightly commented that doing 10 loads and complaining about water / electricity costs is silly

Bootothegoose · 22/02/2022 17:57

@OrganisedChaos22

Oh and dh uniform absolutely cannot be washed with anything due to his job. So that's 2 a week in winter, 3 in summer.
Same in our house actually I’d forgotten his uniform! It even goes on 90. I don’t want other people’s blood, shit and piss mixing with the rest of our clothes.

As an aside to everyone on the thread if anyone is in a public service/emergency services job that requires uniform you can claim it back on tax relief. Apply on HMRC. DH’s allowance keeps us on Smol pods for the year.

TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 22/02/2022 17:57

@SliceOfCakeCupOfTea

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.
You need a bib and another pack of boxers for your DH. Don't understand how an adult male doesn't have enough underwear to last a week. What do you do on a 2 week holiday?
LuckyAmy1986 · 22/02/2022 17:58

@ToMockAKillingBird well for starters the kids get 2 days out of their uniform unless they spill on it. I don't wash my bras daily. I use a towel (to dry my CLEAN body) three times probably. little differences add up

LuckyAmy1986 · 22/02/2022 17:59

@ToMockAKillingBird don't have dogs either

Gowithme · 22/02/2022 18:00

I hardly ever wash anything unless it's actually dirty or smells and even then I sometimes don't bother. No idea how many loads I do though as sometimes I don't do one for ages and then I'll do loads of them over a few days.

BortLicencePlate · 22/02/2022 18:02

Family of 4 (DH, me, DS7 and DD4). One load a day, DC bedding done Saturdays and our bedding done Sundays so 2 loads on each weekend day. Might also wash DC coats once a week if they’re muddy.

bellac11 · 22/02/2022 18:03

I think Ive worked it out, these are the same people that rather than wash their clothes/bedding, they are 'freshening up' with that bloody Febreeze

Bootothegoose · 22/02/2022 18:04

[quote LuckyAmy1986]@ToMockAKillingBird well for starters the kids get 2 days out of their uniform unless they spill on it. I don't wash my bras daily. I use a towel (to dry my CLEAN body) three times probably. little differences add up[/quote]
But for a family of four that’s still 8 towels a week. At least load, maybe even three. Flannels, hand towels etc.

Three sets of uniform a week per child. So at least six sets of uniform. One load at least. Realistically two.

There’s four loads there already. Plus the rest of the clothes. Underwear alone for a family of four would be 28 pairs of pants/boxers, 28 pairs of socks, at least 2 bras surely not to mention daughters’s bras if they’re in them or vests etc. Pyjamas, must be at least two pairs each 8 pairs. At least another load or two!