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?

@nordica

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.

I get the back jeans/white jumper, but why can’t you put your tea towels in with your T-shirt’s?

@elisenbrunnen

I read that thread where the OP was doing 10 loads a week - for 2 adults. Even with bedding and'or towels (once a week? ) x possibly 2, that's still 8-9 loads of clothing, or 4-ish per person.

Even washing every single item i wear, every day, I don't think I'd get to 4 loads of my clothing perweek

I think you can call it OCD or just too much free time. I know person like this. Lives by herself, uses the amount of laundry detergents that could last a family with messy toddlers.

@Laiste

My machine has a 10,000kg capacity drum and i only do one load a year.

At 10 degrees.

With just a tiny ball of plastic included in the wash which washes the clothes by sheer determination.

I line dry the whole lot even in the snow.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

I don't understand why people are doing all these separate loads for separate types of things. Obviously you split darks and lights but towels, bed linen and clothes don't need to be separated.

With a standard 7 or 8kg machine you should be able to get more than just one set of bedding in a load.

Mattress protectors, pillow protectors, throws, scatter cushions and vallances don't need washing everytime.

I agree. It's only separated into lights and darks here, and everything is washed at 30 on the non iron setting!

About to put on my 3rd load, today. 4 adult sized people, 2 with disabilities. One ends up wearing his dinner on a daily basis and the other is incontinent. So far, a load of Ds2 's disgusting clothes and bedding which always goes on a kitten killing cycle with a pre-wash, a load of ordinary bedding plus lights and whites and I'm about to do a towel wash. The baskets are almost always full and the dryer is on the go almost as constantly as the washer.

Can't say I've ever thought about this too much, but I can't see how a family of five could do only one load a week without an industrial sized washer!

We're also a family of three and we generate 5-6 loads of washing a week. We have an average-sized washing machine. I'd have thought this was normal?

Where do you dry it all!?
You must tumble driers or many airers and space to put it all.

2 adults, 2 dogs. One dog is a rescue learning to go in garden so lots of accident clearing with torn up towels. Hot wash and disinfectant. I have given up kitchen roll and use a stack of small absorbent dishcloths. I have two sets of bedding so although I don't change unless it's needed (every two weeks I guess) I do need to get it washed as there is no third set. My dogs gave free run and I have a blanket filled house. 5 loads a week. Horses for courses.

We are a family of 6 (with one v cementy builder and one muddy 7 year old with 2 hobbies which need kit).

I do at least one or two loads every day.

If i'm washing the throws from the sofas or it's a bedding day it can be 3/4 loads that day.

The majority of it is on cool quick washes but i like to do towels and bedding on 60+.

I think some people must overload their machine. 😅

Was thinking this earlier! We are in the middle of building work, so I'm trying to keep up while not doing too much. Still doing at least 5 loads a week, and that's with not changing all the beds weekly. Like PP it's a washer dryer and best when not over full. 5 of us. Tiny toddler clothes but they get disgusting on the daily.

1 quick whites wash for school
1 / 2 load of food covered toddler / tween clothes
1 / 2 loads DH and I. Jeans washed every 3 / 4 washes but tops, underwear and all his clothes daily
1 bedding
1 towels, bath mat and dressing gowns

I'd love to do less. I hate laundry. Hate it. Having a purpose built large cupboard so I can hang and dry and SHUT THE DOOR on it, but it still needs doing.

11kg drum.

Family of 5 one load a week. Normal machine!

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

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

😂😂😂😂😂

1 load of my stuff weekly.
1 load of adult DC stuff weekly
Towels once ever two weeks
Bedding once every 2 weeks

Ish.

4 double beds and towels.
I dark wash and one light wash each a week.
I would say 12 loads a week.
DH and me, adult dd and mil (98) who has clean clothes every day as it saves me telling her she has dropped food etc. ( she has always been a proud and immaculate lady.)
We are lucky in that she happily wears pull-ups so we don’t have wet beds to deal with.

Where do you dry it all!?
You must tumble driers or many airers and space to put it all.

We tumble dry lots, towels, bedding, dog blankets, some clothing and the rest dries in utility/laundry room.

@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 your bedding and towels?, you can’t possibly manage bedding, clothes and towels for 4 people in 2 loads per week, unless of course you don’t wash them regularly.

These threads always make me think what a nightmare it sounds to have a large family/dogs. When people start asking when we'll have a second child I'll tell them we're stopping at one so as not to spend my entire life doing laundry!

The laundry threads I'm not looking forward to in a couple of months are
"If I hang my washing out overnight will it get darked on?"
"Spider willies tee hee hee"

@Laiste

My machine has a 10,000kg capacity drum and i only do one load a year.

At 10 degrees.

With just a tiny ball of plastic included in the wash which washes the clothes by sheer determination.

I line dry the whole lot even in the snow.

Take a bow 😂😂

Family of 11, pets (large dogs) to add to the mix, use only reusable cloths for the kitchen, baby etc...the washer basically doesn't stop.

When I was single 1 load per week was plenty for me. Now with DH it is at least 4 things like his overall needs to go into the machine alone otherwise it won't work. Then another separate one for his snickers

I do about 7/8 loads for 2 adults and pets, plus kids sort their own out

I forgot to mention the hounds and the saddle pad for the pony (not ours we borrow one).

How full should you fill your washer? I go to about 2/3 of the way up otherwise everything gets wangled together.