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?

I agree up to an extent OP but I am also shocked by how many people put everything they wear into the wash at the end of the day. That is a huge waste of resources.

@bellac11

I dont get the chicken reference?

People on MN think it’s a joke that you can get more than one meal from a roast chicken, rather than standard practice up to a few decades ago.

@OohRahhMaki why do you need 2 towels each? And many hand towels?

Family of 4 - 3 year old twins and a dog.

Washing goes on at least 5 times a week, especially in this weather with wet muddy towels for the dog, twins get food or snot all over their clothes so they rarely get more than 1 wear out of anything.

I have to wash my clothes reguarly as there is only so many clothes that fit me/I like and I absolutely detest shopping (it's depressing)

Dishwasher goes on every single day, much to my DH's annoyance

YABU, and I know what TAAT this . relation to and in that thread, the OP was querying her water usage and mentioned she was doing 10 machine loads a week for 2 adults only. No children, no other family. 2 people!!
People were not saying, "omg, 5 loads for a family insane." I only do 1 a week.

They said, omg, 10 loads for 2 people is insane as I do 5 with a family of 5, I do 8 with 2 adults and 4 kids, etc.

FYI I do 4 loads for 2 people

3 adults here.

1 load for DH's uniform as I'm not washing it with anyone else's clothes.

1 load for my uniform (5 t-shirts, jeans, 2 hoodies and up to 5 long sleeve shirts) - I work with children and come home covered in all sorts.

1 load of football shirts - can't be washed with anything else.

2 x loads a week for Dd's uniform - she has three polo shirts and works 5 days a week in a supermarket so needs clean ones to wear (I've asked her to get more but that's another story).

1 load a week for pants and socks. I get changed every day when I get home so get through 2 lots a day.

That's 6 loads a week before I even add in my towels and bedding as I wash my preschools tea towels every week as well. Also, that's before I even wash everyday clothes as most of this is taken up with uniforms.

At least one or two loads a day for 2 adults and 2 under 3's. Contributing factors include a 6ft 5 DH who's clothes take up a ridiculous amount of room, countless sick bugs, poo explosions and British weather.

How I've done 3 loads of laundry in under a week as a single person:
Friday - dark wash (mostly work clothes & trackies / hoody from WFH days & evenings)
Sunday - another dark wash, mostly gym & running kit and a microfibre towel from gym/swimming.
Tuesday - base sheet and 2 pillow cases off the bed and some lights (mostly undies)
Once that's dry I'll do the duvet cover and tea towels / dishcloths on a hotter wash, probably on Thursday, and then it's back to weekend and the dark stuff has built up again......although I usually do bedding about every 10 days so won't have that to do next week.

Forgot the twice weekly washing of the guinea pig bedding. Again, can't be washed with anything else and needs doing as soon as it's changed otherwise it stinks.

The thread where the OP did 10 loads a week for two people who mostly work from home and also shower twice a day seems excessive though, I don’t care how many washes people do but how were they generating so much laundry?!

We are a family of 5 and I probably do about 12 loads a week!

I have a 10kg machine but just stripping all the beds and washing towels takes up about 4 loads. Also we live on a farm and the kids do after school sports so there are always extra towels and kit too.

I did 3 loads yesterday that were just clothes that have been in a cupboard for youngest DD to grow into but I did them all on 15 minute refresh so not all washes are full loads

I have no idea how anyone can do only 2/3 loads a week!

@RockstarDotCom

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. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I try to not upset the mumsnet mafia with my washing woes. Only two of us and at least a load a day. Mainly cos we both do dirty jobs, so everything has to be washed after one wear. Just to also point out my bedding needs two washes. The quilt cover on it own or everything is caught up in it and the machine sounds like it'll deconstruct the entire house.

Two of us plus 2 big hairy dogs, average about 6/7 loads per week.

It was the poster who were a 2 adult house and ran 10 loads a week. That's more than 1 a day!

My husband does the washing.
House of 3 adults and 2 teens. 6 loads a week here

@tapdancingmum so are you doing two loads which are just 3 polo shirts (and a pair of trousers?)? Why can’t football shirts/uniform be washed with anything else?
I’ve just hung up a load which included both normal clothes muddy jeans and sweaty tops as DP cycles everywhere and doesn’t have a mudguard. Everything came out clean…

We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teen/tweens) I do 2 x dark loads of washing, 1 x pale washing (shirts, socks and bedding)each week. Occassionally there is an extra dark one so 4 loads per week max.
Kids have clean shirts every day and of course wear clean underwear and socks but DS wears trousers for more than one day and DD wears the school skirt for up to 5 days before washing. I wash sports clothes, school shirts and underwear after 1 wear but other items I would wear more than once before washing if not obviously dirty.

I think it helps that 3 out of 4 of us are smaller than average! (No strapping 6ft teens or 6'2" husbands here!)

@Snoken

We're a family of 4 and two dogs, we do 4-5 washes per week, but I think our washing machine is quite large, 9kg, so we can fit a lot in each wash. It always 1 dark 60, 1 white 60, 1 with delicates (alternate between dark and light colours), 1-2 with sheets and towels.

You forgot the dogs’ washing list. Blankets? Coats? Paw towels? That must be an other load.

Two adults and a one year old here. I would say we do between 2-3 loads each weekend day and then a load every other day in the week! And that’s without poonamis or sick incidents!

@Bobbybobbins

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

Exactly. Should be just above 1 load a week per person so those putting the machine on every day, makes sense if they're a family of 6. But then I only wash clothes when they're dirty (some things will be dirty after one wear of course) so I'm vile according to MN.

Can we add on only running the dishwasher once a week?
Once every two weeks - the roast chicken is served up in thimbles, remember!

we are a family of 6 , 5 of which are adults
We have a 10kg machine and do a couple of loads a day
it doesnt help that we do our own washing as there is no way I am doing 6 peoples washing or putting my delicate whites in with my sons boilwash whites etc
We also re use towels and are sometimes a bit lax with duvet changes

Family of 4.
We so between 2- 3 loads of week.

And dont have a dishwasher.

We do loads each week by my DS has bet wetting issues so I have to wash bedding fairly regularly. We easily do 8 a week for a family of 4.

And we do similar in dishwasher loads! Teenagers eat and drink a lot!

Don't these people separate their colours? I need several loads just for that, due to school and work uniforms there's usually 3 of black alone, one white, one yellow, one light colours and one dark colours as a minimum

I do at least 2 loads a day, often 3 or 4 - family of 4 and a dog. And I'm not excessive. Towels twice a week, bedding for 5 beds once a week, dog bedding, muddy clothes etc as well as all the clothes and pyjamas etc!