to do 4 loads of washing a day

[ihmlsnwidhks]

I've just put my third load on with another load to go.
Family of 5 dc ages 9.6 .2
Dc6 needs multiple changes due to accidents and he pees on his bed most mornings ( asd) Toddler enjoys wet and muddy play so needs a few changes a day
Dd school clothes and home clothes both dirty
dh work clothing and home clothing
Me a couple aday
wtaf Im a doing wrong here?

We all shower every day but use two towels between us.

Put your toddler in waterproof dungarees that will stop most of theirs. If the school
child isn’t super dirty then let them keep uniform on. As adults, your clothes may not actually be dirty before washing, are you just in the habit of washing them regardless? We are 2 adults & 2 children and I do 6 loads a week and trying to cut that down.

I get the washing for your middle child. I have a toddler and tend to take layers off or put a bib over when doing messy or water play, I usually only have to do one change a day max.

Do you really change clothes twice a day and the full outfit need washing? Same for DH? We’ll wash underwear and T-shirts after one wear, but most trainers, jumpers etc are absolutely fine for more than one wear.

We’re a family of 3, and do 4-5 loads max a week, including towels and bedding.

What does “me a couple a day” mean?

Is your toddler really getting wet and muddy enough for several outfit changes every day?

Just get him a set of lightweight waterproof overalls. Job done. My girl had fabulous wader things with built in wellies - so many lovely photos of that!

This thread will explode with responses ranging from "I have 9 children and do 1 small load of washing every week' to 'How can you even consider sharing towels?'.

Looking forward to it!

toddler enjoys wet and muddy play so needs a few changes a day

Buy an all in one zip up suit, invaluable.
Are you saying you and husband both change both sets of clothes a day?? Most work clothes don't need changing every day, and then clothes only worn in the evenings would last a few days??
Will you ASD son wear a pull up for bed??

I understand the accidents bit but the rest sounds a bit bonkers honestly! Why do you need a couple of outfits a day? Why do your husband's home clothes and work clothes both need washing every single day? Why is toddler getting wet and muddy multiple times every day? I have a toddler but surely you could just get muddy for a bit, clean up and change, then do a different activity? I don't know how you have time to do anything at all with four loads of washing a day 😂

The adults and older children should be able to wear the same tshirts in bed as they do during the day.

We started doing this when we realised what a waste of clothes and washing it was taking our tshirts off just to put on a different one for bed.

You need to be really ruthless about what actually needs washing. For example, a toddler getting wet/muddy is normal but why put them in clean clothes to go and get muddy in? Anything wet and a bit dirty can go on the line to dry and can be playing-out clothes for another day. School uniform can be sponged down - a t-shirt under a jumper all day probably won’t need washing, ditto a jumper if it’s been on the back of a chair. My DC can get through a whole week with one clean cardi/jumper now they don’t spill food down themselves every single day. It’s all costing you money every time so any effort you put into reusing/rewearing clothes is all worth it.
I hang up my own trousers and skirts after a wear and they’re usually good for at least 3 wears before a wash. And I’m paranoid about smelling so they’re definitely still fresh enough!

I honestly don't know how you can be arsed to do all that, never mind the expense.

It's OK to wear clothes that are a bit soiled. As my grandma used to say: There's clean dirt and there's dirty dirt.

How is your 9yo getting home clothes dirty when only on after school? If she’s a food dropper - napkin. If generally grubby (some kids can’t pick something up without spilling it down them!) leave school clothes on. It’s hard to believe you really need to wash after school home clothes every day.

Also, it would be better to all have your own towels/bathrobes and only wash them once a week.

I'm surprised it's not more tbh, families with small kids create washing, you're not doing anything wrong. I can easily do that on a day where I've changed the beds plus gym gear and clothes.

If you wear both home clothes and school/work clothes in a single day, then it's unlikely that both sets of clothes are really dirty. The home clothes could probably be worn at least 2 or 3 times.

Likewise put your toddler in waterproofs and only change them if they are genuinely wet/dirty.

Towels don't need washing every time.
If you're using 2 towels each once or twice a week is plenty.

How big is your washing machine? Even with all the washing you describe, it doesn't sounds like it should be 4 loads as 6 and 2 year old clothing tends to be quite small. It might save money over time to buy a bigger one.

@ihmlsnwidhks Do you want ideas for cutting down on washing or validation that what you’re doing is ok?

I need changes due to ds6 peeing on me so top leggings. dd plays football at school so comes home very dirt. I honestly dont know how to knock it down . Ds1 wont put bibs etc on ( sensory issues i think)

probably both

ASD child in a pull up or pyjama pants. Toddler in a puddle suit.

you and husband wear “home clothes” for a few evenings.

I'd put 6yo in pull ups if that's possible at night.
If doing messy play at home I'd strip down to pants first.
Other outfit changes I don't quite understand. Sponge any obvious marks and rewear.
Family of 4 and do about 4 washes a week, plus extra if bed wetting happens.

YANBU.
Mother of 4 DC here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a high level of cleanliness. Some of the suggestions on here are disgusting.

If your son is peeing on you through the day he needs pull ups surely?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

stop wearing glasses so you don't see the dirt as much

honestly, do you really need a change of clothes? if you have work & leisure clothes do you need a new top if you only wear it for a couple of hours?
does you toddler really need to be changed? agree with puddle suit to reduce wet clothing.

do you wash full loads?

I have a family of 4 and the washing machine never stops! I don't know how people do 3-4 loads a week. I wash at least a load daily and we rewear clothes, reuse towels and don't change the bedsheets nearly as often as mumsnet would approve of

The bedsheets thing makes it tough but yes you can cut down if you want. Firstly, halve the frequency of changing the rest of your sheets.

If you each had a towel and washed it once a week, you'd be washing 5 per week instead of 14.

Adults "home clothes" (worn for 3-4 sitting at home doing nothing) don't need to be washed daily.

Work clothes, especially trousers/jeans also don't need to be washed daily for most jobs.