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Original poster

What is folding laundry?

136 replies

Iwrote · 01/05/2023 19:32

I've seen this on a few threads, AIBU to not know what it means as a task? People talking about great piles of laundry that need to be folded?
I just fold mine when it gets fetched from the line / airer/ tumble dryer.
If it's for drawers it gets put away, of it's for ironing it gets hung up to wait.
I've never once in my life had a huge pile of laundry that wants folded, and can't understand how people do. Do they scrunch it in a ball when it comes on dry or suchlike?

OP posts:
lifehappens12 · 01/05/2023 20:43

My washing machine is small so this weekend I have done about 6 loads, family of 4 and done 3 beds. My children are 2 and 4 and we go through multiple outfits a day.

While running round after small people folding doesn't happen. After bedtime everything gets folded and grouped by person and drawer so putting away will take minutes!

Simples!

When children are bigger I can just imagine taking clothes straight from line to drawer

DancingWithTheMoonlitKnight · 01/05/2023 20:44

What has WFH got to do with it? I go out to work every day and still manage to fold the laundry as I take it off the line/airer.

abyssofwoah · 01/05/2023 20:45

I don’t fold mine coming out of the dryer or off the line because then everyone’s would go in the basket folded and then end up getting unfolded in the sorting out into separate piles to go away.

I like the idea of one basket per person but I don’t get the logistics and space is an issue. Do you take all the baskets outside and drag them about the washing area filling them up, then carry them all to the bedrooms one by one?

christmastreewithhairyfairy · 01/05/2023 20:46

HappyAsASandboy · 01/05/2023 19:41

I take clothes off the line and put them unfolded in a wash basket to be carried inside. I can't fold them while standing up; I fold them on a table or the floor.

I also have washing for 6 people, plus household stuff like tea towels and flannels and towels and cleaning cloths. If I was dexterous enough to fold it all as I unpegged it, I would then have a basket of folded but mixed up washing and I'd have to sort through it to put it in to a pile for each person plus household stuff. If I'm sorting through it, then I might as well fold it at that point rather than while standing up outside in the wind.

I also don't understand how you'd fold standing up or outside?

I always have a big pile of folding to do, either it's been dragged in a hurry from the airer or come from the tumble dryer. It takes ages to fold properly too, I blame Marie bloody Kondo for that 😁

WonderingWanda · 01/05/2023 20:47

Op you say you fold it as you take it off the line. This is what folding laundry means. So, you fold laundry too. Not sure what's confusing about it. I tend to use the term 'doing laundry' to describe the whole process of washing, drying, folding and if needed ironing and putting away.

OhcantthInkofaname · 01/05/2023 20:55

mathanxiety · 01/05/2023 19:49

Folding laundry is done in the US, where most people dry clothes in a dryer and a lot of people don't own an iron.

You take the clothes out of the dryer and fold each item carefully and thoroughly, then put it all away. It's quicker than ironing.

USA here. I've used my iron twice in the past year. Single person and I have 10 loads of laundry per month. I do three loads one week and two loads the next. I fold as I soon as I take it out of the dryer. Some items are air dried.

PurpleBananaSmoothie · 01/05/2023 20:59

Well we put clothes on the airer. Then in the morning you pat them down to see which are dry. We wear the dry clothes and the still drying clothes stay on the airer. Eventually the other clothes are dry but by then you need to hang up another load, so the half load gets scooped up and put somewhere because you also need to make breakfast or go to work. It’s usually just lay on top off each other not scrunched in a ball. It would take more effort to scrunch it up rather than just lay the clothes on top of each other. The remaining clothes will get folded and put away at some point along with remaining clothes from other washes.

IDontWantToBeAPie · 02/05/2023 12:44

My items need folding a specific way to sit nicely in my drawers. So I retold them after a rough fold off the line.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 02/05/2023 13:13

When 3 DC were young I used to throw it in the basket as there wasn't time to sort it, Nowadays I dry tops on hangers and put straight back into wardrobes
Could you get each person a hamper and sort straight into that?

Skybluepinky · 02/05/2023 13:22

People adding a job instead of just holding from dryer or line if it doesn’t need ironing.

DiscoBeat · 02/05/2023 13:23

I don't get it either, I'm never keen to double handle anything. I always fold each item as I take it off the line, dryer or airer.

GoodChat · 02/05/2023 13:29

If you've got a load in the washing machine that's just finished, and a load in the dryer that's finished but you're busy or on the way out the door, it's easier to chuck it in the basket and worry about it later.

SunThroughTheCloudsAt6am · 02/05/2023 13:37

Everything comes out of the tumbler in one go, into a washing basket, then moved else-where to fold - I'm not standing on the freezing cold floor folding it onto the little surface above the tumbler when there's another load waiting to go in it anyway. That takes 30 seconds.

The folding takes the same amount of time to do whether I'm standing over the tumbler, or at the kitchen table, but there's a lot less bending up and down if I take it away, and more space for separate piles at the table.

When I used to dry outside/on an airer it was no more effort to fold it as I picked it off (unless it was starting to rain and I was just getting it in as quick as possible).

And I couldn't care less about creases TBH. Advantage of no uniform.

Calmdown14 · 02/05/2023 13:59

I am with you @Iwrote .

Best thing I ever did was get rid of the stupid basket.

I don't iron but I do treat washing well. It gets a good shake/stretch before I peg it. I bring it all in over my arm and fling it on the bed to avoid creasing.
Usually fold straight away but if I've had to grab it in for rain then being on the bed guarantees it has to be dealt with that day!

Hang it straight away or put into drawers. Of it's something that really needs ironing like a dress shirt then I still hang it. Otherwise I found I rewashed stuff because it was so creased after months at the bottom of the basket of doom

Dealing with a load at a time is the way to go

DingsBum · 02/05/2023 14:05

All these people saying they don't fold the laundry at all, just put it away.... What, you just stuff it into drawers how ?? Unfolded? Surely you don't just shove jeans and joggers etc into drawers without folding them. What about socks? Or do you all have wardrobes and hang everything up?

Wotsitmom2022 · 02/05/2023 14:15

CupEmpty · 01/05/2023 19:37

i am currently a super slattern and don’t fold my childrens clothes. They are still babies so I feel I can get away with it at the moment. Nice things get hung up but baby grows/ PJs / leggings just get shoved in a drawer. I don’t iron either.

Oh I fold my baby’s clothes now because I know the drawers will stay tidy because I’m the only one using them 😂

ive given up folding for my step kids who are older because I fold so nicely, give it to them and they dump it on the floor right away or just wherever they are sitting then it falls over / the y sit on it etc 😂 so the step kids and I came to a
agreement I no longer fold their laundry lol

StarlightLady · 02/05/2023 14:55

Everything of mine is dried outside where possible (no dryer but have 2 spare rooms) and goes on hangers, except knickers, bras, socks tights, stockings. They get stuffed in the drawer rather than folded.

Tidsleytiddy · 02/05/2023 15:14

I take the dry clothes from the airer, fold them and put them in the airing cupboard. The next day I get them out and sort into piles. The designer clothes don’t go in the airing cupboard as they’d get creased neither do work shirts that need ironing. These items go on hangers and I’m boring myself now…

Wotsitmom2022 · 02/05/2023 15:16

Tidsleytiddy · 02/05/2023 15:14

I take the dry clothes from the airer, fold them and put them in the airing cupboard. The next day I get them out and sort into piles. The designer clothes don’t go in the airing cupboard as they’d get creased neither do work shirts that need ironing. These items go on hangers and I’m boring myself now…

Lol. I actually love folding laundry 😂

Nordicrain · 02/05/2023 15:18

Ah, one of these faux bewilderment threads where the OP just can't imagine how anyone manages to not be quite as perfect as they [think they] are.

Wotsitmom2022 · 02/05/2023 15:19

I really want one of those laundry folding things that sheldon form big band theory has. That would be ace lol

BrandNewNameAgain · 02/05/2023 15:30

I fold twice. Yes Twice!!!

  • washing on overnight to be ready in morning.
  • as soon as it’s done, smooth it and fold it into the basket (because it’s damp this smooths it out and gets rid of creases) leave it while eat breakfast.
  • then out onto line if nice, airer if not - no tumble dryer here. Very easy to put out as it’s all nicely folded.
  • when dry it gets re folded and put in piles to be taken to the right wardrobe/drawers.

Doing it this way means we very rarely need to iron. All in all, the whole job is 10 mins (with breaks obviously) if I do it, 20 if DH does it (no idea why he takes so long!).

Catspyjamas17 · 02/05/2023 15:51

Sometimes I just grab everything off the line (though in a neat heap!) and ask someone else to fold it so I can get on with something else. Or just ask them to get it off the line - I would have to remind DH or DDs to also fold it though!

StarlightLady · 02/05/2023 17:02

It's only a problem if I give the butler a half day off 😂.

chipswitheveryting · 02/05/2023 21:58

Iwrote · 01/05/2023 19:36

But doesn't it get creased to fuck? Plus you're double handling it all by going back to fold. My little mind is blown by this!

It's inefficient, but how some people work. Personally I scrunch, carry basket to near iron, Throw everything on the floor/ bed, sort out stuff which can be folded and put straight away, ball socks, nicks etc and put away, anything for ironing gets folded into the ironing box. I will iron if I have time, otherwise it's left folded ready for next time I'm doing a load of ironing (usually when there's something good I want to watch on tv as I multitask). I really wouldn't care if my 'to iron' pike was unfolded or my scrunched but almost ready to put away stuff didn't get folded, anything looking ropey gets a quick iron. Many people nowadays don't iron though.