Changing School Uniforms

[wingingit1987]

Having a chat with a friend today and I mentioned ironing the uniforms tonight for the week ahead. I said I iron a fresh uniform for each day of the week and my friend says she recycles a uniform for a few days then swaps it out. Am I giving myself more work than I should be?

fresh uniform daily- YANBU
recycling it for a day or so- YABU

No you won’t. Clean shirt, underwear and socks daily, but skirts, trousers, blazers, knitwear do not smell if worn more than once. Cotton ( or high percentage cotton) shirts and dresses are more comfortable than polyester, and jumpers/blazers with wool also.

I have fresh uniform for each day as my children are feral.

I'd not wear the same clothes for days, that's minging, so neither would my kids. You wouldn't need 5 sets though, not unless you only wash clothes once a week. 3 or 4 would work fine. One on, one ready and one in the wash.

In my mind it's basic care to make sure they wear fresh clothing every day. Plus it's not exactly setting them up with good personal hygiene for later in life is it? Now we know where all these revolting DHs who never wash or change clothes cone from. 😂

I've got 5 sets of uniform (but don't iron). The dc have fresh uniform every day and I do 3 washes at the weekend one for each child and one whites. It's just what works for us.

I agree.
What really jars with me is nursing/healthcare staff who travel to and from work in their uniforms.

Op my children get a clean uniform everyday with the exception of maybe the cardigan which may last for 2 days if they haven't really worn them.

I don't know why people wouldn't change the uniform everyday wearing something for 7/8 hours a day by the time it's been on travelled to school spent the day at school and then travelled back home again definitely requires it to go into the washing basket 🧺

I have three kids and quite frankly I have better things to be doing with my weekend than washing and ironing fifteen sets of school uniform (not to mention PE kits). Obviously they all have clean undies daily, but I wash skirts and blazers weekly (unless visibly dirty), and blouses and cardigans generally last two or three days (I sponge-clean small marks). One of my DC is getting to the sweaty stage, so she has a fresh blouse daily. But really, if their clothes aren't dirty or smelly, why do they need washing after one wear? I don't wash my clothes (barring undies) after every use. It's such a waste of resources to be doing unnecessary laundry.

It seems a huge amount of washing is done these days! I had one skirt and one ( striped, hideously expensive) blazer for my entire secondary career; it was bought large. These were dry clean only and would be cleaned at half terms/end of term. Three blouses for the week, clean underwear daily. Jumper and cardigan washed every couple of weeks maybe. Any stains were sponged off as necessary.

And our PE kit had to be left at school in a specially embroidered bag 😬. Taken home at half term for washing 😏

Not everyone can afford to have five sets of uniform shirts etc, and indeed that is part of the reason why uniform should not be branded items. OP as you are able to, you are being considerate of others.

We have 6 of us - all teenagers or adults. If we all washed trousers/top/jumper every day that's 126 big items per week on top of underwear!

IMO tops need washing every day for teenagers but other stuff when dirty. Pure wool jumpers can go ages for me as I'm not smells.

We do clean everything. Their trousers are pretty tight and skin close. They are pubescent, sporty, quite sweaty and walk 2 miles to and from school. They don’t smell but if they wore stuff twice I fear they would. fresh on daily. Simple state school uniform, polo and quick drying marks/next/new look trousers. easy peasy.

I have enough so I do one big dark and light uniform wash on friday evenings so it’s ready for Monday. They outlay was initially greater but they last so much longer as they aren’t being worn as much.

You probably fine they last less long because you are washing them so much. I don't think I've every had a pair of trousers/jumper wear out before they were outgrown.

In roles where a clean/hygienic uniform is part of the job (healthcare, food handling etc) then I'd definitely expect to change into that uniform only for work and wear other clothes for travelling.

At primary I would only pop them in something clean if they had visible grub on that item (fresh socks and underwear everyday obvs). Everything from that week in the wash on a Friday.

Secondary (mine didn’t start going through puberty until Y7 or later) clean shirt every day, PE kit washed once a week (if they remember to bring it home - that’s another a story!) and other items washed as needed.

Pretty much how I dress - I certainly don’t wash every item of clothing after a single wear.

It isn't 'minging' to wear a skirt, trousers or a jumper for more than one day.
Basic care doesn't have to mean washing every item after every wear.
'Setting them up with good personal hygiene', in terms of clothing, includes pointing out what needs to be washed after every wear, what might or might not need to be washed, and what probably wouldn't.

@EhrlicheFrau i completely agree.

Depends on the child. Daily change essential with my eldest. (He's still like that as an adult.) But I could always make clothes last longer with dd.

Exactly.

ds is a teen now so does wear a clean shirt every day but trousers last 2 or 3 days easily. Same for home clothes.

he is under a number of medical teams and reports often include comments on his appearance (well kept, clean etc) or comments on the site of his feeding tube and how clean and tidy it is. So I don’t think wearing a pair of trousers for two days is turning him into a minger!

this idea of washing everything so often is very new really, and especially at the moment those who can afford to are in a very lucky position to have the means to be able to afford to!

I don't think I've every had a pair of trousers/jumper wear out before they were outgrown.

Trousers here definitely are worn out before they’re outgrown, my son goes through the knees of his trousers even the reinforced ones - they’re always a mess by the time he’s outgrown them. I usually get 2 years out of school jumpers and by that time they’re worse for wear. He has four sets of each, a combination of last years and new for the school year. It’s not unusual for me to be patching trousers to get him through the last couple of weeks of school.

Only infant school here - but trousers/shorts will last 2 days.
Jumpers/fleece - 2 days if there's no food down it, I can ignore a small amount of paint as it'll only happen again the next day.
Polo shirt - new every day.

I wouldn't be washing and ironing a new set for every day of the week - that's excessive and expensive.

No, not everyday unless needed.

For primary starters, probably a new shirt / polo each day as they get covered in paint / dinner / snotty sleeves (!) etc. Possibly a jumper change too, depending on whether it was worn all day. Trousers / skirt / pinafore should usually last a couple of days. Summer dresses last 2-3 days.

By late primary, a whole uniform generally would last at least two- three days (on very hot days a daily shirt change might be necessary if older preteens are a bit sweaty).

For secondary, shirts last 1-2 days depending on weather or how sweaty your teen is. Skirts, trousers and jumpers, change once midweek. Blazers and ties last all week.

I think DS had three shirts and two pairs of trousers. You don't need new clothes every day unless they are really dirty and/or smelly.

DS seems to get filthy every day so he does normally have clean uniform daily, but we have 3 full sets and I do a wash midweek.

DD (younger) is generally much cleaner, so she can often wear things like jumpers, pinafores etc for 2 or more days.

They both get clean polos, underpants, socks, tights daily.

I definitely wear trousers and jumpers etc more than once as long as they’re still clean!