Laundry is not hard

[Viohh]

Why do people make such a meal out of laundry? The machine literally does it for you. All you need to do is put the clothes in the machine - a 15 second job? I do 2/3 loads a day no problem with a large dog and twins.

We have separate machines but even when we don’t use the dryer it’s not difficult. Just maintain momentum. And folding is what a 2 min job? I put everyone’s clothes on the stairs for them to take up.

Putting a wash on is easy. Keeping on top of it all, not so much. 3 little boys in our house, there's so much washing, so many spills, outfit changes, sports kits, a coat that needs to be washed and dried for the next morning because they thought sitting in a puddle was a great idea. Making sure everyone's got the right stuff clean and dry, at the right time, and put away almost never happens.
I'd still take laundry over dishes any day of the week.

It’s not hard, no. Just really fucking boring.

I have thought about a cleaner, but my hourly rate is lower than theirs, so I can't really justify. Maybe once a year for a super deep clean!

It's my favorite chore

Last week when I was unwell it was about the only chore that I managed to do. but my bathroom is in dire need of a clean.
The machine (s) do most of the work. The rest is just down to having a system. In our house
2 loads of bedding.
1 lot of towels.
3-4 loads of clothes sorted into -darks, brights, pastels, whites. (If there is a smaller load I either leave it or combine it).
Washing on the line starting in the sunniest end of the garden (by the time the 2nd load is due to go out the next bit of the garden is in the sun).
To bring it in I take 2 baskets out to the garden and fold as I go- one for stuff needing ironing, the other for going straight in the drawer/cupboard.
Ironing done on a Sunday evening.

Have you teens op. I find it hard between bed linen and teens have alot stuff too. I keep it moving but still loads it ha

It depends on your home situation. I don't have a dryer. I also have 5 dc and 1 is incontinent so laundry is a nightmare in our house as I have to do 3 or 4 loads a day to break even. If we go out for the day and don't get my washing done it takes forever to catch up.

It only takes two minutes to fold laundry, if your doing a piss-poor job of folding. It’s also next a 15 second job loading, again unless you’re doing a piss-poor job of that too and not sorting your clothes before you wash them. Wash that cream jumper with the indigo jeans do you?

You're not taking into account people who don’t have a drier or can’t afford to use a tumble drier. Drying their clothes, particularly at this time of year, is so hard. Finding a space for it that isn’t in the way but somewhere close enough to a radiator to actually dry and not smell. Having just got a drier and a utility room, it’s infinitely easier to do laundry now there is a space for stuff to dry.

Laundry is relentless. Even when your washing basket is empty, you’re not on top of the laundry, you’re never on top of the laundry because you’re all wearing clothes, using towels to dry your hands, using a tea towel, using a cloth to wipe down the kitchen, sleeping in the made beds. But then you don’t have enough for a full load so then it sits there in the basket and you just think “how?” after you’ve done laundry all day.

If you cleaned your whole house and left for the weekend with your family, baring a storm or a fire, it would still be spotless when you returned. Even if you went away for two weeks, there would be a small amount of dust but your house would still be clean. If you go away for two weeks, you’ve got at least 4 loads of washing to do.

No, obviously chucking the pile of laundry into the machine isn't hard but before that you have to collect it from where ever it is (could be many places in my house), strip beds, look for sports kits, sort it into similar stuff and then put it in.

I actually enjoy hanging out washing in the garden on a nice day, don't mind bringing it in again if it's dry and the weather is OK. Don't bother with the tumble drier much, I hang my washing on a pulley in wet weather/winter. That's not a terrible job either but it all takes time!!
I don't wash stuff every day though, life's too short. I wear outer clothes a few times before I wash them and towels/bedding are done weekly not daily.

Eh? You're supposed to wash things inside out.

Turn clothes inside out before putting in basket

I don’t mind it, but the thing that has made it easier is installing a Sheila maid right beside the washing machine. Everything dries quickly, and if you hang things carefully, far fewer things need ironing.

The pain for me is washing woollens that need handwashing. Groan.

What's the purpose of your post, OP?

Gathering washing and putting into the machine is the first part. If the machine is empty,

it's taking out and finding places to dry it - not easy in winter and not everyone has a lot of space.

Then it's waiting for it to dry - maybe in the lounge, maybe on radiators.

If another wash needs to go on, where will it dry?

Then it's folding and putting away. If there is space to put it away.

And all this whilst maybe working full time, looking after children, parents.

Having illness. Conditions.

Not enough money for radiators/tumble dryer?

And a million other things?

It takes approximately 8 minutes 30 seconds to hang a small load of laundry on an airer and stick one towel in the dryer. (I happen to have a timer running to dye my hair and had some laundry that had just finished. ) There was a very small number of small items like pants and socks so a more full load with a normal amount would take longer.

Either there are some very small loads going on or the estimated timings are way, way out.

Also laundry isn't hard but it's the cumulative effect of many may chores on top of it which make things difficult.

It's not hard. It's just boring and endless. My washing machine runs at least twice most days. School uniform for adult sized children, bedding, towels (swimmer children) other kids clothes, then mine and DHs....
Endless.

Congrats on being a super mum. I find laundry very hard as it physically hurts me to fold any washing. I also have to sit on the floor to fold the washing.

Go ahead, pat yourself on the back for being better than everyone else. That's what you're looking for isn't it?

That's an outright lie. Folding takes hours. Honestly I don't know why. Then putting away.

It's not difficult, it's relentless.

Pegging out on the line, dashing out when it rains despite the forecast, matching 5 people's pairs of socks over a week is 70 socks to be paired up. 5 people's clothes, plus tea towels, bath and hand towels, sheets, swimming gear twice a week...

It just never stops.

I don’t have the space to dry 2-3 loads a day. No space for a tumble drier either.

Dishes are easy. Load dishwasher. Empty. Much much faster than washing. It all lives in the kitchen too.

You really do sound like a twat though OP.

2 to 3 loads a day... Now just imagine you're having to hang up on a clothes airer (and that you don't have a dryer to catch yourself up), let's say you fit all those loads on your airers. What happens when they take 2 days to dry? Suddenly you're already 2-3 loads behind?

Do you work? Full time? I don't have time after finishing work to do 2-3 loads a day, luckily we don't have that much to wash.

And folding takes 2 minutes, and other people take the clothes upstairs. What happens if your kids are too small to help? Or you're a single parent?

But it's ok because you can just fold them while watching TV? But what if that's the time I've earmarked for ironing? Or helping the kids with homework? Or making the packed lunches for tomorrow? Or cleaning out the hamster cage? Or take the dog for a walk? Just because YOU have a routine doesn't mean you could cope with other people's.

I'm very fortunate I earn enough to have a cleaner a few times a week nowadays to take the strain on other areas but I remember the stress of having to dry clothes in my tiny one bedroomed flat, everything took ages to dry (especially sheets and towels where you couldn't then wash and dry anything else because of space until they'd dried) and I'd have to decide if my food budget could be reduced that week so I could have the heating on instead and get them dried faster. Sounds like you've got a lovely view up there from your high horse, but it's a quick drop to the ground hopefully for your own sake you won't ever find yourself struggling with these sorts of things like a lot of others!

Yes I was thinking this. I find laundry incredibly difficult. I have problems with executive disfunction of whatever it is they call it due to neurodivergence. So many things that come easy to you OP do not to me. And people have always looked down on me for this - a diagnosis had helped somewhat but people still judge. Especially women (often older) who get ‘the look’ when they hear my male partner does all these tasks ‘for’ me.

I however do things that other people cannot. I have skills and talents i can implement at the drop of a hat which you might be baffled at.

im learning more and more just how different we all are - and how much better we’d function as a society if those who are great at laundry did the laundry and those who are great at other things did them instead.

It's not hard but it is repetitive, boring and tedious. Some people hate the monotony of doing the same task over and over again like a robot.

And I would rather do three loads of laundry than unload the dishwasher, which is my least favourite chore.