To ask what your laundry routine is?

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I've two medium sized wash baskets which I can just never get to the bottom of! It honestly feels endless and it's driving me nuts. There is 3 of us, me, DH and a 4 year old so it's not like we're a big family either.

I usually try and do one load washed and put away each day. At least one anyway, as I know if I leave it a few days the pile will be even bigger and the baskets will literally overflow.

I have a tumble dryer and a maiden. I try not to use the tumble dryer constantly but it takes hours to dry on the maiden so I'm thinking I might just have to start using it and possibly have a day of just doing washing.

Please share your tips! I dream of an empty wash basket 😭

I have one load a week, washed dried and put away in no more than 90 mins. 30 degree wash and an hour in tumble drier. Hang bras on the windows to dry.

Do you wash everything after every wear? Our single basket between three of us takes a couple of days to get full. T-shirts, socks, pants, shirts get washed after one wear. But trousers, jeans, hoodies etc. after a couple of wears. Sheets and towels once per week. I probably do 5 or 6 washes a week, but tend to blitz it at the weekend.

In the winter I use the tumble dryer a lot, hang outside as much as I can the rest of the year. For some washes I do an extra spin like other posters, it does make a difference to drying time.

Does your dryer have different settings? Ours has a cooler synthetic setting which I use for mixed fabrics.

If you are doing a wash every day, with just 3 of you, then you must be washing stuff that doesn't need washing.

My top tip is to only wash stuff as and when it needs washing. That way, there is no problem keeping on top of the washing.

I wasn't doing a wash every day when there were 6 of us living here, including people that trained and played muddy sports each week.

The cooler setting on a tumbler needs longer but still uses less electricity than a hot setting.
I've also read the suggestion that you start the clothes off in the dryer and when they're steaming hot you put them on a rack instead, but that seems like a faff to me.

Try having teenagers who leave a bath towel in a damp heap after one use. My pleas fall on deaf ears. The one heading to Uni in Autumn is due for a big shock

I don't want to judge but that doesn't seem enough

Get a second airer (maybe a heated one). Give yourselves days off from the laundry. I only wash on Wednesdays and weekends. Eke clothes out a bit more - an extra day for your jeans and PJs, the odd week where you just wash pillowcases and adults' bottom sheets instead of every sheet and duvet cover. Never wash anything that's only half-dirty "to make up the wash". Have a place for kids to keep half-worn clothes and help them use it.

DH is the culprit for only wearing things a couple of times and putting in the wash basket! He's getting told tomorrow.

I used to do a wash every 2-3 days but at the moment we are getting a lot of bedwetting so it's every day. I separate whites but that's only school polos so that's one extra on a Friday night.

A wash is a basket full and I don't separate anything else other than the school polos. Life's too short.

Everything that can be tumble dried is. Anything non-ironed is back upstairs the same day and put away by whichever of us is on bedtime duty. Everything else ironed and put away in one go at the weekend.

Only ever had piles of it when coming back from holiday.

We tend to wait until we have run out of clothes and the laundry basket resembles a small mountain, then we put three washes on in one day to catch up. Two loads go on clothes airers and the more urgent pile goes in the heated air dryer. We will then spend about a week taking clean outfits straight from the airers until we eventually submit and take the clean clothes upstairs. The baskets of clean clothes then sit on our bedroom floor until we realise we need the baskets. We then unload the clean washing onto the floor where It usually sits for a while until it inevitably finds its way back to the wash pile. Then the routine starts again with more or less crying myself to sleep. Sometimes I don't have pants. Hope that helps.

That goes on the heated towel rail

I don't wash clothes every day. I do clothes I don't separate colours. So probably get more stuff washed. Put towels and bedding together on 60. Wash everything else on 40. I do 30 sometimes but think 40 cleans better. I put it on my cloths horse. Got a massive one so can get a lot on. Sometimes do 2 washes. Most the time is 1 and keep the basket nearly empty most days.

Not only spin twice, but pop a clean dry towel in on the second spin. It'll absorb even more excess water from the clothes but dry pretty quickly on a bathroom radiator or towel rail.

I use the dryer. Mine has different temps (high, medium, etc). For most things I use low or medium so the clothes don’t get damaged.

This is my tumble dryer settings. Could somebody tell me which one would be best so clothes don't shrink? I usually use cupboard dry for everything

I am up to my eyes in washings and I mean up to my eyes! There are 4 of us (husband and two young kids) and we clearly have excessive amounts of clothes. I think it’s a vicious cycle because we often run out of things like baby vests in her drawer but I think we’re running out because they aren’t getting through the wash quick enough, not because we need more. If I could just have less stuff to wash things would be washed quicker. I’ve had a few clothes culls though and got rid of things like old pyjamas and jumpers, I’ve vacuum packed away loads of holiday clothes and summer clothes but it still doesn’t seem to be making a dent. I bought my FOURTH clothes airer and have a dehumidifier running almost constantly. I try not to use the drier but for things like towels I’m having to as they just take up so much space and take so long to dry. I decide every so often just to cover my hall in loads of washings in all the colours so I can tackle everything once and for all but I get a few days in, my house just looks like a bombs hit it and the washing pile seems to still be growing 😑 I feel like just putting it all outside and starting again, only bringing in the essentials!

That must be quite the washing day! 90 pairs of pants and socks at least!
And you must have lots of clothes!

That setting is for cottons. Use synthetics for mixed fabrics, polyester, sports tops etc. to avoid shrinking.

Do you have a low temp button on your machine? If so use it. Or a timed wash option - set for 30 mins rather than running a programme?

I have no fancy routine,when the basket is full,I bung it in the machine on either 20 mins at 30 degrees or 1.15 hr at 40 or 60 degrees. Dry in the tumble drier or peg out in the spring/summer. Occasionally drape something on a radiator if it can't be dried.

Can't adjust the temperature as far as I can see

What temps do you all wash at out of interest? I never wash above 30 unless it's really dirty, bedsheets or towels

Also not longer for 30-45 mins

I wash on 40. Bedding and towels 60. Sometimes wash on 30

There are 7 of us, including 1 cross country runner and a 10 year old who wets the bed. I do 3 wash loads a day. I have a clothes dryer that's like a hair dryer in a tent. I just keep checking it every hour and also I do sheets and towels outside on the line unless it's raining. I also use the radiators.