Does it end?

[Whatinthedoopla]

I have so much laundry and dishes to wash up every single day! And it is doing my head in :(

I have two under two, and the washing is just never ending.

Is this normal?

If it is, at what stage does it get better?
If not, what are you doing to make your life easier?

Honestly? For me, no. I've got an 18 year old and a 16 year old and the washing machine is still constantly going. Having a dishwasher is a must for me, I wouldn't be without one. The good thing is that now the kids are older they clean their own rooms and load the dishwasher so that's a big help. While I'd say the amounts haven't lessened, the work involved has.

Totally normal (for me anyway), I have a 1 and 3 year old. Best thing I ever invested in was a heat pump tumble dryer although now I’m surrounded by clean clothes instead of dirty clothes 🙈 been a godsend now we’re potty training.

Dishes get done in the morning during breakfast now because that’s the only time I have the energy. Resined myself to this being the next 20 years of my life if I’m honest 🙈

What does your partner do to help with it all?

We still have 2 early-20s DDs at home and they can get through tons of clothes, so I have at least one, sometimes 2 or 3 loads of washing a day. I try to encourage them to buy clothes that need little ironing, and to be honest a lot of their clothes are “wash and wear”.

Do you have a dish washer? Why is there so much washing? Surely is one outfit a day. You can get a few wears out of trousers. May a couple out of tops. Sames with the kids. Always put them in bibs when eat. My ds wore a bibs until 3 or 4

It gets better when they move out.

It gets worse. Much worse.

Honestly you are in for the long stretch - when my got to 16 I did not do any of their washing and ironing or cleaning of their rooms. Gives them a sense of responsibility especially when you get them living with you until their 20's!

The laundry gets better, but the dishes get worse, and you have to keep reminding them not to keep all the cups etc. in their rooms.

My kids got a laundry basket and lessons when they turned 13. We never did their clothes after that.

It may not have been efficient for the environment, but it was very efficient for our well being.

Yes unfortunately it is a neverending cycle. If you go back to work it's still hard as only evenings to do it all, if not then the same! Just got to give priority over what needs doing.

It. Never. Ends.

Plus once they reach teenagers you have to go hunting for your mugs if you want a drink.

No but I have 4 children so double the amount

Why is their laundry or ironing your problem? @2Old2Tango

You never met my daughter....a few wears out of trousers? Kevlar, maybe. Permanently filthy, a sandpit loving, tree climbing, active little girl. Everything in the wash, every day. OP please buy a dishwasher.

I knew this was washing before I opened it.
Mine is 6. Only here half a week. Feels unending.
Even with a dishwasher, and tumble dryer. I can hear the pile calling to me now.
No advice, only sympathy.

Have you got a tumble dryer?

I don’t think I’d manage without.

I do find if I go away for a few days and so miss a few cycles of laundry it gets wildly out of control.

It gets waaaaay worse! Sorry. You need a dishwasher!!

Quite! Just one day out yesterday (so washing machine had a day off) and three loads today. Teenagers....

I'm not sure which is my best friend.. Washing machine, dishwasher or tumble dryer!

I have a teen and a tween and if anything there’s a lot more washing than when they were tinies.

However you can actually do it, and/ or asking them to bring down their stuff, put their own stuff on (I don’t like that though as it gets in my way). You can tell them “I have to do this now” rather than having toddlers under foot. So it’s not so bad in that sense.

Tumble drier is a must though.

It’s constant isn’t it 😭

3 kids, me & dp

at least one load daily

finished it all yesterday, massive pile at the top of the stairs today 🤣

The only way to make it easier is to seriously declutter. I'm a single mum. I'm really strict about decluttering. It does make putting things away much easier.

We are 2 kids and 2 adults and we manage it by:

Dishwasher
Drier
Having set loads and days a week.

Kids are doing 2x a week
Adults 2x
Delicate 1x
Towels 1x
Tea towels 1x
Cleaning cloths 1x

90% goes in the drier so it takes about 10 min to fold and pack daily.

I also have separate laundry baskets to make things much easier.

But if we skip something it all goes out the window

I moved into a home with a dishwasher, made a massive change, however it broke, or at least I thought it did. I just didn't even had time to take a good look at it, that's the issue. I was adamant we buy a tumble dryer, even if we didn't have enough room. I've stopped buying so many kids clothing. Thought this might stop so many clothes washing, but it hasn't really, it just means I need to make sure I'm not behind on washing as this will really mess us up.