To want to cry at my sister's washing?

[summeroccupation]

She has three girls and is currently on holiday with them. I'm house sitting until next weekend and there's washing everywhere. I've filled four ikea bags and still have a pile that's filled the bath. I'm planning to get it washed and dried for her but I'm honestly looking at the pile and don't know where to start. She has a washer dryer and it's taking ages per load (no laundries around here, just forecourt washers that are like £10 a wash!)

No she hasn't asked me specifically to do it but she was complaining about the state of her house last week so I know she won't mind. She's been struggling with her MH lately and having it looming over her can't be helping! And she's starting a new full time job next week so if I leave it it'll never get done!

Check the sizing of the children's clothes. I have 3 all over 11... And I find random joggers aged 9 in the washing basket.
Out grown clothes need weeding out!

You are very kind bless you. I wish I had a sister like you.

Nowhere to take the laundry for service washes (and dries)?

I've done that when looking after a friend's flat before. Did the duvets, pillows, bedding, towels etc. Dropped them off for service washes because the flat had a washer-dryer and it would have taken five hours plus or so between a laundry load, splitting it into 2 for the dryer (drying only took a very light load).

Honestly, pile it all into binbags and take to the forecourt washers. You'll be amazed how much fits in there! You could get it all washed and dried in a couple of hours.

I'm sure your sister will be super grateful for all your help!

Yes, this.

You really are a lively sibling!

I'm sure your sister will be delighted to come home to both a clean house and no washing.

Some people are being funny about it but having been in a situation where I was easily overwhelmed I was extremely grateful when mum used to do give me a hand. Some days even now she will be at my house to look after smallest child and when he is at school she will run hoover round, do some washing or ironing etc.

It absolutely is not expected but I admit I am grateful to come home to an empty washing basket or clean bedding.

I’d start with items that will dry quicker and that way you’ll get through a lot more because of drying space and times, shirts/blouses is use clothes hangers and hang on door frames.

One place, but it'll be really expensive and I can't afford it atm.

Got another load in rn which finishes in about 40 mins (thank you for the people who told me how to do that!) and my OH has taken two bags to do in our machine.

Calling it a night for now and chilling out with a spiked hot choc! 😁😁

Jeez I must be the dullest person on the planet because this all sounds so bloody exciting to me! I’d actually be in my element tackling all this and sorting it all out. The weather is on your side OP and you have plenty of time so don’t stress. You should be able to get 3 loads done and dried outside per day and maybe one load on the indoor clothes horse. Get all the dirty stuff piled high in one room, go round the house and double check you’ve got everything then just sort into smaller piles by colour and just work your way through it one load at a time. Once it’s clean and dry fold it all up into piles by person that they belong to.

To be honest most of us washer-dryer owners know they're shit but aren't fortunate enough to have a utility, so one appliance space in the kitchen it is!

What a lovely thing for you to do.

If you are house sitting till next weekend, thats 7 loads you'll be able to get done. Is that not enough to get through it all? 1 load a day. Get as much as you can hung outside.

@summeroccupation
Does she have a washing line much easier and quicker to dry. ?
does she have clothes hangers to hang around t the house. ?
I must admit I swear by a heated clothes arier can you afford to purchase her one of those . Make both your lives easier .
very cheap to run . Pennies!

You sound lovely

You’ve got a whole week, so as the mother of three children, I’d say pace yourself. Two loads each day and hang them. If you have good weather they should dry overnight, then you can sort and fold them before you hang the next loads.

Are you planning on ironing too?

You are lovely, this means that when she comes back from her holiday she will still feel the benefit of having time away as she steps into a clean home and finds all that fresh laundry . It's not just the practical side of things, it is the way it shows that you care about her and her kids.

Well done OP for even trying!

The weather is good at least currently so hopefully some of it can be hung outside

That washer sounds like a nightmare to use though, no wonder she struggled to keep on top of it

Awh I have 4 kids 7 and under and the washing is relentless . If I don’t put a wash on each day I fall behind. And it must be so hard to come back from
esp. if you are on your own.

this is such a lovely thing to do for her. Hopefully she can stay on top of things once it’s done. And how lovely for the girls to come back to clean bedding.

I think you’re a lovely person and what a nice thing to do for
your sister and her kids x

Can you do a timed delayed wash overnight so the programme finishes at a set time in the morning? I put a wash to come on at 5am & finish at 8am so the laundry is ready to hang out before I leave for work.

I'll go against the grain. I'm sure you mean well, but I think you risk overstepping the mark by doing laundry without checking in advance if your DSIS is OK with that

But, since you're doing it, you say she has a heated airer. They're pretty good at drying clothes overnight

And you can use timer on washing machine so it's ready to hang up first thing in the morning l. If dry and windy outside, it'll dry in a few hours

Eco would be shorter wouldn't it?

I have this exact machine!

Bought it recently. Only have space for one machine, so I dry things for an hour and then hang on a pulley to finish off.

Follow PP’s advice about the wash cycle. Honestly I wouldn’t try to dry it all in the machine. I’d get a load of hangers and get it hanging round the house. Does she have a curtain on a pole that you can use to hang a load off hangers on or something?

This. She has a MH problem. She hasn’t asked OP to do anything. So why post to strangers on the internet unless it’s for Kudos ?

My eco wash is the longest cycle! 3hr15m

DO NOT ECO ITS LIKE 14 HOURS