Is going away worth it -M drowning in laundry!

[spanieleyes22]

Just so much laundry to get through and we all have to wear clothes for the next week until we go🤣 then it will e massive laundry when we get back is it all worth it I can't help asking myself🙈

DD and I went away for 10 days (no machine) and wore everything we took.
I turned that around plus 2 other people’s backlog, sheets and towels, in the 6 days (4 plus drying) before leaving again. First world problem, I know, but it felt neverending.

MINI HACK: I gave everybody (all adults so able to sort their own clean laundry) a bag-for-life and said “whatever you want to take on holiday, put it here and put the other clean stuff away.”
That saved a step. The BFL slotted straight into the car boot, no suitcase packing. One for the dog, one for kitchen supplies and off we set!

I’ll have 12 days when we get back for DH and DD to do the same again!

One of my colleagues uses laundry services when on holiday so just comes home with a case of washed and ironed clothes - genius

I just take it all to the laundrette still in the suitcases when I get home.

I make sure the laundry baskets are empty when we pack, then wash while away. The weather was hot so it was a 10 minute job every day to hang it on an airer outside and collect it back in each day. I hate ending up with piles of it at home!

I would not like to wear them for a week! Much rather a 10 minute job every day to do a load and have clean nightwear.

@DiscoBeat you wear fresh PJs every single night??! I feel like such a minger right now lol

From reading this thread it very much seems like women are STILL doing all the laundry. Why is this? Washing machines can be used by people of either sex.

I don't understand how people have so much laundry, I find it the easiest chore. I use the dryer for most things and never iron.

How dirty are you that you need new PJs every night? I put new underwear on for bed, but wear the same PJs for a week usually

Me & 2 DS's aged 20 & 17. Usually one load of lights & one load io darks a week. Towels & bedding separately but again probably just one load a week.
How can you fit 3 lots of bedding and 3 lots of towels into one load? We have king size beds and use 2 towels each. Even with a big machine the bedding and towels is 2-3 loads for the 3 of us, plus an extra load worth for hand towels, bath mats, teatowels, cleaning cloths (which get separate quick cycles before a wash). Then there's the mattress and pillow protectors, occasional blanket or guest bed/towels. 2-3 cycles for clothes light, dark, delicate dark. We don't do everything every week, but 4 loads is the minimum and can be 6 loads.

People take multiple PJs on holiday? I don't wear nightclothes at all but now i realise why people need such massive suitcases!

Same! It’s endless. Everyone exercises most days so it’s not a case of it being worn again as it’s sweaty. And those doing two loads a week, surely all the bed sheets take up more than one load a week on their own?

Very true and then they're whining about energy costs at the same time claiming to be so environmentally aware!

We went on a tour of India years ago and both noticed a couple who looked even less well kempt than us! It transpired that they always saved their almost worn out clothes, wore them and left them, using the suitcase space for lovely rugs etc.. We started to save our oldest, most decrepit pants after that, wear and dump, saved a lot of washing, sadly I could never detach OH from that decade's t-shirt.

Same here, we have a two year old and a nine year old, I wonder how many outfits people wear a day, and whether they have one of those small shallow washing machines.

I know what you mean but it’s still worth the holiday.
Ive taken to “treating” myself at the end of our holidays and finding a laundrette where I can wash as much dirty stuff as possible and more importantly, tumble dry it. It’s a bit pricey but it means we go home and one was load to do and everything else get shoved back on the drawer. It honestly makes going home so much less hassle.

There's only me and teen dd and we seem to have loads of laundry, dd has just got back from a few days in London and has a heap of clothes that need washing.

I easily do 7-8 loads a week 🤯

I dream of your life.

Since my kids are home from Uni the washing machine has been on 3 times a day more if bedding and towels.

It is a 7kg one so not big. But still. It is ridiculous.

Thankfully, I have outside space and a dryer.

First load today went in at 4 am. It is bedding today. The joy 🥲

Honestly, I was sat in bed the other day thinking to myself what if I just stopped washing myself and everything and just festered for the rest of my life! A random thought to just pop into my head!

I thought this, maybe I've just got a small washing machine but my kind size bedding needs doing over 2 loads 🤷‍♀️

I just checked a guide for the load size, wondering if I an too conservative: https://www.currys.co.uk/techtalk/kitchen-and-home/laundry-advice/washing-machine-capacity-guide.html.
We have an 11kg machine, so that's "8 small towels and 15 lightweight tops. Or 5 pairs of jeans, 2 jumpers and 30 pairs of socks or underwear. Or 3 bedsheets, a duvet cover and 4 pillowcases."
3 lots of bedding therefore has to be 2 loads minimum. Add the towels and it has to be 3. Not the "1" another poster claimed.

Having access to a washing machine on holiday is almost on my essentials list. Being able to do a few loads on holiday makes all the difference on arriving home. We found this chain on our last uk trip. https://www.thelaundryrevolution.co.uk/

takes a whooping 18kg. I did the whole holiday wash and dry in 1.5 hrs whilst hubby took the kids to the beach and I had breakfast in silence and caught up with emails. It was like a mini break on holiday 🤣

If it's too much why bot gather all the laundry when you are back, take it to a laundry service and pick it up later. Or use a collection and delivery service. I wouldn't send the swim suits though.

How I loved the laundry marathon around a family holiday. Until I bought a well known German brand of washing machine my washing machine would choose either the week before or the day after a holiday to break down

Exactly the same here but swap rugby for swimming. We have to do a load every day, and that's with rewearing non-sport clothes where possible and reusing towels etc.

OP - after a holiday we often treat ourselves to a service wash at the launderette. What would be about 5 loads at home, we just drop off in the morning and pick up all washed and dried in the afternoon.

Our bedding alone (super king) is one load. Then we have 3 other sets to wash (one double, 2 single), which is another load. Towels for 5 of us are another load, sometimes 2 if we’ve been swimming a lot in the week. Then 5 lots of work/school/exercise/sports clothes, including my disabled child’s multiple outfit changes… if I could do it all in 2 loads a week I obviously would!