To take all our washing to the launderette once a week to escape the daily washing nightmare?

[head2toeinuniqlo]

A new launderette has opened in our suburb.

We are a family of four. I WFH, around 70 hours per week. I am also responsible for all the cleaning, cooking and washing for the family. The problem with the washing is its sheer relentlessness. Not only that, but none of these lazy fuckers put their clean washing away. It invariably ends up back in the dirty washing hampers and, if a pile of clean clothes is left unattended, our cat will shit on it so it will need re-washing. I am so exhausted and trying to take some of the daily grind off me.

The launderette has captured my imagination. I see it as a possible sanctuary. It is brand new and shiny with loads of machines and places to sit. I am thinking I could drive down on a Saturday morning, chuck all the clothes in the machines, get myself a coffee and a croissant and sit there for a couple of hours in peace, reading a book.

It won't be cheap, but can I justify it?

Once I was home, the others' laundry would stay locked in my car and be released when they met certain conditions, whether it's collecting dirty crockery, general tidying, vacuuming or putting stuff away. I'd keep my car keys out of everyone else's reach.

Love this ^^

Maybe they're paid more?

You still haven't said how old they are? There are different strategies for different ages

And however tired he is, your partner will have to do a bit...

@head2toeinuniqlo if someone leaves the clothes where the cat shits on them - they can scrape off the shit/wash clothes. Wash only what is in closed lidded basket. In fact don’t even do that. Do your own. Don’t put their clothes away either.

It would be helpful to know if the children are very young, or older and capable of helping.

I did all of this when we were waiting for a new washing machine. Three weeks it took. I left it all in the launderette for a service wash and it came back all folded and smelling of washing powder. It was amazing. I might have cried (I was massively pregnant and had hyperemesis and it didn’t take much, but still)

Im also loving the click and collect suggestion for the weekly shop on your way home.

We take the odd load to the laundrette for a service wash and it’s brilliant. I send everything apart from the underwear and socks. Comes back the next day, smells lovely, folded, very soft. Usually costs less than £20 for a massive IKEA bag full. If you can afford it, do it.

Me too! There hasn't been one in my town for at least 15 years, probably more like 20. The nearest ones are 10-12 miles away.

or would OP arrive home with piles of clean laundry to be put away, and bags of shopping sitting on the kitchen floor to be put away?

OP, I think the problem here is your family need training. One way to do this is to simply... stop doing stuff for them. Announce it. Let them sink or swim (depending on ages of DC of course)

What ages are your children ? Who looks after them while yourself and your DH work 10 a day, 7 days a week ?

If your children are older teens, surely they can do their own laundry ? Have a central area for clean clothes and let your DH and children put away their own clothes, if they need the clothes they know where to find them.

I swear by it! And once the DC learned to drive they started taking their own instead of me!😃

If it will make you happy then do it.

I would send them all out for the afternoon to the laundrette to do the washing, let them be bored stupid and then tell them to put it all away when they get back home. They will probably feel like their time has been wasted but then they’re wasting your time by being lazy shits.

I haven't seen the OP say how old her DCs are but as she said

My DS would happily fester in a filthy room surrounded by dirty clothes and mouldy McDonald's wrappers.

and called them 'Lazy Fuckers'
then I'd say they are definitely old enough to be pulling their weight around the home.

Whatever she does decide to do she's going to have to be on a mission and not cave in when they all throw a strop at the cessation of skivvying services.

Good idea op - anything that will make your life easier!

DO IT!!!

We drop ours off on a Saturday and pick it up on the Sunday… all washed and ironed, smelling divine. My 100% cotton duvet covers are pressed beautifully, far better than I could do. Even if you are going to do the washing there yourself, it really helps you get on top of it all.

I still do my work uniform and the majority of my own clothes as I am fussy, but DP sends everything.

I don’t think you’d ever hear me say “ that’s not a good idea” regarding using this service.

Having read all your replies I think this is more than justified. Do it. Enjoy the peace.

(I had a flatmate whose cat would shit on clothes left in a pile, even with a lovely clean litter tray. The only way to stop it was to never leave clothes out. It was infuriating!)

Fuck em.

They can do their own washing from now on, once a week, designated day each. Just do one load of your own stuff once a week.

Do one load of towels a week for the whole house. Hide the spare towels. Give them their own towels and if they don't hang them up to dry between use then tough shit they learn the hard way and get dried with a damp towel.

When I lived in an apartment and if the weather was bad I used to get a laundry service to pick up and drop off the towels and bed linen. It was fantastic if pricey.

I think the soundtrack of my life is the washer.

But yes go to the laundromat and drink coffee! But your family still need to put it away.

My eldest is a swine for putting clean washing back in the wash basket. He can’t be bothered putting it away. I bought a pop up laundry bag and I fill it with his clean clothes. I bought the same bag for my youngest who leaves his clothes clean and dirty all over the house. He leaves a trail of mess behind him. Anything I find of his I put in his bag. Saturday mornings they are empties in their rooms and they don’t come out or have privileges until they have empty bags and clean bedrooms. 4 weeks in and eldest hasn’t had a bag to do for a while, youngest is getting better. I haven’t got the time, they have and they need to start being more responsible for their things and be more respectful of what I do in the house.

Tell family members that any clean washing that you have done must be put away within 24 hours, and anything that isn’t will get taken off to the Charity Shop. Then take the stuff away but hide it (so you don’t have to buy more) but let them think it’s gone off to Charity and see what happens. Also talk to the family and tell them either they all help or you are getting a cleaner and the kids pocket money will go towards the cost. Then do it!

You need to sort the lazy fuckers out what are they doing while you work yourself to death?

I voted YABU because I think that will create more work for you.

Have a main laundry basket (with a lid to stop the cat) and get people to put their dirty clothes in there.

Then get each person a collapsible basket and put their clean clothes in them and put the basket in their rooms.
It’s up to them if they put their clothes away or not.

Keep the bedroom doors closed, so the cat cannot get to the clean clothes.

You could even put the clean clothes baskets in the bottom of each of their wardrobes, so there’s no way the cat can get to them.

How old are your kids?

If they had to start doing their own washing, then they wouldn’t be so quick to wash clean clothes.

But your not saying anything about the lazy fuckers number and ages.