To think laundry isn’t the easiest chore

[outofofficeagain]

I do all the washing. DH says ‘it’s not that big a deal’

I do.

It’s a lot to do multiple loads a week, and dry it, and sort it into piles.

There are times when I find it overwhelming.

AIBU to say that if he thinks it’s so easy, then he should do it.

It depends on the context of the comment and what he's comparing it to. I don't find laundry to be a big chore and much prefer it to cooking or cleaning.

Are you including the ironing in this? Just putting a load on and either transferring it to the tumble dryer or hinging it up is not a chore at all.

How on earth how do you fit

14+ pairs of underwear, 14+ pairs of socks/tights, 7+ bras, 10+ bottoms, 10+ tops, however many jumpers/cardigans, a few sets of night clothes etc in your washing machine?

And that's not even including things like clothes for exercise, coats, towels, bedding

I wash most days to try and keep on top of it. I don’t find it that difficult but just never ending. I love the smell of clean clothes so don’t really mind sorting and folding. I hand piles to the owners and they can put away themselves.

for you - it is not a chore at all for you

Clearly it is for the OP and others on this thread

It is the easiest chore for me.

Given the choice I would always do the laundry over everything else.

It's like emptying the dishwasher. It just always needs doing.

Washing and drying is easy. I'll hang it out in the summer if I've got enough time, otherwise I'll use the tumble dryer.

Sorting into piles can be annoying but I always dump the lot on the bed so we can't avoid it. We can't chuck it all on the floor as our cat will piss on it all, so it all gets done and sorted.

I find it only gets annoying when I get behind, or if there's sheets/towels to wash as well. Thankfully I only tend to wash those once a fortnight. I've never washed bedding weekly. Completely unnecessary in my opinion but then maybe that's why I smell like a dog most of the time.

Laundry is a struggle to keep on top of if there are a lot of you. When the DC were young I was forever doing laundry, planing tomorrow's, putting away yesterday's and then thinking, That's it, I'm done - NO! Bollocks, I need to change the DCs' sheets (as soon as they could strip and make their own beds, those chores were passed to them).

I realised how little clue DH had about it when we were in an AirBnB with a washing machine and he said about 5 days from the end of the holiday, 'Well, the kids have got enough clothes to last them till we get home now, you don't need to do any more washing.'
???!!??? I pointed out that if I did that, I'd spend the first week after we got back trying to get ahead of it all again, as yet more dirty laundry hit the washing basket.

He remains utterly terrible at laundry.
He cooks, though.

Open the door, shove clothes in, add detergent, press button.

And then the laundry fairies come and dry it, sort it, iron it and put it all away 😅

For a family I'm sure it's relentless and the machine goes on every day. But it's not as easy as shoving the stuff in and pressing a button either. You know all the steps involved.

I do two loads once a week. I live alone so that's OK for me. Sheets and towels in one load, and clothing in the other. TBH it's drying it that's the issue for me. I don't (and won't) have a tumble drier, so it's either on the rack in the spare room with the dehumidifier or on the line. But I get twitchy if I put it all on the rack indoors, and then the sun comes out, oh god, will I put them out or leave them there. I am having a lighthearted laugh here BTW as I usually leave them there. And then the opposite if on the line, will it rain..... Then it's taking it down from the rack/clothes line, folding, putting on hangers or in the airing cupboard. Ah you get the picture, I'm a mad old git! I don't iron anything either.

My washing machine is in a utility room far away from where I spend my time, so I have to set the alarm on my watch to alert me that the cycle is finished, since I can't hear that damned sing song from the machine to tell me! Then I turn the alarm off and forget.....

So yes, washing is a pain in the arse.

Who’s in your household?
I do at least one wash a day. Also mix everything up, put everything on quick wash and probably do an hour of ironing/ week.
Family of four- three beds which are changed weekly.

I like laundry! The machine does it for you! We use those colour catcher sheets though, so not too fussed about separating. Also train everyone to unball their own socks etc so you don't have to do that.

Ironing is the worst for me. Hate it and am terrible at it!

Ooh you sound like my DP who does no fucking laundry and can't understand why we have baskets of clean laundry everywhere.

It needs sorting into family member, folding and putting away too. Or worse beds putting back together - the fairies don't do it and he certainly doesn't so I'm not sure who he thinks does!!

Even if it was just OP, she can't possibly fit 2 weeks worth of clothes into one load, unless she's got an industrial sized washing machine.

Plus, she apparently doesn't wash towels, bedding or kitchen stuff 🤢

What about underwear, bed clothes, towels? Thats without clothes? More than one load a fortnight surely?

And then... ? You're forgetting that there's more than that involved.

My initial question was asking if they are including the ironing as part of the laundry. I agree that with ironing it takes longer but lots of people don’t bother anymore.

I love doing laundry but it's a thing you have to do regularly otherwise it gets overwhelming.

I do a load every morning whilst my DD is having breakfast and hang it out asap. Bring in as soon as its dry and put away immediately or fold and put on the correct beds for recipients to put away.

Will be harder once I'm no longer on maternity leave and can't bring the washing in if it starts raining etc.

Do none of you have teenagers??!

6 of us here with adult sized clothes and it's a nightmare getting everything dry in the winter. All the socks go into one big basket now so I don't have sort them.

Then don't get me started on the towels!! At least 3 extra loads a week!

I hate it, but then I have chronic illnesses and find hanging things up causes me pain and exhaustion. And the having to think about which needs doing next gets on my nerves. I separate it all into piles that go into the dryer and those that don’t (hardly any actual clothes go in because I find everything shrinks). We have a load that needs to go on the airer most days. Then there’s towels, bedding (two of the beds take two loads as the mattress protectors are quite thick), whites etc. Our bedding is thick cotton and comes out of the dryer creased so that has to be hung up somewhere.

Then there’s the ironing. I don’t know how people manage with not doing it! That said, I manage to get away with not ironing some things like hoodies, jumpers and joggers.

You must be a washing expert if you’ve picked the exact easiest part of it all and said what’s so hard about that.

does doing the washing mean you change all the beds too op? No way to that! I would be leaving your dhs washing from now on, because ‘it sounds like you find it much easier than I do so it should be one of your jobs’

I don’t even think about doing it but I keep ok too of it.

I quite like it as chores go, but agree it’s relentless and a lot more time consuming than just shoving it all in the machine and pressing start.

I have worked hard to train DH and the DC that just because they’ve worn it once, it doesn’t have to go in the laundry basket!

I do a load once a week.