To ask do you see the end of your laundry basket?

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I will ask the basic question first…

If you have a family of 4, sporty children etc. do you see the end of your laundry basket each week?

if so why do you think that is and if not then why not?

Family of 5 here , 2 adults 3 children under 5 washer is on daily every other day normal clothes and the days inbetween bedding and towels. Sometimes it’s empty but not for long

My upbringing was similar, my kid has a full fresh set of school uniform every day, and clean clothes and clean (matching!) pyjamas daily. Never wears anything that looks a bit on the small side either and clothes are never given as Christmas/birthday presents. Definitely hang ups from my own childhood!

2 adults and 2 primary school age dc.

9kg machine, i wash overnight and do 4-5 loads a week. I separate colour, white and dark so the baskets are never empty but rarely overflowing either. Highly recommend a big machine.

As pp have mentioned, it's the drying that's trickier, especially in the winter.

Family of 4.

Two adults and two teenage boys - 15 and almost 13.

We were stuck in a cycle of laundry overflowing all the time. I got sick of chasing laundry.

So the boys are in charge of their own. I'll help if they ask, but they need to be aware of where their laundry is and not complain if it's not ready because they forgot. We have a washer and tumble dryer, so there is no excuse. I refuse to be shackled to the washing machine just because I work from home.

There is still a build up at times, but I will shout out to whoever is most responsible for the pile of laundry and ask them to take care of it. If it's 'general stuff' I'll take care of it.

I really despair of mums who do their boys' laundry up until they leave home.

No, but that doesn't make sense as a target for me. We're always wearing clothes, or towels need to be washed, etc. so the laundry is never 'done' because there's always more coming. We do regular washes and the goal is - people always have the clean clothes they need, and there's never a big pile of laundry anywhere (whether dirty in the basket or clean and waiting to be put away).

My routine has always been laundry on Sunday. So every Sunday everything was washed and ironed - 2 sets of uniform, 2 sets of PE kits, husbands shirts and trousers, my clothes, underwear for 4 people, towels and bedding. End of the day nothing left to wash. Only swimming things were done on the day they were used. Still do laundry on Sunday even though there are only 2 of us now but everything still gets done. I don't iron on Sunday now but usually do it on Monday evening instead....

There's only 2 of us now but probably not very often as I always have something dark loitering and white pants so I tend to do one wash with darker stuff then lighter stuff another day.

Unless the sun is shining in Scotland and everything gets washed including all the random stuff like spare room bedding (no one ever sleeps in there), sofa throws, cats sheepskin rug etc 😆.

I never go to the bottom of our deep laundry basket ever as that is precisely where I hide things, safe in the knowledge that no one else will ever find it/them. ( flawless tricks your mother teaches you lesson no.7)

Only 3 here and it's a struggle, doable when the weather is good , a few days rain can cause a backlog, too much gym gear, activity kit etc

No never.
Not my job though. I think DH (who does it) relegates ‘unusual items’ Ie not worn every week to the bottom and they can stay there for weeks.

if I ask for an ‘Unusual item’ it is only then that the bottom of the wash pile is discovered.

I do but it doesn't stay that way for very long - how could it? We all wear clothes every day and some things you don't wear twice (underwear, sweaty t-shirts etc)

I have to say it's much easier to keep up with since we got a tumble dryer.

Yes.

Well, they are adults now and no longer live here, but we were 5 (3 dc, dh and I) and both dh and I WOTH, but - like you - keeping on top of the washing was never an issue. I mean, the washing machine does it for you. It's not like vacuuming or gardening or most housework, where you actually have to do it. You put it in the machine and have 90mins or whatever to go off and do something else.

Plus - if you leave stuff in the basket / don't wash it, then it will still be dirty when they need it for that activity on the same day next week. Doesn't matter if it is their swimming things / brownie uniform / football kit / training kit / school uniform or whatever, it needs to be ready for the net time it is needed, not sitting in a laundry basket.

Yes. Family of 2 adults + 4 kids.

I see the end of the laundry basket on days when I do the laundry as I just keep going until it’s all done. Obviously we have clothes on while I’m doing the laundry, so within 10 mins - 8 hours the laundry basket has 6 sets of clothes in it again!

Laundry isn’t a task that can be “complete” for any length of time because you’re making dirty laundry while you clean laundry!

I have 4 kids and used to wonder about people saying they never see the bottom of the laundry basket- but I’ve realised the reason I mostly do is because I do too much, I’m always running with another load or putting it quickly on the clothes horse or the line/ in the drier etc etc and I’m fed up if it being so non stop. Well done to the people who don’t see the bottom and who actually bloody live!!!!!!!

Yes, but we do a load or two every few days, sheets on a good day so they can go on the line, we have a large washer and large dryer too. My DH actually does 3/4 of the washing as I have a disability and mobility isn’t the best so I do a lot of the house admin and he does more graft

Only two of us here but I never catch up on laundry due to DH’s incredible ability to change clothes every five minutes (slight exaggeration). He wears at least two pairs of socks a day and usually at least two tops (completely interchangeable polo shirts).

This would drive me mad. Can’t he keep the half worn stuff on a chair to wear another day? Or is he really that sweaty that they need washing after half a day wear? In which case maybe the laundry should be his job..:

I do because we don’t feel the need to wash absolutely everything after one wear. Obviously I understand how larger households find it more of a struggle. But so many people on here wear jeans once (even if it’s just for an hour a day they go in the washing basket apparently), wash towels after every use and wash bed covers twice a week. Life is too short in my opinion to be washing things that much.

We have 3 laundry baskets, dh’s, ds’s and mine. We all do our own washing so yes mine is regularly empty. Theirs is not too bad.

You would think so! To be fair he does do laundry as often as I do but it does frustrate me when one day they isn’t enough in the washing basket to do a load and the next it is overflowing. He finds my chair full of half worn clothes “messy” but let’s not get into his misguided ideas of what tidying is!

Yes. I stick a wash on everyday. It is rarely full.

Yes! But only since we bought a dehumidifier.

Summer's fine mostly, but the dehumidifier is a blessing in winter. Much cheaper to run than a dryer (though I've never actually had a drier in my life), and it dries a full rack of washing indoors in an hour or two. You just put it next to the rack and it sucks all the water out of the air, it's brilliant!

Basically this means I can do two washes a day in the winter if I need to, no problem at all.

Also, another life changing laundry tip - stop driving yourself mad pairing up socks after a wash (assuming you're the only one who does the washing anyway - sigh). Have a dedicated sock drawer near the washing machine and just throw them all in there. Then each family member can root around in there each time they need a pair.

Heavens no, OP. I never see it. Wish I had huge US style top loader washer and dryer.

Not often, and if I do it’s accompanied by piles of clothes that need ironed and put away. I always seem to have something laundry related to do.

2 adults 2 kids here. Well I’d see the bottom of one basket, but we have one in each bed room, plus a spare one for whites/lights. It’s highly highly unlikely that they’d all be empty at the same time!

Add in towels and bedding and it’s just a constant cycle, but as long as I do a load most days I’m keeping on top of it and I don’t worry about it much.

Ironing on the other hand…