AIBU to think some families have cracked laundry and the rest of us are doing it the hard way? (AD)

[LibbyMumsnet]

This thread has been created in partnership with Persil

We did a quick straw poll at MNHQ about laundry (STICK WITH US, WE PROMISE) and expected the usual answers of separate your whites, don’t leave wet washing in the machine for an entire weekend and try not to shrink anything expensive.

Instead, it turns out some people are operating on an entirely different plane. There was talk of enzyme soaking, specific stain strategies, strict rules about towels and alarmingly strong views on drum capacity. Frankly, it was a lot to take in.

So now we want to know what are your genuinely next-level and achievable laundry tips? The things that actually work on food, mud, paint, grass, school uniform marks and the general evidence of family life. Do you pre-treat? Soak? Separate with military precision? Have a drying system? Know exactly when something is salvageable and when it should be quietly retired? We also want to hear from you if your laundry basket is an overflowing, accusing presence in the corner of the room - what would make life easier for you?

We’re working with *Persil Ultimate Non-Bio Capsules on this thread, so we’re especially interested in tips that help with busy family laundry and everyday mess, while still being gentle next to sensitive skin.

We will also be picking one Mumsnetter at random to receive a £200 VEX voucher as a thank you for taking part (T&Cs apply). To enter the prize draw, simply post on this thread by Friday 31st July 2026.

AIBU to think some families have properly cracked laundry - and if so, can they please tell the rest of us what they’re doing?

*Keep out of reach of children. LEARN MORE www.keepcapsfromkids.eu ©A.I.S.E.

I have 5 DC so as you can imagine, a heck of a lot of washing. As with most cleaning jobs, the easiest method is to not let it accumulate over the week. I do a separate white wash but only once a week. Bedding tends to be washed separately. Other than that, everything goes in together on a 30 degree cycle. I’d estimate I do 8 loads per week.

Drying is obviously easier in summer but during the winter months we have to use a tumble dryer otherwise nobody would have any clothes!

In our house we put a load on first thing every morning, so that it doesn't build up.

The thing I hate is washing the bedding (well not so much washing it as putting it back on the beds afterwards.)

My only achievable tip is that if it's washed and dried - job done!
Kids are kids. I'm not soaking, enzyme whattying, pre-treating. Im a working parent, I don't have time, energy or headspace for that sort of business.

My top tips are

• don't overthink it, separate whites and get on with it
• don't wash things like towels at an excessive rate
• dry without tumbledrying if you have the space indoors or outdoors
• use a timer so the load starts/finishes when you want it to

So you're getting tips for Persil to use in their advertising?

We have a laundry basket with two sides that lives on the landing between everyone's bedrooms, so our 3DC learned from a young age to put washing in either the whites or everything else side. We put a load on every morning and sometimes another in the day if DH and I are WFH. Tip is to force yourself to put the folded laundry away before putting another load on - it is everyone's most hated job but we've realised that everything quickly feels quite chaotic if we just keep adding to the pile by putting more washing on without addressing the end stage of the process 😁

Not really of any practical import at all, but I take pleasure from using my pegs in a colour coordinated way.
For instance, today all the socks will have pink pegs. Also a single garment that needs more than one peg definitely requires all of those pegs to be the same colour. Etc.

Now the question is, is this a kind of syneasthesia, a branch of some kind of ADHD or autism or OCD, or an aesthetic preference, or a mish-mash of all or some of these?

Answers on a (preferably blue) postcard please. Ta. 💙🩵🩷

I'm afraid my way of keeping on top of it is to shove everything in together. Only exception was when we used washable nappies - they got their own load. Spray some stain remover on anything I spot in time, but mostly just keep it simple or I'd never keep on top of it.

We use powder rather than capsules because it's better for the washing machine and you have more control over the amount. And our other laundry rule is that we only use unscented detergent as we would rather smell of our own perfume that we've chosen than some horrible synthetic detergent fragrance.

Can you mark this as an Ad or Munsnet in the title? I clicked thinking it was a genuine thread.

3 tiny kids so lots of laundry here!
I have 2 opposite methods that depends entirely on what going on and whether DP is working away or not. Either I do a small wash nearly everyday or I ignore everything for 2 weeks and power through it in 24hrs. I prefer the latter.

• hang straight onto coat hangers and hang in category and person- eg all of DS trousers together, then his shirts. This makes putting away a 5 minute job that even 4yo can do her own.

-Always separate whites and also delicates/ heavyweight clothes. Towels and bedding separately and hot wash.

-Everything tries hanging using a dehumidifier apart from towels and bedding which half the time get chucked in the tumble.

-spray kids stains with ace ASAP. Sometimes do a prewash if everything's awful.

• half the powder they recommend, straight into the drum with laundry booster and colour catcher.

• no fabric conditioner as it ruins your machine. Sometimes scent beads though which are different.

Best tip I've found for putting laundry away is to sort it into piles according to what drawer it's going to go in, not just one pile per person.

Otherwise with a baby/toddler, get two buckets - one for nappy leak clothes, one for used bibs once they start weaning.

We don't own a tumble dryer but we turn on a fan and dehumidifier in our utility room overnight first night of washing, with the door shut.

A single rinse cycle with spin for dirty shoes, I tossed them in with a load of unwashed laundry, then took the shoes out and put the laundry on as normal. I'd let DS walk into the sea in his socks and shoes.

But you can turn it into a genuine thread by going off piste. See my post above on peg colours.
💙

Wear less wash less

pales
colours
towels

ocassional spray of stain treatment

dettol detergent added
oxy pink stuff powder added
no conditioner on towels

strict rules around drying

I don't know how people manage without a dryer. You must have to be very organised.

I stick on a load when the basket is looking full, nearly everything goes in the dryer, I can do 8 loads in a day if I've been busy/forgetful.

And if it needs ironing you shouldn't have bought it.

The biggest game changer for me has been taking the washing off the line in order and folding it into the basket, ie DH's then mine then DD's then DS's then it then takes a couple of minutes to put away rather than chucking it in the basket then having to organise the clean washing. But yes, wash on each morning (overnight if it will not disturb neighbours) hang out and put away all in the same day.

A mixture of 1 part glycerin, 2 parts washing up liquid and 3 parts water gets out just about every stain I have come across; grass, mud, biro, blood, food, grease. Rub into the stain and chuck in the washing machine.

I have recently discovered hydrogen peroxide which is brilliant at removing organic stains without discolouring the fabric.

HANG ON A MINUTE. Why isn't this thread title flagged up as promoted by Mumsnet or promoted by Persil?

Get a dehumidifier. Hang in a room with the door shut. Dries everything in 8 hours. Costs buttons.

Why isnt this marked as an ad? Trying something new and underhand?

Best tip... Use Ariel powder.

I agree about the drum size, and not overloading the washing. I try to keep whites separate, but if my husband does a wash he rams it all in and overloads it!
My advice is to not to overfill the washer, be mindful of new clothes being washed as they may dye other clothes, and invest in a good dehumidifier if you dry your clothes inside.

Hi all - the thread was marked as an ad but we've realised that wasn't showing for app users. We've now amended the title so it's clear. Thanks for pointing it out.

Keeping on top of it is doing a washing load every couple of days. Easier when one of us is working from home but still manageable when we're both in the office.

We separate lights and darks and that's about it. I use non-bio liquid for everything except pet blankets which get a bio powder wash and extra rinse. I prefer liquid or powder rather than capsules as you can control how much detergent you use (and most of the time it's fine to use less than the recommended amount).

I colour coded the family towels for 4 boys and 1 husband which made life and washing towels so much easier. Also a couple of loads a day when they were all living here. I iron most days either 20 minutes or 10 items 😉