To wonder why other people's homes don't have huge washing piles?

[Fairynufff]

Do you remember the pictures in Ruplestiltskin of the rooms filled with straw? Well my house looks like that - but with washing instead of straw. I feel like it's a full time job just managing it, and I don't even iron!

No one else I know seems to have the same problem. They all have lives, spend time with their kids and have full time jobs? What do they do with it all? What secret to they know that I don't?

My washing pile is often 5 foot high. I have radiators and airers on my balcony, the problem comes when these are full of wet washing and there is still piles waiting to be done! At the other end of the cycle, when my clothes are clean and dry, I don't have enough storage to put them all away, so there are always piles of clean clothes in the bedroom. If I did actually manage to get my washing pile down to a reasonable height, I would just have bigger piles of clean stuff in the bedroom. And I never iron either, unless something needs to be worn and is creased, in fact my DS is incredibly fascinated to see me iron and stands staring, open mouthed, "What you doin mummy? What's that?" (pointing to iron)!

I'm a bit OCD about the washing I think. If it's under control then I feel in control of the whole house. There can be drifts of dust in the corners and cobwebs everywhere but if the washing is up to date I can let it go.

There are only three of us atm so a load a day, sometimes two, covers it. Dry outdoors or in spare room if weather crap. Iron twice a week. Done.

DC2 due in September so the system will go pearshaped I'm sure... not least because the spare room where washing is dried will become a nursery.

at custy and badger

My three seen to have gone through both stages - never putting anything in the wash, just picking up off floor and re-wearing - and putting on a t-shirt for three minutes, changing their mind and putting it in the dirty basket

On his last rugby tour one of the boys didn't pack many pants and thus " inside, outside, frontwards, backwards" was born His mum must be so proud

fairynuff my house is like that, it is because I am rubbish at putting away and because I don't have adequate storage, if the laundry basket is empty then there isn't enough room in the wardrobes for all the clothes. I tried to make putting away dh's job but he is rubbish too and hides stuff. I currently have a mahoosive pile of washing from yesterday, some hastily taken off the line when it was raining, some that didn't make it out, at the foot of my bed should get of mn and sort it out really. I would not be able to cope without my tumble dryer, I feel awful everytime I put it on though. DD and I re-wear clothes, but dh is a sweaty smelly thing and generates masses.

I dream of a laundry room.

I always have loads of washing to do. Most days I do 2-3 loads but sometimes I do 5/6. There are always clothes/bedding to wash. We don't use clean clothes every day and the beds/towels don't get changed as often as they should and yet I still never catch up.

Tho I do have 3 pre-school children and every time I just about get to the bottom of the pile we get a sickness bug or a wet bed etc.

However I don't have washing all over the house. I have 2 laundry baskets- both full atm. The line is full of wet washing that has been rained on. I have a basket of clean clothes in the hall which need ironing/put away.

About once a week when ds realises he has NO clean clothes he drags a whole pile of stuff out of the bottom of the wardrobe and expects it to be washed, dried and ironed within 5 minutes flat.

Have a routine.

[THUD]

A routine

Now why hadn't I thought of that?

Sorry but I really don't understand people who can't keep control of there laundry. As Anna said it is down to routine. Little and often keeps on top of it. I have set days when I strip beds and wash towles. Then a load a day (usually overnight then hung up first thing. Once dry folded into piles for each person then put away there and then. My laundry baskets are regularly empty. I don't iron, it all gets sent out. I will do any housework except ironing.

They hide it in the cupboard when you come round.

If I had a 'routine' you may as well just shoot me. Just the word leeches all joy out the world...

I always seem to have a teetering pile of ironing.

My solution is to go away for the weekend. While Im away the Ironing Fairy comes and clears the entire basket. She also checks ds1's laundry bin and sorts the stuff into properly dirty and not-dirty-at-all-got-shoved-in-there-while-'tidying up' piles. Then she takes the dirty stuff back to her castle, washes it, irons it and returns it.

I heart my MIL.

Plump - someone on here actually LIKES their MIL - you have restored my faith in humanity!

I love washing so I never have loads of stuff hanging around. You must all have loads of clothes tho'! I rarely iron but am an expert folder so majority of stuff looks like it has been pressed and neatly folded. DH does his own ironing. I won't go on holiday to anywhere that hasn't washing machine access so I may be a bit odd

I would say send it all to me but looks like I might get inundated!!

I take things out of dd's laundry basket (or rather pick them up of the floor or off the back of her chair) that she deems dirty and fold them back up and pretend they have been washed. She often wears things for just an hour at a time and still puts things in her laundry basket.

I put on about 3 washes a day. Luckily I have a laundry room and most of the stuff goes on airers, everything else goes in the drier.

I normally keep on top of it (although there is always a number of things I can't be arsed to wash at the bottom of the laundry basket), but the things that get me down are sheets and towels (but I don't help myself there by changing the sheets near enough every day), dd's sports kits and dp's work clothes which are generally full of dust/cement.

If I miss just one day I have a load of washing to catch up on, which I hate.

agree with COV
op is a leetle beet lazy

Oh, and I don't iron everything all in one go. The ironing board is up permanently in the laundry room and I just iron what I need each day. DD and DP do their own ironing.

LOL at ComeOVeneer who doesn't understand how people can't keep on top yet 'sends out' ironing.

i quite like a session irnoning although careful use of spin pseeds stops me doing much...
also a folding of socks and pants session.

We only have one child which helps with the laundry pile. I do currently have 4 piles on my bed though (one laundry basket full) which I want to get started on - can't untl plumber has gone though - as on holiday next week.

We always ensure the laundry basket is empty by Saturday morning, and then DH irons generally on a Sunday morning, listening to the radio.

I send out some of my ironing too - all the shirts. Not only do I not have to do it, but it doesn't have to be done in my house: I don't much enjoy have cleaning ladies around either!

You lot with one kid - begone!
I also find now the clothes are physically BIGGER its a lot more stuff

The whole washing and putting away the clean clothes thing is, for me, the most mundane chore in the world. I utterly despise it. It's not the washing it and hanging it out. It's seperating it in to the four different piles and putting away in respective bedrooms. I constantly have piles of clean washing sitting on top of the cupboards under our stairs. Socks are my pet hate. Sorting them into pairs and working out whose is who.

Oh, and I only iron when an item is needed.

Oh I do, Fairynufff. Took a little time but once I'd given in to the whole MIL experience it was great.

Besides - she does my ironing!!! (Not always, natch). What's not to love?!?

DD loves ironing, she takes the ironing board into her bedroom, puts music on at 90 decibels and happily irons away in a cloud of steam.

I worry for her.