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?

every day?
are you jackie onasis?
she had them done twice a day

See, you are making yourself extra unnecessary work. Bedding does not need changing every week unles you are in a particularly dirty job, you don't bathe regularly or you are particularly sweaty.

Again, clothes do not need changing daily unles you are overly sweaty or doing particularly grubby jobs. Normal day to day wear and tear does not IMo warrant changing daily.

Children can wear clothes that are not spotless. they do not get ill or spontateouslu combust if there is a mark on their top. Unles going out specially they are fine.

My DD, IMO, always looks (and looked when littler) clean and tody, as do me and DH. But we don't fall into the trap of daily changing of clothes; IMo that is just making yourself work. And I want a life that doesn't involve being tied to a washing machine.

Obviously if you chose to change more often you have more washing, but that is your choice generally. And yes, as a result, you will have more washing and ironing and putting away to do.

but surely you must change tops and underwear and so on every day? I mean the stuff that is next to the skin? And shirts and so on?

Surely?

Otherwise it would be unpleasent, surely? Surely?

Why did she have them changed every day, the loon? Did her sheetsgather dust or summat?

I just take the sheets off when I get up in the morning, it's probably easier than trying to straighten all the sheets and try and sort out the duvet which has somehow curled itself up within the duvet cover during the night.

I think it depends on the top. Looser blouses for work tend to last a couple of days as I change when I get home and if I use antiperspirant they don't get smelly. t shirts usually get washed after 1 day, but often only on part of day as at work other part so last 2 half days and then get worn for running in and then washed. Prepubertal kids t shirts usually last a couple of days. Underwear gets washed daily.
Kids school shirts usually last 2 days unless they've been messy, trousers lasting longer now they're getting older.
Jeans etc usually fine for several days and only get washed when grubby.

ah yes I do rewear blouses, however I then tend to put on a fresh casual-ish top

so that one doesn't work for me, though note I still have escape clothes

Well, yes I do change pants and socks daily. But I don't change bras daily. And I certainly don't change tops daily either. Honestly they just don't need it. Or at least mine don't. I certainly don't smell, lol!

Dh does change his work shirt every day as he feels he needs to. Other tops he doesn't though.

DD changes her school shirt or dress every other day. They are never smelly though, more they get grubby from school activities.

Jeans I wash when I have too. I hate stiff freshly washed jeans!

Hide it.

Before we could afford to send ironing out, I did it all myself and still managed to keep on top of the laundry and all the rest of the housewrok and work full time. It is possible. Yes "routine" does sound dull but with a little effort and organisation it is less hassle than being faced with a toppling mound of dirty clothes!

{blush]

We have five, no, six laundry baskets. One for each person and one for towels and sheets . They are always overflowing, never empty.

I keep trying to institute a Fewer Clothes policy but DH insists on buying stuff for the kids. He also keeps everything (has a problem IMHO but he won't admit it, natch, being a bloke). if everyone, except me of course , had only 5 sets of clothes, we could do one wash a week for each person and we'd all be happy.

WE do keep trying to do the 2-3 loads a day thing to clear it but there are always many many more things to do.

House stinks all the time. I long for one of those houses that is ALWAYS uber-clean and sweetsmelling but it would have to be someone else's house. I am too lazy and too busy.

You change sheets every day? Feck. Do you have nothing else you'd rather do with your time?

I get a load in to start in the morning. Then chuck it in teh dryer before school run, then take it out and fold and put away whilst they're out.

If I have a big job, like more than one load for the day say, because I've stripped the beds, then I do it after the morning load.

Am a bit OCD about washing, too.

But Hula you live in the NORTH - what abotu the smoke from the MILLS?

There's always loads of washing around in my house because I don't have a tumble drier. I can't put the next load on until the stuff hanging up has dried, so there's constantly a heap on the floor by the washing machine!

I'm good at keeping up with my ironing though

Ah mills are all closed these days. And maybe us oop North just don't mind a bit o'muck now and then

Vulpina - only takes 5 mins tbh. Take them off in the morning, put them into wash, go to work, come back and do another couple of loads, put clean sheets on bed (another 5 min job) just before bedtime.

So only 10 minutes a day.

I have plenty of things to fill my time, am out of the house 12 hours a day so one good thing about that is that the house doesn;t get trashed (excepting by the cats).

90 posts on washing.

I doubt there is anything I could add to this debate

But you have to put them back on again every day -a job both me and DH hate. And we never remember to do it til bedtime, which feels eve worse.

DD has bunk beds too and doing the top bunk is a nightmare!

Vulpina, your problem is that you have six laundry baskets! If you only have one, say on the landing, then once it's full to overflowing you can't ignore it & the washing doesn't have a chance to stack up

i don't like leaving electrical `things running over night if not essential like the fridge!.Especially not things like a washer wwith a hrating element and moving bits.As a family of 6 we have invested in a second washing machine which makes a heck of a difference.Drying is Ok when its fine as we have lots of line metreage or in winter when the central heatingf is on as we have 15 radiators which will comfortably take 2 loads of washing.Again its the putting away I hate
ve currently a massive pile of clean washing on the sofa in teh family room.Hoping to get a few minutes to do some ironing!
My bug bear is DH putting clean things back in teh washing basket instead of putting them away !

The hallway outside our bedroom is currently a festering mounting of clothes.
It was until wednesday all over the bedroom floor, but now I'm glad to say my bedroom is gleaming, and I'm slowly getting through the piles in the hall. Good thing as its clearly a huge health and safety risk! Thant and i keep stubbing my toe on the empty suitcase at the bottom

I am a slatten of the highest order!

Some people hide the piles. I found this out at a friends when she showed me her 'spare' room. You couldn't see the bed for clothes and her kids help themselves from in there!

My utility has 3 baskets. I have no system. I keep saying when the dcs are older I'll sort it. I'm a long long way from the 50's housewife I long to be.

I don't mind the washing and drying, but I never get round to putting them away. Bed sheets are def the worst. We have to bicker and barter all night before we finally go up and huff and puff and do it together.

I find febreeze or similar ekes things out a bit too. I am a tramp, but a nice smelling tramp.

I'm with 2Rebecca on this one - I wear a top for work and hang it up when I get home, and air it, and then put away for next time. I wear the same t-shirt twice for two consectutive days unless I mark it. DD wears clothes randomly so usually has a pile on her chair or floor depending upon where they landed. DS has clean clothes every day as he is a filthy boy, and DH has a clean work shirt every day (uniform) and random tops for the evening.

I wash every other day but I too have a 7.2kg machine - standard size in every other way but sooo makes a difference! I am getting kitchen done at the moment, and had to use my Mums washer - standard size drum, and had to do two loads where I would have done one. I can do all our bedding in one load!

I stick colours and whites all in together and have never had a problem.

A routine of some description is important else your house looks like a chinese laundry

I do iron as well twice a week, and put things away when dry like underwear and PJ's - so only small ironing pile.

Cant see what the problem is really

Changing the bes is easy - I have two sets of bedding, so when I strip the bed, I put on new sheets, and then later in the day go and do battle with the duvet covers!