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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How do you know how much your washing weighs?

16 replies

soppypreggyloon · 15/04/2011 10:35

I've got a lovely new machine and am trying out it's different functions etc. I really don't want to wreck it by over loading it.

How do you know how much 4kg etc of washing is?
(I don't own bathroom scales)

TIA :)

OP posts:
lljkk · 15/04/2011 10:46

I did mine on kitchen scales.

You could bag items up and compare to say, a full 1.5kg bag of flour. Take turns with one hand lifting the bag of clothes or lifting the bag of flour, get the bag of clothes to weigh seemingly just the same, it will then be about 1.5 kg. Might help to close your eyes for this exercise. Do 2 full bags of clothes plus a two-thirds full bag to get to 4 kg of clothes.

FWIW, I have to absolutely stuff my machine to get the prescribed max. weight in cotton.

Butterbur · 15/04/2011 10:50

I have never weighed my washing. I always shove in as much as I can, and if stuff doesn't wash properly, I know it was too much. I have never broken a machine this way.

But then I probably shouldn't be posting on a good housekeeping thread.

lljkk · 15/04/2011 11:51

I weighed mine as an experiment, because I was in an online discussion about "how often do you run your machine" and people were insisting that my machine must be ridiculously overfull to run it as little as we do (even now, 6 people in the house, I can't manage to run it more than 3x/week). That's why I got so bothered to check the weight I was putting in exactly. I agree, stuff it to the gills is usually fine, what they seem to be able to take, anyway.

I currently fill mine to the point where there's still a single hand's width clearance at the top (what they recommend on the whitegoods website). Our is a low water usage machine & can't seem to get things truly clean if we fill it too much as a result (to close to the recommended max). We also seem to have some clay in the drum (aarrrgh), I don't know how to get that out, sometimes gets all over the clothes. Blech.

As for good housekeeping, I win no awards. Just found some amazingly thick dust on top of our knife rack... Blush

Off to get a life, now :).

cybbo · 15/04/2011 11:54

I never weigh my washing either

I shove it in and leave a teensy bit of room for it to move about

Original poster
soppypreggyloon · 15/04/2011 12:04

Ok so weighing washing is a bit OTT for most. Blush
I just wasn't sure how full it should be.
The hands width thing is a good suggestion for a full load. I'll guess the rest.
Don't know why they give weights as it's all different when emwet in any case!

OP posts:
CeliaFate · 15/04/2011 12:25

Wow! I have heard of weighing washing, I never thought anyone did it though. I fill it until I can comfortably put my hand on top of the washing. If you stuff it full it can't circulate properly and won't get as clean surely?

dexter73 · 15/04/2011 15:12

If I was going to weigh my washing I would weigh myself on the scales then pick up the washing and weigh myself again to work out the difference.

lljkk · 15/04/2011 18:15

OP said she didn't have scales...
Some links that talk about a hand's width:
Washer Help
Ariel

Naoko · 16/04/2011 00:45

I've never weighed my washing either and just leave some room. My mother and I still laugh about the time that my dad got made redundant and, as my mother was working, took over the household - he's great, but when we saw him sauntering off to the bathroom with the laundry basket to go weigh the washing I must confess we took the mickey a bit :o I can see why you would, if you're not sure what 3kg or 5kg or whatever of washing looks like, but it struck us as funny anyway.

takingchances · 18/04/2011 11:26

As a general rule, you shouldn't fill your washing machine more than 2/3 full. Any fuller than that and the machine can't do its job properly, and neither can the detergent.
The 4kg will take this into account.
HTH

SimplySparkling · 18/04/2011 11:41

I almost always weigh my washing. My delicates wash takes a max of 3kg of dry washing so I use my old pair of kitchen scales in order to make the best use of the load. If others can guess 3kg accurately then good for them, but I can't!

Seona1973 · 18/04/2011 12:43

I have never weighed my washing either and just leave a bit of space at the top.

mousymouse · 18/04/2011 16:04

I never weigh it.
I use ikea trofast boxes for the laundry, 1 middle sized box= one load.
Fill drum to the brim leaving enough space for one hand (upright)on top.
Do about one load a day, but am not really a laundry queen.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 18/04/2011 16:10

A load of washing is when you physically can't fit any more in :) Which is why I only do 2 loads a week max.

xmasbunny · 18/04/2011 16:37

My washing machine weighs it before it starts a load if it's overfull for the function it beeps at me and refuses to work!

pigpog · 18/04/2011 21:30

Our washing machine has a weight sensor and you can see on the screen how much is in there.

We've had it for 4 years and now I know roughly how much it will take, so don't use that feature any more. DH does though!

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