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Housekeeping

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Original poster

How many loads a week in your household?

67 replies

MayDayChild · 04/09/2011 16:13

We are 2 adults 2 children no pets. DD 4 and DS 15m
DD starts school Tuesday so I forsee my washing machine being even busier.
I do per week...
3x darks
2x lights
1x whites
1x cleaning clothes tea towels etc
Bedding every other week is another 2 loads.

So school uniform will make that around 10 loads a week for 4 people. How is this possible?
Tell me your washing woes?

OP posts:
MrsRobertDuvall · 04/09/2011 18:00

Babycham42.... There is lots of sports stuff.
I am a bit obsessed with clothes washing too.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 04/09/2011 18:09

3-4 loads a week would only cover sheets and towels for us! Reckon we do about 4 clothes loads a week on top of that, one load for DS and all his mad coloured stuff, one whites and 2 dark.

So, 2 adults, 1 (mucky) DS and 8 loads a week.

Chestnutx3 · 04/09/2011 18:10

Family of 4:
sheets/duvet covers - 2/3 a week
towels/tea towels - 2/3 a week
colours x3
whites x1-2

I am getting a lovely large capacity Miele in a weeks time though so I am hoping that will cut the number of washes down Smile

JarethTheGoblinKing · 04/09/2011 18:12

(and I did 5 of those yesterday. Not sure what's wrong with me but I quite like having a laundry day Grin )

Becaroooo · 04/09/2011 18:14

4 of us 2 dc 10-12 loads a week

poppydaisy · 04/09/2011 18:16

2 adults, 2 children (9 and 7)

1x whites
1x darks
1x reds/pinks

So 3 washes most weeks.

controlpantsandgladrags · 04/09/2011 18:19

2 adults and 2 children (1 and 3)

usually one load a day with probably 2 loads sat and sun.....9 loads a week on average.

bigbadbarry · 04/09/2011 18:19

I've never dared count up the loads, but there is five of us so as a very bare minimum that is 35 pairs of underpants and 70 socks a week!

Original poster
MayDayChild · 04/09/2011 18:31

My machine has a 7kg capacity which is plenty big enough. I only have one airer and a small tumble dryer so actually thinkng about it, my loads are only about 4kg but that's all that will fit on the airer indoors.
I do think about the water waste coconuts, but my machine is top of range so apparently it decides how much water it needs by itself.

I'm dreading getting it all dry this winter. What do you wise MN do in winter? Maybe I should buy a 2nd airer and start weighing up to 7kg that might reduce the loads.

OP posts:
BodyUnknown · 04/09/2011 18:39

We are a household of two, me and DD (14 months) and the washing machine is on at least once, but more likely twice a day.

I wash my bedclothes once a week, I use a new towel every time DD and I have a shower or bath, I use a clean tea towel every day and I only wear clothes once before washing as I hate it when jeans and things go baggy. DD seems to get through two or three changes of clothes a day too!

I hate it as well, it is my least favourite chore in the world and I HATE the feel of wet clothes coming out of the machine (no dryer here).

ragged, I have no idea how with 6 people you can only run the washer 3 or 4 times a week! Do you have teenage boys who never wash their stuff? :)

BodyUnknown · 04/09/2011 18:42

Maydaychild, I have trouble getting things dry. We are in a poky little flat. Generally to dry two loads a day in winter I need to have the radiators on full blast - it gets like a furnace in here. I do like the constant smell of clean laundry though!

MrsRobertDuvall · 04/09/2011 18:53

I only use tumble dryer for towels, bedding and dh's tshirts/shirts.
I am lucky to have a utility room which is warm in winter, and also the under stairs cupboard has a rail in it..it has underfloor heating in and dries things so quickly.

BarbieLovesKen · 04/09/2011 21:32

Family of 5 here - 3 dc (5, 19 months and 11 weeks). I do 2 loads a day so 14 a week - yet there's always a pile and I'm always behind.

No idea how that's broken down in regards to lights darks etc - I don't count them but I do separate roughly and use colour catchers too.

I wash kids clothes separately to ours (dh's stinking socks and sweaty rugby/gym gear are not going in with babygros for eg)

How in earth are people getting away with doing less??

chickydoo · 04/09/2011 22:56

Maydaychild
2 adults 3 kids. Lots of footie kit!

virgononvirgin · 04/09/2011 23:07

2 adults and a 15 month old. Would say 2-3 dark loads a week, 1 load of whites, towels/bedsheets washed once weekly or every fortnight depending on sweaty-ness, smelliness etc Blush, the throws off the sofa once a month, net curtains every few months, blankets (we have a couple permanently in living room) every couple months. We have a 6kg machine and I always put in a full load.

I do love sticking clothes in the washing machine though, as well as other stuff such as DS's stuffed toys, his rocker chair cover, other random things from round the house. Love gettings things clean without having to scrub them myself [embarassed] [wierd emoticon]

TheSecondComing · 04/09/2011 23:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BuckBuckMcFate · 04/09/2011 23:19

6 of us here.

I do minimum of 2 loads a day. 3 if the weather is good.

The backlog if I miss a day is horrendous.

There is quite a lot of sports stuff in there and then the towels that generates.

And then bedding.

I have a huge washing line that can fit 2 8kg loads on easily. It has a pulley and extends right out over our sloping garden and we live at the top of a hill so it gets quite windy.

I don't have a tumble dryer and I'm dreading winter.

bananamam · 04/09/2011 23:44

I do a load every other day. So3-4 a week. 2 adults 2 kids. One in school

AngelDog · 04/09/2011 23:51

2 adults, 1 toddler.

7-12 loads a week, I reckon.

Towels / sheets are washed fortnightly. 4 washes a week are cloth nappies.

Littlepumpkinpie · 05/09/2011 00:39

Not a clue how many loads I do a week washer is an 8kg so that does lessen how many times it goes on.
3 adults in the house and four kids soon to be 2 adults as dd is off to uni.plus 2 dogs
I wash
bedding weekly
towels every other day we all have our own.
clothes are done daily
sports clothes we all do teakwondo and everyone's kit goes straight in the wash after training which is twice a week. Sometimes it three times if we do a competion or an extra traing session.

itshappenedagain · 05/09/2011 12:18

i do at least 2 loads a day, but usually 3 there are 3 of us DS(4) ,DD(1) and I. DS starts school tomorrow so hopefully should be able to reduce by a load. i seperate eveything. and i only have white towels and bedding.

mousymouse · 05/09/2011 12:28

2 adults, 2 dc
I wash whenever the compartments of my sophisticated ikea trofast system are full = one load

kansasmum · 05/09/2011 12:53

I seem to do laundry all the time!! We are a family of 5 -me and dh and 3 kids aged 17, 15 and 4.
The teenagers do their own laundry 90% of the time- which they usually leave til the weekend and do at least 2 loads each!!!

I do everyone's bedding once a week and towels once a week, unless the girls have used them all up and then I have to wash a huge pile of damp smelly towels!!! This happens fairly frequently!
Now DS is at school I am actually hoping my laundry load will go down as he won't get through so many clothes. I bought enough uniform so he can have clean set every day if necessary!!

samex2 · 05/09/2011 22:08

For clothes alone it's about 9 loads a week
for bedding x3 minimum change bedding every week
for towels x2 minimum each week bath towels take up a lot of space in machine
for tea towels x 1 each fortnight as I have lots and let them build up for a big wash with dusters.
So 14/15 each week if no-one is ill and it brings up more washing and if pe kits are not needed more than just for pe lessons and that's in a household of 4
are you lot sure you are adding up properly?

samex2 · 05/09/2011 22:11

my lot have enough uniform and pe kit to have fresh lot on every time used apart from trousers which are worn min of twice if okay to put on again but shirts are fresh on every day but even in the holidays the machine seemed to be in use a lot. Also if there are additional things like dressing gowns to wash then that is another load!