I want to do less washing (small sob)

[LePruneDeMaTante]

I've just hung up a load of washing in my cold house - it will take two days to dry. I have a big airer in my bedroom which means there is ALWAYS washing in there, always, as well as on banisters etc. I'm totally fed up. The only time we catch up with the washing in winter is when dh is away for work and the amount of laundry goes down 50%.

The obvious answer is to do organise things so we/I need to do less washing but where, precisely, does one cut corners? What the hell did people do in the past? Did they just whiff all the time?

I sympathise.
My clotheshorse is permanently up somewhere in the house.... Never seem to put it away! I do have a tumble dryer, but I rarely use it except in times of dire need for large items such as towels and sheets, due to the cost of running it and the fact that it is in the shed!

I am fortunate that I have a range cooker which is on quite a lot so I move the laundry in the kitchen when it is on and that really helps it dry within the day that I've washed it IYSWIM. But it's not on all the time and so I too feel like I live in a chinese laundry!

I don't know where to cut down, I really don't. I cleared the basket (or so I thought) yesterday morning and today I will do three loads and that does NOT include the sheets and towels, which will need to be done tomorrow.

Oh, and DH and DC are about to return from rugby covered in mud, so that is at least one more load on top of the three I am already doing today....

Where does it come from??

In the past people always hung it outside I think
Or they had a dedicated laundry room with ceiling airers

We have an airer on a pulley that pulls up to the ceiling
But we also have a tumble drier which I wouldn't be without now. I have 4 children, 3 of whom are teenagers and they think it's ok to wear something for about 3 hours then put it in the wash.
I usually do at least one load a day, but my airer can hold a complete load so I don't always have to use the tumble drier, also quite a lot of the expensive designer crap newer clothes shouldn't be tumble dried

I may start a washing rota for the older ones to make them think a bit more about how many times they actually need to change their clothes. After DS threw a hissy fit the other day because something had not been washed, I dared to suggest that he could have put a wash on himself.

for starters, tops and jumpers if not dirty can be worn 2 times. I usually alternate and hang up between wearing.
towels can last up to a week if you hang them up to dry in between. bedding can be washed less often if you air it more.

to dry clothes quicker it helps to give them an extra spin or two. also try to find the draftiest place in the house as the airflow helps dry clothes quicker.

do you have space/money for a tumble dryer?

I couldn't survive without my dryer. My 2 DSs dirty their clothes quite badly every day, so it's rare that they could re-wear something. I actually joined Which? just to buy a washer and dryer as efficient and economical as possible (and large and quiet enough!!) and it has made SUCH a big difference.

The things that HAVE to be air dried are so badly in the way - air drying everything would be horrendous.

I think the way they survived in the past was to have one washing day and get everything washed in that day. The house would be a laundromat for the day and that was that, things dried in front of the fire. Oh, and they walked around stinky because large heavy duty items that took a long time to dry were only washed in summer !

I cut back on washing in the winter but I know that I can get away with it more easily as a SAHM. I just can't cope with manouvering around airers every day so I'll do what it takes... These are some of my tactics and I so hope I won't get told now that they are completely grim!

I cut down the towel wash from once a week to once a fortnight. I hang the towels out over the banister or on the line 2-3 times a week so they get at least a good airing. Saves me a load a week.

I cut down on the bedding wash the same - as we wear pyjamas in winter but not in summer I reckon we get away with longer. And if I know that we have guests say the next weekend, I postpone the wash till the Thursday so the house smells all fresh. Needs must if it will save me a load a week!

My clothes have a somewhat complex system - I change if I'm going out and then when I come back in before doing any sweaty tasks - that way the smarter clothes last for 2-3 outings sometimes. And then they can be worn just in the house for doing housework, playing with the kids etc a couple more times (unless baby sick or whatever got on them). Sounds a faff but really only takes a few extra minutes in a day and saves me I reckon a full load a week. I do the same a bit with the kids - if I know we're not going out or we're not going out to meet people we know (park, supermarket), I'll stretch their clothes for an extra wear or two wherever possible.

PLUS I have recently bought a dehumidifier and it really helps in drying the clothes, keeping the house free of cooling condensation and keeping me sane! For much less in running costs than a drier.

Having said all that, I do love it and rejoice with great joy when I can get back to washing more frequently and drying things on the line!

The launderette is my new best friend!

I take 2 loads of washing and dry it in the tumble driers for £2. Fold it and put it away - job done!!

And I have a airer over the bath so that we cannot use the bath but have showers instead.

the only things that HAVE to be washed after one wear are knickers and socks. i make use of my local laundrette which has changed my life - so much better than a washer-drier - i can do 3 big loads of washing for £3 and about 45 minutes and that's the week's washing done. doesn't get towels completely dry but enough for a quick hang up to sort.

oh my goodness "tops and jumpers if not dirty can be worn 2 times" - LOL - basically, if it doesn't have a hideous stain down it and it doesn't smell, wear it until it does! even then, febreze and a good air works for most jumpers/cardis/jackets. spot-clean everything when you take it off with baby wipes. only put it in the laundry basket if something isn't budging. invest in a pair of boots that jeans etc can tuck into and jeans can go for about a month between washes.

how old is DS? i would say make him and DH responsible for their own rugby kit if he's anything over 7!

sorry wasn't clear - do the tumble drying at the laundrette, wash it at home!

I can't do a tumble dryer - they shorten the bodies and sleeves of everything that goes near them (based on every time I've used MIL's super-spiffy one) and since everything I buy is already just slightly too short in the body and sleeves, it would make me utterly homicidal!

I remember I once read a book which was an academic survey of Nottingham people in the early 60s - totally fascinating (the fact that it was Nottingham was totally random!) and one thing that stuck with me was the researchers had expressed surprise at the women all talking about the sheer rage and despair if their children dirtied their one set of clothes (the other set being Sunday Best). The idea of having one set of clothes and sponging it down, incurring the wrath of your mum if it got too dirty...very sad. But we have definitely got FAR TOO MANY clothes. I do wear them more than one day, usually (undercrackers excepted of course) but dh can't for some reason.

I shall just carry on - I don't think we could cut any more corners...but could someone tell me about dehumidifiers? Is this a commonly-available thing now?

Prune - it depends on the tumble dryer, I recently bought one with a very gentle (and slow) cycle that does not seem to shrink anything. It has a cool cycle to finish too, so hardly anything needs to be ironed.

I did not believe people who claimed not to iron before, now I realise that they just have tumble dryers. I can't believe how much it cuts down on the time spent doing laundry

surely you can tumbledry everything except your tops/dresses tho? (agree anything jersey/sweatshirty is shrunk in the dryer, I do avoid putting those in). even if you only get all the sheets, towels, jeans and underwear out of the way that would be a fair weight off your hands

I know two people who have fitted those pully airers above the stairwell and it is got at off the landing. Hot air rises and dries everything pretty quickly.

If your staircase is not on show and guests wont see it then it seems a good
way to dry clothes.

Oh Prune I hate this! The airer is constantly up in my dining room and stuf is always on radiators and it drives me spare. we're moving house in January and I've decided a) we're getting a tumble drier for all DS's things and jeans etc even if we have to bribe the landlord somehow and b) I'm dropping off all the sheets, towels, duvet covers, tea towels, bibs, muslins, bath mats and flannels at the laundrette once a week for a service clean on my way to work. I am at the end of my tether!

I'm loving this thread. OP - what they did in the past was to spend entire DAYS handwashing and mangle-ing.

I have teenage DD's who chuck EVERYTHING in the laundry basket as it's easier than putting clothes away in the wardrobe etc. Ispend my life going through the laundry basket saying "THIS doesn't need washing, hang it up!"

But of course there's loads of stuff that does need washing and it really mounts up. I agree that tumble dryers are incredibly expensive. May I take this opportunity to extoll the virtues of the Airing Cupboard? I have a couple and I don#t know what I'd do without them! All socks and undercrackers (of which there are millions in this house) are taken directly there after a medium spin. Works a treat. Do you have an airing cupboard?

I am just not going to get a tumble dryer - I know y'all love them but we don't have space, I think they're wasteful, and they do shorten the arms and bodies of clothes, MIL's is top-of-the-range Miele and it has already had a go at a couple of my tops.

I don't iron anything anyway I am clearly a terrible slattern.

I think my problem is that once, for 2 blessed years, we had a Laundry Room. It was tiny but it completely contained all the wet laundry and you could just shut the door on it. Waaaah I want more rooms. That is all. Sorry to be one of those posters who disregards advice (though I would still like to know about dehumidifiers...)

To be very truthful, OP, you won't be able to solve your problem if you don't get a tumble drier.

I also have a major issue with the teenage DSSs who generate unbelievable quantities of barely worn "dirty" clothing and refuse to countenance wearing anything twice; plus their clothing is multi-coloured and cannot be mixed with other stuff. I think that they are of an age where they need to take responsibility for washing their own clothes (though not bedding or towels) so that they understand what a huge volume of work it is.

I want the lakeland traditional aired for the stairs. Domestic goddess craving, that one!

Ah LePrune - you don't put any of YOUR lovely things in the tumble drier, they stay on the airers and dry in half the time because they are the only things on them. The tumble drier is for the DCs clothes, plus sheets and towels. Ours lives in the shed so I have to be really desperate motivated to go out there and use it.

We've just bought a tumble dryer having been without one for about seven years and it's brilliant. The laundry just took up so much space and I think it was making the house damp. From what I can make out most tops are fine in my tumble dryer, except for ones that are quite stretchy. There's always a few things that can't go in, but it's great being able to get most of the laundry dried in them tumble dryer instead of hanging around for days.

If you don't want to get one, though, have you thought about getting a dehumidifier? Apparently they can really speed up your drying time if you use airers. Or what about the Lakeland heated airer thingy?

Dehemidifiers typically extract moisture from the air by using a system of fans and passing the moist air over a heat element for the moisture in the air to condense and then be collected in a tank - or via a hose to a bucket/ sink. They aren't silent but do help especially like now when its a really wet cold week.

I have one that I got of ebay for £25 - about £120 new in B&Q at the time. Its not light or particularly small - about 1/8 size of a tumble dryer though.

The other thing I do as a non dryer household is have my boys use fleece tops rather than jumpers to play in as they are almost dry out of the washing machine. I find some tracksuit bottoms also are more practicle for rolling in the dirt than jeans which take for ever to dry. Obviously work shirts etc you have no choice but mine go on hangers in the bathroom around the shower cubicle - then on hooks on the door when we take a shower.

I've also invested in a towel rail in the bathroom, Its both electric and part of the central heating - dry towels are fantastic but it also drys the smalls and socks in a couple of hours.

Collission I'm liking your style. I keep promising myself that when I strip the beds I'm going to take the linen and towels etc to the launderette and leave it for a service wash. Trouble is, I'm too busy to go down there as I only have weekends off!

I really must get into this idea though.

How about a lakeland heated airer?

I had never heard of such a thing it looks ACE but I can't think where I'd put it - it's bigger than our airer and that has just enough space and no more.

I found this Drying Pod!

Not much good for you though, because if it can't be tumble dried then it can't go into the drying pod!!!

You've made your choice, and that's to not have a tumble dryer. The only option is to have clothes hanging around the place, unless you have a specific room where you can hang them away in - such as a guest room/airing cupboard.

I've decided that only extra special clothing is worth the gentle treatment, so don't buy casual clothes unless it can be tumble dried.

Oh and even the Miele will shrink clothes if you set the heat too high, or dry it to extra dry. If you dry only to the 'iron dry' level you get left with a touch of dampness in the clothing which makes it easier to iron (or just hang up) which means the clothes don't reach the too dry stage where cotton shrinks. Some cotton undershirts of the boys shrunk while we used a dryer on holiday recently, yet they were perfectly fine in our own dryer.