why is putting away clean laundry so much hassle!?

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

I really hate putting away clean laundry; it always seems such a massive task (tho I admit it doesn't take that long). Does anyone have a system which might help?

"Just do it", doesn't really work for me, now I have 4 weeks worth to put away

I don't really mind putting clean laundry away, except when it's DP's - for some reason he just can't bring himself to open that pesky cupboard door and dump the pile in there. I put it on the bed, he moves it to the chair when he comes to bed, then to the desk when he wants to use the chair, then back on the bed when he wants to use his PC. Then I end up putting it away anyway.

I suppose I do wash people's clothes in separate loads, mostly because DD's clothes are mostly pink & purple, DP's clothes are all filthy and need a hot wash, etc. I sort and fold things straight after I take things off the line / airer, I don't iron anything, ever.

I also wash socks with their companions, and they are pegged as a pair on one of those round things with loads of dangly pegs on. Then when they're dry they just get balled (folded? paired? what do you call that where you make the socks into a pair to put away?) and put away by me on the relevant pile.

Also agree that if you still have thingsd to wear with 4 weeks washing to put away, you have too many clothes! I seem to wear the same three things on rotation.

my house is not big enough for a months worth of washing to pile up (not that I have that many clothes/sheets/towels anyway).
go on, just do it, you can breathe so much better when it's done and put your feet up

Washing gets sorted into 2 baskets when it comes out of the dryer/ off the line- ironing and non-ironing. If I'm really organised and get to the dryer just when it's finished I might smoothe and fold in an effort to reduce Mount Ironmore, but that's rare.

Then I dump the whole lot of non-iron stuff on our bed, sort into piles then fold whatever needs folding and put each person's /each room's back into the basket, one lot at a time. The theory is that I'll need to get into the bed later so will put it away sharpish. It doesn't always work though... then it gets chucked back in the basket and the process begins again the next day or a few days later when I get pissed off with having to step over stuff

Sadly I have not yet found a system for doing the ironing apart from gritting my teeth and getting on with it. Although sometimes I use it as an excuse to get out of doing other stuff like an eleventy millionth game of sodding Snakes and Ladders.

you think you have washing now?you wait till that baby comes.

having a baby does wonders for for the acceptable level of cleanliness of clothes.

I remember only washing at weekends. Now the house feels odd if there isn't at least one of the washing machine/tumble dryer/dishwasher isn't on!

Its interesting, there is such a lot of agreement that putting the washing away is a chore too far . I put some washing away today: all the things that aren't going to be ironed from my massively overfilled ikea blue bag of clean washing. So that was towels, flannels, bedding, underwear, nightwear etc. It took me 90 minutes people!!! to fold it all, sort into piles, put in each persons drawers, hang up. And I still have a mountain of ironing or outgrown things to be sorted for charity/ebay plus another load in the machine to be hung on the clothes horse, plus another load to wash tonight. It is a chuffing nightmare, laundry!

It is my least favourite job too :( Luckily I now work part time and whilst dh had the children this weekend he did it

I do the same as Singing - all baby's stuff together, I wait till she has a full laundry basket, its just under a machine load - goes in the wash, on the rads, then back in the basket in her room and I empty it in one go, when she's playing in her cot or something.

I get DH to put his away and I put mine and DD clothes away x

I hate this too and have made it a bit easier on myself by:-

Chucking out all the socks and buying black ones for me and DH (I just wear the same size as him and being stretchy they tend to fit) and white for the children - therefore no balling needed I just chuck them in a big sock drawer :)

Having a clothes/underwear clear out every 6 months - you definitely have too much if you can go 4 weeks without sorting!

When the washing is done I still do let it build up for a few days but then it is as simple as getting the pile and from that making lots of piles over my bed - one for each drawer, shelf or wardrobe they are going in (so pile for pants/socks/tops etc). Then I just carry them to where they need to go and fold as I put away or hang up.

Can do a massive load in about 30 mins (if I have left it for 2 weeks to build up!)

4 weeks worth!!! I hate it if I let it build up to 3 loads worth to put away, so no wonder you hate it so much!
Maybe have a good sort-out of your wardrobe, and make sure you put it away every Sunday night, no matter what. Then treat yourself as soon as it's done?

Cant wait for DD1 to be old enough to be delegated this task. My mother cunningly made this "my" job so will definitely buy into that particular tradition.

I hate washing and sorting clothes.
I find if I do one persons clothes at a time and then hang them out, it makes it easier to put them away. We have separate wash baskets though the DSs share. Separate basket for towels.

I do joint washes for the DSs but hang their clothes on opposite sides of the airer so I dont need to sort the clothes once they are dry, its clear whose is whose, if that makes sense.

I have an aversion to puting away also - but hate hate hate ironing! If you need a system perhaps have a basket for each destination or room. I have several flexi tubs that nest together and squish out of sight when not in use - large for dcs bedding, small for smalls, ( dc to do own) medium for always in the wash dcs schoolwear. I can cope with little baskets/tubs worth of putting away on a good day!

You should watch my dh putting laundry away without resorting to violence. He picks up an item, folds it badly then walks to the chest of drawers/wardrobe on landing where it belongs. Then comes back. Does the next one.

It makes me want to stab him with a toothpick. Especially since he leaves EVERYTHING else in little piles, yet will not be convinced of the time efficiency in making piles of clothes.

I used to wash baby clothes separately, otherwise they would have grown out of stuff before it emerged from the wash and the DC still have a separate washing basket, but on the whole, the answer to "Muuuummy, where is......?" is "it's in the pile" - the clean pile, that is, which is heaped on any horizontal surface where I can be sure the geriatric and terminally lazy cat will not sleep and/or pee on it - except on really good days, when I have sorted it all.

Trouble is, DH and I definitely don't have enough space to put all our clothes away, and whilst the DC would have if I could find the time to remove all the outgrown clothes, they don't right now.

I did it! I just did it. I am going to try and do it every Sunday. I wont though, that is the problem. If my laundry basket had compartments I might be tempted to do it more regularly. It just seems so much stuff in one basket.

I just really hate it!

If you like systems, then get a bunch of the collapsible baskets and sort it as you fold it and put it in its own basket:

Underwear,
Casuals tops
Dressy tops
sweaters
socks
Hanging items (but they would be on a rail here, never make it to a basket)
etc, etc.

When you go to put them away they go straight into their spot, without having to sort it as you've already done all the sorting into the baskets. You can't NOT put them away because where are you going to leave 6 baskets of clothes?!

Then when you're done collapse the baskets and pop them back into the utility room!

I put each bag of clean laundry in our bedroom and sort it into people piles on our bed. There are 6 of us. I usually do 2-3 bags at a time cos it's more efficient. Dp puts his stuff away, older dc (5 & 8) grudgingly do theirs before they go to bed in theory. Dts are 3, so I'm training them still, I shove their piles in their room & whoever is putting them to bed does it that night. I used to sort on the ironing board right outside the bathroom while the dc had baths, but it's too small now! Doing it on our bed means I have to sort it or I can't get into bed. One rule I have is no more than 3 loads of washing a day as otherwise I fed up with sorting it. And fwiw there are a lot worse jobs!

ChitChatFlyingby genius!

I sort it out on the dining room table. Then we can't eat until I've put it away.

We have never gone without food more than a week, honest.

I hate it too. I hate everything about laundry. Especially washing effing sheets every day (bed wetting 6 year old!) NYARGH. I want a utility room and a Woman What Does.

Fly lady, once every sunday is great if you are pre children. Once children arrive you will wash three times most days!! I never wear clothes more than once. (sick, snot, paint, mud etc)
Wash in the morning, mid day and eve. fold after dinner is on, on the table, piled by person taken upstairs and put away in the evening. No ironing here.

I wish someone had let me into this secret ( as well as dishwasher on every eve, emptied every morning) it is the easiest way to deal with washing. I did try about 5 different systems...this one works.

Fly lady is a cleaning system if you didn't know...not an odd greeting:-)

3 loads a DAY?

I have 3 kids. I do one load a day and thought that was excessive.