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

Now my ironing mountain does have out of season items washed several weeks ago! I hate ironing so much I can only screw up the strength to iron the 'must be done' stuff. I once found signs of mice making themselves comfy in the bottom of the ironing basket ! But I hate putting away unfinished clothing even for storage.

I seem to be constantly sorting clothes, but I have a really inefficient habit of organising everything into piles on the bed in the 10 minutes i have when DS2 is napping, then have to sort him out when he starts screaming and forget about it til bedtime when I'm to knackered to put it away, so dump it on the floor to be re sorted the next day and poor DH has to burrow throughthe floordrobe to find clean socks. One day I will learn. Hopefully.

I also have about a million bags of carboot/eBay/Outgrown to keep for DS2/outgrown by DS2 to keep for possible future DC etc. I hate them, and inevitably lose the baby clothes only to find them just as DS2 has grown into the next size. Am planning a major cull soon, when I'm in a ruthless mood.

I have 9 (!!!!) washing baskets. Throughout the week when I'm working, I move the washes on and fold as they come out of the dryer. Put the basket of folded clothes in conservatory and ignore. Do it the next day and next until on Saturday I have a lovely big tower of flattened folded clothes in 5 or so washing baskets. Saturday PM (joy of joy) stand at dining table. Put out 6 washing baskets, one for each member of the family. Watch something decent on TV. Put each folded item in a basket for each family member. Put any ironing in an ironing cupboard for dh on Sunday. Get each family member excepting 4 year old to carry up basket into their room. Sunday: help all children to put away clothes. Sunday night: hubby irons anything that needed ironing. Monday: start all over again. Boring!

I iron everything except towels and underwear... So all of mine goes straight into an ironing basket where it is ironed twice a week and the ironed clothes are sorted into appropriate piles as I'm ironing so the pile can be put straight into the wardrobe/drawer without any hassle.

Ironing and putting clothes away is probably the worse housework task ever though!

Cathycat - your system sounds overlaborious. I fold clothing straight out of the drier or straight off the airer into piles per person, and put those things straight back in each person's cupboard.

Petrean - if you hate ironing so much, why do you iron everything?

I think ironing is the pits, and send at least half of our ironing out and do the rest under duress. However, the bare minimum (women and girl's clothing) is ironed in-house!

Because Bonsoir I hate creased clothes more.

Do you have boys? I find that tumbling them until hot (not dry) and then hanging them on hangers is just fine for boys' clothes - desirable, even.

Terribly sorry, but I don't understand this thread. There are some housework jobs that I hate and procrastinate over, but putting away clean laundry isn't one of them. It takes about 2 minutes a day. And it's the last step in the chain - once you've put it away you can call the laundry for that day "done" so you can tick it off the mental or actual list. Job done.

"It takes about 2 minutes a day" ha!

I do the kids seperately, towels and bedding, our stuff - makes it easier to sort and put away as it's not all jumbled up.