Laundry is my nemesis

[Reallynothappy]

Please can anyone give me some advice on how to keep on top of the laundry?
I seem to have mountains of washing everywhere, and no structure in place to keep on top of it. I think I need a routine.
How do I do it??
Please help!

[bigkidsdidit]

interesting! I have baskets in bedrooms but end up taking one down and having not enough whites so leave the basket there and then it all becomes a big mess.

might adopt your system :)

[Bonsoir]

You need to realistically assess what needs washing each week and make a timetable - it then doesn't matter who does the washing (you, your partner, your children, your housekeeper), because what needs doing gets done. Ie today it's Friday and that means the sheets from our double bed get washed. On Wednesday all towels in the house get washed. Etc.

Don't let teens get away with dumping once-worn jeans and hoodies in the wash basket!

[BoffinMum]

Either. If you have space, you can buy trollies with three compartments. But in the flat we had laundry bags in people's wardrobes, and once a week we used to round it all up, divide it into the three baskets (which stacked), and do it all in one day.

My friend has an even better system. She did an old house up and installed Laundry chutes in all the bathrooms where chimneys had been. These lead to a basket in front of the washing machine!!!!

[Bonsoir]

I find the system whereby I ask DCs to "bring me your dirty grey clothes now" works just fine for sorting!

[DillyTante]

A laundry chute would make the whole thing far more fun!

[dreamingbohemian]

I don't separate darks and lights -- never have, with no ill effects I can see (I wash at 40-60 degrees and don't have any white clothes though). Everything for me, DH and DS goes in one basket and when it's full I chuck it in the wash. Once a week I do towels/bedding. Never iron (strategic drying/never buy clothes that really need it).

My advice is to do the minimum necessary and forget all the 'rules', do what works for you.

[Flisspaps]

Tumble dryer in your walk in wardrobe

[twentythirteen]

OH does his work clothes after he gets home on Friday evening. They are dry by Saturday when I do the bedding and towels. These are dry by the end of the weekend. I do my clothes then sometime during the week. It's basically about finding a habit that suits you and just doing it.

[IWipeArses]

I'd love laundry chutes. And a utility room. And a housekeeper.

Laundry reduction should be first approach imo.
Towels used at least 3/4 times, clothes worn at least twice, apart from undies etc.
Reduce the amount of clothes, towels and bedding you own, then you simply can't have huge piles, you have to wash or be naked.

[RandomMess]

We just have one washing basket so when it's full to the brim you know you have to do a wash then sort through it for whites, darks, Pinks/purples/reds.

Bedding gets washed at 95% of the time put back on the bed same day only have emergency spare set.

Honestly the drying on coat hangers thing works brilliantly - no folding and you just sort as you take them from their dried location.

[tribpot]

The only thing that makes is bearable is remembering what it was like on The 1900 House. Laundry is still one of the most depressing household chores going but at least it isn't like it was back in the day.

[SantaIAmSoFuckingRock]

those of you who can dry 2 loads of washing on airers in a day. how?

i hang 2 loads on my airer in my airing cupboard with the dehumidifier on and it takes over 24 hours to be completely dry. and i t does get quite wram in there when the water is hetaing in the tank. how are you getting yours dried in 12 hours?

[Mrsrudolphduvall]

I have a very warm utility room I can close the door on.
Also a rail in the cupboard under the stairs where there is underfloor heating.
It's like a sauna in there.

[CultureMix]

Side comment here on laundry chutes -

When I was a child we had a laundry chute (big old Edwardian house). It was in my closet which was located directly above the kitchen then above the basement area where the utility room was.

It did save lots of trooping down stairs with big loads of laundry and made life easier for my mother. She early on instituted the rule that all dirty laundry went into a hamper in the bathroom but I would regularly get siblings entering my room with dirty socks & wanting to drop them down the chute. And yes a number of stuffed toys and other items did make the trip as well.

It had a little hinged door and wasn't very wide, maybe ten inches square so bulky items had to be dangled through and quite regularly we had to use a broom handle to push through a wedged towel or something.

I've never actually known anyone else with a laundry chute. Brings back happy memories . Though looking back now I realise my mother then had to cart all the clean clothes back upstairs...