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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

How many different types of washing load do you do?

96 replies

INeedSomeHelp · 27/10/2013 16:18

I live on my own so you would think washing clothes would be fairly straight forward.
But since I've bought sone new clothes for once I have become obsessed with how I do the washing. So I am now splitting it down into the following loads:-

  • dark colours and denim
  • anything coloured that doesn't fall into the above category
  • white
  • sports stuff (I do three classes per week so there's a fair bit)
  • bed linen (special fabric conditioner for this)
  • towels (don't use fabric conditioner)

So even if I only do one of each, that's 6 loads per week for one person (although I do use the mini load option on the washing machine)

I've gone completely mad, haven't I?

OP posts:
ouryve · 27/10/2013 16:22

Blacks & dark greys
Dark blues, greys & greens
Light blues, greys and greens
Reds
Gentler wash blues etc
Gentler wash reds etc
Whites (about once a fortnight - I don't have a lot of these, mostly vests and a bit of bedding)
Dark Towels
Light Towels
Bras
DS1's manky lunch bag when I can't get all the sticky crumbs out of the creases.

Cindy34 · 27/10/2013 16:23

My machine has a daily wash option, that gets used a lot.

Rarely us any other setting, except for things like bedding which goes on a cotton cycle.

Sports stuff - just chuck it in with the rest. Tend to try to do it with other light items, similar colours. Not with Jeans or other things that may leak colour.

Darks wash, lights wash, bedding wash.... That should do you I would have thought.

ouryve · 27/10/2013 16:23

I forgot to add, since they've been out of season - woollens.

ginmakesitallok · 27/10/2013 16:25

Everything goes in together on a 40 wash, with a colour catcher thing if there's something bright. My whites are still white and my world has not collapsed.

ViviDeBOOvoir · 27/10/2013 16:25

Darks/jeans
Light colours
Dark colours
Reds
Whites
Woollen
Towels
Bedding.

My washing basket is never empty!

killpeppa · 27/10/2013 16:26

ouryve- god help your washing machine!

lights, darks, towels, bedding

Mumof3xx · 27/10/2013 16:26

Mine all goes in together!

busylizzie76 · 27/10/2013 16:29

All together here....much to my mother's disgust! Grin

Geckos48 · 27/10/2013 16:30

I just throw all mine in together

ouryve · 27/10/2013 16:30

killpeppa - I do 10 loads a week, on average, not counting the tiny ones, like bras and lunchbags. 2 mucky boys and a sweaty husband. I don't know how we'd cope if I insisted on washing bath towels after every use or changing bedding every few days, like some people do.

BackforGood · 27/10/2013 16:31

Yup - if you are just washing for one person, then there would have to be a lot more merging of washes, or you'd have to buy a whole heap of clothes to keep you going until you've got enough for a wash, surely?

I have a standard - whites (hot), anything that's not white that goes in on a hotter wash, and then less dirty / more delicate. Depends on which load needs filling, I may then add things like sheets or towels to any of those washes. Oh, and I'm washing for 5 so pretty easy to collect enough for any of the washes.

MarshaBrady · 27/10/2013 16:31

Dark
White
Bright
Wool
Bed linen
Tea towels
Towels

SpookedMackerel · 27/10/2013 16:33

Whites, creams
Reds, pinks, purples, oranges,
Blues, greens, greys
Darks
Towels, bath mats
Bedding
Woollens
Mop heads (occasionally)

TheAlyssWithTheMewlingQuim · 27/10/2013 16:35

I just wash everything together, so one load. Is that weird?

TwerkingNineToFive · 27/10/2013 16:36

Darks
Whites
Colours (sometimes separated into light colours and dark colours)
I am amazed at this thread!

MarshaBrady · 27/10/2013 16:37

Forgot bath mats, they get their own wash too.

Rattitude · 27/10/2013 16:37
  • Blacks and dark colours
  • Whites and light colours
  • Woolens and delicates.

On average, I probably do 1.5 wash/week. I live on my own-ish though.

biffnbuster · 27/10/2013 16:37

Bung it all in together, but if new jeans are being washed will put them with other dark stuff .

Rattitude · 27/10/2013 16:37

Actually, i do divide the woolens, etc. into darks and lights.

LittleTulip · 27/10/2013 16:40

Darks
Whites
Colours
Towels

Clargo55 · 27/10/2013 16:41

Jeans wash
Bedding wash x2 (lights and darks)
Dark wash
Light wash
Light towel wash or bath mat wash
Dark towel wash
And delicates once a fortnight

So that's 7.5 washes a week for 2 people Blush

CointreauVersial · 27/10/2013 16:41

Whites/lights
Darks
In Betweens
Woollens
Mud-removing prewash for DS's filthy footy kit.

That's pretty much it. Everything goes in together apart from that.

Trills · 27/10/2013 16:42

Towels/sheets
Normal clothes
Super delicate things (don't do one of these every week)

Passmethecrisps · 27/10/2013 16:42

White stuff
Other stuff
Baby stuff

BrownSauceSandwich · 27/10/2013 16:44

There's the ones at midnight, to be hung out in the morning.

The one in the afternoon, that was supposed to be hung out that morning, but has gone stinky, so needs washing again.

There's the one that my husband does, and goes on about it like he's the first human to work a washing machine, but it only contains his gym stuff.

There's the load that got hung outside, then a flock of starlings crapped all over it so that needs rewashing.

And the load that comes out of the washing machine covered in black slime, and needs rewashing after the machine's been cleaned.

There's the dog and cat beds, which, no matter what we do, ensure a continuous stream of pet hairs are deposited on our clothes for the rest of eternity.

There's the load that all comes out pink, even though there's nothing red within a 10 m radius.

There are the three loads in quick succession on a Sunday afternoon because every bugger here suddenly finds they dont have any clean shirts/skirts/socks/gym kits for Monday morning.

To be honest, I think I'm doing ok if it gets washed at all. I don't bother separating things out.

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