How much time every week should laundry really take?

[HiawathaDidntBotherTooMuch]

I seem to spend hours every bloody week doing laundry. I am sure I must be doing it in a very ineffective manner.

We have 2 DC (6yo and 1yo). DC1 is in uniform every weekday. DS2 has some leaky nappies and still wears bibs due to messy eating and drooling, which creates extra washing.

I wash uniform every Friday night. I wash bedding every Sunday. I wash towels every 4 or 5 days. I do other washes as and when there is enough to wash, but I am guessing that our normal clothes give us about 6 or so washes a week. DH goes running twice a week, so there is sports kit from that.

All in all, a fair bit of washing. We have a fab washing machine and an even more fab tumble dryer. Our cleaner does all of our ironing on Wednesdays, so I always try and make sure that everything that needs to be ironed is washed and dry for then.

I just feel that I spend so much time every day gatherine washing, sorting it, putting the machine on, drying it (some things can't be tumbled dried, as I have found to my cost in the past, like DS1's pants always shrink, his tops and some canvas trousers do too; DS2's bibs are plastic backed and they shred in the dryer; anything with Lycra cannot go in etc) on the radiators or airer or in the dryer, sorting it into iron and non-iron in time for Wednesday, folding it all, putting it all away in the right places ...

I must do ten washes a week.

Is this normal, and am I moaning over something that every house experiences, or am I spending a disproportinate amount of time on it and making a meal of it?

fair point river. I think i do have some odd ideas about hygiene due to being very anxious. I am also quite fussy about my dc looking very clean. but I hardly ever say so because I know it's a bit overkill of me, and I don't want them to turn out as mad as me! so it's probably comes out as over laundering instead. I hadn't linked the two things quite as much until you mentioned it....

Thurlow - I recently brought a pair of Levi jeans and it actually says wash minimally to prolong shape ad jean life

The creator of Levi said he washes his maybe once every four months! And that's only rotating about 3 pairs

erin - I'm sure that other people get more wear out of their clothes than we do - I am partially sighted, so prefer to just wash everything the kids wear rather than potentially sending them to school in stained uniforms. Same for me. I also like washing PJs every day. It's not a problem, the washing takes very little time, and I don't iron.

The creator of levi clearly has no small children or slobbery dogs!

I've realised that it's very hard to compare how many loads of washing people do unless you also take into consideration the size of the washing machine. I hadn't really appreciated it before, but our washing machine is clearly tiny! I'm on holiday at the moment and did a load of washing yesterday. The machine here is huge in comparison to ours at home. I could seriously get about 3 times the amount in. That explains to me why I do one or two loads of washing every day, and others only do say 3 a week.

I have a DH, a 3.5yr old DD and a 4 month old DS. We wash usually two loads a day, but my washing machine is a really rubbish 5kg compact top loader so you can't get much in and the cycle takes almost 3 hours. Bed linen is done weekly, towels twice a week. Dry on a clothes horse, only iron when necessary.

It is a pain and I do feel it takes up all of my time, especially the hanging up and folding/putting away, but I am sure a bigger and quicker washing machine would solve my troubles. Six loads a week doesn't sound too much tbh, especially if you are able to tumble dry too. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable though!

Artandco, I rarely wash my jeans unless they actually get dirty so yes, it's probably every few months, especially as I only really wear them at the weekends. Though I do wash them more now I have a toddler and banana fingers...

Sorry, OP, misread. 10 loads still sounds about right, I would be doing three loads a day if the washing cycle were quicker.

I'm also amazed how much washing people do!

Me too!

We have DS (2) and he's in washable nappies. We wash these (in theory) Tuesday night after 2 days childcare, Thursday night ditto, and some time at the weekend.

Sheets once a fortnight at most, towels ditto, DS sheets once a week or occasionally two lots of sheets once a week if we've had accidents, but other things go in that wash, mainly either our whites or his coloured clothes (depending on which set of his sheets is in the wash). We have a 9kg/6kg washer dryer and our sheets go in on a wash-dry cycle overnight to be ready in the morning.

One load of toddler coloured clothes but usually our brights go in with that, usually Friday/weekend. One load of adult darks, ditto. He doesn't wear white vests every day any more but those used to be a twice a week job, it's true.

My bras/hand knits about once every 3 weeks. Sports clothes ditto though the main sports that need special clothes that we do are swimming (so hand wash, and towels get reused for at least 2 sessions), and Pilates (so washed about every 4 sessions as not sweaty!)

So weekly that's 3 nappy washes, plus 2 or 3 washes at the weekend with our clothes and DS clothes/sheets.

Then another wash every fortnight or every 3-4 weeks, but that's a small one (or large but low maintenance in the case of our sheets/towels).

We are a bit smelly probably...

Coverall bibs & being quick to wipe sticky hands really help with weaned babies.

Dh rarely remembers to put a bib on ds2 (12 months) and also often always forgets to wipe his hands and face before getting him out of the highchair. Result: banana everywhere and all clothes (including dh's) in the washing basket at bedtime.

Probaby because I do all the washing, I'm pretty obsessive about bibs before messy food and I always wipe hands/face/hair before letting him loose. Result: can usually get 2 days out of an outfit.

Baby clothes take up v little room though. I could probably get away with one wash per week for the dcs clothes. Dh's clothes are mahoosive though.

It does feel like 90% of the washing I do in this house is for other people. Either I'm just much cleaner than the other 3, or much smellier. Clean knickers every day obv, but most other things get at least another wear.

I actually enjoy doing laundry. Always have. No-one is allowed to touch my washing machine. I left the hospital asap after having DS, mainly out of fear that someone might come to the house and do my laundry!
When DS1 was small, I swapped my automatic washing machine for a twin tub and loved it - having to actually get stuck in 'do' the washing.
I guess I spend about an hour every other day on it.

I really have reviewed how much washing i do as a result of reading this thread! I need to calm down and not wash everything so much. so far I've reused and re worn lots of stuff and of course it's all looked and smelt perfectly fine!

Thanks all for your replies.

I have already perfected the gathering stage. There is one laundry bin, and its in our bedroom. All dirty clothes go in it. Except towels and bedding, which I take off the towel rail and bed whever its time to wash them and they go straight in the machine. Though I am seriously thinking about getting mroe laundry bins so that it can be separated at source. I think I would need whites, lights, darks, uniform and reds/oranges/pinks.

I made a big effort last week not to do as many washes as I have been doing, and waiting until I really did have a proper full load. I ended up not doing any washing on Wednesday or Thursday, just did school uniform on Friday, and did another 3 washes yesterday (Monday). Just the towels and sheets left to do now, so that's down to 7 washes a week.

More than lots of you, but better than the 10 (at least) a week that I was doing.

I don't think we have as many clothes (or maybe we wear the same things all the time?) as a lot of you. Maybe that's why there is a more constant turn around of washing. For example, during the school holidays, DS1 has enough tops and trousers to last six days (clean every day as he is a mucky pup). I have to wash unform on a Friday night as we only have one week's worth of it. I don't iron uniform either.

Not doing it every day means for me that it seems less constant, and I feel that I can get it over with quicker. I am trying not to be bothered that the washing basket seems full for so long too. Its not that I hate doing it or anything, but it seemed to constantly have to be factored in, and I have more than enough other things going on!

Ten washes a week?!! Ha ha ha. I do 50+

I don't think you need to separate the colours that much, we have lights (mainly white) and coloureds and that's it. The only time I have had colours run is using biological powder on a hot wash. I do coloureds at 30 degrees using Fairy non-bio, never had anything run. I would only further separate if there were new dark jeans being washed for the first time.

Personally, if you can, I would get a few more cheap t-shirts to last a full week.

I do dark (includes denim, black and grey uniform bits), coloured and light washes.

I just do darks, lights and bedding. Delicates are handwashed separately. No need to separate out the uniform as such (although putting a darks and a lights wash on on a Friday evening might be necessary). Towels can go in with the appropriate wash. Then you just need a double basket and somewhere to put delicates.

Do towels and bed linen really need doing on a 90 degree wash? Is 60 not ok?

Not a criticism of anyone btw, genuinely wanting to know. I learn all sorts on here.

Nothing needs doing at 90o! In Japan they wash everything cold :-)

My new washing machine doesn't have an option for a 90 wash. Not that I would ever be tempted. I never wash above 40 and do all the loads on a Sunday, 4 max. Lights, colours, delicate colours, towels. If not in laundry baskets when I'm ready to collect then stuff has to wait a whole week. I'm not very good about putting stuff away and the airer is up all week, until the next Sunday when I need it for the new lot.

I do towels, tea towels and napkins/muslins at 95, mainly because I read somewhere that it's good to do a wash every so often at 95 to keep the washing machine itself clean, so it made sense to stick something in the machine at the same time, and certainly our tea towels and napkins do get very grubby indeed.

Washing is endless...literally...I don't think I have ever even seen the bottom of our laudry baskets!

There are three words which bring dread to the heart of anyone in charge of the washing...dirty sports kit.

OP you need colour catchers in your life!

No need to sort whites/lights/darks, as soon as you have a machine's worth of washing, just pop one in the machine (you can cut each colour catcher into three to make them go even further, I do, and they work just as well), they catch any loose dye.

It makes things so much quicker and easier as no need to wait until you have enough whites.

Pop your bras into one of the net washing bags like these to stop snags and tangles and wash clothes at 30/40deg on a quick 60min cycle and you'll fly through the washing.

I run one load of bedding per week (king size so takes up a whole machine) and one load of towels/tea towels, both on 2 hour cycles at 60deg. And work on the basis as soon as I have a load's worth of clothes the machine goes on.

Probably do about 9 loads a week for the two of us, but little and often makes it easy to keep on top of it. 2 mins to bung in machine, 5mins to hang on line outside or Airer inside if raining, only iron stuff that looks really crumpled. But always do my ironing after each load as can be done in about 10mins, if I leave it then it becomes a mountain and takes forever.

There were 7 of us at one point - lots of washing including baby twins. Over the years we have had different solutions. The best have been with my children's father did 100% of the washing and putting away. I never thought about it at all (we both work time). I recommend this option over all others.

Second best was when we had the morning cleaner here Monday - Friday and she did it.

Third best is now - the cleaner is here 3 times a week and she always does all the bedding and towels. I don't even know how often. I think I set up some rules for her 10 years ago something like towels every week once a week and sheets every 2 weeks on a rota - half the rooms one week and the other half the next. Most important of all she puts it all away (I suppose full time working parents can afford this a bit more than those who don't work another advantage to working).

The only washing I do now is at weekends - uniforms and I wash the children's sports kits as I like to know where they are separately drying so they are ready for school each time.

I have never ironed anything in my life for any of the 5 children or me.

I have never done or had anyone done a whites wash in my life. What is a white's wash? Everything goes in the washer and don't over wash. My children never smell or look scruffy but I bet we do half the washing most houses do as I have better things to do.

In general our washing machine is on once a day 7 days a week. If you have someone to help with it you be the person to put it on the easy bit and have them to empty it dry it and put it away (the hard bit). When the cleaner is away in the summer the thing we all appreciate most of her and miss is the putting away of the washing.

2 adults and 2 dc 10 and 7. I only do 1 light and 2 dark washes a week, including sports and swimming kit. Only put in a wash when have enough to do a full load.

Cannot imagine how anyone gets anything done if they had to do so much laundry. Is it really necessary?