Can anyone tell me why my MIL does this with wet laundry?

[ElphabaTheGreen]

This is most definitely not a MIL bash - as MILs go mine is great. As a retired home economist, and the possessor of a show-home-standard house, I tend to defer to her expertise in most things domestic. But she does something that I can't make head or tail of.

On a few occasions when she's dog- or DC-sat for us, there's been a laundry going. Rather than just leave it where it is until I get home to deal with it, she takes it all out when it's finished, partly folds it and puts it on the work top, stacked up. She once folded an entire load of sheets straight out of the washing machine. As we didn't get home until the following day, the exposed bits of the sheets dried completely, such that I thought they were dry and almost put them away. It was only when I wondered why the sheets felt particularly heavy, that I slid my hand into the middle and realised they were still completely wet.

I hasten to add - I have never asked her to deal with our laundry and never would. She has just noticed it was there and taken it upon herself to do this strange thing that I can't grasp the logic of. She could put it in the dryer which is in plain sight, but she may think we're selective about what goes in there, so I get that, but why not just leave it in the washer? Why stack it in a folded pile to get stinky? I'm too shy to ask her why she does it because I know she's being helpful and I don't want her to think I'm having a go when she's usually already doing us a huge favour by babysitting. I've asked DH why she does it, but he has no idea.

Do any of you domestic goddesses know?

To minimise wrinkling, if you leave it in the machine all scrunched up for hours it's harder to shake the wrinkles out when you hang it up to dry, also makes it easier to hang in an orderly fashion if the clothes are presorted ( something that the older generation seem to be keen on!). I also do this sometimes to make it all fit in the washing basket without overflowing and shedding socks onto the garden path.

Tbh I'm more surprised that you'd run the washing machine, knowing you'd not be home to empty it until the following day. Why not either wait unto you return, or ask if she can put it in the dryer / on a clothes sitter or whatever for you?

She's definitely doing a favour by switching the machine off.

Why not either wait until you return, or ask if she can put it in the dryer / on a clothes airer or whatever for you?

Ah, OK. Thanks wiggly. See, I couldn't give a fiddler's about wrinkles so don't think about them, but it would be something that would get to her in a big way. She's a bed sheet ironer. I am most certainly not.

mipmop It has usually been a case of me sticking a wash on just before we leave in the late afternoon/evening so that when I get home the next morning I can put another one on straight away. She doesn't switch the washer off. I have never (and would never) ask her to do anything with our laundry like I said - it's just something she's taken upon herself while she's been at ours. If it happens to fall that way again, I might just make a point of (politely, like I'm saving her a job) asking her to leave everything in the washer.

She has quietly (and probably painfully) accepted the fact that my domestic standards are not the same as hers. Another demonstration of my failure as the ultimate housekeeper won't make things any worse!

I also fold all my wet laundry as I take it out of the machine. Then I hang it on the airer or line, but there is never room for all of it so some will stay in the basket. It makes a big difference to creasing, stuff is much easier to iron if it hasn't been left in a mad tangle in the machine, or in the basket. So i agree with the pp, it is to minimise the creases. Oh and stuff left in the machine goes fusty faster too.

It's something to do with wrinkles. I couldn't give a fig about wrinkles so don't bother doing it.

I fold clothes as they come off the line, dry, but not as they come out of the washer, as any wrinkles in the clothes at that stage will drop as they hang to dry.

Your stuff will get mouldy.

Yes, You should always fold wet laundry, before it either goes to dryer or on line/airer. As this really does reduce wrinkles and reduces ironing time.

However, granted I wouldn't leave it there for anymore than a couple of hours, as you said, the exposed bits dry and the inner stays wet and stinky.

Is it perhaps your MIL forgot to deal with it once folded, or didn't know your return time, so the sheets ended up being left there longer than normal?

Oh yes, I don't want to sound as telling you what to do, but you wouldn't really want to leave wet washing in the machine overnight, the clothes will be unhygienic. Its wet (which bacteria need moisture to thrive) in an enclosed space with no air.

A mix for not very fresh laundry. But if it works for you and you're happy then set to. :)

Unless going straight on washing line I too fold wet laundry.

My washing takes an age to dry- no way of drying it outside and mother stole my tumble dryer.

I tend to do 2-3 washes in one day, it gets it all over and done with butnit does mean i remove washing from the machine and leave it folded until the previous one has dried and i can hang the new one up.

if i leave washing in the machine over night it always ends up wrinkled and stinky so i assume she is trying to save you from that.

As a retired home economist I suppose she learned to do that at college.

You should ask her.