How in the name of all that's holy do you keep on top of laundry?

[DunelmDoris]

I've just moved house and I'm delighted that the central heating here is so new and efficient that I can get all my laundry dried on radiators. But I'm still stuck in a neverending loop of washing and drying.

It doesn't help that we're still living out of boxes, but today the last should be unpacked. Once that's done I have no more excuses and I have to accept that it's laundry groundhog day.

How do you do it? What's the secret?

I want to know too!!

Tumble dryer

(Not helpful - sorry)

There is only two of us but I have a routine of different things on different days. Friday - bed linen, Saturday - dark stuff, Sunday light stuff, Sunday - ironing.

Put all the washing into a big pile every night. Work out whether we need a dark, light or bright wash. Put wash in crate at top of stairs.

In the morning, take it downstairs and set it going after breakfast. Hang it up / outside once back in the house.

Repeat. If by some oracle there's not much in the laundry basket, it's time for a towel wash.

Oh, and miss a day once a week to do all the bedding.

My new washing machine has a delayed start button which is a miracle. I load my washing before bedtime, time it to start at 5/6am and it's done by the time I wake up so all I have to do is hang it up to dry. It's been a revelation for me as I am not waiting for the washing to finish before going out for the day.

Washing goes on twice a day, get a tumble dryer and a basket for each member of the family. Decant dry clothes into the baskets. Everyone outs their own basket away. My dc's are 12, 13 & 15 but I've operated this system for years. New thing is no washing at the weekend for me, the dc's take turns to wash the school uniform each weekend which is part of pocket money chores.

I wouldn't put clothes on radiators as it leads to dampness. I use clothes airers instead. I am never on top of the laundry either but somehow manage to have enough clean stuff when required

I do a wash every morning, hang it out on an airer in the kitchen and it's dry by the time I get home after work. I sometimes do another load and hang out overnight. In the better weather I peg it outside on the line if I'm confident it's not going to rain - not often where I live.
Luckily I have a lot of stuff that doesn't need ironing, sports kit etc. I do ironing once at the weekend. Also bedding wash and change, if we're away it waits until the following weekend.
Laundry and hoovering up dog hair are my Groundhog tasks. I hate to think how many hours I've spent doing them.

We have 2 washing baskets, one for darks, one for light. when they are full we put on a wash.
that's it really.
only thing we sometimes run out of is socks (washed separately due to athlete foot prone family members).

agree with not drying on radiators, get a proper airer. - and don't forget to open windows reguarly if you have to dry clothes indoors.

I have a lovely laundry elf (DH) and he even folds and puts away. Seriously though unless you invest in a large capacity tumble dryer you wont get your laundry washed and dried quickly especially in winter. On average we do about 4-5 loads over a weekend for 2 adults and 2 DC's.

Monday bedding
Tuesday clothes
Wednesday nothing
Thursday clothes
Friday nothing
Saturday clothes
Sunday nothing

I don't own anything white. Jeans will have a dark wash of their own when there is enough to justify putting a special wash on for them. I iron what I want ot wear the night before.

That's it.

But we're a strange family that doesn't have fresh pyjamas evey night, or two pairs of pants as we don't shower before bed. I may leave bedding on for two three weeks, so Monday might also be a free-from-washing day.

I don't sweat it. I also have a DP who pulls his weight.

I have to babies and myself and dh and it's never ending. Baby gro bags, duvet covers, daily clothes x lots of changes.

I am on ml so once dc asleep I go around getting anything I can. I have a lovely extra large metal vintage laundry bin that is left in the kitchen and I either have a dark on and lights in bin or vice versa.

Real on tumble drier and it is costing a fortune. Might buy a Lakeland thing. Use a wicker basket for storage til I sort everything so place doesn't look messy.

I find that I'm fine at getting washing and drying done (on radiators and airers), I just struggle to get it put away. There is constantly a huge pile of clothes on the spare bed, it really gets me down .

My key is not letting it build up too much. In the winter we dry most things on an airer over the bath (except for undies which go in the dryer). As soon as one lot is dry, I put another wash on.

We haven't got a spare bed to store stuff so as soon as it comes off the airer it gets put away. I don't iron anything which probably helps. Laundry is one of those things that eats up so much time without you realising.

This sounds like crazy talk, but have a wash day. Save everything up to wash on, say, Friday. You have to hold your nerve and not start washing early - if you do, it all unravels - but this system has worked for us with 2 DC and no tumble dryer for years.

It helps loads to eke an extra night out of PJs, and my kids don't have fresh clothes every day now they are not mucky toddlers.

I put in the first wash after work on Friday, then another in the evening, one overnight and one on Sat morning if needed. Iron Sun night, all put away by Mon morning. Hey presto, no laundry at all until Fri. I move it forward to weekdays if we are having visitors.

Buy extra of whatever you run out of first - pjs,vests whatever. Buy an extra airer. We have a lakeland airer but I find it quite labour intensive.

Also think about colours when buying clothes. My daughter has pale pjs and white bedding, my son dark pjs and bedding, so if anyone wets the bed it is just one wash hopefully. Agree with poster above who doesn't buy white, but now we have white school shirts.

I use the tumble dryer for all the socks and underwear. Then stick it all in a basket and moan until everyone collects their own. My DC are adults now and have worked out how to load up the washing machine and turn it on but never return to empty the thing.

I try to use the washing line as much as possible. If I have to dry indoors I use an airer. I hang shirts and tee shirts on coat hangers. I use a hanging rail or the dining room curtail rail and then switch the dehumidifier on.

Jeans and heavy items I hang undercover (similar to a carport) outside. things sometimes take days to dry in the winter.

I tumble bedding and towels in the winter just to get them out of the way.

If anyone wants ironing doing it's up to them. I don't do any.

Large capacity tumble drier, large capacity wahing machine and a steam generator iron really help.

Don't let it build it, if you do it takes forever to get on top of, grinds you down and demotivates you.

We've got a laundry basket on the landing and I put a wash on when it's full. We've always had a timer delay on our washers so I often wash at night, it doesn't wake us and we live in a detached house. When it's fine in the Spring and Summer it goes on the line, if not its in the dryer or on the heated airer. I iron the next day and it all gets put straight away.

We have a washer/dryer and a tumble dryer. OH bootcamps 4 mornings a week so that muddy mess has to go on straightaway. Apart from that when both working full time saturday and sunday machines never seemed to stop then sunday while roast cooked was ironing. Am on maternity leave now and it is bliss do a load maybe two oer day and justndo ironing as and when.

We have a heat pump tumble dryer and this has made a huge difference for us. We also love our Lakeland Hangaway airer for drying large stuff quickly that we don't want to put in the tumble dryer. We have 4DC so it is a pretty constant task. But a large capacity washing machine and tumble drier are essential in the winter.

I have a washing basket with three sections for lights/darks/colours. When one fills up we bung it in the washing machine.

A load a day. And make sure you only wash things that actually need washing. Do sheets really need washing weekly?

Ive no idea. No tumble dryer and no outside space so really struggle to get everything dry! My house looks like a laundry room. I hate it.

Only wash what is actually dirty / smelly. Do a wash as soon as there is enough for a load. Don't let it build up. I have a pulley and a tumble drier. There are 4 of us including 2 mucky small ones. Bedding changed weekly + for accidents. Towels when I remember, may be once a fortnight. I probably do 7-8 loads a week.