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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

If you really do three loads of washing a day....

357 replies

Clary · 30/10/2006 13:42

That?s 21 a week, right? What are you actually washing? I?m not having a go, just interested (following ?how many times? thread) in how many people claim to do this much washing.

Yes, some days I might do 3 loads (if one of the kids has a night accident eg) but the next day probably none.
Are you mega washers really doing 21 washes a week? Are you all really dirty? what?s your laundry list, come on, I need to know if there is laundry I am failing to do.
(I have three DCs btw)

OP posts:
SparklyGothKat · 31/10/2006 15:54

just a small amount of powder. I know I should just hand wash, but don't have the time. Its enough to get the mud off that Dd1 and dd2 always come home covered in... lol

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 15:55

"Well,it does if you're remotely interested in hanging on to the environment for a little while longer."

Please tell me how I can reduce the number of loads of washing I do then.

DS1 - school uniform, everything except the polo shirt usually stretches for 2 days (if I'm lucky). Plus wet sheets every morning. Already wears his after school clothes 3/4 times before washing.

DS2 - Typical 2yr old - needs a clean set of clothes everyday. Trousers sometimes need changin 2/3 times a day as we're doing "baby led toilet training" - whereby we're going at his pace which unfortunately some days means 3 accidents, then none for a week.

Me - Have my work clothes need washing at least every 2 wears, should be everytime but I 'cheat'. I make my jeans last for several wears, and most of my tops 2 wears., some days I don't actually get dressed if I'm working 2 nights in a row - just lounge around in my dressing gown. Even with shaved armpits still can't wear tops more than twice (they're usually dirty from DS2 by then anyhow).

DH - needs clean work clothes daily, wears all his T-tops and trousers multiple times (I sometimes end up removing them from his drawers as they really do need washing but according to him he hasn't worn them enough times...).

Towels - yes we have one each (well 2 for me as I use a seperate one for my hair.....I save money and don't blow dry ) my hair. DS's have to have seperate ones as I don't think it's fair to make one get dried with a wet towel - they bath at the same time (share one). DH often suffers from Athletes foot - I don't particularly want it - so prefer to use my own towels.

Sheets - DS1's daily (won't wear nappies but isn't dry at night, even with bed mat still soaks all his bedding). DS2 likes to strip his cot on a daily basis and 'clean' the bedroom with his sheets/grobag (we have to use both as sometimes he decides to get out the grobag and sleep under the sheets - so we put him under the sheets only for him to climb back in his grobag). So they usually need doing once a week. Our bedding usually gets done roughly once a week, usually fornightly in the winter. I can't fit all our bedding in one load because of a small washing machine capacity.

Curtains - ermm think I've washed curtains 3 or 4 times since we've been married . Shower curtain, bath mat etc get done when they need doing (usually every few weeks).

When I average my number of loads done a week out it does work out at roughly 3 a day........

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 15:59

oh and I rarely use the Tumble Dryer - (it's a washer dryer actually so can't dry while tumble drying anyhow). Think I've used it 3 times since the start of the year - 2 times for my work uniform and cardigan (gets cold at night LOL) and once for DS2's grobag

Bozza · 31/10/2006 16:02

So qoq - you get 3 loads of washing a day dry by draping it around the house? I am impressed. I cannot do more than one load a day by this method. Which is pretty much what I do do.

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 16:12

Bozza - in summer it goes on the line - got one of those rotary ones that fit loads on.

During winter it goes on the radiators (got some of those radiator racks with 4/5 rungs so you get more on them), hangs over the flat bit of the bansiter (along the landing) and on the clothes airer/rack/horse whatever you want to call it, over the big fireguard (when fire isn't lit). Most things like socks, my work uniform, underwear, sheets, pillow cases, and 'light' tops dry really quickly so you can easily get 2 loads dry by the time the heating goes off. and then I hang more before I go to bed.....the stuff on the clothes airer takes a little longer - but still dries.

But the thing is I don't actually do 3 loads a day - it averages out at that. If I've been working I don't have time to do much housework at all. So I tend to have 1 or 2 'washing' days and get most of it done then - DH does a daily load for me if I'm sleeping just to stop the laundry basket overflowing LOL.

Bozza · 31/10/2006 16:17

Does it not get you down having washing all over the house?

We are a family of four yet I only average 8-9 washloads a week. Admittedly DD is well potty trained and they are both completely dry at night. Although DD will start to undress if she gets a little water on her clothes (but then these can be recycled once dry!) or a slight amount of dirt.

themoon666 · 31/10/2006 16:20

Don't those of you with washing draped on radiators all day find your window frames going black-mouldy with the condesation?

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 16:23

not really - one of the radiators is behind the sofa - so you can't see those clothes, one is in the hallway near the front door - again not in sight when you're sat down in the evening, and the 3rd one I use is in the dining part of the lounge/diner - so still can't be seen in the evening.

The clothes airer thingy whatsit is in the bathroom - which is a large bathroom so not in the way at all, and the sheets dry really quickly over the upstairs banister as the heat from the hall radiator rises and they're done in no time. When I put the 'overnight' load on......we're in bed! I usually do my washing in the afternoons - so they hang in the evening/overnight. In the morning 90% will be dry and I'll either fold them and put them straight away, or they'll go in the ironing basket hidden next to the fridge .

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 16:25

moon - been in this house for 2yrs now - no problems at all with mould/condesation on the windows........now the bathroom/shower curtains/corner of the bath is a different matter LOL.

Actually - forgot that I sometimes put stuff ont he DS's radiator in their rooms - as it makes the air in their room slightly less dry and they (DS1 particualrly) coughs less.

hatwoman · 31/10/2006 20:09

nappiesgalore - as long as you're fastidious about keeping your white wash white 60's fine - I used to be quite set that it had to be 95, but am happy now with 60. HRHqoQ - you don;t sound wildly ott - sound quite similar to me - with the exception of the sheets - if you really can't persuade ds1 into pull-ups at night then there's not a lot you can do, except console yourself that it's temporary.

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 31/10/2006 20:12

lol hat - this has been 'temporary' for the last 3 months......he's determind he "can stay dry".....so we're just going with him - it's better than the hysterics when nappies/pull-ups are suggested (and those pjama pants are useless he wees so much he leaks through them LOL).

Piffle · 31/10/2006 20:38

I wash 95% of my washing in cold!
In NZ where I was brought up, some machines do not even have a hot water option.
The mind boggles at what would need a 95 deg wash?
90% of your wash energy is used heating the water
Rocket science it ain't...

Perigrine · 31/10/2006 20:38

1 load bedding ours
2 load towels
1 white load

4 dark loads

every second week children laundry
every second week dressing gowns

2 adults
2 children

NAB3 · 31/10/2006 20:52

I bathed child number 2 and child number 3 tonight and have hung their towels to use again tomorrow. I feel liberated!! But will still have at least 2 wash loads tomorrow plus any wet bedding from Children number 1 and 2. All 3 had wet beds/a cot this morning.

katiebirdie · 31/10/2006 21:33

just to add my two pence worth. are three of us (me, dp and ds is 12 weeks) do on average 1 load per day but once a week there is an extra load with the bed linen. i have a washer dryer combo but have only used the dryer once. i put all wet clothes on my pulley which i could not live without!! anyone else have one of these? think it might be a glasgow thing...

themoon666 · 31/10/2006 21:47

Katiebird... am thinking of putting a couple of pulleys up in the garage. Its a double and we only use one side for the car. I have a clothes horse in there at the moment, but a couple of pulleys would be wonderful for wintertime when I can't hang out.

tigi · 31/10/2006 21:47

I use my towels a few days until they need washing, and 'finish them off' for the childrens swim lessons, before they go in the machine.
The children (3)are always filthy and often need a complete set of school clothes every day.
If it's a sunny day I get excited that I can get my washing done and hung out! Is that sad?!
I try not to use my tumbler, but if needs be have a clothes airer in my conservatory. A bit of sun dries them quickly.
But why is it that men think they can wear their pants for more than a day? yuk! How often do you wash them?

katiebirdie · 31/10/2006 21:50

would recommend it themoon666, mine is actually in my kitchen (v high ceiling as old victorian tenemant although normally find them in bathrooms or utility rooms. so handy and everything seems to dry so quickly!

themoon666 · 31/10/2006 21:53

My mum has one in her cellar and both my grannies had them over their kitchen ranges.

Not just a Glasgow thing.... we are from yorkshire.

zippy34 · 31/10/2006 22:32

Katiebirdie, do you find that your washing gets cooking smells or do you just watch when you hang things up?

I've been thinking about getting one (tenement, ridiculously high ceilings so might as well make the most of it!). It would seem more sensible to put it in the kitchen rather than the bathroom as it would be warmer but I did wonder about everything smelling like sausages (for example ). Having said that, my gran had one and hers was in the kitchen.

Also, was yours there when you moved in or do you know of a place that installs them?

Ta!

Clary · 31/10/2006 23:20

HRHQoQ, your wash load sounds roughly similar to mine (except I don't have the nightmare of daily wet sheets - but I do have 3 children).

But I honestly do about 9 loads a week. Is this about washing machine capacity as well? I can easily get our bedlinen in one wash (double not kingsize) and usually add in a few floating whites (DH work shirts etc) as well.

(feeling a bit guilty tonight as have done what is frankly at best a 3/4 load of whites as children have no clean vests left. )

OP posts:
roisin · 01/11/2006 01:57

I think it is partly w/m capacity Clary. We have a big (7kg) machine, and it always runs full. I probably only average about 5 loads a week.

(That's just 4 of us, and dss are now 7 and 9 so past the very grubby stage, but we do all have clean socks, underwear, and shirts every day. I do bedding fortnightly rather than weekly, but our full set of kingsize bedding fits in one load; and two single sets is a second load with space for some extra.)

BudaBeast · 01/11/2006 04:04

Well this is still an interesting thread!

Re: Bedding. Have decided to change once a fortnight but remembered a tip I read somewhere once. Every morning when you get up don't make your beds straight away but pull bedding back over end of bed - can still be done neatly - and air the bed through the day. then make in the evening. Airs all bedding etc.

Bozza · 01/11/2006 09:19

Clary I do 3/4 loads but on the half load setting.