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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:
GeorginaA · 30/10/2006 16:12

What I can't understand (if it's not the drum thing) is how I have 10-12 washloads a week without washing all that much more than those of you who seem to do 6-7

misdee · 30/10/2006 16:12

oh dd3 is the sweatiest child i know. she is minging. she pongs. its kinda vinergary. sher needs clean pj's every night, and half way through the night as well.

misdee · 30/10/2006 16:13

i am also very sweaty btw. clean clothes every day. shower once a day, clean towels each time.

plus dh and 3 dd's have eczema.

NAB3 · 30/10/2006 16:42

I once did 9 in one day but that was all the bedding and towels, nappies, plastic pants, clothes etc.

One day a week I probably only do 2 loads but most days it is at least 3 and sometimes 4. Have done four or five today but that included a nappy wash.

Everybody gets their beds changed once a week plus extra if necessary, new towels for the kids each time they bath so that could be 12 a week, our towels are changed at least twice a week. Clean clothes every day for everyone and clean night clothes every night for the kids. Extra washing today as DS1 has a mucky school coat.

Blossomhowl · 30/10/2006 16:45

I do 2 loads, sometimes 3 depending if I have towels.

However I do only use my tumble dryer about 5 times a year, relying on windy weather. So not using unnecessary energy.

mousiemousie · 30/10/2006 16:56

Washing towels everyday seems a bit OCD to me...just hang them up to dry!

belgo · 30/10/2006 17:00

Why would you wash towels after every use? Are you not clean after having a bath/shower?

jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 30/10/2006 17:01

i was towels after every use.... dead skin on towels is not clean.

MarsLady · 30/10/2006 17:01

With DTs that go to playgroup and come home covered in paint etc.......... not to mention nighttime accidents

and a DD2 that comes home covered in paint etc....

and a DD1 who is a pre-teen fashion queen...........

and a DS1 who comes home covered with mud, blood and other sporting gunk..........

not to mention my being covered with whatever nonsense the DTs cover me with etc....

I consider myself lucky to get away with 3 loads a day.

(as to the bedding and towels... they get done when there's room)

MrsBadger · 30/10/2006 17:03

dead skin on our skin isn't clean either...

DrFrankenZooey · 30/10/2006 17:08

Ds gets his pyjamas mucky every morning at breakfast, so he gets clean pjs every night

I wear mine for a week, I think

A child's pyjamas are not taking up bugger all room in the machine, tbh

belgo · 30/10/2006 17:08

But isn't the point of having a bath/shower to wash off the dead skin? Therefore would you not be clean? I just can't imagine why towels would be dirty after just one use.

danceswiththedevil · 30/10/2006 17:09

GOOD GRIEF! I can't believe this thread. I Washing towels after each use...UTTERLY CRAZY and a disgraceful abuse of the environment. I'm the first to put my hands up and confess I'm not exactly evangelical about cleaning and tidying but me, dh, ds and dd are always clean although sometimes we wear the same clothes more than once..... (not ds and dd who can't keep a set of clothes clean for more than a day). Honestly, unless you have hoards of children (in which case fair enough...)I think 3 loads a day is bonkers.

belgo · 30/10/2006 17:11

Even without the use of tumble dryers, washing machines use a huge amount of water and electricity. I just can't justify washing something unless it looks or smells dirty.

danceswiththedevil · 30/10/2006 17:13

Oh and as for dead skin cells on towels.....

I hate to tell you this but they are EVERYWHERE, heavens above there might even be some on you right now - quick, you must go and shower immediately

bossykate · 30/10/2006 17:14

are there any wohms doing say 4 days per week + who will hold up their hands to three loads of laundry per day?

bossykate · 30/10/2006 17:15

sorry and a bit at washing towels after every use.

jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 30/10/2006 17:15

Im leaving this now - so i may have some ocd tendancies - so shoot me

NAB3 · 30/10/2006 17:21

The towels probably don't need washing after every use by the children but it has just carried on from when my first was a newborn. He always had a clean one. My husband would use the same towel on two of them if I wasn't there but I wouldn't want to dry myself on a freshly used wet towel so why should they? I will think about using them a couple of times though before washing. I do try and be "green" and I know this is terrible in that perspective. The kids and I will still get clean clothes every day though!!

wheresthehamster · 30/10/2006 17:21

There's 5 of us. I only wash at the weekend as follows:-
1 school/club uniform wash
1 white
2 coloured
2 towel
1 delicate
I start Saturday or Sunday morning and can be finished if I'm efficient by the evening.
I couldn't bear the thought of washing hanging around in various stages every day of the week.
Obviously I must have double the amount of clothes and towels that normal folk have!

Bucketsofbloodydinosaurs · 30/10/2006 17:24

In a week I do a full load each of:
pinks + blues + whites + blacks + green/yellow/grey/brown

  • 2 or 3 buckets of nappies a week. Bedlinen and towels get done additionally as remembered (again always full loads). So that's about 9 loads a week on average. I'm not bothered about colours running, I just find it colourcoding helps me to organise.
HRHQueenOfQuotes · 30/10/2006 17:25

If I spread my washign through the week I could quite easily make 3 a day (instead I usually do 2 big 'wash' days when I get everything done).

I have daily bedding from DS's bed (he doesn't want to wear nappies anymore but he still wets everynight - and even with a bed mat still manages to soak the duvet cover, pillow case and sheet and his PJ's of course). I have my work uniform to wash 2/3 times a week. DH's work stuff everyday (he sits down in some pretty dirty houses in his job and for obvious reasons prefers to wear clean ones each day). Then DS2 still manages to get all his clothes dirty in less than a day - he's still potty training so often there'll be multiple pairs of trousers for him. Then there's DS1's school uniform, we've got enough polo shirts for a week, but I couldn't afford a jumper for everyday and a pair of trousers for everyday - so they usually (if I'm lucky) get 2 days wear out and then need washing.

Then there's my and DH's 'normal' clothes (that we don't wear at work), our bedding once a week, towels etc etc. Quite easy to fill up a small capacity washing machine 3 times a day....

CountessDracula · 30/10/2006 17:28

Well I work 4 days a week and I would say I do 6 loads a week max

dh and my work shirts
one of jeans, skirts, tshirts for us, we tend to keep our work tops on in the evening so we don't generate more washing
two for dd incl her bedlinen
one of towels
one of bedlinen

sometimes an extra one for dh and I

CountessDracula · 30/10/2006 17:28

Actually bedlinen once every fortnight
we both shower every day and work in offices, we are not grubby!

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 30/10/2006 17:30

I work 3/4 nights a week - I don't want DH wearing his work stuff around the house......yuck, and obviously I'm not going to wear my care assitant uniform around either.