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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Endless piles of washing! How do you keep on top of it all?

69 replies

Jemster · 03/09/2015 18:46

We seem to have a constantly full laundry bin & even an overflow! I just can't seem to get on top of it & find it exhausting just looking at it all!
There are 4 of us & I wouldn't say I have a huge amount of clothes but between the 4 of us it seems huge, and then of course bedding, towels etc.
It doesn't seem right to me the amount of washing we do. I remember my mum doing it once a week on a Monday only, that was washing day.
Does anyone else feel like this? I'd like to hear how people manage it together with all the drying, putting away & ironing it creates as well as working & trying to have a life!! I feel like a bloody washerwoman!!
What's the answer, less clothes, wear them more times before washing?

OP posts:

yomellamoHelly · 04/09/2015 09:42

3 dc. One of whom gets through a scary amount of clothes each day. (Disabled.) Have to wash often as ds's clothes will go mouldy if left in basket for too long. (Often wet.) Also find things can get too dirty to wash properly first time if left for too long as well. (Thinking greasy bedding from our bed. - Dh very sweaty.) But do try to delay washing if there's more wear in them.

We now have a (very small) utility room with the machines in. Is full of laundry. Don't really iron much of it. Just try and sort it as it comes out of the drier into piles of who it belongs to, so I can chuck it back into their rooms asap. Have a linen basket for sheets and cupboards for towels, so everything has somewhere to go to.

At the end of the day though, there's always piles of clean and piles of dirty as the flow is continuous. Can shut a door on it all now though so the rest of the house looks okay.

mathanxiety · 04/09/2015 19:26

Washing happens because we recognise that dead skin cells and sweat need to be washed away. You can observe the norm of washing all that away without feeling disgusted by it.

Dust mites are the winners when you leave used towels too long between washes. They are not fussy about whether their food source is clean or not. And leaving out towels for re-use that may never dry out invites mould in.

You are never going to achieve a dust mite free or mould free house, but reducing the load is always desirable, and it is doable.

Mintyy · 04/09/2015 21:36

Yeah whatevs

TinklyLittleLaugh · 04/09/2015 23:24

Well I am fortunate then to have a house where my towels dry out completely. There's absolutely no mould in my house either.

Bunbaker · 04/09/2015 23:30

Same Tinkly. We have a heated towel rail in the bathroom.

mathanxiety · 05/09/2015 03:25

You may still have more dust mites than you are bargaining for.

BeautifulBatman · 05/09/2015 06:48

math I wouldn't waste your time. It's practically de riguer to be a bit of a scummer on mn. Good housekeeping is frowned upon.

annandale · 05/09/2015 07:02

[shrug] Nobody needs to be a scummer if they don't want to be, but the OP asked for ways to reduce washing.

OP, considering the past and washing day once a week.... everybody smelled a bit more which you don't necessarily want. However, what they also did was take more care to keep clothes clean. If working in the house, take off anything smart and hang it up, wear an apron, even invest in the dreaded housecoat, that's what they were for. Get your children into the habit of taking school uniforms off and hanging them up after school, get really strict about BIG napkins while eating, overalls or aprons for doing any kind of messy activity. My dh always wore a tshirt under his shirt, he could genuinely wear a shirt for a week and it was fine that way with a daily change of t-shirt, after all they started as underwear, that was the point!

All this is quite a hassle, you might prefer just to do the washing...

winchester1 · 05/09/2015 08:42

I think my family just live in an old fashioned way we change clothes for dirty jobs, wear an apron to cook, dry towels between showers, use flannels, don't shower daily, etc
No one has eczema, asthma or any allergies so we have no special reasons to need to be really careful about things. The kids get the same things going round nursery as all the other kids nothing extra and often mild versions.

We also butcher our own meat and grow a lot of our own potatoes and veg so when we concentrate on cleanliness we aren't worrying about skin cells and dust mites.

Bunbaker · 05/09/2015 09:23

The voice of reason winchester1

chairmeoh · 05/09/2015 09:35

2 adults and 1 child here.
5 wash loads a week -
Monday is darks
Wednesday is towels
Thursday bedding
Friday is whites (incl DD school socks and shirts)
Sat is lights

I iron as and when things are dry. Usually in the kitchen while cooking.

The bit I hate is getting it all dry. Particularly this time of year when I can't put it out before work because it will inevitably rain, but the heating isn't on so I can't dry on radiators. I use the tumble dryer but hang the bits that might shrink in the dryer on an airer. It stays there for days, getting in my way.

Mintyy · 05/09/2015 10:53

I'm not with winchester1, I'm afraid. 5 loads of washing per month for a family of 4! .

How about using those labour saving appliances to raise your standards a wee bit?

There's not doing unnecessary washing (I am ALL in favour of that) and then there's being downright dirty.

bigkidsdidit · 05/09/2015 11:33

I agree mintyy. I'm following you round agreeing with you today!

What about pe kit, sports clothes, that sort of thing?

I think just pants and socks for two dc for a month would be one wash, let alone school uniforms, my clothes, dh clothes, dh cycling kit, and then towels and sheets another couple, even if you only do them once a month, which I don't. I don't see how it's possible

bigkidsdidit · 05/09/2015 11:34

Btw the best thing we ever got was a pulley drier. Keeps the clothes out of the way and I swear they dry quicker up there!

bigkidsdidit · 05/09/2015 11:37

I mean even sheets from three beds would be more than one wash unless you have some sort of industrial machine

I'm getting obsessed with this now

Nongraindrain · 05/09/2015 11:40

After today I've decided I'm never tackling my washing again....

Started sorting through the mountain only to be confronted by a spider the size of a baby rat. For some reason I shouted at it and it ran at me so I shouted some more....then I grabbed a can of deodorant and sprayed it but it arrived on.

My carpet is dark brown. The spider was dark brown. I didn't have my glasses on. It suddenly became like a scene from predator. I knew it was there but couldn't see it!

Luckily it ran into the bathroom and I grabbed a box and squashed it then collapsed shaking

I'm too scared to go near my dirty washing mountain now

Konserve · 05/09/2015 12:05

3 loads per week (with a big washer) would be more realistic...

mathanxiety · 05/09/2015 17:57

Annandale:
"However, what they also did was take more care to keep clothes clean. If working in the house, take off anything smart and hang it up, wear an apron, even invest in the dreaded housecoat, that's what they were for. Get your children into the habit of taking school uniforms off and hanging them up after school, get really strict about BIG napkins while eating, overalls or aprons for doing any kind of messy activity. My dh always wore a tshirt under his shirt, he could genuinely wear a shirt for a week and it was fine that way with a daily change of t-shirt, after all they started as underwear, that was the point!"

When my DCs were small they wore big old Tshirts over their clothes as smocks when they did arty stuff, just as they did in school. My mum made little aprons for them all so they could 'help' in the kitchen, and I always wear an apron while cooking. Uniforms off after school was a rule here. They all wore bibs or sturdy napkins tucked in for meals. Men generally wear undershirts where I live, if the overshirt (for want of a better word) has any sort of collar to it. Most people who wear formal outfits or suits to work would use a drycleaner for shirts and suits and would only wear a shirt once, even with an undershirt (white T-shirt) worn daily.

However, even with all that, sport stuff needed washing the day it was worn, and with five of them even just going about normal life there was always a full basket daily. As teens they did lab classes and art, etc. in school as well as sports (wearing sports gear, different socks, etc), and often ended up needing school clothing washed. In winter I wash scarves and hats at least once a week as they get quite whiffy from being worn daily.

KwaziisEyepatch · 06/09/2015 18:28

We have 2adults and 2 pre-schoolers. I reckon I do 3 or 4 loads a week. Can't believe how often some people on here wash towels and bedding! I just chuck everything on together whenever the machine looks full. Minimal ironing, work tops only.

One thing I've found useful recently is to sort things by room as I take them off the line or out of the dryer. So Ds1 first, then us, then ds2, then bathroom etc - that way you can walk round the house room by room and just take the clothes for that room off the top of the basket. Makes it much quicker than having to sort separately.

In summary, lower your standards.

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