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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Laundry organisation

22 replies

Dancergirl · 14/12/2015 14:50

Please share your tips how you organise your family's laundry after it has dried/been ironed?

Do you put each person's in their room? Do they collect it? I just seem to have piles of stuff everywhere and want to be more organised. We are a family of 5. Think I need some sort of drawer/tray system

OP posts:

rabbit123 · 14/12/2015 14:56

Our 2 have a laundry basket in their own rooms. When it's full, they have to take it to the bigger laundry sorter in the utility room and put everything in the right bag. Although both do help with the laundry and know how to use the washer and dryer, it's usually me or DH that put the washer on. Once washed, dried, ironed (if necessary) and folder, I seperate them into piles and it's up to the kids to put them away.

Took some time to get them to actually do it and I had to stand over them and make sure they did it for the first few weeks, but it's a good system that we've got into.

Original poster

Dancergirl · 14/12/2015 15:09

I seperate them into piles

Where do you put the piles before they are put away??

I've got a good system in place for the pre washing bit - have a divided laundry basket for everyone in the family, gets washed when full. But it's the bit between washer/dryer/being ironed and getting to each person's room that's the problem.

OP posts:

learnermummy · 14/12/2015 19:45

We are a family of 5 too. Each of us has a different coloured flexi tub. All the clean washing goes in their own tub to be transported upstairs. If I'm lucky or use bribes the kids put their own away, otherwise it sits in their tub til unpacked but at least is neatly contained! All the tubs stack neatly when empty.

Original poster

Dancergirl · 14/12/2015 21:26

Thanks, that's the sort of thing I had in mind. Where does thou get these
flexi tubs from please?

OP posts:

ThornyBird · 14/12/2015 21:29

There are 6 of us. I wash, dry then pile clothes up on my bed and everyone puts their own clothes away.

Except for dc1 who started doing her own laundry in the summer because it was easier than putting her dirty washing in the communal heap basket on the landing

INeedACheeseSlicer · 14/12/2015 21:37

Once it is dried I seperate into iron/non-iron.

I put the needs an iron stuff into a huge teetering pile plastic crate that sits on top of the tumble drier.

I make a pile for each person of non-iron stuff, and I put them away there and then. Or if the pile's owner is at home at the time, I hand it to them. if I don't have time to put away, the stuff stays on the drying rack or in the tumble drier until I do have time.

When I am ironing, I tend to iron by person. So for eg, I iron all DD2's clothes, and then immediately I take the pile to her room and put them away, or I hand the pile to her. Then I start on the next person's clothes. Or, more frequently, put the iron away because I have had enough of ironing .

BackforGood · 14/12/2015 21:38

I empty the tumbles drier (or airer) into my safeway box laundry basket, then carry it up to the landing and shake / fold it into piles according to who they belong to, which are left outside my 3 dcs' bedroom door for them to put away, and I take mine and dh's to our room. Leave dh's on the bed and put mine straight away.

Toffeelatteplease · 14/12/2015 21:42

I only ever wash one persons wash at a time. I don't sort by colour or white everything goes in together at a low heat.

I use ikea bags because they can be packed away when not in use

Zippidydoodah · 14/12/2015 22:18

We have plastic boxes for each person too, that go in their rooms after I've sorted the laundry.

I bloody hate laundry, though, and struggle to keep on top of it!

Justbatteringon · 14/12/2015 22:30

I wash em dry em put the pile on my bed and fold by person/ type of clothing so I can put in the right drawer. Then put it away.
Although. I have about 2 baskets of washing to put away and 4 to bloody wash. Can't wait till the kids are old enough to put their own washing away.

Original poster

Dancergirl · 14/12/2015 22:34

Mine are older so capable of putting their own washing away.

Maybe I'll get some of these flexi tubs.....

OP posts:

Zippidydoodah · 14/12/2015 22:42

Dancer girl, when I first introduced the plastic boxes, my older two (6 and 4) were great at putting their stuff away (for bribes! ) when it appeared in their rooms. However, I've stopped policing keeping on top of it, so it's fallen by the wayside.

It's much easier for me now, though. Big pile of clean washing on my bed, three boxes for kids plus two piles for me and dp, and our underwear drawers open. Then kids' stuff in boxes, ours in piles, our underwear away. Take boxes to kids' rooms, return to our room and put away our stuff. Then I put away toddler's stuff. Kids either put theirs away or live out of the boxes, hehe!

Zippidydoodah · 14/12/2015 22:43

Or if I have loads of time (and can be bothered!) I'll put their stuff away too.

BloodyDogHairs · 14/12/2015 22:47

Family of 6 (dc's are 2,3,12 and 17).

Each room has a washing basket, I have a washing rota which is written on my whiteboard in the kitchen. I don't have a tumble drier so once the clothes are dry I fold and put them in a basket in a cupboard. Every Friday I sort into bundles for each of us and I call my oldest 2 downstairs to collect their own clothes, towels, bed sheets etc so I'm left with the 2 younger ones clothes to iron and school uniform. Once that's all ironed I put it away, I actually keep the younger two dc's clothes in my wardrobe as it's easier to put away and get their clothes out in the morning.

learnermummy · 14/12/2015 23:34

Flexi tubs from Asda

BoffinMum · 16/12/2015 23:08

Family of 6.
Laundry basket in each room.
Do one person's laundry at a time to make folding and putting away easier.
Stacking baskets in the laundry room for queuing laundry.
I try not to do more in one day than I can wash, dry, iron and put away.

HuckfromScandal · 16/12/2015 23:10

One laundry basket per person
All clean folded laundry into basket for collection
And then basket to be returned to utility empty.
Also means that piles are put away and not stacked in beds and then put back into the dirty basket grrrrrrr

MyFriendsCallMeOh · 16/12/2015 23:17

Family of 4, 2 piles on washing machine, 2 piles on tumble dryer. People get called to collect them and put them away. Ironing basket on the work surface, 4 hooks on the walls for ironed stuff, one for each person. Again, they collect and put away.

Original poster

Dancergirl · 17/12/2015 09:53

learner do you happen to know how many litres your flexi tubs are? There are loads of different sizes and I can't visualise how big they are.

OP posts:

learnermummy · 17/12/2015 19:22

Hmm I'm thinking maybe 25l? Will check

learnermummy · 17/12/2015 19:26

They're actually 14l, price tag £2.29 from dunelm on one of them!

AllTakenSoRubbishUsername · 17/11/2018 16:04

Laundry baskets on each floor, I wash and dry, sort into piles for each bedroom, then I go and put it all away - I am a neat freak and my kids would just through them into the drawers if they did it

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