What is your laundry schedule/routine? How many times a week?

[Flingmoo]

I often get to the point where my two laundry baskets are overflowing. At the moment it's just me, DH and our toddler, but we have another baby due in 4 months and I want to get into a better routine before the laundry increases!

At the moment I'm really erratic with my laundry - no routine or schedule, I just do it whenever, and I just pick out whatever I think is most important to have clean first. This chaotic approach is not really working and I am now wondering if I should start some kind of schedule, washing darks or lights on certain days, towels on a Sunday or whatever.

So how do you do it?! How many people are you washing for, and how many days do you work outside the home, if any? Do you have a schedule or just wash stuff randomly? What time of day do you do it? I work 3 days a week but can probably do a quick wash in the evenings on my working days.

2 adults, 3DC (8, 5, 1), no tumble dryer. I put on a load every evening on the timer so it finishes at 4:30am when I get up (by choice! I am a total lark). Hang it out inside in winter, outside in summer. In winter it's a bit of a juggle with radiators and airers (usually have an airer up in DH and my room with the dehumidifier on), but I can usually be down to just a few bits left on radiators by mid-afternoon. I work from home so can turn things and swap them round etc to dry out. I refuse to buy a tumble dryer as I know I'd end up being lazy and using it every day, and we can't afford it and I have eco guilt. Try to iron and put away laundry every morning as it's only a 15 minute job then.

No strict order of washes, just whatever fills the basket first. I used to only do full loads, but I will quite often chuck on a 2/3 full load and that has made life much easier as it doesn't get overwhelming. alternate changing our bed and the DCs beds so I don't end up with masses of sheets.

I have a basket for darks and one for lights and do a wash when there is enough to make one. Some days I do one load and other days I will do several. The kids have a small pop up basket in each of their rooms too so I will make up a load from their stuff too.

Me and two dc's.

Two, sometimes three loads a day.

I don't leave it to build up and have to wash gym / sport kit straight away. Once you add my work clothes and school uniform it's never ending.

1 washing basket.... Only delicates and whites go in there, everything else goes straight into the machine, when it's full it goes on (usually on timer so it's done for when I knew I will have time to empty it). Whites and delicates washed as needed.

No tumble dryer, straight onto radiators (ideally in the room it's destined for) or pulleymaid rack. Clean dry items folded and to basket when I pass, clean dry items from basket into drawers at bedtime each night.

Never builds up badly. Kids put own clean folded items away/helo me so so at bedtime.

4 of us - one adult, 3 DS all do sport/swimming /scouts and are messy eaters.

And I iron nothing, just bang creases out when wet and fold well.

As soon as the basket is full I wash whatever is the full load, other bits wait until there is a full load of that type of washing iyswim.
I don't have a routine or schedule for anything though, as can't abide them.

4 of us 2 adults 2 children both school age. Whites I do twice a week. Darks and coloured I do separately as and when there's enough to do a load. Bedding once a week and towels again when there's enough to do a load. I hate it piling up as then it feels like more of a chore to do it. I dint Mind the washing/ drying so much it's the putting away I detest!!

I just do a load a day. I also don't separate anything. It all goes in together. I put the washing machine on in the evening, then hang it up in the morning. I usually fold it and put it away in the evening. I only really iron uniform and that gets done at the weekend.

2 adults, 2 teenagers. Work 10 hours a week over 3 days. We have a light and dark laundry basket and I generally check in the morning to see if a wash needs to go on. I probably do about 6 or 7 loads a week including towels and bedding once a week, probably 2 loads of whites and the rest darks.

I don't iron, most stuff goes in the dryer and I fold it while the kids are getting ready for bed.

I do all the washing at the weekend. Usually 4 loads on Saturday and bedding/towels on Sunday. I have a big tumble dryer and so its all folded and put away as soon as its done. That is for DH and 2 DS's.

Also may have to do a midweek football/ sports kit wash as its very muddy at the moment.

2 adults and 2 DC aged 13 and 11. When I feel the upstairs washing baskets haven't been emptied for a while then I bring it downstairs and sort into dark, light and brightly coloured. Whichever one is fullest gets washed. Probably do about 5 loads a week maybe. Bedding and towels get washed when I remember.

I used to put one wash on every morning and it was just whatever there was most of. Having a set day for darks or lights doesn't work for me - as one week you may wear fewer lights and not have a full load.

At the moment, I'm trialling doing all the washing at the weekend, as the above method occasionally meant I did darks on a Thursday and was then left with DDs dark school skirt and cardigan which needed washed at the end of the week to be ready for the next week, and I didn't have enough other dark stuff to chuck in the wash with them. I then do a mid-week wash for sheets and towels.

I don't separate either.

We do a load every other day, everything together. Tbh we could probably do it every day for maximum efficiency BUT I dry the clothes in the airing cupboard in the winter and I like the clothes to be bone dry by the time I switch them out with the new load.

Nothing worse than wanting to put a wet load in and finding that some of the stuff in there already isn't quite done.

Mine seems to be on all the time I am home. 4x sporty inhabitants!

I do shirts/skirts on an easy iron setting and then hang on a hanger to avoid ironing,
other darks,
lights,
whites,
bedding
A no fabric conditioner wash with towels and school uniform that specifically says not to use fab con as it damages/fades it. (Didn't used to do this with high street primary uniform but it is jumper, skort, swimming costume from the uniform shop.)

I like that "4x sporty inhabitants"

I do a load every day to keep on top of it. We have 2 teenage DDs and it's a constant stream. I usually alternate lights and darks, and if there is a lot in the basket, I'll do both loads in a day. We have a 6ft bed that I change once a week and the mattress protector is washed every other week. DDs each have a double bed that are changed weekly too. We have a dryer that's used year round as our neighbours have a walnut tree that drops crap all over our garden and line most of the year, so drying outside is a much missed luxury tbh.....

Oh god it never ends, always the washing and the ironing urgh

I don't have a routine. I do it when the basket is full. Maybe twice a week but the machine is on all day. I just get the lot done, back to back.

My bed is changed weekly. Teenaged DD's is changed when she can be arsed.

When we had younger kids and all 3 were at home I probably washed every other day.

4 of us ( youngest is 17 ) , one laundry basket , 2 kingsize beds /1 double .
I do washing almost every day , I rarely change more than 1 bed per day but they all get done at least weekly . I do 3/4 loads of towels per week . Often the actual clothes get sorted into those that tumble and those that don't , I only hang washing outside if it's really hot . Anything that needs ironing gets collected on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday , anything I wash and tumble that doesn't need ironing gets put away the same day . Today I've done the double bed and I'm currently doing a load of the dogs washing .

2 adults and 3 kids.....
I wash most days, either me or dp will stick a load on depending on what shift were both on, my wash basket never has more than a few items in, usually whites because I only do a whites wash at the weekend (school shirts)

I cannot cope with dirty washing, I even washed on Xmas day much to dp's amusement

Four of us in this house and I do one load every day, even if it's only a half load I still do it just to keep things ticking along. I separate darks & lights, don't do a whites wash at all, towels and bedding gets done at the weekend and anything extra, like swimming stuff, gets done as and when.

It all gets dried on the clothes horse at this time of year and line dried from around March-oct. The washing basket isn't completely empty very often but then it doesn't need to be.

2 adults, 2 teenagers.

Do a load most days.

Sort into darks, lights & whites and do whatever there's the most of; with towels about every 2 weeks and woollens about once a month.

Our sheets get changes weekly, dc's sheets fortnightly (alternate weeks for each one).

It's a task I don't mind doing and doesn't take much work.

I don't work outside the house so apart from cold winter months I line dry outside.

I do 12 loads a week- 3 adults and two teens, lots of sweaty gym and dancing wear, I always keep on top of laundry, the dirty bin is empties most days. I was lights and darks separately.