Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How much laundry?

30 replies

Numberonecook · 01/02/2017 15:04

My and DH have this argument all the time. He claims we all have too many clothes and that's why the washing machine is always on and I spend hours folding and putting away. I claim me and the kids have just enough clothes, any less and we'd be short iyswim? He has a few items of clothes as he works from home so is just in the same old clothes all the time.

There's 2 adults, a teenager and 2 girls aged 6 and 10 in the house. I guess my question is 'what's the normal amount of clothes each person in your house has?' And 'how many loads of washing do you have per week?'

Tia x

OP posts:
NotAPuffin · 01/02/2017 15:29

The amount of washing you have to do is surely more to do with how many of you there are and how many times you change in a day?

Babasaclover · 01/02/2017 15:42

I do 1/2 loads a day and there is me, husband and 8 month baby girl. I have a huge 11kg machine and cannot believe it myself but it's true. Surely the more clothes you have the less the machine is on as you can build up proper full loads and do less frequently.

I bought loads of vests and babygros as knew I'd be busy enough with a new born and didn't need the stress of running out of clean clothes!

Cakescakescakes · 01/02/2017 15:44

I do a load a day roughly. 9kg machine and 2 adults and 2 young DC. Between towels, bedding (changes every 10 days or so), uniforms, and clothes it's easy to rack up a lot of washing especially with young kids.

LillyLollyLandy · 01/02/2017 15:49

5 of us - me, DH, five year old, two year old and 3 week old. I put a wash on every day. Only way to keep on top of it.

MirandaWest · 01/02/2017 15:51

I think that it depends how often you wear the clothes you have before they are washed that determines how much washing there is.

Stuffedshirt · 01/02/2017 15:52

Yes, surely it depends how often you change your clothes? Anyway, I'd tell him to STFU. If you want clothes you have them Flowers.

HeyMicky · 01/02/2017 15:57

2 adults, DDs 4 and nearly 2

2 loads of nappies, 1 of bath towels, 1 of sheets, 1 of swimming stuff and towels. 2 dark loads (including gym wear), 1 whites and pastels, 1 mixed coloured, 1 wool.

Original poster
Numberonecook · 01/02/2017 18:53

I think he's miffed off because I kicked off last week.

Dd2 changes her clothes all the time and Ds (14) just puts clean washing in the basket Angry. I got fed up shouting that I'm always folding clothes and I'm sick of it. DH then replied with theirs just too many clothes in this house! I explained there is 5 of us but he said there's still too many. If we all had just a couple of outfits each it would cut down on washing. What he doesn't see is the washer and dryer would be running constantly in this case.

I even caught him counting towels in the laundry cupboard Hmm he might be culling those next.

OP posts:
Ilovecaindingle · 01/02/2017 18:54

4 loads every day and more at the week ends Sad

amysmummy12345 · 01/02/2017 19:00

A load of towels twice a week, a load of darks twice a week, a load of baby/lights twice a week, six loads in total. There's two adults, a three year old and a baby.

girlelephant · 01/02/2017 19:10

OP not sure what age your second DC is (sorry if I missed it) but if both are teens they are old enough to do own washing and may then understand not to put clean laundry in the machine!

I agree it's a mixture of how many people and how often clothes/bedding/towels are changed

We have 2 adults and one baby. I do 1 or 2 washings per week of baby stuff in non-bio. I aim for one but if there a poonami I'll do two! I change his bedding/grow bags regularly and he wears 2 sets on clothes (including pjs) per day on average.

I do usually 2 washings per week of adult clothes, 3 if I've changed the bedding. I'm still on mat leave so usually wear one set of clothes but when I go back to work it'll probably be 3 washings per week. DH does quite a lot of sport so can go through 2 outfits per day.

Stuffedshirt · 01/02/2017 19:12

Get your DC to do their own washing. My sister did this with hers. She was sick of washing, folding, ironing etc. Her DS was picking up a shirt trying it on and then dumping into the wash basket. He was also wearing jeans once. She showed them how to use the washing machine and tumble dryer and how to iron. She stuck to it! Her future DIL's will love her.

MrsPringles · 01/02/2017 19:47

4 loads per week.
Myself, DH and 2yr old DS.

This thread has reminded me that I need to put the last load out to dry Confused

NennyNooNoo · 01/02/2017 19:53

We have lots of clothes so that we don't have to wash stuff as frequently. That way I can wait for a full wash (eg underwear, which I wash separately on a hot wash) so we have at least 10 pairs each. More clothes doesn't equate with more washing.

Original poster
Numberonecook · 01/02/2017 22:55

Dd1 is 10 and i would trust her to do the washing actually, Ds - (14) not a chance! He'd flood the kitchen, shrink something or get washing powder all over. It would be like the scene in Paddington bear!

Judging by the posts here we do an average amount of washing for our family size. Might show this to him tomorrow and I might just get to keep my clothes lol

OP posts:
wobblywonderwoman · 01/02/2017 23:06

Dh and I and two dcs (aged 2 and 3)

We do one load of whites (bedlinen) a week and one load a day - about three quarters full. So 8 loads a week

I don't keep masses of clothes or towels - dcs have about five or six outfits and then a few tops each also

Groovee · 01/02/2017 23:30

I try to do a load a day. But then Dd 17 flummoxes me by saving hers up to put in the wash.

Gwenhwyfar · 01/02/2017 23:40

I live alone and have one wash a week usually, maybe two some weeks if there is a white wash or bed clothes. I re-wear most clothes that are not underwear/socks/tights. I suppose that would translate to 5 or 6 washes a week for a family of 5.

PenelopeFlintstone · 01/02/2017 23:46

When my kids put clean clothes in the washing baskets I refold them and put them back in their drawes. They have their own baskets though so there aren't any wet facecloths or towels in their to make the clothes mildewy. Also, the clothes are mostly strewn across their floors until a minute before I ask for their baskets.

PenelopeFlintstone · 01/02/2017 23:48

(Yes, I can see one missing letter and one their instead of there....sigh....)

Original poster
Numberonecook · 02/02/2017 18:00

I tried the washing basket idea but it just ended up in the floor next to the basket. Except Dd1 she put everything in her basket Grin

OP posts:
Babasaclover · 02/02/2017 18:39

Ok you'll probably think I'm mad but I never let husband do the washing as he puts it all in one big lump and it doesn't wash properly as too much in the machine!!!! Some things from the middle actually come out dry.

Anyway when I had a c section last may he had to do some and I found he had put all my lovely brand new baby clothes in pristine white in with all our clothes - black blue red everything 😩😩😩. To my surprise no colours run and now I wash everything this way. I do towels And sheets separately as need a hotter wash and more spin but everything else goes in together.

Oh and if baby does leak through nappy I just throw the bodysuits away. They are so cheap it's really not worth the hard work trying to save. My nan would have called me very wasteful!!

Serenitymummy · 02/02/2017 22:59

Are you all serious?! I have me, DH and DS who's 4 - I wash twice a week. A third every second week when there's bedding and my occasional white pants go in with that. None of us wear enough whites to warrant a complete white wash each week. It would drive me insane washing every day, esp as it takes at least two days to dry. Where would I hang it all?!?! Shock

Original poster
Numberonecook · 03/02/2017 17:22

When it was just 2 adults and 1 child I washed 1-3 times a week too. Even with 2 dc I didn't wash that much extra. Now there's 3 kids I wash everyday. That third child is the killer Wink

OP posts:
Serenitymummy · 03/02/2017 17:50

Grin I'll stick with the one then methinks!