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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Sorting the laundry - need a good technique

14 replies

bellylaughs · 31/08/2017 08:47

I am struggling with the amount of laundry in my house (two adults, two teens and two pre-teens)

At the moment everyone has a laundry basket in their room, I go around every couple of days collect all the dirty washing, sort it and put it on, it goes straight from washer to tumble dryer. Then it comes upstairs, I chuck it all on to my bed and start the tedious process of sorting (folding as I go) into piles. I end up with 6-8 piles on my bed (including bed linen, towels etc) and then distribute these to all the bedrooms.
My question is, this is so time consuming and if I forget for a day or two the laundry really piles up. Does anyone have a better system that I could use or is this as good as it gets?? It's never going to be fun/easy but I feel like it's all I spend my time doing!!

OP posts:

PurpleDaisies · 31/08/2017 08:52

Get two/three big laundry bins and get your children to put theirs straight in the right one (darks, colours, whites). Once washing is done, everyone comes and gets their own.

Why is this only your job?

nameohnameohname · 31/08/2017 08:54

I have folding crates for all of us. Clothes are folded and chucked placed in the right crate and then each person collects their crate from the table.

One laundry basket downstairs.

nameohnameohname · 31/08/2017 08:56

Oh I forgot this - all underwear goes in a crate. I only sort my own. They grab their own stuff.

Once they left the underwear crate on the table lazy teens so I just emptied it on the table.

ShesNoNormanPace · 31/08/2017 09:02

2 bins in the bathroom - lights and darks. There are bins in the eldest DC rooms but I don't touch them, the rule is they have to bring them into the bathroom and sort them.

Downstairs there is a crate for each family member (and a trug for towels/sheets) I put dry clothes in the labelled crate, when it's full I put in the DC room. If I then have dry clothes and no downstairs crate, I hide the clean dry clothes, which is very effective at making the DC empty the crate upstairs and bring it down.

I also do a load a day - min. As I go down to breakfast I take the fullest bin down and put it on. I aim for washing sheets every fortnight and towels every week.

MrsMoastyToasty · 31/08/2017 09:03

Teach the teens to do the laundry.

Original poster

bellylaughs · 31/08/2017 09:05

Thanks, yes I agree i need them to pitch in a bit more. I suppose I worry that if they don't have laundry baskets in their rooms (esp the teens) clothes will just fester on the floor.
But then I suppose they'd soon learn when things weren't available when they wanted to wear them!

The folding crates sound like a good idea, do the kids put their dirty laundry in to them and then get clean laundry back in them?

OP posts:

Original poster

bellylaughs · 31/08/2017 09:12

Shesnno I like the sound of hiding the clothes if you don't have the crate

I think I will definitely be investing in some communal large laundry bins for the bathroom or landing. It would definitely save time.

Just need to refine the sorting bit now. Do people tend to sort as it comes out of the machine? My machine is in a very tight utility room with not much space for 6 crates so I'm trying to think how it would work practically....

OP posts:

PurpleDaisies · 31/08/2017 09:14

Just put a big pile on the table, and tell everyone to come and take their own.

thisgirlrides · 31/08/2017 09:16

My 7&11 year old can sort & put away a pile of washing so I'm sure your teens are more then capable - it's not just your job you need to start sharing the load!

Bestbees · 31/08/2017 09:16

How about washing one persons clothes each day? So
Monday - you
Tues -dh
Wed - teen one (they knownit is their day and do it/ bring it down otherwise it doesnt get done.)
Thurs - teen two
Fri - little ones
Sat - linen/towels

That way bo sorting needed in terms of whose is it. I guess you might have an issue with coloùrs. But say bung most in with a colour catcher if worried a and save pure whites fo Sunday.

Original poster

bellylaughs · 31/08/2017 09:49

Some really helpful ideas. Thank you. I definitely need to get the teens involved more. To be honest they moan so many ch every time I ask them to do something that I give up and just do it, then at least I know it's done. But with laundry they have a good incentive to get involved so it might actually work

OP posts:

PurpleDaisies · 31/08/2017 09:54

You got to stop giving up for a quiet life. You're not doing them (or yourself) any favours. It's not surprising they won't do anything if they know you will just give up and do it for them.

Yes, there will be moaning to start with but you and your partner (where are they in all this) need to let them know you're united and this is how laundry will be done in the future.

MrEBear · 31/08/2017 09:58

I would think it's easier to have 2 laundry baskets. I have one for lights and one for darks. Then washing gets done as they are full. I am trying to get into the habit of dealing with the ironing / putting away as that seems to be my down fall.

domesticatedidiot · 31/08/2017 10:13

I would say the teens need to be helping out a bit more! I constantly have washing to do, washing drying, washing ready for ironing, washing in need of putting away though. I've just accepted it as part of the furniture.

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