How do you have a life and do laundry?

[ShiftyLookingBadger]

Apologies in advance if this has been done to death but...

Am I missing a trick here?? I have a DH, DD(3) AND DS(1). We have anywhere between 5 and 8 loads of laundry to do (this includes separated colours, towel loads, bedding loads etc) DH and I both work full time so when I do all this at the weekend I don't leave the house and neither do my kids!! Bearing in mind dishwasher loads, nappy changes, breastfeeding, trying to clean bathrooms (although I confess this can get dropped to once a fortnight... Don't judge me ). DH contributes in other ways - walking dogs, poo picking the back garden, sharing nappy duties, cooking the majority of weekend meals...

How do you all get your laundry done and still make sure your family has a life?

Almost everything goes on at 30 degrees here, using a cycle that takes about an hour. Machine goes on before dinner, unloaded onto drying pulley after dinner, mostly dry by morning. Weekdays it is put away before the dinner. Hardly anything gets ironed. Stuff that needs ironing doesn't get worn so much.

I have a husband, he does most of it ;)

I have a washer/dryer so limited capacity. But we can put on a load to be hung up ready for the morning, and then leave for work with a load on a wash/dry cycle.

The heated aired helps a lot...

I do adult stuff and towels with a bit of napisan at 40c
I do toddler stuff with spray on vanish at 40c
Wait till there's lots of jumpers in the basket and occasionally use the 'wool cycle'
Chuck a colour catcher sheet with everything.

Oh and I chuck the swimming stuff in at 40c too.

I didn’t realise swimming stuff wasn’t supposed to be done at 40!
I do everything at 40 except the batch of white towels, which I do at 60.

Short cycles are your friend. We do everything on a 59 min wash at 40 degrees. I dont seperate colours either. Fuck that.

Yeah it means some of my uniforms are now a bit grey but I could always soak them overnight in whitening stuff if I cared that much. (I don't)

If we have any poo stains, they go into a bucket of cold water under the sink with stain blaster. Often they languish there for a couple of days before I remember them again. If they're not depooed after a wash through the machine, they I chuck them in the bin.

We have a large drum and it has really cut down on washes. It takes two days to fill. Obviously with the exception of a sheet/towel wash but I try to save all those up for just once a week.

Getting a 10kg washer made a big difference as did dehumidifier for drying inside. Do most of my washes at 30 and swim stuff goes in with that. Usually do the shortest possible wash - spray any bad stains with Vanish. (Even when washing nappies rarely used prewash). Do not automatically wash after 1 wear. I too wear skin layer under larger items so these need washing less often.

Only on mumsnet...seriously you are all mad 😂😂🤣.

Everything here goes on at thirty degree quick wash. Modern laundry products are so effective that this means everything gets clean. Big items hung out, small items tumble dried, no ironing done ever because it is a complete waste of time and not necessary unless you have to wear shirts or blouses for work. In which case there a few shirts to iron.

No separation of whites and darks because actually, things don't tend to run.

So much more to life than laundry...

Hope the XXL hoodies are not going in the wash after one wear! I had this conversation with him one day out of frustration! Apparently he wears them several times and they 'are dirty'. He doesn't shower very often (lucky me ) so I can believe they get mucky!

LoniceraJaponica Towels 1-2 weeks, bedding 2-3 weeks and most of the loads I do are full, except perhaps the lights load which is usually half full or so.

I had this conversation with him one day out of frustration! Apparently he wears them several times and they 'are dirty'. He doesn't shower very often (lucky me ) so I can believe they get mucky!

Sounds like you have a DH problem rather than a laundry problem!!

We generate a lot of washing here too! I do at least one load of washing each day usually two, don’t let it build up. I am really surprised to read PP comments about washing at night and using timers etc, so many fires are caused by electrical faults. No way would I consider going out or having a washing machine or dishwasher on overnight. A friends dishwasher caught fire during the night a few years back, a lot of damage was caused to her kitchen, thankfully their smoke alarm alerted them and they were all unharmed.

Who looks after the DC during the week? Our nanny does all the DC laundry.

DH does all the adult laundry during the weekend - one dark one light load.

The cleaner is paid extra to fold laundry and iron if necessary.

I do no laundry! All I do is putting away clean folded laundry which is oddly satisfying.

Lalalaleah Don't you get shrinkage?? I have actually started buying my clothes a size too big so I can chuck them in the TD

Leaving them to the weekend is crazy op. I try and have all done so weekends are a little easier. Also I batch cook a lot so that frees up time mid week to crack on with housework.
We quick wash everything and stuff I feel needs a boost - I hand soak for a short while before. We wash just before bed and dry overnight (airer and smalls in tumble drier)

Breastfeeding and working full time are hard enough op!

twelveangels Sounds heavenly! My mum looks after them for now. My DS is a poor napper and she manages to do the dishwasher for me but that's about it

Have a basket that holds light/dark/colours separately. Whichever one is full goes in the washing machine when you get home. Tumble dry what you can and hang up the rest. Hoodies go straight on hangers in the laundry room, in my house. A few minutes a day vs all weekend.. it makes sense. 😁

You need to cut more corners. Instead of doing everyone’s bedding and all the towels each weekend and being inundated, just do one bed one weekend and the odd towel here and there during the week.

I find most fabrics these days wash and tumble dry easily.

Most people aren't in the same boat (having a nanny and cleaner twelve)

Put a load in when I get up, then put it on the line before leaving for work (40C cycle takes an hour) or put it in the dryer after work. We put everything in the dryer except sports socks, on a delicates setting. Fold and put away before bed, I save ironing till the weekend but don't iron much.

We never leave the machines on overnight and preferably not when we're out due to the fire risk, so sheets and towels on a 60C longer cycle are done at the weekend.

We have a system. We identified that sorting was the biggest delay and with 3 girls we can't remember whose knickers are whose (but they know the different fit so it mattered!).

So...

We have 7 baskets labelled with each day of week. At any time 5 are distributed to us and 2 are in utility room. Each person uses one basket. On the day of the basket label, that person is responsible for putting their mixed load in the machine (may involve reminding by the laundry chief DH), includes towels, and if a bit light that's when to do irregular stuff like dressing gowns. The adults make sure it get hung up/out. Next basket for 5 days time is collected. When dry, is returned to person it belongs to, no sorting needed. Means we do one load a day every day, so manageable for drying too on the pulley.

If something has to be urgently washed in between you can add it to another wash. Things like dog beds can slot in around too.

Apparently he wears them several times and they 'are dirty'.

Interesting. When I was a head gardener, I wore my jeans every day and washed them once a fortnight. This myth of things being dirty is mostly bollocks.

I suggest you start getting him to do his own stuff. And possibly get him to take a shower more often. Bleurgh.

If we had a nanny and a cleaner I imagine laundry would be a much less onerous job here too!

I literally only wash hoodies if they have yoghurt stains on them or are getting a bit whiffy. Hoodies are like jeans in my book.

Mind you, I dont wear them 365 days a year like some blokes do.......