What's your weekly laundry/ironing routine

[Do1983]

I'm sick of feeling like we live in a laundrette. Laundry is my nemesis!

I need to get into a good washing/folding/ironing routine. We are a family of 4 - me, Husband, Ds5, Ds10 - and I also work from home.

What does your laundry routine look like on a daily/weekly basis. Do you do a load a day or have set laundry days?

My biggest bug bears/problem areas are:

1. I'm the only one who really does the laundry.
2. When my husband does do some laundry, it's usually just his own work shirts etc. And he maybe does a load himself once a month.
3. I have a small utility room. When I've unloaded the dryer, sometimes I don't get round to folding/sorting the clothes to be put away. And then it will sit on the counter top for a few days in a big pile!!
4. When I do sort/fold nobody put their clothes away. I'm trying to get my eldest to help more, but even my husband doesn't put his clothes away. He just has a big pile on the floor next to his bed that he adds to (he does have wardrobe space/drawers but either doesn't use them or has them full with clothes he doesn't wear but says he doesn't have time sort/to get rid of)
5. We tend to iron as and when we need to. Each morning my husband will iron his work shirt and either he or I will iron the school uniform for that day. But then my husband will just leave the board/iron out and not put it away, which annoys me because it only takes 2 seconds but he just leaves it for me to do. So I'd rather not have to be putting it up/taking it down every day.

I've been trying to do a big iron once a week, should I just have a separate ironing basket that I fill up during the week with clothes that need ironing? I find that if stuff isn't ironed my husband or my kids will quite happily wear really creased t-shirts which I hate, because I think they look really scruffy. But I don't want to be ironing every single piece of clothing.

How do you all make the laundry easier and quicker?

I feel you!

We don't have a utility room, so instead my dining room table is out of use due to piles and piles of washing!

It's got to be one of the worst chores!

I put everything away un-ironed, then on a Sunday, I get all the clothes out that are going to be needed that week, and just iron those ones. If then something crops up that someone needs a different outfit for, I will then iron that as and when.

My DS is 2 so I can't expect help just unfortunately.

Could you get some small plastic boxes to pile each persons washing in, then say to your eldest, once their box is full it must be completely emptied or... (pocket money reduction / screen time reduction etc)?

I find doing the laundry one of the least tedious housework jobs! (hate most of the others particularly dusting)

I tend to separate washing into; darks, lights, whites (really just DD's school shirts and crop tops, she has about 8 of each which get washed when she has one left of each), towels, tea towels, jeans, gym/sports stuff, woollens (jumpers, socks etc), DH's shirts plus the odd wash of cleaning cloths etc. DD's uniform (other than shirts) and PE kit get washed on a Fri night and hung up ready for Mon - don't need ironing. And I wash bras by hand. It sounds a lot but I tend to let stuff build up until I get a full load.

So I put a load on first thing in the morning and then walk DD to bus. When it's done I either hang it out if it's dry or hang up on airer in spare room if rainy. In summer I try to do a couple of loads. I try to alternate loads that need ironing (e.g DH's shirts) with non-iron stuff like gym stuff because I hate building up huge piles of ironing which tend to get done when I'm watching something on TV.

In your position I think I would;
a) let your DH know how much it annoys you when he doesn't put stuff away. I do all the washing/ironing in our house but the deal is that you show your appreciation of that by putting the bloody stuff away when it's clean (and putting dirty stuff in the washing basket)

b) let your kids put away stuff like socks/pants etc. I dump DD's on her bed and she knows it's her job. Likewise I iron her shirts but she takes them upstairs and hangs them up. (Don't entirely trust her to put T-shirts away because she'll probably screw them up in the process!)

c) decide what needs ironing and what doesn't. I iron all shirts, T-shirts, jeans (to soften them) and pillowcases. I don't bother with underwear, nightwear, sheets, duvet covers etc.

d) try to iron all in one go. That should solve the whole leaving the board up all the time - if I was ironing everyday I too couldn't be arsed putting it away (and I think it will probably save on electricity).

Reading all that back I think I am thinking way too much about this issue!

I too don’t mind laundry. Four of us in the house: DH, me, Dd 10 and DS 7.

Monday I am home so pop a wash on when I get up first thing & hang it out before we go to school - usually towels, tea towels / leftover washing if it didn’t all get done at the weekend.
Tuesday no washing as off to work
Wednesday strip our bed & wash /hang as I start work later that day.
Thursday no washing
Friday - wash kids bedding
Sat - dark wash incl uniform again first thing so it’s hung and dried by the next day
Sun - white wash incl shirts.

We have a tiny utility room but no tumble drier - In summer it goes out but I have a washing line up in the utility too (grew up with a pulley one in our kitchen -this one has 5 thin lines but can hold a full wash). When washing is bone dry it goes upstairs and I chuck any ironing in a separate pretty wicker basket which lives in a corner fairly inoffensively for most of the week. Ironing gets done on Sunday eve in front of telly but I only iron shirts, t-shirts or smart stuff. Takes about an hour.

Other washing gets heaped in floor / bed and as soon as I have 10mins, often while kids get ready for bed or just after they have gone to bed, I quickly sort & fold. 10yr old has a tub I bought her and all her clean folded washing goes in there, once a week she is compelled to put it away if she wants her pocket money. I do the younger child but when he is eight he will do his own and to be honest he could do it now! Dh is a tidy person so he or I do his and my washing. Ironed stuff is hung up after ironing.

It’s not much work and I stick to military timetable so as to make sure stuff dries ok and in time for being needed. That way it is less to think or stress about.

Over the years, I've had different routines and still do. When I'm working full-time, I only do laundry at the weekend. When I'm at home, I do a load a day. I only put a load on if I know I'm going to get it ironed and put away that day. I have a utility area - it's the porch at the back of the house, so although I can put an ironing board up and leave it, it's in the way.

1. I'm also the only one who does the laundry, but I'm happy with that. Adult son does his and his brother's ironing.

1. I don't like washing half loads so would rather it was just me putting the machine on.

1. I unload dryer or sort washing from the line immediately. I wouldn't unload it if I didn't have time to fold and iron it.

1. My husband puts away our clothes, bedding etc. Kids have always put away their own. Used to do my head in when a pile of folded (and therefore unworn) clothes ended up in the washing bin. I think now I would probably do it myself and insist they did something else in return.

5.I have a steam generator iron that powers through the ironing. It can still take an hour when it's king size bedding and everything else, but I put music on and happily wade through it all in one go. If I'm washing a load a day, there's not much to iron and I do it while dinner's cooking.

a) never iron unless I really have to.
b) washing machine has to go on every day or we seem to get swamped. Even trying to get the kids to not chuck everything in the wash after wearing it for an hour , the 5 of us generate shitloads.

There’s 6 of us here and the laundry is a constant battle

Things I do to attempt to remain in control:

• I do a load every day
• Have an ironing basket in the utility room, everything that comes off the airers that needs ironing gets folded and put in ironing basket
• Iron once a week, hang and put away immediately
• Things that don’t need ironing are folded into each persons pile, twice a week on kids bedroom tidy days they get handed their clean washing pile to put away
• If you’re out of nappies pjs get changed twice a week
• Bottoms can be worn 3/4 times unless visibly dirty or smelly
• Towels hung up to dry after use and used for 3 days before being washed

OP I feel your pain! My household is family of 4 too and I do all laundry.
DC are 1 and 3 though.
Let's be honest, I don't even iron anything now, just let everything air dry straight so creases drop out. Honestly, I think its better this way and only iron things which are necessary like a shirt, suit, blouse, ect.
I do 3 lots of washing a week. Sunday I wash all the darks. Tuesday or Wednesday I wash the lights, and Friday I tend to wash towels and whatever else is in the laundry basket. Bedding is done with towels too (although I don't wash bedding every week)
Sometimes i might do a little wash in between if my little laundry basket contains clothes ect. My 'little laundry basket' is for clothes that have been soiled with wee, poop, sick, bby dribble or milk - so basically the stinky stuff!

Also, to save getting the iron out, I iron my little boys clothes with straighteners

I don’t mind laundry but there’s only three of us and I don’t iron.

I wash when the laundry basket is getting full, probably two a week of clothes, hang up on clothes horse, then take those off and put them away a few days later when the next load is in the machine and just continue the cycle like that.

Then once a week I do a wash of things like towels, tea towels and bedding, hang it up on radiators and put it away when dry.

Not a weekly routine, do laundry more often than that.
Washing machine, dry on clothes areas, tumble and that which doesn't need ironing folded and put away.
Ironing goes to ironing shop - once a week, I save it up. Deffo worth paying for, it's not expensive. It's usually shirts, the odd pair of trousers, bedclothes.

No routine here, do a load when the washing basket looks full, do a couple of 20 minute ironing sessions a week, in front of the TV. Teenage DS never puts his washing away, I usually leave it on his floor and have a rant every now and then, nothing changes.

I work full time, 4 of us here - me, DH and 2 teens.

I do a load a day, put it on a timer before I go to bed so it finishes around 6am, tumble dry what I can, then fold out of the dryer, put into piles and put away mine and DH's. Leave DCs on their beds to put away. Do all this before I leave for work at 7.45. Things I can't tumble get shaken out and hung up on the doorframe of my spare bedroom. Next day once dry they either get put away or if they need ironing moved to a multiple hanger thingy I have behind the door. Sunday mornings I stick a podcast on and iron in my spare bedroom- takes less than an hour.

Beds I do at weekends, towels and tea towels etc I'll time to finish when DCs get in from school and they'll stick in drier.

Because I do a load every day there's never an overwhelming amount to wash, put away or iron. Works for me!

The greatest thing you will ever do is give up ironing. Maybe it relies on using a tumble drier but I never iron. DH buys non iron shirts and has a senior professional job. You will save so many hours of your life!

Only DH and I at home now DT’s are at Uni. Whoever sees that laundry bin is full, puts a load on. We have a laundry room where the laundry bin, washer and dryer live and some cupboards and hanging space. When the washer is finished, one of us puts everything into the dryer. Dried clothes and put in the hanging space or on our bed and we hang up/put away out own clothes. The cleaner looks after the bedding and towels and the very rare item which needs ironed.

Would recommend iron free shirts for your DH. take them out of washing machine. Give them a bit of a shake and hang up to dry

Family of 5 here. I work from home too when I can, but mostly it's just chores and childcare right now. About two laundry loads a day or so. The schools clothes get ironed and husband's work shirt but we invested in a really good tumble dryer that kind of takes all the creases out so you just have to fold. We have many, many piles of laundry something though waiting to be put away. Depends on how the day has gone/who is ill/ how clingy the youngest is/how depressed I'm feeling.

Family of 6 - DH, me, 4 small and messy boys including a very sicky newborn in cloth nappies.

I do 2 loads most days, it's full on, even though I am not part of the mumnset crew who wash towels and PJs daily! I hang about half of it and then use the dryer on towels and things.
Our routine:

• Everyone is responsible for sorting their laundry into the right bag (coloured/white/delicate)
• I'm on maternity leave so do most of the washing. Older kids help in an age appropriate way (7 year old can load and turn on washing machine, 3 year old matches socks). When I was at work DH did more, we used the machine timer so it would go on late afternoon to be ready to take out when we finished work
• ALWAYS fold before bed, often when listening to kids do reading or when watching TV after they're asleep
• Once a week I iron in front of the TV for a couple of hours
• when it all gets a bit much, I take DH's shirts to be pressed at the local dry cleaner!

An ironing press is a time saver. It can't iron everything, but it what it's good at, t-shirts, pillow cases, jeans, anything flat really, it's very quick. You can iron shirts on it, but I find a wide ironing board better. I have a Fastpress, but I think Elna make one. It's heavy to move around!

Wednesday - put load in at 6.30 am. Weds night take load out chuck half in tumbler, half on airer.

Thurday - put load in at 6.30 am. Thurs night take load out chuck half in tumbler put on tumbler. Hang rest on airer. When dry fold and separate into ironing pile and non ironing pile.

Friday put load in at 6.30am. Friday night chuck half in tumbler - half on airer.

Sat put load on at abt 8am. Drink tea. Chuck half in tumbler. Switch on tumbler. Take ironing pile to ironing basket. Take non ironing pile to my bedroom. Add to both piles from airer. Sort and put away all stuff that doesn't need ironing.

Throughout Saturday/Sunday probably do 3/4 more loads and put away anything that doesn't need ironing. Sunday night = empty linen basket, nothing clean that doesn't need ironing left.

Tuesday = huge ironing pile representing about 2.5 hours of ironing. Make sure hangers are ready and water is ready for steam iron, remember to leave out money for cleaner.

Tuesday night hang up and put away all ironing.

And so it continues. 3 adults. DH wears cotton business shirts.

I don't iron. At all. Ever.

If something looks like it creases, I literally won't buy it. DH generally doesn't bother ironing his shirts in winter as he wears them under jumpers and all you see is the collars. He does iron during the rest of the year but as little as he can get away with. I don't iron his shirts and pay no heed to it.

In terms of putting away, my next move is going to be to make four to six large pigeon holes in our utility room. Just big enough for a small laundry basket in each. And when I'm folding dry clothes, I'm going to have one for each family member. And they can take their own basket whenever they want and put away. Also one basket will be for towels or sheets etc.

At the moment my kids are too young but I'm gonna start them off in a few years. I was doing all my own laundry by 14 so I definitely think putting away should be fine from several years younger than that!

I'll see if I can find a pic of what I mean, I used to have loads stored on my phone.

This sort of thing. Though hopefully smaller again.

This works well too.

Love it. A friend of mine with 4 boys and a husband gave up when they all had big feet. Threw out all the matchy socks and bought two large wicker baskets. One for identical blacj socks and one for white ones.

Everyone in this thread has a completely different routine!!

I wash on a Tuesday and a Friday. Normal clothes. Ironing gets gone on a Saturday or Sunday.

I don't get all these non iron people. All Shirts look two bob if you don't iron them. Dh's shirts need ironing. I buy ds's M&S non iron white school shirts. They need ironing. They look and feel dreadful if you don't.

I’ve just got into a new routine which I’m finding works for me to keep on top of it all. 4 of us - 2 kids, 1 at school.
Monday: wash DS1 bedding first thing (have stripped and remade bed night before so machine is loaded and ready to go. DS2 wakes around 5 so there’s time to wash and hang before we head out). In the evening, once boys are in bed, wash anything in the wash basket. There’s usually a load’s worth of clothes.
Tuesday: wash DS2 bedding. Same approach applies. Wash clothes in the evening
Wednesday: wash towels. Wash clothes in the evening
Thursday: wash my bedding. Wash clothes in the evening
Friday: miscellaneous wash eg cushion covers, throw, blanket. Anything that needs it. Or nothing if it doesn’t. Have an evening off from washing clothes
Saturday: just wash clothes in evening
Sunday: just wash clothes in evening

Re piles of clothes, I have suffered from never being able to get on top of putting them away. So now I make myself do it daily. 10 minutes every day. I sort and fold while the kids have tea and I put away while they watch some tv/play games before bath time.

The above might seem onerous but I've found little and often works for me. And if I’ve got plans one day or evening and can’t follow the routine that day, a small break from it doesn’t set me back very much.