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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

In which room so you fold/sort clothes?

37 replies

Happilyacceptingcookies · 05/01/2019 16:35

Lost count of how many loads of washing I do every week! Tumble dryer is amazing but the clothes journey from being worn to being washed and put away again is made longer by the delay post-tumble dryer. I tend to leave the nice dry clean clothes there until there is a need to shift them.

We have a utility room and my mum told me that that was originally what utility rooms were intended for, to have space to fold and put clothes in piles (not for multiple food processors!)

If I fold them in the lounge it makes a mess there and if there's any distraction they end up staying there and their journey takes longer! If I sort them in bedrooms they have to be put away before bedtime which I suppose in an incentive.

Your experiences please!

OP posts:
user1468942365 · 05/01/2019 16:37

Sitting with a basket of wet clothes at my feet, in the living room. Will move them to spare room to air dry shortly. after this next cup of tea

Happilyacceptingcookies · 05/01/2019 16:43

Ah the journey from dryer to cupboards is the bit that catches me out too!

OP posts:
FiveStoryFire · 05/01/2019 16:45

I try to fold as soon as the tumble dryer has finished to minimise creases.

I fold on the kitchen table. Then put the folded clothes back neatly in the laundry basket and carry them up next time I go upstairs.

Anything that can't be folded eg shirts, dresses, I hang on the back of the kitchen chairs.

They're not usually there for very long.

ShowOfHands · 05/01/2019 16:46

I don't have a dryer. I hang them outside to dry and then bring them in and fold immediately in whichever room I fancy being in. Then put them away immediately or hand to each child and ask them to put them away.

SoyDora · 05/01/2019 16:47

Utility room, as that’s where the washing machine and tumble dryer are.

DramaAlpaca · 05/01/2019 16:48

I do the same as FiveStory.

My friend has an upstairs laundry room so everything is done there, washing, drying, folding, ironing, the lot. I am deeply envious.

Youmadorwhat · 05/01/2019 16:50

In the laundry/utility room it’s where the washer and dryer are so it makes sense.

Happilyacceptingcookies · 05/01/2019 16:51

The kitchen table is a great laundry space, totally agree.

An upstairs laundry room?! That's the absolute dream.

OP posts:
popcorndiva · 05/01/2019 16:52

Folded as soon as tumble drier finishes. Leave items that need ironing in the basket. Which is put back in the utility room. Otherwise all piles of clothes are taken upstairs and put away. I don't like clothes hanging about

NotPennysBoat · 05/01/2019 16:56

I unload the tumble drier (while still warm to minimise creasing) into three baskets (DH&I, DC1 and DC2). Fold straight from the machine into basket and then left in the relevant bedroom for the DC to put away (on their bed, so they have to do it before bedtime!).

PuppyMonkey · 05/01/2019 16:57

I take them from the dryer or washing line into my bedroom and sort into folded piles for each person and then hand the person their pile to put away in their own room.

I also put the telly on while doing this boring task and watch something really cheesy like Four in a Bed and end up staying there all afternoon.Grin

tarheelbaby · 05/01/2019 17:00

no utility room. no dryer
washer downstairs in pantry.
wet clothes hung up outside or upstairs in giant bathroom. hang most tops/shirts on hangers so they don't need ironing.
dry clothes folded on ironing board in bathroom, left in stacks on side of bath for DC to tidy or put back in basket and returned to drawers.

Bigonesmallone3 · 05/01/2019 17:02

I fold the clothes straight from the airer or tumble dryer, they go upstairs into my room then are put into piles on my bed of who the items belong to then to there bedroom ready to be put away (by me)

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 05/01/2019 17:03

I usually fold it straight from the dryer/line into one mixed pile. Then sort it into separate piles on my bed, ready to be put away.

PillarsOfTheEarth · 05/01/2019 17:03

Kitchen table. I leave a pike of folded clothes for each member of the family in their place and they have to put them away.

minipie · 05/01/2019 17:05

In front of the tv in the evenings after the dc are in bed. Not ideal as the putting away then can’t be done till the next day, but so much less boring than just folding. Also our laundry machines are in a cupboard so no space to fold in there anyway. We are renovating and will have a larger utility but I suspect folding will still be done in front of the tv...

TheDowagerCuntess · 05/01/2019 17:06

On the kitchen table or my bedroom, straight from the dryer or clothesline.

I do a minimum of a load a day - often several more - if I don't stay on top of it, it would become too onerous a task, so I just do it immediately.

I hate the sight of piles of laundry. It's depressing.

mrsjg · 05/01/2019 17:08

The washer and dryer are in the utility room so it gets done there. The ironing gets done in the kitchen as the utility is small. Clothes are washed, dried and ironed on the same day. Don't like clothes around the house drying off.

user1468942365 · 05/01/2019 17:17

They tend to live, in piles, on the spare bed for a fortnight until I get my arse around to putting them away!

Changingagain · 05/01/2019 17:17

I normally fold straight from the dryer or airer while still warm too and then the pile sits in the utilty room for ages. Before having a utility room, the dining table constantly had a pile of clothes on it, I feel really lucky that there's a room to hide it in now. Now the dining tables just covered in all other kinds of junk

ems137 · 05/01/2019 18:03

I've got 4 kids and have just started a new clothes system to cut down on the work I was doing and also the piles of clothes/washing. It's working really well so far.

I have bought each family member a small builders bucket and wrote their name on it. I line the buckets up in the utility room and fold the clothes into them as they come out of the dryer. Once the bucket is full the person has to come and collect it and put their washing away. Their dirty washing then goes into it and is brought to the washer. The buckets do not stay in bedrooms, they are for the utility room only.

Before I felt like I was folding/sorting clean washing out twice. Once into the big basket and then again into each persons pile.

MeetOnTheledge · 05/01/2019 18:07

Gets put in a blue ikea bag from the libe or dryer, folding off the line as the bag sits on the patio table, but not from the dryer as there is no space by it. Taken up to our bedroom and sorted into piles, I put mine away, take the DCs to their rooms for them to do, leave DH's out for him and anything that needs ironing into a basket in our room as that's where we iron too.

Freshprincess · 05/01/2019 18:07

Utility room where the washing machine is. Everyone has their own laundry basket so it goes straight into there. The owner of clothes puts them away on Friday night before dinner.

xJessica · 05/01/2019 20:40

Our drier is in the kitchen and I fold straight from the drier into a laundry basket, in piles for each person then take that to the bedrooms to put it away.

dontcallmelen · 05/01/2019 20:43

Straight out of the dryer (I have a utility cupboard no space for a proper room), onto kitchen table folded & put in the ironing basket, underwear sorted into separate piles & they take up & put away.

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