minimising laundry

[AmbitiouslyFit]

Hi all,

So as I have two kids under two now I would like to reduce my laundry. DH and I have different understanding of what needs to be washed when. I would like to ask few questions about this new system I’m trying to follow to reduce my laundry. Do u think it’s reasonable ?

Daily:

• Underwear, including half sleeved vests and boxers/pants and socks and baby vests. But not bras.
• I try to wear half sleeved vests (they’re hard to find) or a tshirt as a first layer.
• obviously bibs and Muslins and all the things that have bodily fluids reaching them!

So usually if We are wearing layers over that I don’t feel it should go into the daily wash as it’s not touching my armpits or any part of the body that releases fluids.

Whenever it gets smelly/spills/dirty?

• outer layers, such as husbands shirts (usually 3 wears or more) jumpers, and so on.
• bras (usually every 2/3 days)
• pjs (me and kids)
• face/hand towels (once every 2/3 days).

Usually if there is any spills I will hand wash Straight away anyway.

Once a week:

• pj bottoms for DH (he sleeps with his clean vest and bottoms)
• any layers/thermals/body tops that are
• bedsheets/ pillow cases / bath towels.
• duvet covers (once every 2 weeks or so)

I don’t wash things like dresses and skirts unless they have spills in which case I clean the stain by hand. They are only washed onc seasonally and usually by hand.

so basically, I don’t have a tumble dryer. Would love to reduce laundry so that I don’t have things hanging around the house daily on an airer.

I don’t wash things straight away, I put them in laundry baskets and wash by colour with lights/darks/whites/linens being washed once or twice a week depending how full the basket is. I would like to combine laundry
So I dedicate two days a week for it so I can choose good days for airing my laundry and avoid having them around the house daily.

Any tips are welcome.

I forgot to mention, I don’t go to the gym.

I only do fast walking or aerobics/yoga at home in leggings and sports bra. I used to chuck everything in the wash out of habit but thinking once a week (3 wears or so) might be enough (aside from the sports bra which could be done after each wear.

From a personal hygiene point of view do you think this is manky? Be honest ? :S.

I chuck everything in together as I would have laundry round the house instead of being washed. I also wash every other day but have a hung pole in my kitchen so no washing goes on an airer (unless a massive wash) then use a dehumidifier.

Some things I wash at different intervals
Towel- as long as they are dried after use (over the bannister, not left on floor) are washed weekly.
Bedsheets in winter are every 2 weeks. (Summer goes to weekly but I do wash pillows weekly or just turn them over)

A bit thing that made a difference in my washing was decluttering them. I don't try clothes on then leave them on the floor which then get washed even though it's clean. Also stops husband and kids doing it as they love and fit in all their clothes.

lpchill

You seem to have a nice system there! Nice and airy.

I can’t think of a place to hang my laundry that would look at tidy. I usually have a laundry airer in the living room or in the bathroom. I guess I need to solve that issue.

But washing clothes after every wear means a lot more ironing right ?

Thank you. There was a shelf there originally but we took it down. When we where renting we reinforced the bathroom rail (with another one) to put clothes on hangers along it. Because they are hung I only need to iron shirts and they are easy as they don't have any creases in them. I don't wash after every wear. Toddlers clothes yes as they are disgusting by the end of the day. Underwear changed daily bras every 2-3 days. Clothes as and when they are smelly or dirty, usually every 2/3 day. I just wash every other day so there is not massive amounts of washing to dry in one go. Worked great when I had to dry in bathroom as when I wanted a shower it was a lot less to move.
Maybe looked at a heated airer? I just got one as we now have a dog so a little more washing. I can put washing onto it over night cover it with a towel or bedding and it's dry in the morning.

So when you said you chuck everything together you mean you don’t sort them by colour?

What settings do you use on your washing machine? Heat?

I’ve tried washing them together at 40 but I feel that’s not hot enough and I’m still left with some stains. Doesn’t feel clean.

Any tips?

The heated airer is something I’m looking into

I don't sort normally. Usually wash at 30 or 40 degrees. Less washing powder that's recommended (as I find it doesn't too a very good job when I use the recommended amount ) only use fabric conditioner on towels and bedding. When husband has been in the garage or working on the cars. There are a few exceptions though. Ie new clothes. Can really recommend the Lakeland heated airer.

Does your husband wear the same pj bottoms for a whole week?

I couldn’t stick to that as it’s a bit regimented for us but I really try not to wash things if they aren’t dirty. It’s tough trying to teach the kids that, though.....

I think you're over thinking things. Just wash things when they are dirty, simple.

Yeh so DH wears his boxers and vest to sleep so PJ bottoms he only really wears it around the house as like “house clothes”. They really don’t get dirty so yeh around once a week.

lpchill

If I do that it will simplify things soo much for me. I really don’t end up with white enough whites or stains removed if I wash at those temperatures. I wonder what I’m doing wrong.

We had a condenser dryer that could go anywhere which was great, but now we have a pulley maid which is even better and clothes seem to dry in seconds. I have a peg octopus on it for socks and pants and I can hang a whole row of shirts on hangars etc. We have ours mounted in the utility but friends have theirs over the bath, on the kitchen ceiling or over the landing. Is that a possibility? Something like this:

images.app.goo.gl/VFb24vQkQhorgaMg7

Also I don't sort laundry either. Doesn't seem to make any difference at all to the whites.

Meant to say I use bio powder and if there is a stain I give it a squirt and a scrub with stain remover before it goes in the machine. Wash at at 40c and don't over fill the drum and stuff seems to get clean.

Exceptions - banana and milk stains around bibs, and newborn poo stains. There is nothing that shifts those except sunlight IMO. Even bleach can't do it.

I personally would wash bras daily and include DHs PJ bottoms with the other 2/3 days PJ wash. I chuck all clothes on a 30 (dont bother sorting) and towels/bedding on a 60. Sometimes I leave our bed for 10 days to 2 weeks if it looks and smells ok (so winter rather than sweaty summer nights). I often include other 60 wash items with the bedding. We wash at 60 as we have a cat. You already sound fairly minimal with your washing.

Xiaoxiong

I was considering something in our Utility but how do you manage to get the clothes well aired? Do you have a window in your utility? I have an extractor fan, is that enough for laundry to dry up or will it get mouldy?

I also have a line that I pull out over the bath but our bath gets used fairly frequently as We shower in the morning and DC have a bath in the evening so the clothes don’t get dry enough from bedtime till our morning
Shower and it’s a bit of a pain to take clothes out before the shower when our eyes are barely opening.

Kitchen is out of the question for me as it’s an open plan and no windows.

Our utility is interior with no windows and only an extractor fan (that only goes on when the light is on, so not very much) but somehow the clothes dry in seconds compared to an airer. I don't know if it's because of the configuration of the pulley maid, the fact that the bars are fatter so there's more air between the clothes, or they're on the ceiling and there's better circulation up there. In any case, clothes that used to take days on even a heated airer (like jeans) now dry overnight. It's like black magic...