Are we gross?

[MaccaPacca81]

After trying to work out how our neighbours manage to run their dryer for 9-12 hours a day, 7 days a week (2 adults, 1 toddler), I had a poke around some old posts and I'm astounded to find out how often some people are using their washing machines/dryers.

It looks like it's common to be doing 2 to 3 washes a day which boggles my brain.

We (2 adults, no kids) do 1-3 washes a week.

How often do you guys wash certain items?

For us its:

Bedding - weekly / 10 days ish
Towels - weekly
Jeans - maybe 4 times a year
Shirts, tops, tshirts - every wear
Undies - obvs every wear
Hoodies, jumpers etc - whenever they smell or look dirty or out of shape

Do any of you wash everything after just one wear? Towels after each use?

I do about 2 washes a day but there's 2 adults and 4 children. Most of your washing seems ok, but washing jeans four times a year is gross.

Jeans - 4 times a year - do they walk to the washing machine

Towels weekly for 4 people - yuck...

Other stuff seems IMO ok.

The towel thing is disgusting. When you dry yourself things like skin cells and fungal things off feet, pubes, ear wax etc will go on the towel, so you then put the damp towel on a warm radiator, a perfect environment for bacteria.

MaccaPacca81 - Serial towel washer here. I just like a fresh clean smelling towel after a shower, have a friend whose towels always smell kind of sour - I sooooo want to hot wash them. Same with bedding, I love getting into a freshly laundered bed so for me it’s about the feel good factor rather than overly concerned about cleanliness. Who cares, as long as it works for you!

Jut me and DH with 2 bathrooms.

Every Saturday:
1x Bedding
1x Towels
1x Bathroom rugs and cleaning cloths

During the week:
1x My clothes
1x DH clothes

Every 2 weeks:
Blankets

So 5-6 loads a week.

Family of four, two relatively small kids although past the really messy stage! I’m very conscious of the financial and environmental impact of washing for the sake of it when things are generally fine to reuse. I’d say we average around 3 loads a week. I never separate colours I just bung a colour catcher in which does the trick. There are always going to be extremes but as long as you don’t smell and your clothes don’t smell, save your money!

My mum doesn't understand how I have so much washing so I worked out each week we have:
3 washes of bedding
1 of bath mats, tea towel, hand towels etc
1 of towels
3 of swimming stuff (the whole family swim)
2 of workout clothes
3/4 of normal clothes

That's pretty much 2 a day. Obviously the swimming washes aren't happening right now.
Plus then if we have extras like dog towels when she's bathed, blanket in the living room, extra bedding when the young child occasionally wets, guest bedding when needed.

Jeans are supposed to be washed as little as possible. No you aren’t gross, if the clothes don’t smell and aren’t dirty then they don’t need washing.

I (used to) go to the gym a lot so I would have a lot of sports wear that was gross and sweaty that needs washed same as DP so that definitely increases our washing loads.

Toddlers make so so so much mess. Not just on their own clothes. Also on your own clothes, bedding, cushions (think sofas), towels, blankets. Anything fabric basically gets regular washes.

Bedding twice a week 😂 I have a life and care about the environment. I was bedding once a month, towels every week, underwear every day, other clothes as and when.
2 adults 2 kids in primary, we all do sport ans I do 4-5 loads per week.
I wash tea towels separately but I have enough for a full load (along with washable napkin), that's one extra about every two weeks. I change tea towels daily.

4 adults; about 11.

Well, we've never been told we smell and my friends are the type of people who wouldn't hold back do I guess we're good to carry on as we are.

We're as happy as a pig in sh!t

Bedding weekly
Towels weekly (tea towels and hand towels changed daily but we each have our own towel for showers etc that lasts the week)
Tops daily
Jeans after 3/4 wears
Jumpers/hoodies usually after 2/3 wears but can be after one depending
Underwear daily. Sometimes wear a bra twice

I do around 10 loads a week. 4 kids two adults. Bedding alone is 3-4 loads (pillow protectors every week with the rest of bedding, mattress protectors every other week), then towels, 2 loads of darks, 2 of colours, 1 load of whites

I do find it funny that a lot of people don't know about denim and washing it.

And here we go with the 'you are disgusting if you use a towel more than once and don't change your bedding twice a week' brigade.

Op we are broadly the same as you only we wash bedding every 2/3 weeks and towels weekly, maybe stretched to 10 days sometimes.

5 or 6 washes a week. 3 people. Rarely use tumble dryer, prefer to dry on racks to save electricity.

I live alone now with DD here 3 nights one week 4 the next week. I do:

1 whites load - which includes my bed sheets a few flannels and DD undies/pj's and maybe a t-shirt or 2 + tea towels

1 darks load - majority of my clothing is dark including undies + DD leggings etc. (Jeans get 3-4 wears max before washing)

1 towels load - we probably use 6 towels a week max (including hand towels) all my towels are teal so happy to throw odd dark bits in with these.

DD has bunk beds and she swaps between the 2 beds for the 14 nights she's here in a 4 week period so I do her 2x single bed sets once a month as an extra load

I wash the living room throws and cushion covers etc every month or two.

If I have something I need I will use the 15 minute cycle.

When I lived with EXH, DD1, DD2 and DGS I could easily do 8+ loads a week ... loving not needing to 😀

I don't care if you are no longer meant to wash jeans. They would be collecting dead skin cells, body cream, shower/soap wash residue and personal leakages, plus bum odours.

Airing them doesn't remove a minging crotch, especially if they are the ones with the centre seam that goes right up the snatch and arse.

When I was single, it was:

1 x duvet cover
1 x bottom sheet, pillow cases
1 x towels (2 sets usually, plus kitchen towels)
1 x white clothes
1 x dark clothes

5 loads a week in a 10 kg washer.

I do find it funny that a lot of people don't know about denim and washing it

I had no idea. I only wear bog standard Next or M and S jeans though and they don't seem to have suffered from regular washing.

Daily everything two adults and two toddlers.
Towels clothes tea towels daily
Bed sheets weekly without fail I find it grim when people don't wash bed sheets that often 🤢 but that's just my own views on that.

I at least have the washing machine on two times maybe more if we've all had baths and showers and then the tumble dryer is working just as hard to keep up

1 adult, 2 toddlers and a baby here. Everything just goes in the washing machine at the end of the day and then it’s dry in the morning (washer dryer).
Don’t even have a washing basket.
Towels get done once a week, bedding once a week.

OP: Am I gross?

MN: Yes, a bit to be honest.

OP: No I'm not, you're all idiots who don't know how to wash denim and my friends think I smell great.

OP is correct about the jeans though, raw denim is supposed to be washed as little as possible. Think it's recommended to put them in the freezer to "clean" them?

Apart from jeans (as we don't have expensive ones, so probably once every 4-5 wears?) we're about the same as you. Also 2 adults no kids.

2 adults, 2 teenagers. 1 wash per day
Towels and bedding at least once a fortnight
school uniform