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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Best laundry basket 'system'

39 replies

7wondersofthewold · 01/08/2021 02:25

Not an exciting topic, but how do you keep your dirty laundry? Do you have laundry baskets for each person or throw everything in one?

We've currently got a basket per bedroom. Small house and no utility room so can't have (dream) of each person in the house being responsible for putting their own dirty laundry into a big sorter thing with separate whites, darks, colours.

Constantly feels like I'm sifting through everyone's basket to find enough whites or darks or colours to justify a full wash. What's the holy grail for dirty laundry?

Since schools broke up for summer I'm seriously thinking less clothes for less washing is the way forward!

OP posts:
Livingintheclouds · 01/08/2021 02:32

In the family bathroom there's a white laundry bag and a black one. Now I have teenagers so I'm lucky if the clothes actually get IN the bags, but I'm forever hopeful.
If the clothes are on the floor of their rooms they don't get washed.

Wolframhart · 01/08/2021 02:48

Each person has laundry baskets in their bedroom. They are tall and skinny so have small footprints. One for lights. One for darks. I also have one for my delicates and one for everyone’s towels. Each bin holds one load. When it’s full, it’s time to wash. No one’s clothing gets mixed together which means folding takes much less time.

Dangermouse80 · 01/08/2021 02:55

One basket located in the kitchen. Everyone is responsible for putting dirty stuff in. I do a wash daily with everything being tumble dried straight after. Then shake n hang and put away. Ironing just for shirts. Just takes a few minutes a day to keep on top of.

thelegohooverer · 01/08/2021 06:36

I tried having one basket, but stuff ended up on floors insteadHmm. In this house there needs to be open topped baskets in every room, placed at a throwing distance from the bed.

I do a laundry day once a week so all the baskets get sorted into piles and worked through.

I’ve heard of people doing one person’s laundry at a time, and using colour catcher sheets but I don’t find they work as well as they claim and everything ends up slightly muddy looking.

Needaholiday101 · 01/08/2021 06:43

2 adults n 2 teens here. We have 2 baskets on the landing for everyone. Whites then everything else, do a white load once per week and a normal load daily. Bedding just goes straight on rather then in the basket.

ThePoint678 · 01/08/2021 06:45

We have one basket and everything goes in together on a cold wash (not in the UK, and cold only washing here is normal). One load a day. Straight into dryer or on line. In the afternoon/evening it’s sorted and folded and because it’s only one load it’s quick to sort and fold. Then extra loads for delicates, sheets and towels in the weekend. Works for us - nothing is faded, whites stay white and no piles of clothes everywhere.

Datingandnoideahowto · 01/08/2021 06:46

I have two baskets in the hot press and they have (or had - they’re adults now and only home in uni holidays) baskets in their rooms.

If it’s on the floor it doesn’t get washed.

I do a load when the baskets in the hot press are full.

They are responsible for putting their washing from their basket to the right one in the hot press. If they don’t do this it doesn’t generally get washed but if I’m looking for washing I’ll do a basket sweep.

MoreHairyThanScary · 01/08/2021 06:49

We have 3 IKEA bins on the landing whites, lights and darks. If it's not in the bin DH and I don't wash it and they have to wash themselves ( teen dd's). It's largely successful some dd's are better than others at getting things in the wash!

Cynderella · 01/08/2021 06:55

We have same system as @Livingintheclouds - two bags on a frame. Four adults so bags fill quickly. I separate the whites into 'white whites' which are work shirts, T shirts, sheets and towels and into 'semi-whites' which are white with colours such as tea towels, cleaning cloths, tops. Dark washing goes on a lower temp wash with home made powder and whites are treated to Ariel.

Downstairs, we have similar bags - one colour for 'ours' and another for 'theirs' where it all goes when dry and folded or ironed.

Tinkerbellfluffyboots79 · 01/08/2021 06:58

I have one basket at top of the stairs - tiny house and everyone is supposed to put their stuff in there. Doesn’t happen.

Moving house abs might re think my own laundry issues as I feel like I live in a laundrette - 1 adult and 4 kids so lots of washing.

CakesOfVersailles · 01/08/2021 07:01

I think colourfast dies have improved a lot as I don't wash whites separately.

In winter where there are more woollen items they are put through a separate delicates wash, otherwise each person has one basket which they wash and tumble dry or line dry themselves (no young children).

At weekends all towels and sheets hot washed together.

Marmitemarinaded · 01/08/2021 07:14

I am brutal

It’s one area where I really prioritise convenience over the environment

I do washing every day without fail and sometimes with very little in the machine. This is to avoid piling up of dirty laundry.
I have one small basket hidden away in the bathroom. Two very sporty children ie constant clothes changes! And if it can’t fit in the small basket - I put a wash on.

Also saves having lots of wet clothes drying around the house that can’t be tumble dried

Marmitemarinaded · 01/08/2021 07:16

Oh and as for accepting that children don’t or won’t put clothes in the basket…. No!

If I walk in to their rooms and dirty clothes on floor, I call them in no matter what they’re doing and they pick up and put in laundry and then I find them another job to do.

Do this over and over again. - and I guarantee… they will start filling the laundry basket

Myusernameisnotmyusernameno · 01/08/2021 07:20

I have a basket on the landing then when it's full it gets taken downstairs to the garage where I have a sorter basket. And a separate one for towels, bedsheets etc. My machine is in the garage.

PurplePansy05 · 01/08/2021 07:21

I have one basket in the family bathroom (for me and DH), it has 3 compartments - for darks, lights & colour clothes and this system works extremely well. I wash every time one of the compartments is close to filling up.

I will now also have a separate one in the utility room where the washing machine & tumble dryer is, for baby clothes - they will always go in at higher temp (and I suspect a lot more frequently too 😉).

honeybuns007 · 01/08/2021 07:25

@ThePoint678

We have one basket and everything goes in together on a cold wash (not in the UK, and cold only washing here is normal). One load a day. Straight into dryer or on line. In the afternoon/evening it’s sorted and folded and because it’s only one load it’s quick to sort and fold. Then extra loads for delicates, sheets and towels in the weekend. Works for us - nothing is faded, whites stay white and no piles of clothes everywhere.
How do your whites stay white if they are being washed with black and red etc. Even in cold water, I don't see how that works
AutumnLeafDance · 01/08/2021 07:28

We have two large drawers in our laundry, each containing two laundry baskets (four in total). One for darks, whites, colours and my husband's shirts. We sort our dirty washing as we go and then when one of the baskets gets full I'll put it through the wash.

LouLou198 · 01/08/2021 07:34

2 laundry baskets kept on the landing, 1 for lights, 1 for darks.

TheBaddie · 01/08/2021 07:36

We live in a two bed flat but I have shoehorned in a three section laundry basket from Amazon. We have small DC and I got so very fed up with sifting through and separating baby socks and vests etc by colour. Each section holds one load. It's totally worth the space it takes up in my opinion

Tablow · 01/08/2021 07:36

Don't buy white things

Wash everythibg together at the same temp.

Dump all dry clothes on double bed and invite children to find their clothes and take them away or theyll be binned.

I don't fold.

BertieBotts · 01/08/2021 07:45

One laundry bin per bedroom.

I have a quick scan and start with whichever is the fullest or whoever is running out of clothes.

Fill up a basket or ikea bag with whichever is most abundant in that bin - whites/colours/darks.

If there is still space in the basket move to another (random) laundry bin and add the contents of that.

It works fine for me :)

I never used to separate as my mum didn't but since I have started separating, I notice that my whites stay whiter, and I find it worth it. DH can't tell the difference - but they definitely go dingy after a while if they're mixed. I probably wouldn't have been able to notice before because everything white was that slightly off-white shade, but now I have before and after items I really can.

ProcrastinationIsMySuperPower · 01/08/2021 08:31

I have a laundry cupboard (Ikea) which houses two baskets, lights and darks. Holes in the door through which to post your laundry.
Success is variable, but my DDs are learning that if its on their floor, it's not getting washed.
Bed linen and towels washed weekly, they go straight in the machine.
We do a dark or coloured load every day, and a white load weekly (less in the holidays).
Husband does enormous pile of ironing weekly.

lazylinguist · 01/08/2021 08:36

One laundry basket per bedroom. I'm rubbish at keeping on top of the laundry - it's my least favourite job. Essentially either I do a load every day, or at least 6 days a week, or it begins to pile up.

Since schools broke up for summer I'm seriously thinking less clothes for less washing is the way forward!

Would that help though? Surely it wouldn't make any difference, as everybody wpuld still need to wear a set if clothes every day, which would need washing just as much!

PieceOfString · 01/08/2021 08:39

We have one family basket everything goes into that. I do one load a day so rarely get behind on the laundry (4 person house). I don't see colours/whites I used to but my whites still never stayed white (I literally don't know how people do it, I've tried everything) so now I don't bother and I was according to priority of urgency so damp/sweaty things that will start to stink if left get top priority, then anything that running out of would be bad like underpants or school shirts etc.
The basket is in the kids room and everyone puts into that, they get called to sort it if they fail to put something in the basket.

WellTidy · 01/08/2021 08:41

Four baskets - we have a triple on a frame and a separate wicker one, but you can buy quad ones. One for darks, one for colours, one for whites and one for reds and delicates. They are open bags, which you fill and then remove and carry (full) to the washing machine and empty into there. It means you don’t lose socks or whatever on the way.

We keep ours in our bedroom and everyone’s laundry goes in them, but I’d keep it in the bathroom if I had space.

A bag only gets washed when it is full.

www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk/category/laundry-basket-washing-baskets/product/triple-laundry-basket-sorter/ean/ean-5016319630550?gclid=CjwKCAjwjJmIBhA4EiwAQdCbxjUZUEkfZkhTqi9znHzMUzNX4uT1ASmL26yfF0hVNm6MRFC_h2VxLhoC82AQAvD_BwE

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