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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Laundry nightmare help please

75 replies

Whereismymind21 · 02/01/2022 09:15

Oh wise mumsnetters please talk to me about your laundry solutions. Need to make change before I drown in clothes😫 Sorry for the boring thread!!
We have 2 laundry baskets, a washing machine (lucky that!) and a tumble dryer. What usually happens is the kids and DH -ok sometimes me too-discard their dirty clothes in the kitchen and they go straight into the machine. Everyone tends to run out of everything because I never make it to the bottom of the baskets. Clothes once washed go on clothes rack/tumble dryer then get piled somewhere when I need room for more clothes. When I have time to sit down and fold clothes, the pile is usually enormous and sometimes has got mixed with dirty stuff while people go hunting in it 🙈
When I’ve folded them, I put them in piles by person that then wait for “someone” to take them upstairs. Inevitably it’s me, I dump in rooms and they don’t get put away and again, sometimes get mixed in with dirty clothes. Kids are 9, 7 and 2. I know I should get the older two and DH to put away their own clothes-and I’ll work on that!-but please please tell me how you manage the whole wash-dry-fold-put away cycle without drowning in clothes and complaints!! Thanks all 😘

OP posts:

Rainbowqueeen · 02/01/2022 21:49

Kids need to help. I haven’t folded in years - it’s a DC job in my house. One week one does the folding and puts clean pile on owners bed. The other DC is responsible for putting clean dishes away. At end of the week they swop.

Even if you would prefer to keep doing the laundry yourself, if your DC don’t have regular jobs then that needs to change

Ratsindahouse · 02/01/2022 21:51

Do you have a spare bedroom? I actually love the whole American thing of having the washing machine/tumble dryer upstairs if this would work for you? Seems so much more sensible than carting all clothes downstairs only to have to take them all back up.
I don’t have this but have a utility room with 6 shelves in the two cupboards and hanging rails above. Everyone has a shelf and all shirts,dresses, uniforms get hung up straight from the tumble dryer. Couldn’t live without it. Any room for similar in your kitchen (without the hanging rails?)

frankiefirstyear · 02/01/2022 21:58

I have two plastic laundry baskets (fit under your arm type) and when one's full (usually once a day) I put it in and run a wash.
The second basket then replaces it in the bathroom where all laundry accumulates.
Wash is completed (smart washer pings my phone) I unload onto an airer/line to dry overnight.
Next day I briefly tumble then immediately fold.
Take upstairs and put away.
Next basket is usually full, so I carry downstairs, replacing the now empty basket in the bathroom and so the cycle begins again.
Occasionally on bed linen etc days I would tumble things to avoid drying time backlog, but I avoid using the dryer too much due to expense.

Original poster

Whereismymind21 · 02/01/2022 22:07

@Sideswiped at no point did I intend to be sarcastic in any of my posts. I gave my kids ages in my original post.

As I’ve said before a few times, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply..I really appreciate the tips and will be taking several of them on board.

OP posts:

autieok · 02/01/2022 22:21

I have three laundry baskets one for me and oh and one each for children. So when I do a load all that stuff is going to the same room so no sorting. I do fairly short washes then drier or outside. Then fold and put in correct room to be put away. I do a wash every day.

autieok · 02/01/2022 22:22

Oh and I don't iron I fold very neatly. Oh irons his stuff but I don't.

scrivette · 03/01/2022 07:51

Our washing is sorted as it is taken off. I have an Ikea Kallax unit in the hallway and the children have one for uniform, one for rest of their clothes (I pull out the whites) one for whites, one for colours and one for dark items.

School washing is done on a Saturday and the rest is done when a box is full. It's taken out of the machine and hung up then folded properly/put away when dry. (I don't have a tumble dryer). It's easier in summer when the clothes can dry on the line.

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 03/01/2022 07:55

The key thing for us is lots of laundry baskets, colour coded

one for whites
one for darks
one for delicate (if you have lots of these)

Children have been trained from young to put their clothes in the appropriate baskets.

If I had your set up, I’d put the baskets downstairs close to the downstairs shower or utility room.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 03/01/2022 07:56

@NoToLandfill

I just listened to the podcast A slob comes clean - on this. She recommends laundry day. Just do back to back loads til everything is dry and put away. Will take a few days the first time.

Then have 1 day a week of laundry day, back to back loads and put away.

Give it a go!

I tend to do this. You have a drier- use it! Fold from the drier, put away.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 03/01/2022 07:57

And use short cycle washes .

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 03/01/2022 07:58

And our baskets are light with handles, so we carry them straight to the washing machine.

femfemlicious · 03/01/2022 08:05

Teach your husband, 9 and 7 year old how to fold and put away clothes. They are old enough. You should get baskets for everyone. Put in their dry clothes and make them take it away and fold and put away. That is what i would do! There is no maid.

wierdowithnoname · 03/01/2022 08:21

Tend to wash by person here - 5 of us. So each day a different quick wash per child/laundry basket. No sorting really needed as you know who’s socks are who’s etc and then they put away. Then as somebody else said, when there seems to be nothing throw in mats, throws etc. Also have coloured towels per person, all the same socks per person etc Does seem constant however ….I’d love to be able to pay to send it out!!

MakkaPakkas · 03/01/2022 08:26

Link putting clothes away to pocket money. Go absolutely mental if anyone mixes clean and dirty clothes & especially if clean stuff gets put in the laundry.
Clear the decks with a launderette service.

Ohyesiam · 03/01/2022 08:47

For me the key was putting it all away. I line dry , and can’t stand the house being destined with airing clothes, so I keep on top of the putting away as soon as it’s ready, and the rest send to fall into place.

Something about the last bit of a job being hardest. I’ve got the energy to start at wash cycle but I lose interest by the end🤣

LemonDrizzles · 03/01/2022 18:37

I work from home(luckily) with a dryer and Wednesday is my laundry day. 20 minutes to sort with a podcast. Then a strict time (no long washes). Then other half gives little ones a bath at night whilst I put all laundry away (again with a podcast). Though I'm slowly falling behind!

Theoldwoman · 04/01/2022 02:40

Four of us here.
I put a load on every single night of colours. Long, cold wash while we sleep. Hot washes (linen, whites) go on between 9am - 3pm when the power is super cheap. All line dried. Bought in at night, folded and put away before bed.

timshortfforthalia · 04/01/2022 03:13

If you're already showering, dressing and undressing so near the washing machine then you've got the makings of a great system: lean into it.

I would spend cash on some laundry baskets. Buy 4: 2 of one style for dirty laundry and 2 for another style for clean. Make sure the two styles are really distinct eg one is rattan and one is fabric. They're going to live downstairs (shower-room?) so think where you will store them so they look neat. Buy storage/shelves for them if you can be arsed. When you choose your laundry baskets, try buying collapsible ones to minimise space.

You may not end up with a perfect system but it will feel a lot nicer than having clothes on floor. It will also avoid problem of clean and dirty getting muddled up.

CanIPleaseHaveOne · 04/01/2022 03:30

A tip from Mumsnet sorted this house out!
Each dc has a laundry basket. Each dc has a day that they do their own laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away). They wash on a cold cycle - no more sorting.
Your toddler should get done with DH.

Works a dream.

HoppingPavlova · 04/01/2022 03:51

I’m too busy to faff around with laundry and no one else in the house has ever been interested in it. I have a system where everyone cleans out rooms, dumps their dirty laundry on the laundry floor and once a day I collect it from all over bathroom floor as well. I then take 5mins to sort in laundry into wash types into different coloured hampers. Then I put on a load. Then if in Summer I get someone to hang on line (live in a hot country so that’s fine and no issue with it being out overnight, will be dry by mid-morn). If in winter then it gets hung out next morning. I allocate someone who will be home at right time to bring it in once dry and they dump it all on my bed.

I have one basket for every person in the house and I simply sort the clothes into piles on my bed and dump each persons pile into their basket. Couldn’t give a shit what happens to it from there. The baskets live in the hallway and if we have guests/workmen over I just shove each basket in that persons bedroom.

I have some who will sort from their basket and put away in their rooms and others happy to pretty much completely live out of their baskets, whatever, I just don’t care. The trick is to only purchase no iron clothes so this will work.

The only downfall is the ‘miscellaneous’ basket that has things not specific to individuals such as tea towels, hand towels etc. With that one DH grabs it twice a week, folds the stuff and leaves it in front of the linen press where I then put the bits and pieces away and take the basket back to join its friends in the hall.

Undertheoldlindentree · 04/01/2022 06:31

Another option....when I'm overwhelmed with laundry (back from holiday etc), I wash several loads at home overnight/early morning (IEconomy 7). Then stuff the wet washing into a couple of blue IKEA bags and take it all to a launderette early in the day, while it's quiet.

I use the largest dryer there and get a takeaway coffee and browse my phone or read a magazine while it dries. I've found a one in a nice area and I can even do a couple of pleasant shopping errands...close to the one I use, there's an M&S foodstore, bakery, greengrocer, post office or gift shop for birthday presents.

I dried two big bags of laundry yesterday in 24 mins (cost £3 total). Then another 15 mins to fold it all neatly into a stack for each person and back into the bags. I was out of the house for one hour and 15 mins in total - drove home, handed out the stacks to their owners. Laundry all done and I'd had a bit of time to myself.

wejammin · 04/01/2022 08:34

Everyone has 2 baskets in our house, a dirty and a clean (3 DC, DH and I share). I have a ruthless washing rota stuck to the fridge, some days it's 1 load and most days it's 2. I love the clean baskets because it means on the days I haven't got time to fold and put away DC can still pull out their own stuff from the basket. I often put it away whilst listening to them read at night or whilst they get ready for bed.

Theoldwoman · 05/01/2022 15:09

@wejammin - would you care to share your washing rota please?

wejammin · 08/01/2022 13:28

@theoldwoman

Monday - DC3
Tuesday - sheets/towels, me and DH clothes
Wednesday - DC2
Thursday - DC1, sheets/towels/throws
Friday - DC3 (he's a toddler/potty training!)
Saturday - Delicates/wools, any school uniform not washed
Sunday - karate kit and whites, my and DH clothes

HairyScaryMonster · 08/01/2022 13:33

I split into individual piles to be folded straight from the rack, then fold one person's stuff or more if I have time. That way if you're rifling for something before it's folded it's only 1 person's stuff.

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