Boring question - how often does your washing machine go on?

[WindmillsOfMyMind44]

As a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby, oh and a cat) our washing machine is on every day, and every so often, twice a day. I feel like this is too much. It's expensive, not environmentally friendly and constant work (I know that goes without saying with 2 dc).
Any tips?

How is everyone needing 2 of clothes per day washed?
do they really need washing if worn just for a few hours?
we re-wear everything unless stained or smelly.

Yes exactly this!

@DuarPorte when do you wash your bedding ?

To the posters who only do one load a week, does that mean you don't wash bedding or towels? I'm so confused 🫤

We have the same family mix as you and its on everyday. I need to anyway to have clean bibados for mealtimes. We only have 4 !!!

Like PP if its hot weather I do extra that week and get all bedding done as that only done every 2 weeks.

Too much.

Family of 4, its on every day. I'm starting to speculate there's other people secretly living in my house because where is all this washing coming from?!?!?!

Family of 4 with 2 teens. 2-3 washes a week. Done on good weather days to dry outside (we have no tumble). We have a 10kg machine. Separated into lights/darks.

DH and DS go to the gym pretty much everyday. So it's one set from the gym and then their work clothes.

Ds has sport at school everyday. He's 12 and can't wear shirts/tops twice. So thats PE kit and school clothes everyday. He will re wear trousers every day.

Dd does dancing twice a week so that is he clothes in the wash for that plus uniform.

I exercise 3 times a week so my stuff goes in plus what I have worn during the day.

Plus bedding X5

Dog beds X2
Dog throws on the sofa.
Towels wash after a couple of uses.

It's a lot of washing!!

I can't bear the thought of the kids going to school in grubby uniform or being the 'smelly kid'.

DH commutes into London so his tops can't be worn twice- he'd stink as would ds(18).

Family of 5 and anything from once a week to 3-4 times in one day. I do laundry a bit sporadically.

Family of two and we are the same.

2 of us. 3-4 times a week. Do some people wash things that have merely been touched because some of you do an awful lot of washing.

Family of 4, primary age kids

I would say 4-6 times per week

Darks
Lights
Towels
and sometimes delicates

I have an 11 kg machine which obviously really helps reduce the number of loads

I also don’t wash stuff that isn’t dirty eg if DC have worn several outfits in one day 🙄

Minimum of daily. It is what it is, less would just build up as we won’t start wearing dirty clothes!

By the way we’re lucky we aren’t sporty people, my sister has 2 playing hurling and football and the girls do horse riding and camogie and she’s a legend at keeping washing down but somehow always having everyone ready! Plus she’s a nurse (she’s one of these perpetually organised, amazing cleaner people-if I could do a freaky Friday I’d do it with her!!!)

Washing clothes after one wear really is not good for the planet. It isn't good for the fabric. It isn't good for your energy bills. And I can't believe people use a tumble dryer in this weather!

Roughly every other day and then 2-3 loads per day at weekends

Family of 3 here - 2 adults, 1 baby (7 months). No pets thankfully!
We do about 3-4 washes a week - 8kg load washing machine I think.
We re-wear things a lot. The only things we put in the wash after 1 use are underwear, baby's clothes, bibs, swimming towels & costumes and my work uniform (I work in the NHS so has to be washed after every use).

Do some people wash things that have merely been touched because some of you do an awful lot of washing.
I remember my friend commenting on this once but I had to remind her people have different lives, some people are sporty, some simply messy (I have 4 kids, after a bolognaise 2 will look like they’ve had a wrestling match with their food!), some people sweat a lot or have physically dirty jobs and yes some people do wash their towels and sheets too much but if they do they do, maybe that’s their treat in life

Love it! My eldest used to like to sit in his bumbo as a baby and watch the washing machine going round.

We have 2 adults, 2 under fives and do 5-6 loads a week. No delicates washes or other mini washes, machine is always full when it goes on which helps.

Washing machine drum sizes can vary enormously as well. Ours is 6kg which is quite small these days, but used to be standard. I guess the size of other components must have reduced in order to get these giant drums.

3 adults, most days at least once.

Pah constantly

Two adults, 2-3 times a week. We have massively reduced our tumble drier use though, and have a washing line outside for the first time in years, and a ceiling pulley which has always been there but is now in regular use.

I don't have a dryer and won't hang washing indoors in summer, so do my washing according to the weather forecast! So not every day, and some days we might do 3 loads, particularly if I've stripped the beds.

We have an 9kg drum, so a load is quite big. There's 4 of us (2 adults, 2 teens) and we probably do 4-6 loads a week, sometimes less. We mostly rewear things and don't wash towels after every use.

Two adults, two tweens: about 6 loads a week. It's a 9kg machine.

Then there are occasional, maybe fortnightly washes of cat or ferret bedding. Thankfully the chicken bedding involves a manure fork rather than a washing machine!

Two adults and a toddler, 4 loads a week over the course of 2 consecutive days usually. Days depend on the weather as I do like to dry it on the line. Sometimes if it's really hot I can do it all in a day. I like to do it all together rather than spread it out over the week as I hate feeling like I'm always washing and putting away