Overwhelmed by laundry

[Mamalamadrama]

Large family. Struggling to get anywhere with the laundry. Don't have a tumble dryer. Having to dry things on radiators, airers but there is just piles of washing everywhere.
It's driving me insane.

With 9 people it's always going to be a battle.

Extra clothes horse?

Nine people? Are you doing everyone’s laundry?

If you have a massive build-up I’d honestly spend the day (and money) in the laundrette and get everything up to date, washed, dried, folded and put away.

Then get a system in place going forward.

Honestly though? With 9 people and no tumble drier you’re going to struggle until spring when you can dry outdoors.

Maybe accepting you need to do bedding and towels at the laundrette would be a good move. Can you afford this?

Are you getting help from the other adults? Can they pay for a new dryer and extra electric

Thank you all. Some great advice there.

Dehumidifier definitely helps. Extra large airers. Hangers for jumpers, shirts & cardigans.
Try and have laundry days where you clear everything and do multiple washes so you can have 1day whilst it's all out drying where you don't need to do anything.

Agree with a pp...take it all down to a launderette and get it washed and dried or wash it all at home and just get it dried at the launderette. Once you've blizted it hopefully it will be easier to keep on top of it.

Once the weather warms up and you can dry quickly outside again,it will be easier

But kudos to you...I only have four people's washing and I feel like it's drowning me!

That is a lot of people OP. I see how it is overwhelming.
There are only four in our household, although the teens use a towel a day in spite of me telling them not to.
The only way I keep on top of it is to wash every single day. I have three baskets (actually I have a laundry sorter like this one www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B073P2LH2V but its essentially 3 baskets) I use them for whites, coloureds and towels. We don't have as many whites so I mix them with towels to make a full load. Everyone has to put their stuff in the correct basket (you wouldn't believe how difficult that is for adult humans!)
I also use a dehumidifier. Ours broke just before new year and I couldn't believe how slow the washing was drying without it. They are expensive but some places offer klarna to pay by instalments and amazon offer instalments on some things too. I have two plastic clothes horses (the 3-tier type that pop up) up at all times in the cold weather, which is a pain but we have just enough room in the kitchen and the dehumidifier keeps the room warm too which is a bonus.
I also swear by the little peg dryer /airier thingies for socks and undies, which just hang off the airers. I have two. It means that I can hang socks in pairs, saving time later.
I never iron. It just doesn't happen.
The stairs act as a distribution centre. I take things straight off the airer and put them into the right piles, then take them to the the stairs where they hopefully get moved to the correct location by the correct person. When they were younger I even had cards with the kids names to plonk on the piles , so they couldn't pretend they didn't know whose was whose. No-one goes to bed without moving their pile. It might not make it to drawers/wardrobe but it will make it to the correct room.

I sit an airer next to a radiator, hang all the washing on it, then hang a washed sheet/duvet cover over the airer and the radiator so it drapes down the sides. Traps the heat from the radiator and means the washing dries way faster.

Wash less. It's a game changer. Not everything needs washing after one wear.

Have a look on FB / gumtree for a spin dryer - stand alone thing that'll get stuff almost bone dry on its own. Amazing things. I remember my mom having one. It used to walk across the kitchen floor when it was on! Doesn't need to be on long to get great results.

Also, with 4 adults in the house why are the one feeling overwhelmed? The adults can all be responsible for their own laundry (without putting small loads on)

An extra spin in the washing machine can make a real difference to how quickly things will dry.

Definitely a heated airer with the cover, I have the Lakeland one. We're living in a tiny space temporarily and it has saved my sanity. Did a full wash yesterday afternoon, including trousers and heavy items, all completely dry this morning.

I'm possibly being really thick here but what's the difference between a heated airer with a cover and a condenser drier? They both need plugged in and the heated airer takes longer?

I just don't get why you'd faff with a heated airer in a spare bedroom (my friend does this) instead of a drier? If you're going to use electric to dry clothes. I have a pulley so I don't really need to

I try to do at least 1 load a day and hang it:
clothes - on hangers, and then on the spare room door frame or I have one of those clothes rails on castors that I put in front of the landing radiator overnight I also have a radiator under my desk so hang DD's cropped t-shirts off the edge and they dry overnight too.
duvet covers over the banister
bottom sheets over computer chairs (they are leather and high backed though) - DD shouts that there's a ghost in her room when I do this!
towels on radiators or the banisters
underwear, pillowcases on an airer in my office - that way I can fold things whilst on calls that require no camera, and pair socks up low down whilst on conference calls, dropping them into a basket beside me 😁

Can you set up a rota op?
I'd bag everything per person then

Monday night put in bath towels for the four adults. Hang out early Tuesday morning. Fold as they come off the line.

Tues after school run put in a load of toddler clothes. Hang on airers. If it's stained or doesn't fit, bin it before washing.

Tuesday teatime do a load of yours and onto the airers. Move before bed or in the morning.

Tuesday night put in a load of towels for the kids plus hand towels etc. Hang out early Wednesday morning. Fold as it comes off the line.

Wednesday after school run, put in a load of the school kids clothes. If it doesn't fit etc and you aren't keeping for the toddlers, bin it.

Wednesday tea time adult 2 does a load of theirs and onto the airers. They move it before bed or before work.

Wednesday night do a load of bedding - focus on bottom sheets and pillow cases as a priority. Put out Thursday morning.

Thursday after school run, do a load of anything left over of the kids

Thursday tea time, adult 3s turn.

Thursday night do a load of bedding. Put put Friday morning.

Friday after school run do anything left over of the kids.

Friday tea time is adult 4s turn.

It comes off the airer / line and is folded and put into rooms. If you're dressing the kids fro ma pile of clean clothes, fine.

Saturday is uniform day and putting away.

Sunday is a whatever is left day and putting away.

Everyone has a washing basket / bag for life in their room. Washing per person or types of people makes folding and sorting easier. It comes down on the day it needs washing.

Tows hung up to dry so can be reused. Either change out of uniform and rewear both for a second day or leave it on until bedtime.

Adults take responsibility for their own clothes on the day specified. If they need to do a second wash typically it fits around your plan.

IF you can afford to run a TD, for gods sake get one. It will transform your life.

We have a 3 bed and cannot fit a tumble drier in our kitchen. Washer, cooker, fridge. Thsts it. We only have a condenser dryer because we have a garage. Not to mention initial outlay and running costs

I’m the same. I’ve got a pulley and the heated thing and still there is mountains of it everywhere.

I wash 3 or 4 loads at home, use the fast spin then take it to the laundrette to use one of their big driers at my local one it is £4 for half an hour and the drier can take 4 loads of washing at once. It's the only way I keep up in winter

Are your council running a household support fund? I got £300 towards a heat pump tumble drier and it’s a lifesaver.

@SleepingStandingUp I get that but my friend has a heated airer in a spare room and has a garage so could have a drier in there.

I didn't think about initial outlay but I'm one for buying off Facebook/gumtree so the price difference new isn't something I'd be looking at (In my defence). Cost wise I think they'd work out about the same to actually dry the load of washing?

Fair enough that’s a lot of people! I’d trial some ways to cut down - I.E, rewearing where possible (esp trousers, jumpers, shirts). Get long sleeves bibs for kids for eating and any messy activities.

Also if you can’t afford the laundrette this time, ask the other adults in the house to chip in £10 each to get the laundry up to date.

If you have underfloor heating anywhere in your house stand your clothes airers there. Dries much quicker than standing next to a radiator as the warmth comes up from the floor and circulates evenly throughout the clothes. I can dry two large loads of washing a day that way, sometimes more depending on how thick the fabric is.