Are we the only people without a laundry basket?

[samarrange]

We always had a laundry basket because, well, we'd always had one, we both grew up in a house that had one, etc.

Then we moved to a smallish flat and got rid of our old laundry basket saying "We'll buy a smaller one when we've moved in". Four years later we still don't have one. We just put our clothes in the washing machine when we take them off, and when the machine is full we run it.

It feels like we should have a basket because "That's what you do", and we're not very unconventional people. But maybe this is what passes for rebellion against the system at our age. Or maybe I will find out that this is something that millennials have dropped entirely, like landlines.

We have 3, two upstairs (one for adults and one for kids) and then one downstairs for kids stuff if I need to do a quick change of clothes after playing outside/ nappy leak etc. I try and do a load every day and alternate what I do everyday so kids whites, kids colours etc. Some days I won't do a load if there's not much.

I don't mix adults and kids as I use different laundry products and give the kids loads an extra rinse and spin due to sensitive skin.

I've also got a small lidded food waste caddy that lives under the sink for dirty cloths which all just get washed when it's full.

I don't sort by material it all just gets washed in the normal loads, if it doesn't survive it's not for us . I think we've only ever had something ruined once or twice.

I love the idea of just putting it all in the washing machine and putting it on when full but don't think it would work for us.

Does this mean you wash everything after one wear or is there somewhere clothes go if they’ve been worn but don’t need washing ?

4 adults plus 2 boyfriends stuff (why? They have homes) plus bedding ... no 3 laundry baskets, one per bedroom

I think your answer is ‘A small flat’ and only the two of you.
Then yes, I get it’s manageable.
In a house with dcs…. Nope.

There is just me and I have three "hampers" for dirty clothing. I sort as I take them off.

@samarrange towelas and bedding need a higher temperature to get rid of the sweat & bacteria effectively. I wash my bedding and towels at 60° and everything else at 30°.

I did try your system, but went back to having a basket. I wear a lot of merino in winter, and linen in summer, and they get washed separately and I also do a light wash and a dark wash. It annoyed me having to get the clothes out again to sort, and then have them lying around while I did a wash - I just found it far easier to sort in the bedroom and take them to the laundry.

This.
Once upon a time I in my studio flat had 1 carry type basket, and did maybe 2-3 loads per week.
These days I am the not proud owner of 5 sodding laundry baskets, all in varying states of overflow.
But there is no way I am going downstairs to the kitchen every time I undress, nor herding the kids about at bedtime to do likewise.

Things that don't need washing after one wear can go back in the wardrobe. But if they do need washing, they go straight in the machine.

Australian fairy

@C1N1C

Do you like the Australian bloke cleaning fairy clip, made me smile when I saw it years ago.

fairy

Lol, love that one :)

We do the same as you OP. 2 adults 3 DC.

Oh god I can’t cope with this.. I mean it’s totally logical and sensible but the lights/darks/delicates/hot wash situation… 🤯 am now wondering if my laundry basket doubles as an emotional support system for my obvious clothes washing insecurities….

However I don’t have an ironing basket… I hang everything back in wardrobes once it’s dry then just iron what I need to once a week on a Sunday. It’s amazing how many creases drop out if you just hang stuff back up straight away.

I am a Millennial. Never had a landline but always had a laundry basket. Your way sounds like absolute carnage OP <disapproving look>.

I've never had a laundry basket
I live alone now in a tiny flat and don't have room
I throw everything in together with a colour catcher.,, I don't have anything white though as the colour doesn't suit me

God no. I'm not washing my white underwear in the same wash as dh's sweaty black socks and a woollen cardigan and a pale coloured t-shirt and a pair of jeans (for example). No way, never.

OP I have this exact system at home and like u never have any problems either

I find the pods don't dissolve well enough at 30 degrees and leave a horrible residue on my clothes? I'm a 40 degree wash gal myself. We bulk wash at the weekend so defo wouldn't manage without a laundry basket!

I have a wicker basket for dirty clothes in my bedroom. It would be a pain to carry clothes downstairs to the washing machine after undressing before bed.

I no longer have a laundry basket for wet washing. I use a supermarket bag for life to carry dirty loads from the bedroom to washing machine and again to hang up to dry.

We have loads of laundry baskets. Probably at least ten, maybe 15? And I keep buying more.

I don't separate by colour and don't wash towels or bedding on their own at a high temperature though.

I don’t have a laundry basket - all washing goes in a cupboard and then it’s sorted into whites/coloured and put into the machine.

You don’t need a laundry basket.

But to avoid grubby whites and stinkiness you do need to sort and wash at higher than 30 degrees.

I also wash everything at 30c. Life's too short to be sorting the laundry. Chuck it all in.

We do the same thing. Everything goes in together, nobody in this house ever wears white really so it doesn't matter and I wash towels and bedding in with clothes all the time and we are all still alive. I wash at 40 though.