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.

Nah, I've got three children and therefore don't have time to fanny about doing 17 different washes based on the different shades and textures of their clothes. Chuck it all in!

We have 2. One for lights. One for darks. And a basket on the washing machine for wet stuff that gets added to the appropriate wash.

I couldn't just put it in the machine cos some things are more urgent than other things (e.g.. My weekend clothes can wait a few days. School polo shirts are worn more than once a week)

We have two. One in DC'sroom and one in our bedroom. I've taught DC to carry his basket down every third day or after he does sports.

You'll be back in a few months asking why your machine smells...
The answer will be separate your whites/brights/darks, hot wash for towels, bedding etc. and switch to powder from pods.

Grim doing your towels at 30 degrees

We have one. 2 ad/3ch. I'd always have clothes that didn't fit in if I did it that way, then they rest would just be on the floor.

I do approx 18 loads a week 😂

I separate all my colours, delicates, bedding and towels though and wash on different temperatures

What washing pods do you use, ones for colours or ones for whites? I live alone so don't generate loads of washing, but still separate into darks, whites etc, plus wash bedding and towels at 60. Always wash white/cream clothes separately and white bedding separately. I've got some sheets which are over 30 years old and still bright white, I can't imagine that would be the case if I'd washed them at 30 with other colours. Need a laundry basket to save enough stuff or each type to fill the machine.

If I had no linen basket and relied on getting undressed and then going downstairs to put my clothes in the washer, I'd just end up with a floordrobe. I'm way too lazy.

When the kids were home we had a double basket on the ladning for them, and another in our bedroom for us. Washing only got done at the weekend, so mucky stuff needed somewhere to live for the rest of the week.

Doesn't it smell in the machine?

We have one for us a wicker one, and there's not really space in DS' room so he has a net laundry bag on a hook. We also have two of the plastic laundry baskets for carrying wet washing to the line and dry washing upstairs to be put away.
Even when I lived alone I had a small one. Used to do towels and bedding together once a week on a hot wash, one darks and one whites/lights just for me.

I've got three children and therefore don't have time to fanny about doing 17 different washes based on the different shades and textures of their clothes. Chuck it all in!

When I had 3 dcs washing to do as well as ours, it was much easier to separate different sorts of washing due to the quantity of washing that was there, than it is now there are only 2 of us here.
So, for example, I used to regularly do a 'white' wash as I'd have school shirts x 2 dc for the week to build up. If I separate white out now, a pair of sports socks could sit there for weeks waiting until there were enough other white things.

I am still trying to understand why people getting undressed in front of the washing machine though

Whatever works for you but personally (basket or not) I prefer to split the laundry into type. For example I don’t want my nice 30 only T-shirts that only need a 1000rpm spin max being washed with a load of sweaty socks and stuff that needs 40c and a good spin. Or jumpers that go on 20 and low spin in with things with buttons and zips. bedding and towels I think needs a hotter wash than 30 unless the weather is really nice and they can go in the sun. But each to their own.

None of my kids wear white shirts for school. I think I've got one white t shirt and I don't the DH has anything white at all. We don't own white towels or bedding. So there isn't any need for a white wash in our house.

Ooh, I was always taught not to do this, as it encourages clothes moths! No idea if it’s true or not, but I couldn’t do it or I know I’d be haunted by my grandmothers disapproval!

The ones for colours. I assume that the ones for whites have some kind of whitening stuff in them, but I suspect someone who understands these products would tell you they're 99.9% the same. And like mistermagpie above we don't wear a lot of white.

Ooh, I was always taught not to do this, as it encourages clothes moths! No idea if it’s true or not, but I couldn’t do it or I know I’d be haunted by my grandmothers disapproval!

So where do you put clothes that don't need washing after one wash?

These days I leave them on the back of the bedroom chair, but in my youth I will confess to having utilised the floor! ‘Luckily’ DDs clothes are always filthy after one wear, so it’s not an issue with her clothes…

How does putting everything in together in the machine, really work?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/bathroom/300969205/nearly-two-million-brits-wash-their-towels-only-once-a-year--are-kiwis-that-gross

Is this you OP?

😂I am that person!

Exactly the same here!

Clothes go in front of the washer, if there isn’t enough for a load, I leave them in the drum. If there is I put it on!

Years ago, I had a rather lovely big willow laundry basket. I never got to the bottom of it, far too easy to ignore the contents.

Yip same here. Although if I'm doing bedding or towels they get a hotter wash.
Otherwise it's all in the machine with a pod and a colour catcher at 30°.

I am with you there @FinallyHere I will give you an alibi

No laundry basket here since before having children.

I don't separate whites from colours snd never had a problem from this. 40C wash powder detergent, occasional Ace stain remover as required.

Changing bedding: straight in the wash done the same day and I wash however many towels I can fit in at the same time.

Normal wash, I only separate delicates and hand-wash items which get washed the same day as the main wash.

I couldn't bear having a washing basket anymore (let alone more than 1).

Washing gets ironed if needed and put away as soon as it's dry.

When we come back from holidays everything gets washed as soon as possible, even on the same day unless we're back at some ridiculous hour, in which case we get it done first thing next morning. It normally involves at least 3 loads and items waiting to be washed are on a big pile on the floor next to the washing machine for a few hours.

That's what we do and never had a problem with the washing part never had colour runs or anything
Though we do wash new coloured clothes separately first if we know they will run after that it's fair game.
and if we want to hand some clothes or sheets/towels outside we do use a washing basket and at the moment we have like 2 overflowing freshly washed/dryed baskets sitting in the lounge room waiting to be folded and put away though if we didn't have them that wouldn't be an issue I'm just lazy lol.
We've also lived in places where the laundry wasn't in our unit/flat/apartment, so we had to use a basket, but nowadays, I'm just lazy.

I don’t think separating clothes for washing is too much of an issue from a hygiene point of view, but I think throwing everything in together can make clothes look rather worn very quickly.