talk to me about how you kep on top of the washing

[popsycal]

I am almost 35 years of age and still cant get a washing routine sorted. I live amongst piles of dirty clothes, washed clothes waiting to dry, tumbled clothes, clothes in piles on the stairs waiting to be put away, ditto clothes in bedrooms......

I do at least one wash a day. I try to hang out if the weather allows. The kids wear their uniforms for a few days before washing. I am not obsessive about towels and bedding. But we just seem to have PILES of clothes at different states of washedness.

There are 5 of us.

Oh, I don't iron

I am a slight laundry obsessive. There are only 3 of us but I do a wash most days and hang outside weather permitting. I finish it off over radiators, hanging up or on an airer then some stuff gets ironed, some stuff gets folded and put away.

I iron many things I shouldn't including ds's little tops, trousers and I also iron bedding! (It lays flat in the airing cupboard).

I know, I know. Its addictive I swear.

Ive got ds whoes 9 footy and swimming kits etc, ds whos 5 has the same muddy trackies from playing footie every night, dd2 potty trainning for 2 weeks and stll doesn't know what the toilets for! dh now frightened to put anything in the dirty wash, i have to rip them off him sometimes. Its usually my clothes pile thats the biggest apart from pee pants at the mo.

Its bloody endless isn't it!!!!!!

I iron my dd little vests and knickers just because shes my princess!
Also all the pj's. I know i'm sad.

Wash a load a day, put it in machine before bed and set timer for it to come on first thing in morning. Hang it all up after breakfast (either on line outside or airer indoors).

Take it off line in evening. If still damp hang on airer, if it just needs finishing off put on radiators.

When dry sort into baskets, one for ironing, one to be put away. While kids are in bath sort clothes then put away.

DH does the ironing either once a week or once a fortnight (we only iron outer clothes not pants, vests, bedding etc). He then takes the various piles to the wrong right room and I put it away when I'm next in there.

We have 2 baskets in bedrooms for dirty clothes (and a massive nappy bucket), one for dc and one for me and dh. DC clothes are washed separately a) because dd is allergic to fabric softener and b) because I do mine and dh's stuff on a 30 deg quick wash but ds' stuff needs a 40 deg full wash to get all the gunk out.

Bibs, teatowels etc just get chucked in the machine and washed with the next load unless they are dark and it's a whites wash or I'm doing nappies in which case they get taken out when I load machine and left on kitchen floor until that load is finished .

TBH though it is the daily sorting while kids are in bath that has stopped me having overflowing piles everywhere so I could just have typed that and not the rest of this!

Sep1712 I iron PJ's too - I am now buying jersey ones as this batch get outgrown. The cotton ones look rubbish unless ironed.

there are 8 of us

3- 4 loads a day on average

no dryer

pay an ironer

But who cares if your pj's look rubbish??? you put them on and get into bed, then by morning they look creased anyway!

Am forever tryig to get my mum to see the light but then she irons knickers

NAO Do you have a laundry room?? I find we have clothes hanging everywhere in bad weather with just the 4 of us and our 1/2 loads a day, can't imagine it with 3/4

i do but it is currently in the cellar so not too effective

radiators and an airer in warm rooms atm

hoping to have an aga soon and then my drying will take on a whole new dimension

ps i LOVE laundry! LOATHE ironing though!

Although my dad does all his washing in one day (so probably 3-4 loads)but he has a drying rack above the boiler and hangs shirts etc on hangers above the aga so it all dries pretty quickly

Oh me too! (that's why I'm spending so much time on his thread!)

Yes my parents' aga makes a huge difference to drying times

claireybee that sounds dreaaaaaaaamy

what does he do with the shirts?

Put hem on a hanger - does he have a rail over the aga?

Claireybee I know have a problem, although I draw the line at ironing knickers.

I just find it nicer to get into a pair of nice, soft, ironed pj's than crinkly ones. And I am all for making life nicer.

Plus on a practical note ironed stuff takes up less space. This is important - we live in a gnome home and storage is at a premium.

sharp intake of breath...

Clairey - just read some more of thread

SETTING THE TIMER ON MACHINE - so that it just finishes for when you get up sounds

Her tiny ironed knickers and vests look lovely in the draws, as do my ironed tea towels.....Must ask for some more hours at work, must have too much time on my hands.

does anyone have one of those heated clothes airers??

NAO yes the chimney bit has a little ledge that he hangs all the shirts and other hanger friendly things on-he can get 15-20 things along the length of the aga. and then hang a couple of things over the front rail, and finish off a few more bits on top...

And yes I LOVE the timer on my machine, I am so more organised for it.

Wasabi, I do know what you mean, when things have been sat on the airer for days in winter they are a lot more creased and I do iron a few more things then just because they feel nicer when first on, but generally no, just put them on and can't tell the difference after a while

clairey it sounds great

going to get to grips with the timer now