Help me with my backed up laundry PLEASE!!

[BigMomma3]

Washing machine broke down last Tuesday. Engineer told us on Thursday it would not be cost effective to repair it. Ordered a new one on Saturday which came this morning - thank god (was almost down to my last pair of knickers)!!!

So after 8 days without a machine, I now have 7 very FULL bin bags of dirty laundry to catch up on as have 3 DCs who insist on making their clothes filthy so have to wear clean every day and won't use launderette because I'm sure they would'nt take too kindly to me disinfecting the machines first .

I am at a loss and although I have done 2 bin bags today (8kg machine so can pack it in), I still have about two tumble drier loads to dry (not counting whats on the airer near a radiator) so can't wash anymore.

Anyone give me tips on a good system to finish it all?? It's not the washing so much as the drying (rain) and ironing (arrghhh). Please help!!

I Iron most things, but when dealing with a back log, I don't iron PJ's or vests this cuts things down alot,

A wash is 1 hr 10 minutes in our machine so I can get quite a few loads done in a day but the radiators dry approximately 2 loads a day max..

If the weather with you is like it was here today I would be able to get another 2 loads dry outside. that helps with the ironing as it shouldn't take too mcuch irongin.

I'd say dry on the radiators, use the tumble drier and the airer - maybe borrow another airer from someone? I don't have a tumble dryer, but have 3 airers and use radiators if backed up. I sort the washes and have them in bags ready to go in. I can do 3 washes a day (but smaller machine than you), with them all dry by the end of the next day, airers empty ready to hang out another 3 washes.

And I never iron.

The things you discover when you get ill and have young children, both in cloth nappies (at one time).

My mum has a large washing machine and uses those colour catcher things to just throw everything in together - or just does it a low temperature

Sort your washing into piles of must do, and can wait.

Tell your kids unless it is really dirty all their clothes are getting another wear. Consider sponging off today's dirt and re-wearing the next day, that way you wont be adding to the pile! I am not a fan on eco grounds, but what about Fabreez?

Get another drying stand and set it up upstairs, dry on there. When things are almost dry, fold them and put them in the airing cupboard, they will dry overnight. Hang all tops on hangers and hang up where you can. Over chairs etc!

Wash on in the eve, hang out before going to bed. Then put another wash on overnight and hang that one up in the morning.

If I am struggling I give tops a quick shake (to get some creases out), put on hangers and hang round the house. You can hang 4 items on doors (either side of handle and either side at top of doors). I even open up wardrobe doors and use them aswell. On curtain poles above radiators and even hang bras and knickers off bedroom drawer handles. Your house will look an absolute mess, but at least they start drying!

If I get behind with my ironing I only iron what is necessary, iron things I know will be needed/worn first and do it in short burst (20mins) every 2/3 hours (with some fun music or something I want to watch on telly)

I don't really understand why your drying is backing up.

When I do washing, the washing machine does a load and then the entire contents are transferred to the tumble dryer. I would not wash more than I could put in the tumble dryer unless the surplus items were non tumble dryable, in which case they would be hung up.

In my house, if I was home all day, I could easily get through 10-12 loads of washing and drying -

-do a wash load
-transfer contents to tumble dryer, immediately reload washing machine
-as soon as washing machine finishes (tumble dryer should be finished too) then empty and refill both machines. Make sure tumble dried stuff is immediately put away so that it doesn't get confused with dirty washing again
-continue!

To do this as quickly as possible, I would sort the washing into loads and then line the loads up in the order you wish so that there is no delay in reloading the washing machine (ie no deciding what to wash next)

Oh and don't iron anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Ironing is a waste of time - if non tumble dryable, hang carefully to avoid ironing.

lololo - yes but my drier is pretty crap. It's a 3kg White Knight but took 4 hours to dry 2 loads of underwear and socks today which was only one machine load!! Did'nt help that I had to go out about 8 times today ferrying the DCs around and everytime I came back the timer had stopped but the washing still was'nt dry.

Thanks for your replies, some good ideas. I will definitely be getting the hangers out in the morning and spreading them everywhere. Never thought of that before - how stupid am I .

Our cat is always laying on top of the radiators ( especially when he's been out in the rain), we have quite large ones with metal grids on top which are big enough for him to spread out on and I have caught him loads of times laying on top of my washing on them so don't put washing on them anymore. Damn cat does'nt listen just like the DCs .

do you have a neighbour who you could borrow their tumbler??

Mylovely neighbour is always offering and if I were in your position I would take her up on it.

Ask friends?

I quite often do washing for a friend as she has 6 people in her house so always has plenty to do!

Buy a couple of more airers.

I don't understand... why would you need to disinfect a washing machine in a laundrette? They're used constantly, 60 degrees, biological powder two dozen times a day, why would they be dirty?

Drive to the launderette and pile a giant drier full of stuff that won't dry overnight on an airer.

(Hi Washersaurus, how and you and lo doing?)

We are all fine thanks, my bump is growing rapidly now - just looking for a new house to squeeze us all into . How are things with you?

I'm an expert on washing backlogs OP (as my name suggests . We recently had to buy another machine after ours broke (again)...the local launderette is a lifesaver, as are the IL's.

There is no point having a large capacity washer without a large capacity drier really y'know.

(How many weeks are you now? I'm 28 weeks tomorrow, it's going fast! Good luck with finding a nice new place)

Sorry for the hijack, op.

Have you got a room where you can whack up the heating and hang on racks? We have our 1/2 bedroom/office room and it's boiling in there, so stuff dries really quickly.

Alternate washes - do a load of stuff that needs to dry on racks, and then do a load of towels or sheets, anything that can go in the dryer. That way every other load is dry already.

Ask a neighbour if you can borrow their washing machine/dryer and pay them in wine

ah, and a better idea of hanging things on doors is putting everything on hangers and putting them on the door-frame.

DP can hang 7 shirts on the top of the door frame, and then 4 more on the front and back of the door

Yeah it's me. You're having fb fun then!

Too bloody right