Am drowning in laundry - do you organised ladies have a system that would help?

[YeahBut]

Hi everyone,
Don't usually post here but thought you would be the perfect people to ask. I really struggle to keep on top of the laundry in our house. We're a family of five and the laundry just keeps piling up, even though I do at least 2 loads of laundry a day.
Do you have a system that makes it more effective?
TIA

Dont wash as much
We r a family of 5 too and generally I just do 1 load a day, things get reworn and reused where possible and towels and bed linen is evenly split over a week/fortnight so they dont mount up too much.
I also doing ironing every other day so the pile is not too huge.

Agree with the not washing so much - we don't have a tumble drier, so rely on hanging outside when the weather's up to it, and on 2 clothes horses in the winter (with a dehumidifier occasionally). I don't wash towels after every wash, in fact, they can go at least a week (ahm, sometimes more ). Ditto bedlinen - mine wear pyjamas, so the bedlinen doesn't get very dirty. Things like school uniform aren't all washed if they don't look dirty (barring polo shirts which get washed regardless).

also remember that laundry is a loop, you cna never get it all done, and then sit down and leave it. You need to always have some part of the loop (washing, drying, ironing/folding, putting away) goign on at any one time.

6 of us in the house. I have a worktop across the back wall of the kitchen, which has 6 big different coloured flexi tubs. Washing is folded straight out the tumbler and put into the bucket relevant to the person in the house.

I don't iron really. Only if we are going out somewhere and someone needs a shirt etc.

Anything that needs to be hung is put straight onto a hanger out of the tumbler and taken upstairs.

All odd socks are put into a carrier bag and gone through once a week to see if there are any pairs again! The kids do that, they make it into a game.

Uniform is changed on a monday and thursday morning unless its got really dirty. Spots on them are sponged off!

After school clothes are changed on a sunday night and a wednesday night, again, unless seriously dirty.

Bed linen is changed once a week on rota.

Towels, the boys share a towel and the girls share a towel, changed twice a week. Me and DH use our towels and leave them to air for a few times.

I put on a load most days over night when my electric is cheaper, but 2 days a week I have a good go on it all making sure its right up to date. My washing basket is empty as wel speak.

Our washing basket seems to be forever bulging but its not over flowing now! It's taken a while but i am back "in the basket". I only do lights and darks (and very occasioanlly whites), other wise there is too much faffing around. Towels go in whatever wash they fit with, bibs go in any.

We wear things more than once if they are not covered in food (DS2), towels get used more than once too especially if it's just one of the DCs that's used them.

My "routine" is that when i put a load in the machine, a load comes out and goes in the dryer, from which another load comes out, goes up stairs and gets sorted into either the ironing pile, the going away pile or the underwear basket. When one of those gets full i sort it out.

I have a few of the decathlon bags that you can roll into a ball which are fab for carting washing around!

2 loads a day for a family of 5 (if it is EVERY day) sounds excessive. I agree that you need to look at whether what you are washing atually NEEDS washing. And cut down that way.

yeah save the environment do less washing and also MUCH less tumbler drying.

i only tumble in an emergency. I use clothes horses by the radiators when they're on and the garden when the weather's fine; the washing smells so much nicer from the garden!!

there are 5 of us. i do a load prob every other day. it gets washed, into dryer, THEN FOLDED AND PUT AWAY!!!

yes, i did shout that but unless it gets done like that then it does pile up and i can't be doin with that.

you will note the lack of ironing in my system. that is very key

there are 5 of us. i do a load prob every other day. it gets washed, into dryer, THEN FOLDED AND PUT AWAY!!!

yes, i did shout that but unless it gets done like that then it does pile up and i can't be doin with that.

you will note the lack of ironing in my system. that is very key

i felt so strongly about it that i said it twice

Do people really only use towels once??

Do you put things straight in the laundry basket when they have come off?

I mean knickers, socks etc need washing every day, but I always check the kids' uniforms and clothes at the end of the day to see if they can wear them again

usually they can - and believe me, my children are not neat! dd2's socks can be almost black by the end of the day but her jumper can still be clean

another family of 5 here. I wash on average once every 2-3 days (or more often 2-3 loads twice a week).

My problem is putting it away after it is dry - I am the only one who sorts it and puts it away and I somehow find it soul destroying so it gets left until it is a huge pile that shouts at me every time I walk by. Then I do it, feel good to have got rid of the pile, and then it all starts again.

I am just not capable (mentally I think) to put it away as soon as it is dry when it would only be one loads worth. I have no idea why - but it seems to be the case.

uniform changes once a week usually though tshirts every other day. prob more in summer but my system still works! towels every few days, enough for a full load, again dry and replace/put away immediately!

it makes me so raaaghhh when people say they have huge teetering piles of knickers everywhere waiting to be ironed. NO!! STOP!!! no more everests of vests!! fold/hang immediately and put away!! then mn some more instead of ironing!!!!!!

We're 5 as well.

Two laundry baskets at the top of the stairs, so that most stuff is pre-sorted. Of course I have to double-check, because the dc are young and don't always get it right.

Most underwear gets worn once only. Straight into the laudnry basket that evening - even the 3yo can do this. Dh and my shirts are worn for one day only. Dc's shirts get hung up and either reused at some point that week, or I go through them every so often (either bedtimes or weekend mornings) to filter what can be re-worn and what must be washed. Only launder dc's clothes or adults' trousers if either visibly dirty/smelly/baggy. Or if not been worn for a while and not liekly to be, so wash and put back in wardrobe.

All socks get paired up in sock-thingies before putting in laundry basket.

Towels once every week or two. Bedlinen onc load a week - which works out as each bed fortnightly because so many beds. Unless someone wets the bed, in which case two or more loads a week.

Loads of jersey fabrics, so minimal ironing. Buy easycare school uniforms - never iron them, just smooth out and hang carefully. Except for summer dresses. I can't bear syntheticky stuff, so accept that I weill have to iron dd's summer uniforms.

Massive airer, that never seems to be put away (ohhhh for a utility room).

The thing that made laundry easier for us was gaving the two laundry baskets: easier to see at a glance what needs washing, and easier to lug downstairs to the kitchen.

Yes poorbuthappy apparently they do. We have had many threads on this in the past.

Incidentally in my house we don't use them once.

In a lot of cases imo it is to do with organisation. Many who insist on changing towels daily do so because there was a heap of wet towels on the floor and no one knew who had used what. Obviously in that scenario one wouldn't want to reuse a soaking and possibly smelly towel.

My "shortcuts". Change pillowcases once or even twice a week. Bedlinen unless very hot sweaty weather can last 2 weeks.

Tiny spillages on school jumpers etc try first with a babywipe.

Adult jeans, jumpers etc can genuinely be worn for several days.

If eating very messy food then encourage dcs to cover up. I don't mean making 8 year olds wear a bib, just say with spaghetti bolognese tuck a napkin into their neck etc.

Also if you have a baby make them wear a bib and roll sleeves up when eating. When we were on holiday I noticed so many families where the baby had coat/cardigan sleeves dangling in the food. Yuk.

I use garden trugs as laundry baskets - I have three pink ones, that each hold a load of laundry each - usually darks, lights and handwash. (To be honest most of the handwash is mine, because I'm trying to buy nicer stuff now that the dds are older and won't be sick on me so often)

Fold clothes as you take them off the airer/washing line. That way they crease less and you don't have to sort and disentangle while trying to put away.

oh gosh i only wash jeans with visible marks on them

hate hate jeans for first couple of days...then all nice and comfy...

There are 3 of us here.

Used to have laubdry baskets in each room. Now have changed it to 2 laundry baskets in utility room - 1 for colours, 1 for whites.

Tend to do 2-3 washes a day. One when I get up and put sheets on before I go to work, 1 or 2 washes in the evening.

I am lucky in that I have a utility room which houses all the airers. I have 4 clothes horse airers so most stuff goes on that. It is a sunny/warm room so most stuff dry by the next day, if it is still slightly damp I put it in hot cupboard for a day.

So - routine is. Every day - sheets in wash in the morning, sheets either hung outside or tumble dried in evening. Every evening take clothes off airer and fold up, dry clothes distribute to upstairs and hang up (dd and DP do their own), damp clothes in hot cupboard. All socks paired up and everything in the right drawer/wardrobe. I iron everything as I go so no basket of ironing hanging around.

Best tip I can give is spend time on laundry every day - I only spend about 20 mins but if I left it it would all pile up and becoem a mammoth task.

GOML - do you put fresh sheets on every bed every night?!

I have a system.

Mainly its called dh.

Also a family of 5 - I do a wash every weekday and leave to either line/tumble or clothes horse dry.....Hate having washing hanging around though...I iron 2 nights a week and do bugger all at the weekend.....

My golden rule is that everything must be out of my line of vision though!!

the thing tha's saved me is hanging washing on hangers straight away. I find that for us it really doesn't need ironing cos creases hang out and you only hang it once iyswim, not onto an airer line then onto hangers.
Also, and dh is just getting this, one load a day no more (four of us but washable nappies = a person . We used to blitz a mountain and then find ourselves in chaos and re washing because it was musty smelling and washing everywhere. For us, there is nearly a load a day so if we have a hectic day and a load doesn;t get done then that's okay.
second wearing what can be worn for a second day
we also tumble dry what can be
hanging up towels straight after use means they now do far more uses.
And we hated, hated, hated laundry!!! Can't say I love it but feel strangely satisfied by it now

Five of us in the house. The only way I have found to keep on top of it is to use the quick wash/cool setting (unless item is actually covered in poo/vomit etc then it gets overnight hot wash). Quick wash (30 mins) means can two loads each evening (have got full-time job) then bung on radiators or airer to dry for next day. Get a heated towel rail (bit pricey but worth weight in gold) then all towels nice and dry and last much better - each person has own one - only wash when looks grubby. When stuff is dry DCs have to put own stuff away in room which even 3 yr old can do with only a little help.
Uniform must do two days at least unless stiff with food (sponge out small marks and put on radiator). DO NOT IRON THINGS!!!! If absolutely crucial to iron it - pay someone else!!! Train up a teenager and pay them 30p per item - it's worth it for the time saved.