Help with laundry

[slipperandpjsmum]

Now this may well be the dullest posting I have ever written but yesterday when surrounded by mountains of never ending washing I wondered if I could be doing anything differently? Does anyone have any useful tips from the moment that dirty top is taken off to its return to the wardrobe?

Ideas for the children to take part? Time saving ideas? How many linen baskets and where?

My children do the laundry. The only thing I do is the ironing, but I think my daughters should be able to do this by now.

We have three dirty laundry baskets (family of 7), and as soon as one is full, it gets put in the washer. I don't bother with separating. We have about six baskets for clean, including odd socks and clothes waiting to be put away depending on which bedroom they are going to.

I ask them to leave their dirty clothes in the laundry basket but I check their rooms anyway, cos the younger ones aren't great for it. The trick is to keep on top of it. I do laundry every 2 days, 4 loads. In winter wet coothes go on airers upstairs to dry, takes 2 days and if damp finished off in the dryer. If clothes like tshirts are wrinkled they go in the dryer for 10 mins and then folded so I need only iron dh's work shirts. Have a large box for odd socks and either get my kids to sort or wait for my sister to visit.(she enjoys it). I sort the laundry into piles for each room ONTHE DINING TABLE so that it HAS to be put away as soon as it's sorted. The drawback is when I'm ill it all gets backed up, so I should go and put a load on now!

I work and I like to spend time with my children rather than sorting through socks, so with 5 kids and I have someone to help me 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. There just wasn't any other practical option; I'm not a superhero.

ah grammar poor when cooking meal and handling grumpy toddler - shouldn't be on mumsnet!

a nice ukranian man called freddie picks up my ironing once a week and brings it back all on hangers the next day. that helps!

Laundry into the basket. Anything in the basket gets washed when I get round to it, although more often than not it's an almost continuous stream. Special requests accepted 24 hours in advance. Preferably more notice than that if drying might be an issue.

Clean laundry sits in the 'clean' basket until full and then folded, sorted into piles and possible owners notified that it needs clearing away.

Ironing done as and when needed.

I do at least one wash a day. In the summer, I find that if I hang carefully on the line and fold it as I'm taking it down there's very little to iron. DH's work shirts (obv) and maybe some of my nicer bits but otherwise, careful folding sorts everything nicely. People are often amazed when I tell them how little I iron so I take that as a compliment that we don't look creased all the time

As I take it off the line, I sort it into personal piles and put them on the stairs. Each child is responsible for taking their own clothes away except ds who is 4 so would prob throw it all under his bed!

The winter is harder to deal with as I don't have a dryer. I have lots of those radiator airers so they get a lot of use! The ironing load is also more in the winter but I'm teaching dd1 (13) to iron shirts now in anticipation of next winter when dc4 will be here and I'll have even less inclination to iron!

Right - off now to get load #1 off the line and put load #2 out!

Everyone mucks in and does the washing here, and that includes folding up and putting away. I don't iron much at all.

family of 6 here soon to be 7. I have one large Bag in the bathroom everyones dirty laundry goes into. Even the 3 year old puts his in there. Each evening ds 2 age 8 takes it to laundry room I then sort it into 1 of 3 baskets (Darks,coloureds, lights) anything not fitting in those catergories goes on floor in front. I put a load on. Next morning I hang out/put on airer that load and if theres another full load thats stuck on. Tea timeish one of us will get in whats out and if need be hang on airer 2nd load. Straight away I sort it into whose is whose and each person Including 3 year old puts there washing away in correct drawers/wardrobes. I DO NOT IRON ANYMORE UNLESS UNAVIODABLE.

Kids helping is the key to it, if mine don't put it in the wash then it doesn't get washed, eventually when they have no clothes they get the idea. Don't bother sorting lights and darks. Ironing board is always up in our bedroom and everyone checks with me in the morning incase what they are wearing needs a quick once over, generally if you fold as soon as dry it doesn't. Its only DH and his uniform (he's in the army) that leave the house lesser and he does that himself. Once made the mistake of ironing it will never again

Lesser should be pressed. Autocorrect issues her :)