Help me sort out my laundry problems (oh soooo dull!)

[CountessDracula]

OK should be shot for such a dull thread BUT....

I very stupidly bought a massive basket for all my clean laundry to go in. I am rubbish at ironing, do bits as I need them then when it really starts to piss me off I send it all off to the ironing service! As a result I have a massive pile of clean laundry and can never find anything. Part of the prob is that dh has about 4000 t shirts which he never wears, so my first job is to get rid of those I think.

What I think i need is something that will separate my stuff, dh's and dd's. It lives in the spare room so has to be presentable and reasonably big as I know that it will continue to pile up as I just don't do ironing except in cases of emergency.

I know you lot will be able to sort me out!

CD, where in Uk\ are you? saw that ikea in brent cross is now open till midnight some nights of the week. probably quietest time to go.

Ahem you all know my evening routines - if I am not going to interrupt for ironing I think I shan't be going to hellholeIkea either!

I am in SW London

CD, enlist the cleaner! Just tell her that shirts are priority. That's an easy instruction.

I don't blame you. My evenings are for household chores either. I'll run an errand or two on the way home. But, nanny is off at 7:0. And if I can't do it by 7:00 forget it. 7:00 - 8:00 is for DD. Then I eat diner, turn on the computer (often for mumsnet) and pretty soon it's bed time. What I say is I will come home from work to my child(ren), but I don't leave one job to come to be a cleaner. It would make more sense to stay at work and pay someone else to clean.

That;s twice now I've agreed with you CD.... something weird going on here.

OMG!! Spooooky!

The prob is uwila that dh has 4500 shirts and she will iron some, then he says "oh no those aren't my good ones" so I say "throw them out then" he says "oh no they are ok if I am not seeing clients that day" or some such twaddle

Also, would it within your rights as an employer to ask your nanny to supervise the cleaners work? Like, make sure she does shirts rather than flannels? Don't know what the arrangement is with your nanny, but it would be much easier for her since she is there and you are at work.

sadly the nanny is only p/t now as dd is at nursery p/t so she and the cleaner do not coincide. She still does most of dd's ironing thank goodness.

I wish the bloody dog would pull her weight, maybe she could do the ironing.

Actually I do remember our au pair making me iron while she smoked and talked to french friends on the phone if my mum went out when I was little - how old do children have to be to iron? is 2.5 too young?

think will ask the cleaner to do an extra 3 hours that should do the trick

Tell DH to get a permanent black laundry marker and draw a line through the tags of "non-client" variety shirts, then ask cleaner (or nanny) to see that the shirts without a black line through the tag are done on priority.

Or, put the nin priority ones in the vacuum bad under the bed and see if he misses them. You know mens shirts make great painting smocks for little girls...

uwila that is genius!

Am off to find black marker...

Was that a compliment?

yes

blimey we will be having kitchen suppers together before you know it

Don't get carried away now.

I currently have a huge basket of clean clothes in my bedroom and a small basket in my living room of clean clothes, I did just fold it all up, but I will have to move it soon for dinner, as its on my table and I can't be arsed to take it upstairs... I never iron until its needed... me and Misdee have the same 'lazy' gene...

CD-look at the "multicoloured stacking dump bins" (mmm,how attractive they sound!) at www.homerecycling.co.uk.They look a bit like the Sortera boxes and are cheaper and you can order online.

Here! Brilliant, rd, never mind CD, you just made me very happy!

I've only read your first post cd but I have exactly the same problem. Honestly, I'm not taking the piss! I opened this because it has 92 posts not expecting to really find it interesting but lo and behold, it is the answer to one of my big problems!

Now I've read the thread it's made me larf. I've recently put away all the clean washing that had been hanging around the house for WEEKS and it took me more or less 2 DAYS to put it all away. That was without ironing a thing, I don't iron anything. If dp needs a shirt he does it. I loathe and detest washing and putting away with a passion and if I could afford it, I'd get a washer woman to come round every day, put some washing on, come back when it was done, hang it out and then come back later and put it away in the cupboards. I cannot bear doing it, hence the huge, huge build up. Cd, can't you just rearrange the cleaner's hours so she more or less does this. The pen idea is inspired Uwila!

CD - YOu need this

oh shitebags Prufrock I was in the White Co only this very pm It looks just the ticket.

Luckily my mum came up yesterday and has done all my ironing (she seems to do it effortlessly while doing mulitple other things, very odd)