Washing

[3teenhell]

Clothes that is. At what age did yours start doing their own?

Probably around 15-16, the summer they left school and were at home all day while I worked. They'd always both been able to use the machine but that summer they started taking care of some more of the housework for me so if they wanted clothes washed they'd do a reccy round everyone's laundry bins and do a machine full.

Is 12 and 13 too young?

No, not too young IME

dd and ds1 have been doing it since 11-12

I did mine from about 12, in fact I hated my mum touching my laundry from about 13 onwards. It's not like it's an arduous or complicated task unless they have to do it with a mangle.

Hmmm can see this being implimented here. Maybe then they won't want unworn stuff washed arghhhhh

Like mary, mine could - but with 6 of us in the house and the need for uniforms, sports kit, towels, work clothes and MY OWN STUFF I can't be doing with the faffing.

Mind you, my rule is it has to be IN the washing basket with pockets checked. I'm trawling their pits for their stuff.

DS has been able to operate the machine since age 12, but he puts his stuff in the basket, unless we're away when he does his own (he's 19 so not neglected). Like others have said I don't want the machine used to wash one item. I often start a wash off before work and ask DS to peg it when he's at home.

I just bung everyones washing in together TBH.

Mine do their own (DS17 and DS12) and both have since they were about 10. They're not allowed to run the machine half-empty, so if they don't have enough for a full load, they have to top it up with towels or anything else that's waiting for a wash. I admit I keep my own dirty washing in my own room, so there's no chance of them ruining any of it!

DD has been doing her own since about 12, except if she adds washing to the basket (rare, since it's all over her bedroom floor) or asked to bring some down. Stopped doing her washing for her when I got beyond fed up of lovingly washing and folding it all to then see it on the floor walked on a few hours later.

I've had ds doing his swimming laundry since he was 8/9 - very simple task and nothing to fold. From about the same time I'd leave his clean clothes in his room to put away. He's always put things in the laundry basket - it's not my job.

He's 13.5 now and does a double load of family washing each week to earn money - sometimes twice if he's skint . He has to read the washing instructions and work out what needs tumble drying and what gets hung up. Then they get put upstairs for us all to put away.

He's just started doing judo on top of his usual karate so has a load of whites to do a couple of times a week as well.

No reason why not, IMO. The laundry fairy doesn't come here and it's something he needs to learn to do. It's not like it's a hard job, is it?

Both Dd1 and 2 started to do their own washing as soon as I started to find the clean washing I had carefully folded and placed on their beds on the floor!!

Dd1 was 16 but it took me a while to wise up to the fact that I regularly washed clean clothes.

Dd2 was 14, I was wiser second time around. She does all her own washing but does need nagging to get it in and out of the machine.

Dd3 is only 9 but is able to sort her washing and likes to load the machine and put the powder in.

I dont think 12 or 13 is too young.

I just ask mine every now and again to put a wash on, rather than separating out each person's. They help with hanging out to dry and put their own stuff away.

Cannot work out how each person doing their own washing could possibly work. As others have said DD2 would wash her fav jeans while DH and DD1 would want to do white shirts. It would be absolute chaos.

It works for us

I'm trying to keep the bills down so I do all the washing in as few loads as possible at the weekend, and my 3 boys (17, 15, 13) are responsible for putting clothes into the laundry basket and for sorting socks etc/putting away.

I also do all the ironing because I can't face teaching them to iron and then having to nag every week to get them to actually do it.

For bed linen they strip the beds and make the beds.

At the moment I'm more interested in teaching them to cook!

All of us do the washing here, it's a chore that everyone has to get involved in as there are 6 of us in the house. My eldest is 19 and my triplets are 13.

No-one does their own washing in this house (kids 14 and 12). I do most of it, DH does some. Much more energy-efficient to do it all together.

Surely its still economical when you all help.

Child a) comes down first in morning for school, throws a loads of darks/ lights from whatever's in basket regardless of ownership

Mum) takes out when finished and hangs/ tumble drys

Child b) collects off line and folds into correct piles

Dad) irons what needs ironing and pops clothes into correct room

( all of above can be done by anyone in any order depending on who's around when , and age obv for ironing)

They can all use the machine (from about age 12/13) and do a load for themselves when they are about to run out of clean clothes. Sometimes this means that the machine is humming away very late at night.. It all goes in the dryer and then they take the load back and it disappears into their rooms. For myself and the youngest, I bung it all in together and then sort and fold. She then puts hers away. She will be learning to do the whole job start to finish soon -- she likes this sort of thing weirdly enough. I hardly ever iron.

They strip their own beds and fill a big basket every weekend. It all goes into the hot wash and hottest dry and then they put their beds back together again. If they didn't do it themselves I'd never do anything but laundry as I have 5.

I can't see the point in 5 people doing separate washes, tbh - would drive me mad. Mine can put a wash in, or take it out and decide if stuff is tumbledryable / going on the airer, but it would be uneconomical, both in bills and time for each individual to do their own wash, plus, I'd be waiting for ever to build up a wash of whites, for example, with dd just putting in socks and pants each day but nobody else's being added to that pile.

I suppose it depends on the number of people contributing to the laundry and what sports they are doing. With me, there are four of them in summer and other holidays and three in term time. plus myself. Before DD1 went off to university there were 5 of them plus me. We managed a load per day and that is still pretty much the rule. Otherwise we would need far more clothes than we have and I simply don't have the room. It's bad enough already with summer and winter gear needing switching every six months..