How many loads of washing a week?

Debtfreewannabee

I have started to monitor the washing baskets a few weeks ago and this has proved to be a great saving, both time and money.

I was sick of clothes being thrown in the wash after being worn for a few hours - neither dirty nor smelly - so every evening before I go to bed I rumage the baskets (I have three) and take out the genuinely dirty items and hang up the other stuff.

This takes all of five minutes compared to hours of washing and ironing and saves pounds on electricity. The washing machine is only on for one wash a night instead of two (sometimes three at the weekend). I have also been re-using towels a couple of times before putting them in the wash, again saving loads on washing and drying.

I find I now have so much more time and iron only once at the weekend instead of spending half an hour every evening.

And guess what? Nobody in my household has even noticed - RESULT!!!

How often do you wash clothes?

zarazara

I agree and have done this. Now my boys are grown up I insist that they do their own laundry including towels and bedding. This had a dramatic and amazing effect!

prudencekitten

Towels - my OH and I have two towels each, one bath, one face. I wash the lot every weekend and the rest of the week they hang on the radiators to dry.

Clothes get the sniff/stain inspection. Bed linen gets washed when the cats are sick on it or about every two weeks otherwise.

We have showers every day.

BitterAndTwisted

Re-using towels a couple of times? My theory is that I only ever use them when I'm as clean as a whistle so they can be washed once a week. Mind you, I live alone so I don't have to share them with anyone else in the household. As long as they're aired and completely dry before the next usage, I'm happy. Damp towels make my flesh creep. I think it comes from being brought up in houses with no central-heating and therefore no heated towel-rail.

happyreader

I am thinking of buying more socks and boxers for the males in the house. My logic being if they have more pairs I may get to do a full washing load rather than 2 or 3 short half loads. Do you think this may save money in the long run? - one full load is 1 hour 39 minutes including 1600spin. Short load is 29 minutes plus 8 minutes to respin the load at 1600. Tumble dry if a non drying day.

Does the cost of extra clothes out weight the electric cost and time waiting for the washing machine?

Any comments?

tigerfeet2006

Happyreader, do you wash your socks and pants seperatly from everything else?

Debtfreewannabee

Doing their own laundry - now that sounds like a plan:)

We shower once/twice a day therefore are not dirty. Its actually just laziness with DS & DH to put things in the laundry basket rather than put them away. I agree that as long as towels are completely dried before usage they are fine.

Also with less washing clothes last longer, and keep their colour, etc. (another saving).

tanith

We also have our own towels, I sling the hand towels in the basket every other day and the bath towels last us a week , they are dried and aired each day and as someone else said are only used after bathing so don't get dirty or smelly... my daughter is always complaining about OH and kids slinging every used towel in the wash when its only been used once, I think she sneaks them out , dries them and puts them back on the 'clean' pile... you gotta be sneaky lol!!

zippychick

how many loads of washing a week has discussion on the same thing. Ill merge this later on for you

Zip

happyreader

Hi tigerfeet2006. Other dark washing also added to wash, although the men seem to have more coloured item than darks, so dark wash could be left to build up more if they have more socks etc.