Wash Day Blues

Happy_Bunny_6

I started a new system which works brilliantly

I only have a laundry basket for whites or very delicates, which we don't have a lot of.

All dirty clothes have to be put straight in the washer and when it's full, the person who filled it switched it on, and the person around when it finishes moves it into dryer and so on.

I do admittedly use my dryer a lot so don't often iron and things are through the system really quickly, but it's worth it in my time and energy saved!

I refused to wash clothes left in laundry basket for a while untill everyone learnt!

stilernin

Happy_Bunny wrote:

I started a new system which works brilliantly

I only have a laundry basket for whites or very delicates, which we don't have a lot of.

All dirty clothes have to be put straight in the washer and when it's full, the person who filled it switched it on, and the person around when it finishes moves it into dryer and so on.

I do admittedly use my dryer a lot so don't often iron and things are through the system really quickly, but it's worth it in my time and energy saved!

I refused to wash clothes left in laundry basket for a while untill everyone learnt!

Fantastic idea!!!

Now how do I go about the learning curve......... ?? I live on my own.... !!!

lil_me

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8300434.htm

3 section washing sorter, I bought one of these when I started the flylady thing, and it's a god send. Mine is used whites, darks and reds/pinks (kids uniform has a lot of red items aswell as my pink/red things) I do make sure my kids have a clean uniform on every day, because I want them to go in clean clothes to school, the state they come home in some days and being in a classroom and doing PE etc without showing afterwards makes this necesssary aswell as what I prefer. Just using the sorter I have found my wash load has decreased, because I wait until a section is full before washing. I don't iron what doesn't need it. Other god sends are my over bath airer (fold out bought in Tescos) and the other airer which I put up in my sons room when he's at school, then the sock hanger which goes over the shower rail and the sock bag (laundry net sometimes called) to put all smalls/socks in so easier to sort when it is washed.

Mine usually

1 load normal daily washing per day apart from Wednesday
2/3 towel loads a week depends how much swimming we've done
All 3 beds stripped once a week (on different days usually)
One set of curtains at least per week
Cushions etc once a fortnight
Friday night wash the kids school coats (sometimes fortnightly depends what state they are in)

So basically 2 loads a day apart from Wednesday when I have a day off washing most of the time (usually out with computer courses etc so don't have time), but also means if we've been out with the quads or any extras can be done then too. I put one load in when I goto bed, then empty and refil on morning and hang that up, then hang the morning load up after the school run. Works for me. Much easier in summer as it can be dried outside but I won't wash if I have nowhere to hang it if possible to save using drier(hence 2 loads at a time) Tend to finish off towels and sheets in drier if it's raining but that is all.

tawnyowls

Spendless wrote:

Some one mentioned a linen basket with 3 seperate compartments, can anyone do me a link so I can see what one looks like? We keep the linen basket on the landing, which is very narrow so I would need to see if it would fit.

This is the sort of thing you want: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8300434.htm

Only problem with this sort of thing is that the legs stick out a lot - it's better to get one with a square frame, like this (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Triple-Laundry-Basket-sorter_W0QQitemZ320059842142QQihZ011QQcategoryZ43517QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem), but they're a lot more expensive, and often don't have a cover, so they're not very pretty to look at!

The other thing you could go for is one of those plastic drawer units: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8759432.htm. One like this, with wide drawers, probably would fit a load of laundry in each drawer. Or possibly one with canvas drawers, like this, which would have a bit of give i them: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8751069.htm

tawnyowls

lil_me wrote:

One set of curtains at least per week
Cushions etc once a fortnight

Blimey! Will someone reassure me that they don't do this either?:D I feel like I should be calling in Kim & Aggie. I'm afraid my cushions get done about once every 3 months and as for curtains ...

sloppychops

tawnyowls wrote:

Blimey! Will someone reassure me that they don't do this either?:D I feel like I should be calling in Kim & Aggie. I'm afraid my cushions get done about once every 3 months and as for curtains ...

lol i dont either(hangs head in shame).Curtains are the last thing on my mind to be washing every week as its a hard enough job keeping up with normal washing and bedding.

janb5

lil_me - do you have quads + another child. Wow you are amazing. Can someone kindly show me how to do a quote of just a few lines- do I have to cut and paste? Thanks in advance!

Kazonline

tawnyowls wrote:

Blimey! Will someone reassure me that they don't do this either?:D I feel like I should be calling in Kim & Aggie. I'm afraid my cushions get done about once every 3 months and as for curtains ...

Errrm, I've had my cushions for about 3 years and let's just say I was wondering the other day whether they would be ok in the wash.....

In answer to the question about quotes, the way I do it is to use the quote button and then just delete the bits I don't want to quote. I know there is a 'cleverer' ;-) way, but that suits me

As for my washing - I need to do a load a day, if I don't then I end up having to do a few in a day and struggle for drying space. I know I probably waste a bit of lecky in over use of the w/m, but I do then use less detergent (a smaller load is more efficiently cleaned even with less detergent % wise) and I'm less tempted to use the T/D.

bubblebathgirl

Spendless aww sweet cant offer any advice my washing pile never seems to shift we are onley 3 (me ,o/h and dd who's 5) we always have loads i have 2 day's off from work during a normal working week and still have a mountain does not help that d/h uses 2 towels each day one for hair and one for body his hair abount 2 cm long no matter how much i try and trick him he seems to know grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

Baileys_Babe

Their are 7 of us, 4 adults 1 child & 2 toddlers (1 in real nappies). I manage the laundry by having 4 ikea stacking storage boxes (sortea)
Labled 60c light, 60c dark, 40c light, 40c dark, all adults and child are expected to sort their own washing as they put in the baskets (teaching toddlers), this saves me time working out which wash to do next. I will only wash a full load, saves me time doing uneccessary loads and money on electricity and detergent. I usually put a load on either as I go to bed or first thing in the morning, I do this automatically, so doesn't feel as if its running over my life.Then get it out to dry asap (on the line in summer, radiators and airers in winter). Iron as little as possible, each adult to do own. Put away the day it dries (each adult is resposible for their own). As already mentioned only wash clothes when they are dirty, obviously really. Also wash nappies once a week. It has taken a while but I have found a system that works for me. Good luck to everybody else who also deals with the ongoing laundry challange.