Keeping on top of the washing!

PudseyDB

In bad weather we hang clothes on coat hangers and hang them on the shower curtain rail to dry.

Fire_Fox

dingdongavoncalling wrote: »

I think this is more of a rant than a plea for help.

Only two of us live in our house and yet it still seems impossible to keep on top the the mountain of washing and ironing! I try to iron as little as possible but as we don't have a tumble drier a lot ends up creased. We have an maiden and radiators to dry clothes and I am fed up of seeing clothes everywhere!!!

Even though there are only two of us we have a bedsheet wash, towel wash, uniform wash, dark and colours per week to get through. I think the answer may be a tumble drier.....

I will get off my soap box....:o

Electric dehumidifier instead of the tumble dyer, quick drying but less ironing because you can use hangers or an airer. It's not great for your house to be air drying laundry indoors, it can cause condensation and mould and damp air feels colder.

Microfibre towels take up less space in the washing machine than terry cotton towels, far less time to dry and less space. :T How are you managing to dirty two full loads of clothing in one week on top of uniforms? Are you wearing a lot of heavy sweaters or jeans? I wear or use a fair amount of non iron and quick dry fabrics - microfibre, sweat wicking stuff, fleeces, t-shirts with lycra. Makes laundry a lot easier.

meritaten

sounds to me like you only wear a garment once. if it isnt 'dirty' does it have be washed? can't it be hung up and worn again?
There are two of us here and my OH wears a uniform - but, he does have plenty of changes (has been with the company over twenty years and has lots of 'old' uniforms).
Since the kids left home my washing machine is only on once a day (and gets a day off now and then).
I do Towels and bedding once a week, uniforms are darks so they go in the darks basket - my clothes are a mix of darks and lights, so when enough darks make a wash - in they go. lights may wait a few days until I have enough.
and I do have a Tumble dryer - thank the Goddesses as I live in rainy South Wales! It does help as you dont have washing piling up waiting for a dry day!

globetraveller

Colour catcher was a great find for me. It means you can throw anything in together. It saves so much water and energy.

Mrs.W_2

For goodness sake, I'm going to be the person who asks the annoying question - OP, there's only two of you yet you can't keep up with the washing and ironing? Why is that?

Obvious answer; because you both might be dodging the soap bullet.

You've had so many fantastic answers to help and save time with your query.

And if the other half in question does not pull their weight, the iron is a terrific tool of retaliation. (To be clear, I'm talking about creases where they need not be, not dents/creases in bodily parts!)

Millie2008_2

Friend has one of these

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry-Soon-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer

and swears by it. I've got a baby on the way, so am planning on getting one too Apparently they work better if you put a sheet over the washing?!?

NoAngel

Tumble dryers are ok but not essential for me and there are two of us.

I've a condenser dryer in the kitchen, our house is open plan and its SO LOUD that I can only have it on when I'm out as unable to hear the TV. Plus in summer it makes it unbearably hot (no garden to hang things out in). I'm very picky about what goes in and would never put socks in (they shrink) and most of my work clothes can't go in either. I always put towels in.

I normally shove a load in the wash before bed, hang it up in the morning before work and do this till its all done and time to start again. I use a clothes airer in the spare room and open the window a bit. Iron either early morning weekend or Sunday pm watching Eastenders. No problems!

art_for_arts_sake

A problem shared is a problem halved. It takes two of you to make a load of washing, so you should both take responsibility for it. The days of it being a woman's job have long since gone.

Slinky

art_for_arts_sake wrote: »

A problem shared is a problem halved. It takes two of you to make a load of washing, so you should both take responsibility for it. The days of it being a woman's job have long since gone.

That's all very well, but I'd rather be inside watching the telly whilst ironing, than washing my car or mowing the grass.......

Sambucus_Nigra

Slinky wrote: »

That's all very well, but I'd rather be inside watching the telly whilst ironing, than washing my car or mowing the grass.......

I'd rather be outside doing anything other than ironing. And I don't watch tv at all.

OP - why not try wearing stuff longer and doing less washing in the first place. Towels and bedding do not have to be washed weekly - if you are showering and bathing regularly and the towels are dried on the radiators after each bath/shower there really is no need to do a whole towel wash each week. And it's only undies that have to be washed after each use. Most other stuff can be worn several times before it needs a wash.

And when you do have stuff, try splitting the duties - whoever in our house cooks, the other does the pots. And I sort the washing and get it dried, and himself does the ironing. It's a partnership - so partner up!