Laundry - how many different loads do you sort it all into?

Slowly57

One basket for everything
One bag on kitchen door handle for tea towels/dusters etc

Bathroom towels, aired daily and washed/rotated once a week on 40C
Bed linen, duvet cover as 1 load, pillowcases and bottom sheet as 1 load on 40C

Underthings and socks, bras in mesh bag - usually 2 loads a week on 40C
Undershirts and t shirts white - usually 1 load a week on 30C
White shirts 1 load, coloured shirts 1 load, twill shirts 1 load all at 30C on demand!

My clothes separated into colour families (ie all blues together), turned inside out on 30C
My vintage/delicates, in mesh bags, cold water wash (or as researched)
Woollens on low agitation cool/cold wash (with baby shampoo/hair conditioner!)

Kitchen towels/dusters/cloths one load on highest setting to clean machine through

I use a gentle eco stain treatment on collars/cuffs or as needed
i use a much smaller amount of detergent/conditioner than recommended - always non bio
Extra rinse on bathroom towels and no fab conditioner

I have a modern washing machine that uses less water and has a million options on rinsing/temps etc
I’m fussy about caring for my clothes as I want them to last, look smart and many of them are older than me and need love to keep them going.

Everything is hung out and aired after one wear - if it needs a wash it gets one
Coats get hung lining side out to freshen
Shoes go outside too when needed!
Scarves and gloves laundered to suit in mesh bags

Clothes given a quick once over to see if buttons/repairs are required

Think that's it - sounds involved but it really isn't. If the weather is poo - then I sort into pillowcases and launder a bit at a time and hang overnight in the airing cupboard.

june89

I have a divided clothes basket for lights and darks. Typically one load of each per week in the summer, often two loads of darks in winter due to more/bulkier layers.

One load of towels (bathroom and kitchen) and one load of bedding. Only two of us in the house, but the machine isn't very big so they are full loads on their own.

CathA

I have 3 different coloured bags in my wash basket, so I sort washing as it turns up and put it in each designated bag.
Dark bag-for dark stuff. (40 degrees)
Mid coloured bag- towels, sheets and pants. (This is divided up into dark towels and pants, and light towels, sheets and pants). (60 degrees)
Light bag- white and light coloured stuff. (40 degrees)

Whenever a bag is full, that's the next load due to be washed. I find having different coloured bags very handy, so I don't have to keep re-sorting it every time.

maman

One washing basket for 2 people. I check it whenever the weather's good enough for drying assuming I have the time. When weather's poor I check it and if there's enough for a load I do it and dry on clothes horse and possibly finish off in dryer for thick stuff. So only wash if I have a load unless really urgent like going away.

Mainly 3 loads: whites @60 that's bedding, towels, tea towels and some white clothes and underwear
Light colours like shirts and some tops @ 40
Darks like jeans, socks @ 40
Synthetic jumpers go in with whichever colour but I'll do an occasional wash as per instructions for wool and sometimes throw in odd bits like socks with them.

What about a what do you iron thread?;)

kboss2010

Lights, darks and reds - all at 60 as we have towels in all colours and get through a lot between showering at home, at work and the gym.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Three

Whites
Pants
Shirts.

Her stockings sometimes!

Ms_Chocaholic

I sort it like the OP to wash it but everything goes in one laundry basket (not sheets/towels though, I wash them as soon as I strip the bed/replace towels). When I want to wash a load, I sort it into those pesky (but useful) charity bags that come through the door to carry downstairs and load into the machine.

greenbee

I tip the laundry out of the basket when it's overflowing/I feel like doing washing and sort it into whatever the logical loads are at the time. I don't use fabric conditioner, so that means towels are mixed in with other cottons of similar colours/temperature. Low temperature washes use soap nuts, higher temps eco liquid and vinegar.

Handwashing is done when I can't ignore it any longer, and involves cleaning the utility room sink area thoroughly first.

If I'm running, gym & swimming kit of all kinds goes in with that, and I try not to leave it lying around for too long.

maryb

Anything that touches either end of the digestive tract (directly or indirectly eg tea towels) gets washed at 60.

Apart from woolens which I hoard until I have enough to make it worth putting on a delicate 30 degree wash, the rest gets washed at 40 and sorted into light/dark

So bras and socks don't go in the 60 wash so they don't get ruined

flubberyzing

jackyann wrote: »

I'd add that I am known among my friends for keeping clothes for ages, although by family standards, I am profligate!

A fairly recent example is 3 Lands' End Tshirts that I bought 8 years ago, and have just gone into the ragbag. They were 'good' for 3-4 years (delicate wash) 'good enough' for wearing around the house (delicate usually, but standard sometimes) for another 3 or so, and in the last year or so have been relegated to 'mucky jobs' and gone through any wash!

Edited to add that they probably had about 30-40 washes a year at first, then rather more. So I got 100-120 wears/washes out of them whist still good enough to wear out, looking nice. Do others think that is quite good or not?

I do have a lot of much older clothes, but they don't get the same wear, except for 1 Etam top, 20 years old - last 5 or so only 'round the house' wear, at least once a week, but still won't bite the dust!

I'm just as bad (or good - depending how you look at it!) I still have a cardigan from when I was 12... I'm now 32. Granted, I hardly ever wear it, but it still makes a few outings a year!
I also have a heavy-duty fleece zip-up that hangs on the back of my desk chair, which I probably wear a few times a week most of the year, that must be at least 7 years old, but still looks perfectly good.
I also wear a vest-top as a base layer year round, most of them came from Primark, and are at least 5 years old, but still perfectly do the job! Why replace or throw away what still does the job?