How much laundry is too much?

maman

I know you said that washing tea towels separately is just how you are but how many do you do for a machine load? Even if you had a clean one every day, 7 tea towels wouldn't make a weekly load?  

People have suggested extra bedding as a solution but I think you'll need extra gym kit and anything else that you change very regularly. 

I'm not sure of the capacity of my machine, it's just a normal sized domestic model. For two of us I probably do between 3 and 4 loads a week, depending on whether I change the bedding. At this time of the year I'll put off doing the washing until the weather is good enough to dry outdoors even if it does mean having a full washing basket. 

I do a hot white wash (towels, tea towels and white cotton underwear), a cool dark wash (socks, dark underwear and dark clothes and towels) and a light coloured wash at about 30 degrees (shirts, pale underwear, tee shirts and dresses) most weeks. Additional loads might be white or light coloured bedding although sometimes they can go in with the other loads if there's room. Very occasionally I'll do curtains and loose covers but then I wait for a day I know they're going to dry. 

JGB1955

I do two washes a week.  On alternate weekends I do towels or bedding.  Everything else goes in the other weekly wash.  There are 2 of us.  I never wash anything above 40 degrees.  We haven't died yet.  T-towels are rarely used, but will chuck them in with the towels/sheets wash.  How can a T-towel get dirty/contaminated when it's drying (?) clean stuff from the dishwasher?

calleyw

The tea towels don't make a whole load and are used for taking stuff out of the oven.  But I also use a different tea towel each day as a hand drying towel.  I just have a thing that I don't put tea towels in with other stuff it just feels icky to me.  I wash the bathroom towels on there own but they do make up a load as my partner has a bath sheet.  I have one for my hair and one for drying hands after going to the toilet.  The only other thing that goes in with bath towels are my dressing gowns.  I also like to do Tea/bathroom towels on 60.

Yours

Calley

Torry_Quine

It's just me and I generally do one general load per week. Use a colour catcher and so don't need to sort colours.  Bedding takes a load.

maman

It's probably just habit but I almost always do whites on a hot (60 degree) wash. My tea towels go in that along with anything else like white towels, bedding and underwear. I can't see anything icky surviving that temperature. 

Today I had whites and pale colours, just enough to make a load, and did them at 40 and they turned out fine. I might try and change my habits. 😊

joedenise

I do everything at 40 and seems OK.  I just do a lights and a darks wash plus bedding most weeks.

MalMonroe

My adult daughter and I share a two bed flat. I never use teatowels as I just think they gather and hoard germs. Don't have dishcloths for the same reason. Call me daft. We have a dishwasher instead. Special cloths for surfaces which are used once only then popped into the bag headed to the laundry. Sheets and towels I send to the laundry once a month (we do have quite a good supply of them, yes, I have to say . . .) - it costs between £10 and £12 for a large load and the laundry collects and delivers - and clothes we manage to do ourselves (phew!) in our 7kg washer. As and when. We use temperatures of either cold wash (zero) or 30. We're both self employed and work very hard so we think we deserve our bits of luxury!

theoretica

I have basically given up on wearing/using white cloths and clothing - makes washing simpler.  Also things that need ironing never got worn and ended up at the charity shop.

wort

I do darks which includes work uniform, and lights ( not as often as darks as don’t have much and wait till a full wash)on 30,towels and bedding together on 60. 

If tea towels worry you because of germs buy napisan or similar, to soak them before you put in with normal towels. 

I don’t wash bath towels every time I use them , as I’m more or less just wrapping it round me, and it barely gets wet, 🤪

purpleivy

Just asking. What can be so icky that a teatowel is so gross?  they are used to dry dishes that have been washed or your hands that have been washed.  Taking stuff out of the oven? That's food based and burnt on presumably or just grease.  

Teatowels go into a 20C wash, Bio powder that has been designed for low temperature and sometimes a sprinkle of vanish powder.  also pillow cases, white wiping up cloths from daughter's, white hand towels and white pillow cases.  It's a 3 hour + wash so I reckon it ought to be clean by then.