Radical laundry reduction

randomer

How do you do this monumental task? There are 4 of us and it is beginning to feel like a full time job:mad:

I have an electric airer from Argos which is a good buy and economical.

Just seem to spend ages at it. Should it be every Man for himself I wonder?

MILLYMOLLY

I know what you mean there's 6 of us and some days it's just a constant cycle of washing and drying, I must do at leat 6 loads a day at weekend and at least 2 a day during the week:mad:

debtfreewannabe321

There's five of us and i feel the same! I have a tumble drier which i use more than i should but if i didn't use it i'd never get to the end of the wash basket! I don't mind the washing and drying it's the putting it all away that annoys me :mad: so if anyone has any good tips i'm all ears :T

kymbo82

I normally just have a mammouth washing day sat or sun, or if someone needs something in the week or teatowels are running low I might do a weekday wash. There's 5 of us in the house. It's a nightmare now the summer has gone but it's not yet cold enough for heating to be on so the washing just hangs there damp. My husband bought me a tumble dryer today, just has to be done I'm afraid

shebangs

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meanmarie

Don't know how old the other members of you household is randomer, but the rule in my house when my children lived here was that, once they went to secondary school ( 12/13)they were responsible for their own washing/ironing/putting away....it led at first to some arguments as to who was next for washing machine, but they sorted that out pretty quickly.

Know that I'm a nasty old grump, but feel that too many mothers to-day are their children's slaves!

Marie

valk_scot

Family of four here, with extra rugby gear twice a week. I wash two loads every two days on average, including one wash for sheets and one for towels. Say eight loads a week?

If it's not in the washing basket I don't wash it. Tough luck if you needed it and you'll remember next time, yes?

Tumble dryer died two years ago and I never bothered getting another. I line dry sheets and towels. I have an airing cuboard with enough line to dry ten or twelve adult sized garments, a radiator on the living room with radiator rack for things like trousers, a clothes airer for when there's more than will fit on the other two. I hang up shirts and things like sweatshirts and jackets on hangers in the airing cupboard. Undies get dried on radiator racks in the owner's bedrooms.

When clothes are dry I fold them neatly into one pile per owner, take the pile through to the owner's bedroom, add the dry stuff off the radiator and leave it on their bed. They get to put it away. I washed it for them, that's enough imho!

I do practically no ironing. I hang things up neatly and they mostly look okay. If someone moans they get pointed in the direction of where I vaguely remember the iron living. Somehow at this point they lose interest in ironed clothes. Works for me! I only iron for funerals, weddings, inteviews and graduations.

That's my system. It works for me and I only have to do it every two days as I said. I refuse to let it overwhelm me and the only way I can do that is by having a routine.

yellowbear

6 of us here. I sort into whites, darks, colours, towels, bedding. That way I only have to do one load a day. (in theory!)

I try to keep on top of any ironing and try to put the washing away as a load is done.

If it isn't in the washing bin it doesn't get done.

bluebag

In my house there is a wash basket in each bedroom, not in the wash basket don't get done. I collect it all up in a washing sack that I have in my room each morning.

I do a load each evening while we eat dinner, darks, whites or brights depending what I have to make a full load up, when it's done I fold it into a basket. If it's drying weather I hang it out next morning or if it's wet I put it in the dryer first thing. ( I hang non-dryer stuff on the maiden) I never miss a day because if I do I can't catch up, that sends me into a flat spin.

I fold it all when dry and put it away. If they want it ironing well they all know where it plugs in! There are limits. I do however iron all the work/college uniforms once a week so at least they can bring home the bacon.:rotfl:

I tried the each do your own thing, total disaster because there was insufficient to make a full load and the clean dry stuff ended up on the floor with the washing. Far too costly.

MILLYMOLLY

My 4 DS's all do their own ironing and have since about 12 yrs, I use my dryer a lot but lots of their clothes (bought themselves) are Armani, Police etc and can't be dried in the dryer so they go on hangers and get hung in the utility room to dry. They all put their own clothes away and all are capable of using washer and dryer but need prompting sometimes, especially when they ask why a certain something hasn't been washed yet!