How do you keep up with YOUR washing?

Question

We have just the three of us.

Me, the wife, and our three year old Joseph

And yet every Saturday I seem to be climbing a Mt Everest of clothes and towels

I Know I should do more during te week, but that is not allways possible. I work from 6am till sometimes 4, so the last thing I want to do on those days is housework

And with Rebeccas illness, she can only manage what she can ( which to be honest is not much help at all)

What do you do in your house, MUMS,

(or if like me MR MUMS...lol)

Answer 1

I hate the washing piling up so I do a load everyday to try and keep on top of it, its a thankless task though when you have sons football kits needing washing, school uniforms, cricket outfits...oh it drives me mad!!

Answer 2

Well first of all, consider re-using towels. You don't need to throw a towel into the hamper because you used it once.

Also, pants can usually be worn for 2-3 days and no one will notice, so that cuts out some laundry.

I used to nanny for some people who made their kids wear a different pair of pj's every night. Once they wore one set to bed it was "dirty" and they had to wear a fresh clean pair the next night. And I saw those pjs. They looked like they hadn't been worn. Personally I think that is a bit extreme. They are pajamas. You aren't wearing them out anywhere. Their mom was always complaining about laundry and she could have cut out about 5 laundry loads a week if she let her kids wear the same pj's for at least the whole week before changing them (but to people, yes if you have messy kids I understand washing them every day. But for this mom, her boys were cleaner than newly minted pennies and still had to shower 3 times a day, morning, after school, before bed...seriously.)

I have a similar laundry problem with my husband. He is a compulsive stain-maker and EVERY time he wears a white shirt (which is basically all his shirts) he comes home with random stains. One time he went to the car wash and came home with a prune juice stain. I was like wtf! But he LOVES throwing all of his clothes and towels into the laundry hamper even if he only wore them for an hour (and do not even get me started on the state of the towels after he touches them).

Depending on the fabric, you can usually get away with doing only 2 loads: white/light clothes, colored clothes and prints (sometimes I do a 3rd load of just dark clothes like denims, black, or brown clothes).

Basically, anything that is a light color (light yellow, light peach, etc) can be thrown in with the whites (just watch what bleach you use just in case) and everything else can just be heaped into one massive laundry load I like to  call "miscellaneous colors". My washer and dryer are also very fast, and I can get through 2 loads in about an hour to an hour and a half.

But to be honest, I can't keep up with my laundry either (and its only the 2 of us). I usually save it until I am literally going to work in my pajamas because its the only thing left to wear.

Ah yes I see what you mean about the pjs. I missed the part about him being 3. woops. The kids I nannied were 9. theres a big difference lol. invest in some disposable clothes (jk!) I wish it was that easy!

Answer 3

My cleaning ladies do it. There is no way I could keep up with the way we go through clothes, towels, etc.

Answer 4

Mr Zero Mum (lol)

I have 5 kids, Myself, Andrew, and a house guest (who basically doesn't leave), and you think you have Mt Everest, you ought to see my washing piles, especially if I miss a day.

I know you don't want to do house work, during the week, but it isn't that hard or painful.

I bought 4 big baskets from Chickenfeed, and placed them in the bathrooms. One for darks, one for white, one for towels, and one for the baby's clothing (I was them desperately).

So then you can see what needs washing, and how much there is. Just just them in the washing machine before you watch your favourite show, put your baby in bed, whatever. It takes a whole 2 minutes.

Do you have a dryer? Your from Tassie, so I would think you would. Then chuck them in the dryer on the way to work, or hang them on the clothes horse to air out.

If your hanging them on the line, hang them out at night, before bed. I do it every night, as long as no wind warnings.

With 3 people, you would probably only need 1 load every couple of days. As the basket gets full just do. I know you work and don't want to, but honestly you can enjoy your weekend more, knowing that it's at least up to date.

I work on our farm, and help out our neighbours, I know when I get home, I just want to hang out with the kids & Andrew, but apparently these men in my life need clean clothes.

No Zero - Go the SAINTS!!! Whoo Hoo!! We are WON!!! :D

Answer 5

i still cant get out of the pile!

but i have a plan... put away everything you don't wear. EVERYTHING

jeans that dont quite fit, shirts that arent flattering, put it in a box a hide it. if there arent clothes to get dirty, then there isn't nearly as much to wash.

also, go to FLYlady.com  its rough, but it works over time. believe in the FLYlady...believe!

Answer 6

I don't, but every week I bag it all up and go to the laundry mat, I can do 12 in the same time it takes me to do one in my apartment. Folding and ironing may never get done, but atleast we don't stink.

Answer 7

I have twin boys who are in the very messy stage with toilet training and lots of play time outside. The best advice I can give is to put on a load every morning and every night. If it is cold and raining I put the clothes in front of my fire in the morning and then I can fold and iron it just before tea. Then once the drying rack is clear I put the night load out to dry overnight and repeat the process around breakfast time. This way I seem to keep up with my washing. I also iron each load I tack off the line or drying rack. There is nothing worse than baskets and baskets full of washing to iron.

Can't agree with Lulu - if my boys wore their pjs for a week they would be disgusting. With young children they are prone to spilling food and drinks down their clothes. So pjs have to be washed every other day.

It sounds like my boys are very similar to your little boy and their clothing gets a battering. The other thing I have is a large napisan bucket in the laundry sink (and out of reach) for tea towels, face washers etc and a little napisan bucket for the boys soiled clothing. I just empty the entire contents of the bucket into my machine including the napisan and water once the buckets become full. I then don't add soap powder, but add softener to the final rinse :-)

Glad you got to watch your football :-)

mum2MH

Answer 8

tigers won?? Sadly the pies did not :(. Oh well there is always next week lol.

As for washing. As long as all the clothes are put in the machine as they are taken off then your wife could start the machine. That way all you have to do when you get home is put them on a clothes horse inside.  Or put it in the dryer and that way you can get your son to bed then fold the clothes as you watch tv (Go Pies!!) I often set the machine going after the kids bath at night and leave it till morning to hang it. Guessing you are Melbourne so not much point in hanging it on the clothes line.

Answer 9

You sound like a really great dad and husband! We have me, my husband and our 6 month old son but I usually do a load a day otherwise it becomes a nightmare. My husband is a chef so I have to wash his clothes every day and then when he gets home from work, he usually changes so thats two lots of clothes for him a day! When I fold, I find it a lot easier to sort the clothes into 4 piles - mine, my husbands, my sons and towels etc. This way each pile looks a lot less and doesnt seem so monsterous!

Answer 10

Good on you for helping your wife!

My husband certainly doesnt.

Thus; is why we have a nanny.

Answer 11

You just need to make yourself do a few loads during the week. Aim for 1 load very other day..it's not that time consuming.

Answer 12

WELL WITH THREE YEAR OLDS YOU WOULD HAVE HEAPS OF WASHING,

EVERY MORNING I DO ALL THE TOWELS USED IN ONE WASH, AND THEN ALL THE ADULT CLOTHES IN ANOTHER WASH AND THEN TEH KIDS CLOTHES

ALSO GETTING YOURSELF A LARGER WASHING MACHINE MIGHT HELP AND EVEN JUST DOING ONE LOAD A DAY MIGHT HELP WHEN IT CAME TO WEEIKENDS

Answer 13

i do a load every 2nd day. Not much washing to be done, so besides the time in the machine, it only takes me 10 minutes to hang out, and bring in then an additional 10 minutes to fold.

If I left it to one day a week, I would have an overloaded laundry :)

Answer 14

I run the laundry every other day. If I'm not in the mood to fold, I still at least run the laundry, because that takes no time at all. That way, you have clean clothes through the week. Try to get to folding at least twice a week that way it won't be such a nightmare, but definitely do loads every other day. It works for us! Good luck!

Answer 15

I bet my mount Everest is taller than your mount Everest.  :)

I try to keep up and I do ok but I seem to not accomplish the folding part always so my Everest is clean clothes.  

Good luck!

Answer 16

There are four of us, though sometimes three because my husband is in the military.

So me, my husband (sometimes), our 2 year old son, and our 5 month old son.

I seem to be doing laundry every other day because I work out at the gym, I am potty training my 2-year-old and with that...there are lots of accidents, my 5 month old soaks himself in his own drool and occasionally spit-up or leaky diapers.

And because they are so young and spend a lot of time on the floor or really close to the floor, I sweep and mop daily as well as vaccum.  Dishes are the last to get done, I am only promted to do them when I reach in the cabinet to fix a bottle and I am pulling out the last clean one.

Answer 17

I need to wash everyday, I have three boys and they are grotters!!

I cheat though. I have a clothesline outside and if the weather is nice I use that. If not, I have a large clotheshorse in the spare room. I love this actually, as it allows me to do a load of washing at any time of the day, rain hail or shine. My dryer is also my best friend. I am lazy and shove all towels, sheets, undies, singlets etc in there, makes washing sooo much easier!!

Your great for helping out so much, what a gem you are!!

Answer 18

I feel your pain!!

I have to kids at school plus hubby that wears uniform every day and I really struggle to get everything washed since i work 9hr days + 2 hrs travel time..im just too d**n tired.

So we usually wash the necessities like uniforms and work clothes during the week, so there isnt so much on the weekend.

I also spread the washing across sat & sunday.

Now if I could only get the mountain of ironing to disappear....

Answer 19

I keep up with the washing by buying a bigger dirty washing hamper, lol.

I try to do a wash every day, if I can't or don't want to I do two loads a day every second or third day.

Sometimes it just isn't that much fun not having clothes, sheets or towels is it?? lol

Answer 20

well there are only 2 of us, me and my child and I only do laundry once a week.  However when there were 4 of us I would do 2 times a week and one day I would dedicate to the towels and washclothes and probably the childrens clothes because your child is young.  than do the others .  sounds like maybe you guys go through a lot of clothes and towels etc.  Washclothes can only be used once but unless you all are reallly dirty a towel can be reused a couple of times before it needs to be launderd.  Not only will that cut down on the laundry but it will help the environment as well.