Laundry habits - what is best?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2005
Laundry habits - what is best?
15
Mon, 09-10-2007 - 5:05pm

I was having a lively discussion with my secretary this morning. She waits til the last minute to do HUGE loads of laundry, while I do mini loads like every other day.

What are your laundry habits? What is best?

I just know that I don't like to get overwhelmed with huge loads and I have a very low water setting for the smaller loads.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-08-2006
Mon, 09-10-2007 - 5:20pm

I wish I could get away with only doing small loads every couple of days.

I typically do at minimum one large load a day but usually two, then play catch up on my days off to get the rest of it done. If I waited til the end of the week, I'd have too many loads to get done in one or two days.

So, what I do is toss a load in the washer in the morning, dry it as soon as I get home, fold and put away, and often toss another load in before bed.

One reason we have so much is there are now four of us, and funnyguy and I both change from our work clothes and the kids change from their school clothes as soon as we all get home. That's two outfits plus jammies every day, without considering linens and towels.

The other reason we have so much is the fact that a six year old girl lives here. I have gotten to the point where I don't wash anything that isn't actually dirty unless I can't smell the fabric softener anymore.

This helps, but my washer and dryer are definitely still very well used.

Moody, who should be doing laundry now


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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-04-2004
Mon, 09-10-2007 - 5:52pm

I have a couple of "buckets" that I use as hampers in my laundry area. One is actually (I think) a medium-sized plastic trash can that I'd always used as a hamper. The other is a big round collapsible cooler thing that I also use as a hamper. And once these 2 containers start to get full, I know it's time to do 2-3 loads of laundry, depending on how I can get them divided by color and/or type.

I don't wait til we run out of something (out of socks, underwear, etc) because we actually have plenty of everything. I just use those hampers and their fullness as my gauge.

Usually, I can do laundry once a week, but it's never always on the same day. Some weeks, I get to it a bit "early" and get it done on a Thursday or Friday. Other weeks I might not get it done til a Sunday. But I don't have any set time schedule or day for laundry- the time frame just happens that way, that it is usually 2-3 full loads each week.

And there are times when I might just do one of those loads, and then the rest waits until I find time to finish... and sometimes that isn't until those hampers both end up full again. LOL So like I said... no set schedule! But it all gets done eventually, and it's never put off so much that anyone runs out of anything clean.

~shrimpy

~shrimpy

"A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." ~Stephen Dolley Jr.

~<

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2002
Mon, 09-10-2007 - 6:32pm

I typically do a load or two every other day.... One wash/dry in the evening and another wash at night and put in the dryer when i wake up...

Don't talk to me about clothes though.. the girls room is a nightmare... My 3 and 4 year old keep throwing all their clothes all over the floor.. and last week i sorted all the winter clothes and summer clothes... put the winter clothes in the closet and summer clothes in the drawers... oh, i'm so mad that they took everything out and mixed it all together again... Ugh. it's a mess....

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2005
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 2:12am

One of my LEAST favorite chores!


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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2003
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 9:19am
With two active kids, school and soccer uniforms, etc. and a split parenting week where some items need to go back and forth I am behind if I don't do at least one load of laundry a day. I usually put in a load before going to bed (with the kids around 9:30) and then get up early (around 5am) to dry and fold in the morning before waking my kiddos. I make my coffee, pack lunches, check homework etc. while they dry.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-28-2004
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 9:55am

With only two in my household my laundry isn't that bad. Course as some of you may know with a 13 yr old girl in the house....it's more like a household of 4. Laundry usually gets done on Sat. morning if not then, a load here and a load there.

Emma

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-11-2007
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 11:52am

I WISH I could be dedicated enough to get 1-2 loads done a day. Doesn't work for me. If I try that, the clothes end up sitting in the washer and dryer for 2-3 days, and need to be redone. That's always fun!

Usually, I do a power-laundry Saturday morning, but most weekends, I end up folding and putting away Sunday night. The absolute WORST part of laundry for me is the physically putting it away out of the laundry baskets. I can't do it. In fact, I just emptied 3 laundry baskets out of my closet last weekend. Clothes that were washed, dried, folded and put in a basket to sit. It's so funny when that happens, because I'm like - 'Oh, that's where that shirt went? Go figure'!LOL

I usually have to wash a uniform of 'special' article of clothing at some point during the week. And kitchen towels.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-04-2004
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 12:24pm

Power-Laundry is what I'm doing today! Instead of going to the office to do my stuff, I'm staying at home to do it, while multi-tasking with 3 loads of laundry! I didn't get to any of it this weekend, so today is MAJOR catch-up day.

At least that laundry room floor will be clear of everything until this evening! lol :-P

~shrimpy

~shrimpy

"A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." ~Stephen Dolley Jr.

~<

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2005
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 1:37pm
Once a week, usually Saturdays, six loads. My landlord, who doesn't want me to even
have a machine, would have a fit if I did it more often than that.
The T Girl
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-27-2006
Tue, 09-11-2007 - 1:54pm

Judy, I absolutely love this topic! I know laundry is a rarely discussed, regularly mundane but absolutely essential evil in the world but it's nice to know that there's a few people out their like me who subscribe to the Power-Wash Day/Weekend school of thought also. Hee! Hee! My Xh used to do the laundry because he did not tolerate the weekly pile up like I do -- now that I'm single again I usually do it all on

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