Laundry Loads

[mommylawyer]

Now that we've added a new member to our family, I've noticed our laundry has increased (and that increase seems exponential). I'm curious as to how many loads of laundry per week you do! Here are my stats:

 

6 in our family

15-18 loads per week

(We don't have an extra-large capacity washer.)

[dirty ethel rackham]

We do between 5 - 6 loads in a large capacity washer. We are a family of 5, but no little ones who get terribly dirty. Just a few smelly teens:0.

[smrtmama]

Five in our family, normal-sized washer dryer, 6 loads of clothes laundry twice weekly, 2 loads of cloth diaper laundry weekly, and usually a load of my husband's uniforms or Underarmor every week.

[newlifemom]

There must be some sort of algebraic expression for additional children exponentially increasing the laundry. Any math experts out there to verify this for us? :D

[KinderSafari]

7 in our family.

We have a front load extra large washer.

Average about 1 load a day.

 

Save a LOT with this washer on laundry detergent. Half as much (or more) as we used to use, coupled with the fact that we do half as many loads.

[Tree House Academy]

My laundry increased exponentially when I had my second ds...I can't even imagine 4 kiddoes. I'd never leave the laundry room!

 

There are 4 in my family and I do about 8-10 loads a week in a frontloading washer (not tiny, but not large capacity either). This does not count sheets, blankets, or rugs.

[LauraGB]

On an average week, it would be about 7-8 loads; 2 white (all my towels, napkins, kitchen towels, etc are white, so it makes that load easy), 3-4 colors, 1 red/pink/orange, and 1-2 for sheets/bedding. We have 4 in the family.

[MariannNOVA]

7 in our family.

We have a front load extra large washer.

Average about 1 load a day.

 

Save a LOT with this washer on laundry detergent. Half as much (or more) as we used to use, coupled with the fact that we do half as many loads.

 

Five people here -I am able to do one load a day - will need to do another if there are 'muddies,' or stuff that has to be handled spearately....but the front load extra large washer is a great thing. DH's shirts and office wear go to the dry cleaner -- or his shirts would be another load that would get done once a week.

 

Babies generate ALOT of laundry -- I mean, it's been almost 10 years since we had the twins, but little undershirts, kimonos, onesies, sleepers, crib sheets, receiving blankets.......and we used cloth diapers (which I did twice a week) - they come with alot of STUFF.....most of it wet, smelly, and needing to be washed.

Edited February 28, 2010 by MariannNOVA

[LauraGB]

There must be some sort of algebraic expression for additional children exponentially increasing the laundry. Any math experts out there to verify this for us? :D

 

But then they would have to equate for kids like my ds - at the end of most weeks I've only laundered 3 of his socks and 1 pair of his underwear.:001_huh::ack2:

[Momof1plustwins]

5 in our family. We probably do 7-8 loads or so in a week in a front loader.

[DarlaS]

We average about 8-10 loads per week including towels--but not bedding.

[Carrie12345]

6 people here

2 loads of diapers

2 loads of household cloth (dish/napkin/cleaning)

1 towels

1-2 sheets

1 white

3 color

and at least 2 miscellaneous (wet sheets, throw rugs, couch slip cover, etc.)

 

So, more than a dozen loads a week. I could get away with fewer if I had more cloth on hand or mixed some stuff up, but I don't.

[fairfarmhand]

Six people here, 2 adults, 4 kids under age 12. 12-14 loads per week in a top load xtra large capacity washer. 12 yr. old does her own (3 loads per week). This increases crazily during times of snow, vomit, or diarrhea. One reason we have so much laundry is that we have a farm. Farm=mud/dirtx10.

 

When my youngest was a baby, I was so amazed that one little guy could create so much laundry. His nickname was Mt. St. Helens because he spit up so much. In five minutes on my bed he could create 3 loads of blankets, sheets, etc.

[Jen in PA]

Family of four here. I do regular wash (clothes and towels) 6 days a week. Twice a week I do the extra stuff (tablecloths, linens, throw rugs, etc.). This time of year I often have to throw in an extra load of coats and snow pants. We have a large capacity top-loading washer. I find that I can fit a lot into a washer load, but those mega loads lead to more ironing if I don't dry them as 2 loads, which is as much work as washing 2 loads in the first place.

[Jennifer in MI]

I do one load/day. There are six of us in the family.

 

I have the kids strip their beds on Monday. I keep them by the washer and throw in a sheet here and there throughout the week. I figure it saves me a load each week to do it that way!

[bbsweetpea]

5 here

 

1 load of sheets a week

Every other week 2 loads of heavy blankets

2 loads of towels, cloth napkins, wash clothes etc each week

1 load of whites

2 -3 of colors

[Pippen]

There must be some sort of algebraic expression for additional children exponentially increasing the laundry. Any math experts out there to verify this for us? :D

 

I'm not a math expert but I think it goes like this:

 

LDSbefore + BBY --> LDS squared + 2P - $

 

where P = Pressure

[dirty ethel rackham]

But then they would have to equate for kids like my ds - at the end of most weeks I've only laundered 3 of his socks and 1 pair of his underwear.:001_huh::ack2:

 

Oh, you have that problem, too?!? I tell the boys that they have to pay me for not changing their underwear.

[Halcyon]

we have a not so big machine, 2 kids, and 2 frequently-exercising parents (meaning lots of workout clothes). We do about 1-2 loads a day. It feels endless. :glare:

[alpidarkomama]

We have a family of 6 (kids are ages 2-6) and we do about 6 loads per week in a regular capacity front-loader:

 

1 towels

1 sheets

1 grownups

2 kids

1 kitchen/dining room laundry

 

I always check clothes to make sure they're dirty before tossing them in the laundry. Every morning I toss a load in, shuffle it to the drier at lunch, and in the evening I sort it into the 7 laundry baskets that sit on the back porch by the drier.

[Mabeline]

How funny! I noticed the same thing the other day. I folded three loads of laundry and I only had one pair of boxers for my oldest son. :001_huh:

[Ellie]

When dc were home, there were four of us.

 

One load of children's clothing a week (not counting diapers)

One load of dh's and my clothes combined

One load of dh's tidy whities :-)

One load of towels

One load of sheets

Total: 5 loads a week on average

 

Eventually, dds did their own laundry. I don't know how many loads they did.

 

Now that it's just dh and me, it's 4 loads a week on average.

[rootsnwings]

We have 5 in our family. 2 in cloth diapers. 1 dirty coal miner. ;)

 

We do workclothes 2x/wk

Diapers 3x/wk

Colors 4x/wk

Towels/whites 3x/wk

Bedding .5x/wk (do this every other week)

 

So...11.5 loads for us. CDs really get us. Can't wait to get back to one in cloth!!! ;) We're ALMOST there!!! :D

[Tap]

5 people

 

10 loads of clothes

3 loads of towels.

2-3 of bedding/misc items.

 

 

In the summer we have less cloths but more towels so it evens out.

[funschooler5]

Wow, we do a lot more here than a lot of you! We have a family of 5, and I do about 15 loads of laundry a week. DS is a chronic bedwetter though (That is, he wets the bed every single night. He has had two dry nights his entire life.) and even with him wearing Good Nights I have to wash his bedding almost every day.

[Laura Corin]

Four in our family. One load of clothes every day. Two loads of towels a week. Two loads of sheets about every two weeks. Coats, other incidentals occasionally. So that makes an average of ten or so a week.

 

Laura

[delaney]

I never really counted but it is well over 24 for us with 8 people. Of course we have soccer stuff for 2 boys twice per week, dance clothes several times per week, but that does include sheets and towels.

[Renee in NC]

Front loader here. I do one load every other day or so, then go to the laundromat every other week when it backs up. We would do one load a day, but our septic can't handle it, so I wait until it piles up and go to the laundromat and use their GIANT washers!

[Parrothead]

We have a front loader, and with three of us do a load a day for clothes. Then a load for sheets. Now, my dh creates enough laundry for 2-3 people because he has street clothes, home clothes and uniforms.

[MaMa2005]

Family of three here. I know that adding a child (especially one that came to us at 26 months) exponentially increases the laundry!!!

 

For a regular week, 1 load each of whites/mediums/colors and a load of sheets and one of towels. So 5 loads.

 

However, in the summer, that increases by at least 2 loads as DH is allergic to something :confused: in my homemade laundry detergent. He only breaks out in the heat of the summer so his undershirts/underwear have to washed separately in Gain.

 

Oh and the summer brings playing in the creek so there is usually a load by itself of creek clothes that I wash each night.

 

I am sure there are days when my washer and dryer are silently screaming - "GIVE ME A BREAK!"

[natalie]

We have a family of 9. We have an extra large capacity front loader and I do:

 

5 darks

4 whites

4 "beige"

2 red

3 towels

2 bedding

1 dance clothes

2 sports clothing

 

+ any "special" loads [coats, snowpants, sleeping bags, robes, curtains, etc]

 

 

I used to do laundry throughout the school day, but I can't seem to find the time any more, so now I try to do one in the morning and one in the evening every day, and then I attempt to catch up on Saturday.

[KidsHappen]

There are six people here. Every week I do:

 

A load of towels every other day so three or four a week

A load of reds

A load of blues (sometimes two)

A load of whites (that are bleached)

A load of light colors

A load of jeans

A load of sheets and/or blankets

 

And the teens wash their own laundry. :001_huh:

[Jayne J]

But then they would have to equate for kids like my ds - at the end of most weeks I've only laundered 3 of his socks and 1 pair of his underwear.:001_huh::ack2:

 

I believe this event is balanced out by my daughter, who goes through 2 pair of underwear a day. Not dirty mind you. They just don't match her change of clothing...:glare:.

 

I do about 6-8 loads per week for a family of 5 with a large capacity washer. But my dryer broke yesterday. So it is piling up. Panic attack...

[Tammy]

That seems like an awful lot of laundry to me. I do about 3 loads of laundry a WEEK....and that is with 2 adults and 3 kids. But....we don't put on new clothes every day.....if they aren't dirty....we wear them again!

 

I think some people get carried away with 'clean' clothes.....I mean really....how dirty can they get if you are just hanging around the house.

 

.

[Pippen]

I think some people get carried away with 'clean' clothes.....I mean really....how dirty can they get if you are just hanging around the house.

 

They get plenty dirty hanging on my teen boys!

 

I probably do 15 loads a week for five of us. Bath towels are the killer--I reuse but not everyone in the family does. I also do one seperate load a week for the boys' gym clothes because I don't want to share the joy of the school locker room smell. :tongue_smilie:

[JoyfulMama]

Now, my dh creates enough laundry for 2-3 people because he has street clothes, home clothes and uniforms.

You're singin' my song, sista!

 

 

We have a family of 5. We have an extra large capacity front loader and I do about 14 loads a week. I know because I aim for two every day.

[amyable]

Average about a load a day with 7 people (2 adults, 5 kids from 2yo to 12). Every few days there is an extra load for whatever reason (sheets, towels, finding one child had stuffed all her dirty clothes under her bed ;)). I try to "rest" on Sunday from laundry and do an extra on Monday. I like it - I think we have hit laundry equilibrium here. One load a day allows me to do it pretty mindlessly if I stick it into my routine the same way every day.

 

(but don't look at my house right now. I skipped yesterday and was sick for several days before that. There is a pile of laundry taller than a few of my children put together)

[Ferdie]

I have a normal size washer, (not the large capacity) and I do two loads a day, everyday. This is for a family of five and includes clothes, towels, bedding, kitchen towels/placemats, zip hoodies in the winter and beach towels in the summer. :)

[Aubrey]

There seems to be an underlying assumption here that a) we keep up & b) we count. Mostly a.

 

:leaving:

[edithcrawley]

1 person here, and I only do 1 load a week. Towels/bedding get done every other week, so those weeks I have 2 loads.

[Carrie12345]

That seems like an awful lot of laundry to me. I do about 3 loads of laundry a WEEK....and that is with 2 adults and 3 kids. But....we don't put on new clothes every day.....if they aren't dirty....we wear them again!

 

I think some people get carried away with 'clean' clothes.....I mean really....how dirty can they get if you are just hanging around the house.

 

.

 

My kids can sometimes re-wear jeans, but they get pretty filthy every day. Between wrestling with the cats and dogs, playing on the floor (that the dogs walk over when they come in from the snow), food spills/smears, "art" projects, etc. few outfits escape unscathed. That said, I do wash on the lowest settings with the lowest amount of soap except when I'm washing really filthy stuff.

 

I can't even imagine what 3 loads/wk would look like. Sheets? Towels? 35 pairs of underwear, 35 pairs of socks and a week's worth of clothes for 5 people?

[AngieW in Texas]

I do 7-9 loads/week for my family of 5.

 

Two of those loads are piggie towels. Our guinea pigs use towels in their cages rather than litter. We replace the towels each day because they stink otherwise. I can get 9 piggie towels in one load and that's enough for the piggies to use for 3 days.

 

We have a normal capacity washer. I used to do fewer loads, but now that all three of my girls need daily showers/baths, we go through a lot more. It works out to 1 load/person/week + 2 loads for the piggies each week. Then there are up to 2 more loads for washing bedding or doing an extra load of piggie towels (if I end up washing theirs on Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday).