Q for those who have their kids do their own laundry

[Tap]

Ds does his own laundry for a few years. He used to do it when I wasn't home so I really never noticed/thought about how he did it. He was taught to sort laundry into colors/fabrics when he would help me as a little kid. So, now he sorts his too. Great! Except that he does 1 large load of denim/sweats, 1 medium load of colors, 1 small white load of whites (socks and 7 pair of underwear) and 1 small load of reds every other week (3 t-shirts).

 

My q is....do you ask your kids to add other peoples laundry to their own to make a full load or do you just let them do small loads of their own. We have Duets front load washers that set the load size automatically, but I know it still wastes electricity to wash such small loads.

 

I like that he is so independent, but it also bugs me when I find just a couple shirts in the wash/dryer.

 

 

When I do a load of reds I will grab his to add to mine so that isn't happening as often any more but he usually washes his clothes on Saturday and I do family laundry on Sunday. I don't like to ask him to hold his laundry to wash with ours...as this defeats the purpose of having him do his own. LOL

[justamouse]

My olders do their own loads, but they also know not to 'waste' a load. And, it's all right there so it's not some monumental task to reach into the hamper and pick out something that goes.

[Chris in VA]

Mine wash colors together and don't have any reds.

If they need to do whites, they can change their sheets at the same time, or grab towels--we don't use bleach except for the occasional load.

[Tutor]

Yes, but it doesn't happen very often since we don't really sort laundry. :) Everything gets washed together in cold except the dry clean only and delicate items (of which the kids have very little). I collect as many whites as I can find about once a month and run them through a hot wash, and I wash the dry clean only and delicates as the baskets for those fill up.

[KrissiK]

My kids don't sort. Most of their laundry is play clothes anyhow and so it really doesn't matter. If there's some good clothes that need to be washed, I'll take it and add it to one of my loads. Our water is metered and very expensive, so we make sure we do full loads!

[joannqn]

I'd add the reds into the denim or the colored load if they aren't brand new.

[Peela]

We wash in cold water and just do colored and white washes. White washes are often kept back until there is enough for a decent load.

[In The Great White North]

I have them throw in towels. There are always dirty towels (swimming family). And they only sort into "light" and "dark."

[hornblower]

My kids just do light & dark.

 

Grey things (sweats & shorts etc) can swing either way :D in my home so if the light load is small, the greys go with the whites. If it's a biggish white load, the greys go with the darks.

 

& yes - we do the towel thing too (even though we're not a swimming family; we're just a "one or two uses before washing towels" family :D)

[missmoe]

You know--if I had a teenager that did his laundry that well on his own (without any nagging on my part), I'd let it be. My kids all do their own laundry. They've been taught how to do laundry, but how they choose to do it is their business. I still have to remind my teenage boy to finish his laundry. He starts it, but doesn't always finish it. So, if yours is finishing it and not shoving in a huge load, I would leave well enough alone.

[Perry]

We just sort into colors and whites. I'd combine the reds with denim.

[Tap]

Thanks everyone...I am a picky launderer. LOL

 

I don't have him combine red with denim because his sweats are in that load and I do not like fuzz balls on clothes. I know some don't care but they make clothes look really worn out to me way before their time of being worn out.

 

Same with towels and socks...they are washed alone (or with items like underwear) not with clothes...ever.

[hornblower]

I never have problems with fuzzballs but I think that's because I only buy 100% cotton sweats. Poly cotton stuff seems to pill up & fuzz before I even get it home, never mind going through a wash....

[Tap]

I never have problems with fuzzballs but I think that's because I only buy 100% cotton sweats. Poly cotton stuff seems to pill up & fuzz before I even get it home, never mind going through a wash....

 

Team sweats...we didn't have a choice of fabrics.

[Renee in NC]

Yes, but it doesn't happen very often since we don't really sort laundry. :) Everything gets washed together in cold except the dry clean only and delicate items (of which the kids have very little). I collect as many whites as I can find about once a month and run them through a hot wash, and I wash the dry clean only and delicates as the baskets for those fill up.

 

:iagree:

[Renee in NC]

Thanks everyone...I am a picky launderer. LOL

 

I don't have him combine red with denim because his sweats are in that load and I do not like fuzz balls on clothes. I know some don't care but they make clothes look really worn out to me way before their time of being worn out.

 

Same with towels and socks...they are washed alone (or with items like underwear) not with clothes...ever.

 

Where do fuzz balls come from? I've never noticed them.

[Tap]

Where do fuzz balls come from? I've never noticed them.

 

It isn't like a full little ball of fuzz, but just a texture difference and a worn look, like it has fuzz balls on the fabric. LOL I am probably ultra sensitive to this....it seems like most people don't notice. :D I am a very, very visual person and I notice details that no-one else would notice and if they did...they wouldn't care.

[regentrude]

That is precisely the reason why my kids do NOT do their own laundry - it is not effective in terms of water and energy use. If laundry is done, it is done for the whole family and only after at least a medium size load of that color has collected.

If they MUST have ONE particular shirt before that, they can handwash.

regentrude

[Renee in NC]

It isn't like a full little ball of fuzz, but just a texture difference and a worn look, like it has fuzz balls on the fabric. LOL I am probably ultra sensitive to this....it seems like most people don't notice. :D I am a very, very visual person and I notice details that no-one else would notice and if they did...they wouldn't care.

 

That explains it then - I don't notice anything!:lol: And, I don't care about most things either!:tongue_smilie:

 

A great benefit to only getting used clothes (for the most part) is that they are already worn when you get them.:D

[Ellyndria]

I always have a red and black load, and if the denim is dark and there's room, I throw that into the red and black load as well.

[Tap]

That explains it then - I don't notice anything!:lol: And, I don't care about most things either!:tongue_smilie:

 

A great benefit to only getting used clothes (for the most part) is that they are already worn when you get them.:D

 

LOL .... my mil once went around her house and turned 24 candy canes, strewn about in different places, the same direction; unless they were in mirrored positions like on opposite sides of a door way. When we came for dinner, I noticed and mentioned it. She laughed and said she did it FOR ME! She thought I would notice and thought it would bug me if they weren't positioned appropriately. LOL I laughed at her knowing me soooo well.

 

Even her Christmas tree had all the candy canes pointed the same way. LOL

 

I am wayyyyyy to visual for my own sanity sometimes. :D

[KidsHappen]

My kids only sort into whites and darks even though I taught them otherwise. The 13 year old is not doing her own laundry yet as it is easier to do hers and her sisters together. However, her friend was over today and when I told my dd to be sure to put her hamper in the laundry room so I could wash them her friend said, "OMG! Your mom still does your laundry? I have to do my own." Somehow, I don't think that she is going to find that terribly motivating though.

 

As a general policy though, I don't complain about any work that anyone else does. ;)

[eternalknot]

I like that he is so independent, but it also bugs me when I find just a couple shirts in the wash/dryer.

 

 

When I do a load of reds I will grab his to add to mine so that isn't happening as often any more but he usually washes his clothes on Saturday and I do family laundry on Sunday. I don't like to ask him to hold his laundry to wash with ours...as this defeats the purpose of having him do his own. LOL

 

Could he say to y'all that he has a small load, and see if there is anything of YOURS he could add to make his more full?? That's what we do ... whomever is washing, just asks if anyone has anything to add. When I say "we" I mean my extended family, but we live very close LOL. I'm dropping of my few whites at my mom's house in the morning, and taking her dish towels to wash with my linens :tongue_smilie: Seems it might work for a family under one roof, too!

[Carrie12345]

Well, I'm not quite there yet.

With so many kids in the house, I doubt it would ever be efficient for me to have them doing their own laundry. We already sort when we bring clothes to the central laundry "station", so I think it would make more sense to have everyone take turns throwing a load in, regardless of whose clothes they actually are.