Laundry poll: how often

[Ginevra]

I think I asked this before, but indulge me again if you could. What is your frequency of doing laundry? And, is one person generally washing all the laundry, or is it rotated and/or individualized? Poll to follow....

[momto10blessings]

I voted every day but it's generally only weekdays, not weekends unless there's some kind of bodily fluid accident.

[Cindy in FL.]

I do all the laundry at our house, and I wash at least every other day. I probably do 10-12 loads per week, not including bedding. I work hard to not get behind on washing and try to fold everything the same day. It works for us!

[texasmama]

I do all of the laundry, and I do it every 2-3 days on no real schedule.  It works out okay.

[Ellie]

I answered based on when I had actual children in the house. :-)

 

When the dc were home, we did all the laundry once a week (on Fridays, when I did all the rest of the housework). By the time the dc were, IDK,10 or older, they started doing their own, on their own schedule, and they were very good about not leaving clothes in the washer/dryer, so I don't know how often *they* did laundry. :-)

 

I like doing the laundry on Friday because (1) we have all the clean clothes we need for the weekend, and (2) on Monday, we just...get up. There are no major household chores to do or anything.

 

Now that it's just Mr. Ellie and me, I do our clothing and all the white washcloths/dish cloths/dish towels on Wednesday, and all the towels and bed linens on Thursday. Still have clean clothes on the weekend, and still don't have to do major chores on Monday. :-)

[Ethel Mertz]

Mount WashMore, Mount FoldMore, and Mount PutAwayMore happen frequently at our house.I'm usually the one doing it. I tried to train DS 12 this year to do it, but we ran into a glitch: he's too short to reach all the way into the washer. I do, however, have him bring his laundry down, sort it, and then fold and put away. Alas, I must admit that I don't have a set routine for doing laundry. It usually happens when someone announces they are out of underwear.

[Amira]

One load a day (6-7 loads a weeks).  I do it all since none of us (except dh) own enough clothes to make up an entire load so I don't want to have everyone else do his own laundry.

 

Actually, I'm not doing any of it right now since I broke my foot and cannot get down the stairs to our basement where the washing machine is.  But I'll be happy to do it again because getting one load washed and hung on the drying racks in the morning is quick and easy.

[brehon]

Every. Freaking. Day. Usually 2-3 loads for my family of 8.

 

Dh or I usually do the laundry; however, my eldest 2 are going to start doing their own.

[JustEm]

5 people in our house. I do laundry 2 times a week but it's at least 2 or 3loads each of those days. Currently I wash all the laundry and we all fold and put it away together. When each kid turns 9 they will be responsible for their own laundry.

[Farrar]

Dh does the laundry. He runs the loads at night while he's working. We both fold. Everyone puts away. My boys are ten. It's my thinking that in the next year or two, I will start them doing their own laundry. The fact that the basement is more accessible now for various reasons is hopefully going to change things.

 

I'm happy with it... but it's not my job, so you should probably ask dh. He does like to grumble at us about it. We wear too many pants, apparently.

[Dory]

I throw a load in every morning and on Fridays I switch things around at lunch and put in a new load and another one when school is done. Friday's is bedding day. Otherwise it's just a load in the morning and into the dryer at lunch. My oldest ds usually throws his in on Monday morning (and puts his whites in my whites basket for me to do later in the week). Dd will throw hers in (with a reminder still) on Tuesdays, and my youngest throws his in on Thursday, usually. Often the youngest forgets and I just push his off a couple days and throw it in on the weekend. Wednesday I get towels and whites done. Sunday I get kitchen linens done. Evenings I tend to fold while I watch something.

[Word Nerd]

I try to do a load or two a day (including folding) so that I don't get behind enough to have to do multiple loads in one day. My older DD usually does her own.

[PeacefulChaos]

To expound on my poll answers:

 

I don't have a set schedule for laundry.  I do it when one of the baskets looks full - whether that be sheets (we rotate sets so I don't have to get them all done immediately to go back on beds, MUCH easier that way!!), towels, or DH and I's clothes.

The kids are responsible for their own laundry.  Each has their own laundry basket in their room, and when it's full it's their job to bring it to the laundry room.  I don't mind doing their laundry, though Link knows how to do it himself.  I ONLY do the actual putting in the washer/dryer though... Link and Astro are also both responsible for folding and putting away their own clothes.  Pink, I still fold hers, but she puts them away.

I'm very happy with the way we do it.  I guess some people may look at what I do and think it's too lazy on my part/strict on the kids, but I don't feel that way, so I really don't care. :P  It's how it gets done, and I am really pleased with it.  :)

[Catherine]

It has always seemed most efficient for me to do it, and I do it chronically\daily. However, my kids are older and I have a young adult bonus child who does his own. My big kids do their own when they want something and it's dirty. They know to put in enough to make a load as our washer won't run with only a couple of things in it.

[hornblower]

hardly a day goes by where there isn't a load of laundry in. Kids do their own & have been doing so since early teens. They do their own bedding too.

Dd washes her scrubs after each shift separately from any other items as she might have gross zoonotic diseases or parasites on her.

Either dh or I shove in all the towels in every few days.

Dh & I often do our own clothes separately.  I wash my exercise stuff after each workout & my other stuff when I start to run out of clothes.

Kitchen dish cloths & tea towels get done every few days & as do the dogs' towels (separately, not together LOL!) - usually by whoever is walking by downstairs & sees the big pile.

[Ottakee]

Laundry is typically Monday and Thursday unless a special need or mess dictates otherwise.  I generally do the laundry and don't really mind at all.  One dd will do her own occ. but then it is either everything together in one load or a bunch of tiny loads so often it is easier if I do a load of white, colors, darks, and if needed towels/bedding.  It saves on laundry loads etc.

 

The kids must bring down/up their own laundry and then put it away.

[Renthead Mommy]

I usually do a light load and a dark load a week.  If I've stretched it to a week and a half then a load of shirts, a load of pants/jeans, and undies with towels.  My 12 yo will do his own load (one load for all) a week. He has learned that if he does it when I can hang it out on the line, not only do I move it from the washer, but it comes back to him folded, versus him having to pull it out of the dryer and fold it himself.  He looks forward to sunny laundry days even if he does pick on his mother for being a tree hugging freak...

 

But I do laundry when the basket is full, but there has to be enough for a full load. 

 

[Arcadia]

My hubby does the laundry. He does a load when the washer is 3/4 full. That is usually once or twice a week.

[Carrie12345]

Usually every day for 5-7 people.  I basically do all the laundry, but I often have the kids empty the dryer or move clothes from wash to dry.  I'm mostly satisfied with that.  I mean, I'd rather not do it all myself, but I also don't need people messing with my system.  :tongue_smilie:   Our water pressure stinks and our hot water tank is small, so I also have to account for everyone's shower timing and dish washing.

[mom31257]

I chose something else on who does it becuase no others seemed to fit. I normally start loads, but everyone else helps with different aspects. Dd does the next most, often moving to the dryer and hanging up/folding. Dh always puts his own stuff away. I've started having ds hang up his own things and putting them away. We are very good at rewearing things that aren't dirty and not over using towels. 

 

As far as when, I don't have set times of the week because it just varies. I do it when it needs to be done. I think that usually translates into 2-3 days a week, but sometimes I do it all in one day. 

 

Our loads include:

whites 

medium colors 

darks 

Ds' clothes (a separate detergent)

2 loads of towels per week

sheets

reds (not too often)

 

 

[PeachyDoodle]

Most weeks, I wash 3-4 loads of clothes on Tuesday and another 3-4 on Friday. I wash sheets and towels on Thursdays.

 

I usually wash/dry/fold and put away mine, dh's and ds's. Dd puts away her own. I will probably start teaching ds to put his away next year, but I am rather picky about how clothes go in the drawer/closet so I plan to wait until he has the motor skills to do it properly. I still have rounds with dd on occasion over cramming wadded up clothing into her drawers. :glare:

[idnib]

We generate an average of one load/day. In one week we have:

 

2 loads of darks

1 load lights

1 load whites

1 load towels/dishcloths/napkins

2 loads bedding

 

I said 2-3 times/week because we often do multiple loads on the same day. I try to get caught up Fridays so we're not tied to the laundry weekends. We used to do it all on the weekends and it seemed we couldn't get out of the house for more than a couple of hours because there was always something needing to be washed, dried, or folded.

 

We all do laundry. I usually sort it and get it into the basket, the kids usually run it and move it to the dryer, DH or I fold, and everyone puts theirs away.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I put almost every single load of wash in.  

I put clothes in the drier 80% of the time.  

I take clothes from the drier about 40% of the time.  

I put away 10-20% of the laundry.  

 

It works for us....mostly.  

[Ausmumof3]

Usually every day. Wash then hang the first load before school, second load on and hung out while kids have morning snack time. I'm pretty happy with it in summer, but winter is hard as we don't have a drier and it can build up. I need an undercover clothes line. I would also like to wash the kids bedding more often.

[Guest]

To expound on my poll answers:

 

I don't have a set schedule for laundry. I do it when one of the baskets looks full - whether that be sheets (we rotate sets so I don't have to get them all done immediately to go back on beds, MUCH easier that way!!), towels, or DH and I's clothes.

The kids are responsible for their own laundry. Each has their own laundry basket in their room, and when it's full it's their job to bring it to the laundry room. I don't mind doing their laundry, though Link knows how to do it himself. I ONLY do the actual putting in the washer/dryer though... Link and Astro are also both responsible for folding and putting away their own clothes. Pink, I still fold hers, but she puts them away.

I'm very happy with the way we do it. I guess some people may look at what I do and think it's too lazy on my part/strict on the kids, but I don't feel that way, so I really don't care. :P It's how it gets done, and I am really pleased with it. :)

When kids do their own, do they put everything in one load? This is the main reason I do all the laundry most of the time. dS15's basket is generally full of darks that could all be washed together, but DD17 has all sorts of delicates, or bright colors, or indigo jeans, or whatever that I would not expect could all go in together. So it makes more sense to combine our loads.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I answered one person does it whenever it calls. But I also answered not happy. I have always done best when I do laundry every day, start to finish. It's too overwhelming for me to save it all for one day. We're not doing too bad on the 'schedule' we're on now. I'd say twice during the week I do a load or two and then on the weekend we typically get it caught up. But I would rather have a solid schedule down.

I used to do:

Mon - Adult's clothes

Tue - Kid's clothes

Wed - Towels

Thur - Adult's clothes

Fri- bedding

Doing however many loads was necessary to get that group done. I might try doing this again, I really liked it when I stayed on top of it before.

[PeacefulChaos]

When kids do their own, do they put everything in one load? This is the main reason I do all the laundry most of the time. dS15's basket is generally full of darks that could all be washed together, but DD17 has all sorts of delicates, or bright colors, or indigo jeans, or whatever that I would not expect could all go in together. So it makes more sense to combine our loads.

Yeah, everything is together.  

Granted, I do the same thing - just dump all the clothes from the basket into the washer. :)  I used to sort but over time realized it really didn't matter.  

[MeAndTheBoys]

Funny--I was just hanging laundry and wanted to start a poll here or on the SL forums.  Thanks for doing it for me, lol.

 

I do the laundry, I don't mind.  Although when the boys are teens, they need to learn how so we'll switch over.  My mom NEVER let me do mine, and I learned in college--wish I'd had some "practice".

 

I use a lot of rags and handtowels in the kitchen and around the house to save on paper towels.  So I have enough of those plus socks, undies, sheets, other "hot water" stuff to do one load every day, so I ALWAYS do a hot load.

 

Usually every other day, I do a "clothing load" in cold, and I dry them for about 5-10 minutes and hang them the rest of the way (I have a drying stand in my garden tub in the master bath).  Most of our clothes are old enough that they don't need sorting, other than a few bright-brights that might run and a few white shirts that would benefit from not washing with colors.  Or maybe I"m just not good at telling what needs sorting, so I don't.

 

Clothes hang to dry for about 1 1/2-2 days, then they are ready to go in closets.

 

We have a laundry chute from the upstairs hall to the laundry room; all kids' rooms are upstairs, master is downstairs.  So no one has a hamper, and the laundry builds up quickly in the small laundry room (it's just a pass-through from the garage to the family room--maybe 6 feet long, 4 feet wide).  So I really have to stay on top of laundry.  I prefer to just do it and put it away in small bits rather than waiting until huge piles need to be washed, folded, and/or put away.

 

I put most of it away, but dh and ds-es help some.

 

B--

[shawthorne44]

DH and I both do laundry, but we do certain things exclusively.  He isn't allowed to do my clothes except for socks and underwear.  He does his clothes and DD's clothes except for nice dresses.  Towels are 50/50.  

 

I said Happy, but there is one problem.  The dryer is at the house being remodeled and the washer is at the house we are living in. The dryer is gas and can't be installed in the house we are living in.  So, DH washes a bunch of stuff that will go in the dryer, and takes it wet to the next house on Friday.  Sometimes it can take a few weeks to get particular things back to where they are stored.  For example, I have a pair of sweat pants that are missing at the moment.

[hornblower]

When kids do their own, do they put everything in one load? This is the main reason I do all the laundry most of the time. dS15's basket is generally full of darks that could all be washed together, but DD17 has all sorts of delicates, or bright colors, or indigo jeans, or whatever that I would not expect could all go in together. So it makes more sense to combine our loads.

 

I think of this is as training for living in an apartment on their own. You don't pool laundry with others, you just do your own. If you have an odd single item, you either wait or just wash it on its own or handwash or pay to have it drycleaned. Dd's pretty careful about the kinds of clothes she purchases because she doesn't want to fuss with laundry. She's willing to machine wash & hang to dry, or machine wash & throw in the dryer. She has very few things that can't handle that. She'll usually have a lights & darks load. 

 

Dd & I do frequently pool our exercise & yoga stuff because we often work out together but her other clothing, she's got to figure out herself.

 

Ds dumps in everything in one load, always. I let go of that years ago. His stuff, his decision.  I just insist on clean clothes.

We wash on cold most of the time so it's just the electricity of running the machine that's the cost & I don't worry about that. The dryer probably adds up but I was willing to spend the $ to get this life skill solidly in their repertoire.

 

Can't say I've really truly succeeded. They're both prone to just dragging up their laundry baskets of clean clothes & living out of the basket, skipping the closet altogether. :001_rolleyes:

[Laura Corin]

Most days; all of us, but more often one of the parents.  Children do more washing when they are not busy with school work (so school holidays and weekends).  It works fine.  Each of us does laundry for the whole family.

 

L

[shawthorne44]

...

Can't say I've really truly succeeded. They're both prone to just dragging up their laundry baskets of clean clothes & living out of the basket, skipping the closet altogether. :001_rolleyes:

 

Hey!  That is a valid option  :lol:

[happypamama]

I do most of the laundry. I sometimes set it up at night, and DH starts it in the morning, and sometimes he runs a load, and sometimes he or one of the two big kids switch from washer to dryer, but most of the time, I do it. I don't mind. I have a system and am completely happy to do the laundry. 6yo son collects laundry from around the house every morning and brings it to the laundry room, and I fold it when it's done. DH sometimes pulls his stuff out and outs it away, if i get behind on folding, and the three big kids put away their own folded laundry (I leave it at their spot at the table), while I put away the rest. DD does know how to run a load, and I believe I have shown 9yo son too, but he may not remember.

 

I do at least one load every weekday, although sometimes I skip one. Usually I do two loads each weekday and one or two on Saturday. I'm happy when I don't have to do a load on Sunday. But I have five children, three of who are still very young, and we use cloth everything. Two loads a week are just diapers.

 

Also, I don't sort much. Most of our stuff is some variation of dark. When DD wore a lot of pink, and when DH worked on construction crews, I sorted more. Now, I just pull out stuff that's extra light, or delicate, or that needs stain treatment, and I set it all aside until I have some free time to attend to it. So I might go, "oh, I need that skirt, so I'll wash DD's delicate shirts and a sweater and this other skirt and that blouse." If I know I have something that might bleed, I wash it specifically with other dark things, and it use the color catchers. We have very hard water, so whites don't stay white anyway, and we have few of those. Martial arts pants and jackets get washed every few weeks (t-shirts get washed weekly or close to weekly, depending on how sweaty the kids are), separately, because they have to be hung to dry and so that they don't get lost in other clothing. And sheets and towels I do as needed, or when it's been a while, or when I have some extra room in a load.

[Guest]

I think of this is as training for living in an apartment on their own. You don't pool laundry with others, you just do your own. If you have an odd single item, you either wait or just wash it on its own or handwash or pay to have it drycleaned. Dd's pretty careful about the kinds of clothes she purchases because she doesn't want to fuss with laundry. She's willing to machine wash & hang to dry, or machine wash & throw in the dryer. She has very few things that can't handle that. She'll usually have a lights & darks load.

 

Dd & I do frequently pool our exercise & yoga stuff because we often work out together but her other clothing, she's got to figure out herself.

 

Ds dumps in everything in one load, always. I let go of that years ago. His stuff, his decision. I just insist on clean clothes.

We wash on cold most of the time so it's just the electricity of running the machine that's the cost & I don't worry about that. The dryer probably adds up but I was willing to spend the $ to get this life skill solidly in their repertoire.

 

Can't say I've really truly succeeded. They're both prone to just dragging up their laundry baskets of clean clothes & living out of the basket, skipping the closet altogether. :001_rolleyes:

This makes sense, I gotta say. Maybe start of the new year, I give the task to the teens to do themselves, or dd at least. Ds does sometimes wash his clothes just because he needs certain things and he knows I would howl with laughter if he said he wanted me to wash one particular shirt. :) i don't know, though, if he will cry "unfair!" If I give them both the task at the same time.

 

And for your last point, ALL of my kids do this; their clean clothes rarely make it into the drawers/closets, except for when I grouse at them because I need the baskets. So I have come to care little about that.

[RebeccaS]

Family of 7 here.  I oversee the laundry operation.  My four oldest have weekly rotating chores, so every week two of them are on laundry duty as part of their chores.  They help with all aspects of it under my supervision.  Since I have two kids on laundry duty each week, that means they do laundry two out of four weeks.  Dh helps if we get behind and youngest ds helps by moving things from basket to basket and making me crazy.  :D

[Erica in OR]

Poll didn't fit what we do.

 

Laundry is typically done daily Tues through Sat. Each day is assigned to someone/something: 10 year old, DH/me, 12 & 14 year olds, towels, sheets. The kids do their own on their day. I do ours, towels, sheets, along with toddlers' laundry when needed.

 

I'm satisfied.

 

Erica in OR

[cjzimmer1]

A minimum of one load is done everyday but often 2-3.  But the bathroom (where our laundry is located) is at the end of the hallway with all 3 bedrooms doors there as well.  We have two hampers that sit in the hallway for white/light and darks (towels remain in the bathroom) that everyone puts their laundry in.  So it's super easy to run a load.  I don't have to walk more than 5 feet to grab a hamper and stuff in as much fits.  From there the kids switch, fold, and put the laundry away (with much prompting from me). BUt with 8 people those hampers are always full at the end of the day and make it an easy reminder to throw a load in.

[73349]

I do one (sometimes two) a day, five to seven days a week. It works fine. I have a hamper for everyone's whites, but we each have a hamper for the rest of our things. I often combine DS's and my darks.

 

When DH washed his own clothes, they were always in my way when I wanted to laundry. And he's no good at folding, so I didn't want him doing mine anyway. I don't mind just washing it all.

[HS Mom in NC]

Something else. 

 

Everyone in my house does their own laundry-even my husband, the pickiest of them all.   Everyone's happy about it.  They do it when they want it done and they do it the way they want it done. I do mine, the kitchen cloths and placemats and the towels about once a week. Sometimes I tell someone else to do the towels. Others vary in frequency.

[Pawz4me]

I voted primarily one person, but in reality it's always one person -- me.

 

I voted whenever it calls to me, but in reality I have a schedule for sheets and towels and do the rest whenever there's enough.  I sort darks, colors and whites and throw in a load whenever there's enough of one category to make a decent sized load.  I don't ever let huge mounds of laundry pile up.  It's all folded or put on hangers and put away immediately.  No leaving clean clothes in the dryer or baskets.

 

I've been doing the same thing for many years, so I guess that's a good indication that I'm satisfied with it. ;)

 

ETA:  I've never gotten on the bandwagon of having the kids do their own because (1) I don't mind doing laundry and in fact kind of enjoy it and (2) it seems terribly inefficient and a waste of resources.  When oldest was ready to go off to college I spent maybe 15 minutes teaching him how to do laundry.  That included sorting instructions and instructions on using a color catcher sheet if he didn't want to sort.  IMO for any kid smart enough to get into college, learning to do laundry shouldn't be a difficult skill to pick up.  It really doesn't require a lot of advance training. ;)

[nukeswife]

We're fly by the seat of our pants laundry folks.  My kids laundry is all washed separately, the only people's clothes ever mixed together in a load are dh and my clothes.  My older two kids do their laundry whenever they feel the need and have since they were about 9 and 11.  My youngest is still too short to reach in the washer and top load dryer, so I do his when ever he brings his full hamper to me.  The laundry of my dh and I get's done whenever one of us grabs a load and puts it in.  I also don't wash sheets on any set schedule, it's totally random, and could be as often as weekly and as few and far between as monthly. 

[Garga]

We wear our clothes numerous times between washings as long as they don't stink. Sometimes in the winter, I can wear the same shirt 4 times or so before it's stinky. I can wear jeans for a few weeks before they need to be washed. Bedding, towels, and jammies are also used multiple times. Sheets are only done once a month or so. Dishcloths/rags and small towels for drying hands in the bathroom are changed out daily.

 

I guess it sounds gross when I admit to it in writing, but we're really healthy around here so it seems to be ok. (?)

 

With that said, I look each day at the 3 bins: whites, darks, underwear. When a bin gets full, I wash it. The bins get full faster in the summer because the clothes get stinky/sweaty in the summer. I suppose I do about 3 loads a week in the winter and 5 in the summer. There are 4 of us.

[Garga]

ETA: I've never gotten on the bandwagon of having the kids do their own because (1) I don't mind doing laundry and in fact kind of enjoy it and (2) it seems terribly inefficient and a waste of resources. When oldest was ready to go off to college I spent maybe 15 minutes teaching him how to do laundry. That included sorting instructions and instructions on using a color catcher sheet if he didn't want to sort. IMO for any kid smart enough to get into college, learning to do laundry shouldn't be a difficult skill to pick up. It really doesn't require a lot of advance training. ;)

I read a story in the Reader's Digest a few years ago. It was in one of their funny columns where people could write in true funny stories.

 

One woman wrote about how when her husband was in the air force he learned to fly fighter jets. He came home and she fawned all over him, "Wow! You were able to learn all those buttons? You are able to do all these difficult maneuvers?" He was puffing up with pride and telling her how hard it was and all the things he knew how to do, etc.

 

Then she looked him at and flatly asked, "Then how come you can't figure out how to use the washing machine in our basement?"

[foxbridgeacademy]

Every day, many loads per day.  I'm the only one who washes/dries (so no not happy) but the washer/dryer are attached to my bedroom.  The kids bring me their dirty clothes basket, I wash each person clothes separately, wipe out basket then return to child.  What they do with them is a compromise of what I want and what they are willing to do.  Clean clothes go into a big hamper that they keep in their closets.  There's no dirty clothes on the floor mixed in with clean clothes that never got folded (used to be a big problem).   

[Justified]

Laundry gets washed and dried everyday by me. The kids start hanging up their shirts and folding everything else at age four. Older siblings do the hanging and folding for the 3 year old. I take delegation seriously. ;) my time is better suited elsewhere.

[Closeacademy]

I actually do 3-4 loads a week over 2-3 days.  Everyone sorts their own dirty laundry and they fold and put away their own clean clothes.  I just wash and dry.

[Amy in NH]

I used to do at least one load every day, but lately (for the past year or so) I've been doing a whole bunch of loads two or three times per week and then calling a mandatory "laundry folding party" where everyone helps to get it folded and put away.

[IsabelC]

Our kids create a lot of laundry, so we aim to get at least 3 loads a day through.

Each kid does her/his own clothes when their tub is full, plus each day one kid is rostered to help me with general laundry (although the girls only load the machine, sort and fold, as Mr. 11 is the only one who can easily reach the line for hanging things out).

[Critterfixer]

One to two loads daily, and all the linens go on Sunday. Everybody helps with folding and putting away most of the time, but soaps and sundry are really too high up for the kids to handle, and the DH tends to use too much detergent, so I typically handle the washing and drying. Things get folded and put away properly when I am handling it, so that is satisfactory. When I'm not home things don't go so well.

[gardenmom5]

I generally do wash once a week - but towels/rags & tablecloths get down when there is a load. there wasn't a choice for that.

adult kids do their own.  minor kids are expected to put their own away.  (and I only have one of those . . . . )