Laundry questions

@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
January 4, 2010 12:16pm CST
How often do you do laundry? Do you do it all in one specific day of the week or do you throw a load of laundry in every time there is enough to do a load? How many loads of laundry do you average in a week? What kind of detergent do you use? Powdered or liquid? Why did you make this decision? Do you use liquid fabric softener or do you use softener sheets? Again, what made you make this decision? We've been in our house for several months now, but I am still trying to catch up with all of the clothes that were at my mother's house that were never able to get cleaned with having so many people in the house. I have one specific day of the week that I wash the clothes that we've been wearing and then the rest of the time I will throw in clothes that we haven't seen as they were bagged up for the move. We typically use liquid detergent and softener although I did buy some powdered detergent and was quite happy with that as well. I did end up going back to liquid for the simple fact that it wasn't as easy for my son to get into.
6 people like this
52 responses
• United States
5 Jan 10
I do laundry everyday. we have 5 family members 3 kids and I also have to wash my hubby's work clothes. I seem to never get to the end of the pile.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Jan 10
I think the fact that we all have more clothing now then I ever remember having as a child has something to do with it as well. I buy only enough clothes to last my kids and myself a week, but my mother brings them new clothes every time we see them (twice a month or so) as does my husbands side. So now I only buy to fill in but I still have more for them then I ever even dreamed of having. Then there's my Hubby's work clothes. I have to wash them separate and then rinse my washer because of the dirt, grease and chemicals that get on them.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Jan 10
It is definitely true that the more people you have in your house the more often you have to do laundry. My mother always only did hers once a week and I can still remember all of the loads sorted out in the hallway when it was laundry day and I was a child.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I too used to have that same situation of having way too many clothes for my children. Then I realized what I was doing and they are now down to 12-14 total outfits. For my daughter it is seven school outfits (they wear a uniform) and seven play outfits. For my son it is all play clothes and then there is the pajamas and underwear as well.
• United States
5 Jan 10
I do my laundry every week. I have 3 people in the house so it will pile up fast. I use liquid detergent because the powder likes to stick to the clothes and not come out right. I use to use the powder then I quit. It was just a big mess and a waist of money.
1 person likes this
• United States
7 Jan 10
Clothes do smell better when they are washed in the liquid detergent. They become cleaner to washed in the liquid. I have always liked using the liquid better. Some of the liquid detergent is cheaper then the powder. Some people I see still use the powder form.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I've been using liquid detergent as well lately. I think the main reason that I've been using that lately is because of the fact that I've been able to find it on sale. That said, I also really like the way that my clothes have smelt with the detergent that I've been using recently as well.
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I do a load of laundry in the morning before I do anything else, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, I always have enough laundry for a load. I use liquid detergent, the reason is that my mom used to use powder because it was cheaper and if she used cold water (it was well water but I don't know if that made a difference or not) and it would clump up and get all nasty and the clothes would have to be rewashed. I'm not into rewashing already clean clothes but if the soap clumped up, it didn't work anyways. I don't use fabric softener sheets because they end up all over the place, especially when the kids go take something out of the dryer. I love the smell of downy but don't want to have to wait for a rinse cycle every time I do a load of wash so I got myself a squirt bottle and mix half concentrate and half water and just spray a few squirts into the dryer with the clothes in it. Saves me a lot of money, too this way and my clothes still smell like the downy. I have learned though, to help keep up...it only takes about three minutes to fold and hang and another two minutes to put a load away and if I don't get them put away, they get knocked off of hangers, baskets of folded clothes get dug through and unfolded or dirty clothes get thrown on top of the clean basket of clothes and since it makes me so mad that "no one does it" I spare myself an angry moment and just put them away.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I too would put all of the clothes away, but I can't get into my daughter's room. I really mean this in the literal sense, she has blockaded the door so that the dogs can't get out of there at night and in the morning she moves the chair just enough that her little seven-year-old body can get out of it along with the dogs and I cannot get the blockade to move.
1 person likes this
@jezzmay (1845)
• United States
8 Jan 10
I do laundry as I need to. I do not keep a large supply of clothes. I only keep enough to do for a week. I use liquid for I have found this is the best for me. When I used powder I found it left a film on my clothes. I use a fabric sheet. I like this because I do not have to keep up with the rinse cycle. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
8 Jan 10
The reason that I will typically use liquid fabric softener is that my washer does have an automatic dispense of that. I imagine that if I did not have that luxury I would only use softener sheets like you do.
1 person likes this
• Canada
6 Jan 10
I have a disease. It's called Laundriness Procrastinatus. Some of you may be able to sympathise. Symptoms are: 1. Opening the closet to have dirty clothes frusteratingly spill out onto the floor 2. Overwhelming anxiety at the prospect of having to sort garments in numbers that are not countable without advanced math Pray for a cure. Some day, it will come.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
If you ever find a complete cure for it would you please let me know. I've been in therapy for this disease for quite a while but it doesn't seem to be doing very much good for me.
1 person likes this
@niara25 (147)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I don't own any real clothes, only the clothes for work. I usually wash when I run out of clean underwear or if all my work clothes are dirty. That is roughly twice a month. Right now, I'm backed up on my linens so I'll have to wash three or four times a month until I get caught up. I don't have a specific day or time. I use liquid detergent and fabric softener.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
8 Jan 10
I wish that I was able to use my clothing as the judge as to when I needed to do laundry, but with my children that isn't possible because they constantly have something that needs to be washed for a specific day or else they make messes on their clothes that needs to be washed immediately. I can't wait until the day that they are able to keep their clothes clean throughout an entire day and that they don't have specific things that they want to wear on a certain day.
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
3 Mar 11
Hi. dorannmwin. My husband does the laundry every two weeks or so. We don't have a washing machine and a dryer here at home. He goes to the laundromat to wash and to dry our clothes. He usually does them on Thursdays-Sunday. He washes all of the clothes that are dirty from every two weeks. We may have up to 5 loads in a week. We use liquid detergent to wash our clothes in. My husband has been buying this for a long time now, over 10 years. We don't use liquid softener. We only use fabric softener sheets every blue moon. I am the one that makes this decision. My husband is not too much of a big fan of fabric softener sheets.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
4 Mar 11
Wow, that would really be a dream to only have to do the laundry once every two weeks. There was a time that this would have been possible for our family, but I quit buying as many clothes as we used to have and that does mean that the laundry has to be done on a more regular basis.
@harmonee (1228)
• United States
5 Jan 10
I do laundry every couple days. I have an infant and he tends to make a mess of his bibs and blankets sometimes. I use powdered detergent and dryer sheets simply because they cost less and don't seem to do a worse job. It is hard to catch up on laundry when you get behind or get a mass of it very quickly. Good luck!
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Jan 10
It definitely does add up quickly in a house where there are small children. I always have to do an extra load of laundry on the days that I have my nieces as they seem to always make a mess of their clothes when they are at my house.
1 person likes this
@nrn2003 (661)
• United States
5 Jan 10
I do quite a bit of laundry a week. I dont really keep track of how many loads I do in a typical week, but I throw a load on whenever i see a full basket. we have a few baskets around the house so I do it more frequently. I think that is probably why I dont mind to do laundry. I dont make myself do it, i just see it needs done and do it. I dont stress about it. I guess I also have a lot of clothes so I dont need to do it as often. Mostly for my fiance and towels and such,.
@nrn2003 (661)
• United States
5 Jan 10
My fiance somewhat has that problem. He cannot seem to get the hang of putting his clothes into the dirty basket. Thank goodness for the laundry shoot in my bathroom!! Another thing that I do with my laundry, so here isn't any mixup of what is clean and what is dirty, i fold and put away right out of the dryer. That way I know that they are clean.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Jan 10
I've tried having various baskets for myself and my children, but it seems that the kids can not get the hang of keeping their dirty stuff in the basket and they are always just throwing it into my room.
@natnickeep (2336)
• United States
4 Jan 10
Well if all my laundry was caught up I would do a load about every other day. It is my husband, 2 daughters and I in the house but I also babysit my nieces and nephews a lot during the week. So when spills happen and kids are here more gets dirty. I kinda went through some depression when my husband lost his job and have about 10 loads I need to just do, fold, put away, pack up, or even give away. Big Brothers is coming on January 11th to my house and I hope to have lots of clothes to give them. We just have to much. As far as detergent I use liquid, I just don't like the powder. It leaves film on the inside of you washer. And I use dryer sheets because we have dogs and cats and it helps to grab the hair of stuff better. And as far as brands, I am not afraid to say we use the cheap stuff. When I was a kid my mom only used tide because I had sensitive skin, thank goodness I grew out of that. I use xtra from the dollar store. I get a lot of loads out of it and it cleans my clothes great. Only $6 for a big one. :)
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Jan 10
You've brought up a wonderful point here. I too see that when I have my nieces here I go through a lot more clothes than I do when it is only my two children, my husband and myself. On the days that I am watching the girls it is inevitable that I am going to have to wash the clothes that they came here wearing.
• United States
6 Jan 10
Yep for me it is not clothes really but blankets and towels and pillow cases. My 1 year old nephew is quite a messy one.
@hagirl (1295)
• United States
6 Jan 10
I just do laundry when I feel I need too. If my laundry basket is full in bathroom it always gets done whether it is twice a week or once a week. I have to use liquid because powder makes me itch worst with the fibromylagia.
@hagirl (1295)
• United States
7 Jan 10
It is the lazy way HAHA!!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
Wonderful reason that you use the liquid detergent and I really also like the way that you determine when the laundry needs to be done.
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
5 Jan 10
I usually do about two loads a week. Maybe a little more especially in winter with Christmas and all. I live alone so there really isn't all that much to do. I use liquid detergent. I used to use powder and I would get spots on my clothes were it didn't disolve properly. I use both liquid fabric softer and sheets. Sometimes, if it's not a big load or my dryer is acting up I will hang them to dry, then I need liquid.
1 person likes this
@neelimaravi (1793)
• India
5 Jan 10
hi dora,how are you, i do my laundry everyday, one trip daily, some time twice, because once in a week i packup the bedspeards, so, one more trip will come, my kids are small, i think u can understand what i am going to saying. i have to put one trip daily. otherwise it will smell out hole day. have a good day.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Jan 10
I completely understand what you mean about having to frequently do laundry with small children. My son is in the process of potty training right now and it has increased the amount of clothes that I have to wash for the time being.
• India
5 Jan 10
hey, sorry i forgot to give my answer,i use tide surf for the clothes. Tide ditergent is the best for clotes, by using this it won't spoil our clothes. thanks, have a nice day.
@Kalyni2011 (3496)
• India
13 Jan 11
Hello washing of clothes is done by our maid servant daily, she uses the washing machine usually on most of the days, but if there is brown out, she does it by hand only, i wash my blose myself while taking a bath, i like it thnxs for the discussion kalyani
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
4 Mar 11
That is interesting that you have one thing that you like to wash yourself during your bathing ritual. When I was in high school and on the swim team I would always wash my practice suit myself in the shower since it was convenient that way.
• Canada
9 Jan 10
We do laundry only when we need to. We live in an apartment building, and it costs us money to do a load of laundry, so we only do loads of laundry, when ever we can FILL the washer and dryer. We always wait for a full load before we do the laundry, so that we can spend as little money as possible.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 10
Not having a washer and dryer of your own to use, I think that you have the perfect solution to the issue. If I was in your shoes, that would definitely be the way that I would do things as well.
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
6 Jan 10
i do laundry whenever i get to it. i usually have more than one batches of laundry, and end up doing my laundry for more than one day. i have whites, colored, knits and delicate clothes, sheets and towels, gym clothes, socks and underwear, and rags, pet blankets, and couch cover sheets. i buy natural, eco-friendly products that dont test on animals because that is what i am into. i use either power or liquid. but i currently have powder.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I like to also stick to things that don't test on animals because I think that is more friendly to the environment in the long run. However, I'm not sure what the case is on the things that I am using right now because it was given to me.
@fran429 (502)
• United States
24 Jan 10
I try to do all my laundry on the weekends... on average, I do about 4 loads. Towels are done every other week and sometimes I'm feeling generous & I'll wash the kids' laundry too but that'd add on another 5 loads or so. We use liquid soap becuz I don't like the way powder doesn't always dissolve. I also use liquid softener AND dryer sheets. It probably doesn't make much of a difference but I don't think dryer sheets soften enough but they help with static.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
24 Jan 10
I've never personally used both the sheets and the liquid softener because I believe as long as you use one or the other the static is going to be cut from the clothes that you've washed. Four loads of laundry a week isn't bad at all.
• India
6 Jan 10
I do my laundry every day in the morning after everyone in the family had their bath and when the clothes are dry, I iron them also. Piling up dirty clothes increases my work for the next day and then the clothes to be ironed also bundles up and seeing them gives me tension.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
You are committed. I don't think that I would ever be able to commit to a certain time and day to do my laundry every single day.
• Hong Kong
24 Jan 10
I do my laundry everyday and it wasn't fun at all.Because each time,I have to carry those heavy and dirty clothes to the washing machine before I can out it in one by one.Detergent and softener,yes..you can't miss it.What's next?Turn on the machine and then what?Wait for the spinning to stop.Somwtimes I think that what happen it was in there spinning like that for half an hour.I think I will come out fainted immmediately.Well,Time to dry the clothes.Get a hanger and do it one by one.All done but it will never stop because it is just so many clothes at home.One in the morning and one at night.How do you like that?No thanks ...it is surely time consuming.But too bad ,if you want a something clean to wear,you have no choice.Have a nice day Doran.Wow I just found out that you have 3550 post or comment on mylot already,I think you have earned a lot from mylot already and have fun all the times.Mine?only 152 post.We;;,not to bad because I am going to have my first payment after the coming week.Finally,$10.HA HA HA.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
24 Jan 10
Laundry does have a tendency to be a very time consuming chore. Especially if you hang the clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. I'm personally quite fond of my dryer but a big part of that comes from the fact that I don't have space in my house to line dry anything and our backyard isn't good for line drying because there are so many trees.
@acer5540 (354)
• China
6 Jan 10
I do my laundry once per week in winter,and do it everyday in summer. i use detergent powder,because i think it is easy to know how much should use. There only 2 person in the family,i and my husband, we both need to go out for work on working days,so whoever has time will do laundry.Usually it is on weekend.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I think it is great that both your husband and yourself will do the laundry depending on who has the time. My husband works and I am a stay-at-home mommy/wife so I am the one that does the laundry. However, if we were both working outside the house I would like to think that our situation would be the same as yours.