This is for Pink and all. How do you do your laundry?

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I thought of this from conversation during another thread. Why not?

Do you sort colors and whites and use different settings?

Do you use a dryer or a clothes line or both?

Do you use dryer sheets?

Do you swear by a certain brand?

How often do you wash?

Does husband help?

Other comments?
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I will summerize.

I use a washer and dryer and the detergent on sale. I do use dryer sheets. I don't hang my clothes outside. I am not picky about sorting colors except for whites. I wash once a week or so. Husband helps! I buy mostly wash and wear and seldom iron. Laundry was a bigger deal when kids were home but often they did their own laundry.

You?
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I don't sort colors, but do sort fabric types depending on wash cycle/temp needed.

I do not use liquid fabric softener, but do use dryer sheets.

I do laundry once a week unless emergency sheet washing is required (Thomas and I both have our moments...nuff said)

I've never been able to dry clothing outside due to pollen getting on clothing. I use a dryer.

Most of my stuff is either wash and wear or dry it till almost dry and hang it to dry the rest of the way. I have a few items that require ironing.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
I definitely sort whites and colors.

Always use the dryer, except, of course, I hang some of our underclothes to dry, but never outside.

Dryer sheets, but only in the winter to combat static cling.

I’m not particular about brand name detergent, but I always use the Free&Clear stuff. Usually Purex, but I will buy All or other brands if on sale. Tide is the best detergent, hands down, but I only use that if I have particularly dirty or smelly clothes, or stains I can’t get out any other way. It is very harsh, in my opinion, but works well.

I wash whites on Monday, towels on Tuesday, sheets on Wednesday, and everything else when I get enough to make a decent sized load, usually twice per week. Usually Sunday night and Thursdays.

I usually do the washing myself, but my daughter helps. I prefer to be in charge of the laundry, however, we put it away together often. I keep the clothes hanging in the closet in a certain order: for hubby, slacks in one place, button-down shirts, short-sleeved shirts (for work), then jeans, long sleeved casual shirts, short sleeved casual shirts, exercise clothes, etc. For myself, similar groupings. For my daughter, I keep her clothes separated by color, with blue jeans and dresses at one end. Hubby will put away his clothes if he is home, or if I leave a clean load on the bed if I am busy. Generally, I do one load per day, so I don’t get overwhelmed with dirty laundry.

Question—pods, liquid, or dry laundry detergent?

I usually use the liquid, but I found All pods on sale recently and bought a bunch of them. I like them. I have Tide pods, too, for emergencies, and I keep a liquid for hand washing things like daughter’s dance tights and such.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
I was once per week or every two weeks.

I sort by lights and regular clothes. Lights are my work clothes and better clothing. I put that load on 1/2 hour and cold water.

Everything else goes together - other than towels or sheets.

It's just husband and I so don't have a lot of laundry. He does all the cooking so I don't ask for his laundry help.

I use Tide. I also love that it can be used to spot treat (some in the lid and an old toothbrush) and gets pretty much ANYTHING out that way. My husband gets a lot of grease on shirts when cooking...and on the stove and everyplace else too!

I sometimes use Downy, sometimes sheets, sometimes that new stuff that goes right in the washer and for clothes usually nothing. Just for towels and sheets.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Pods are nice. I use them or liquid. I like the smell on clothes after using dryer sheets.

Gosh, friends! If I washed every day, I would never be able to leave my place!But I am in an apartment where all eight families share. Once we move into our house I won't have to watch the clothes so carefully. That should happen the first of July or so.

Do you like frontloaders or toploaders? We bought a front loader, my favorite. I'm so short that I often have to tippy toe to reach the bottom clothes on top loaders...lol. it's a hard knock life for small people;)
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Do you sort colors and whites and use different settings?

Do you use a dryer or a clothes line or both?

Do you use dryer sheets?

Do you swear by a certain brand?

How often do you wash?

Does husband help?

I sort whites and colors, but mostly "whites" are shite and gray and any of Jabber's nicer shirts. If there are shirts, we use the permanent press cycle on both washer and dryer, but after the shirts are removed, back to normal. Everything gets washed on cold except towels, which get hot and sheets, which get warm.

We use a washer (front loading) and dryer. I haven't had a clothes line since I was a child. Anything that says "hang dry" gets hung on a towel-covered hanger.

I use Downey generally. Very occasionally dryer sheets, but not often.

I really like Gain detergent. It seems to do a very good job on odors. We use Downey and do occasionally buy the off-brand, but I generally use the name brand. We also really like Febreeze Laundry Odor Remover. Not sure what the actual name is but it's something like that. We buy it mostly for the dog blankets, though some stinkier clothes get it too.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Oh, I love it, SOT! :)

Do you sort colors and whites and use different settings? Yuppers. Always have separated colours from whites from darks, and each, depending on what exactly I'm laundering gets it's own special treatment. Towels, panties, and socks, always hot water, with a dash of bleach. Darks, as in jeans, tops, etc, warm water wash. Colours, warm water wash once again. When my kids were babies and in diapers, I laundered their diapers in hot water (always), used both bleach and vinegar, too. Rubber pants typically got washed by-hand, then hung out on the clothesline with the diapers to dry.

Do you use a dryer or a clothes line or both? Both. From Springtime until Fall, I clothesline dry as much as possible, whereas when Autumn arrives, it's much too cold and miserable out to line-dry, so the electric tumble dryer get's used. Even during the clothesline drying season I'll occasionally use the tumble dryer, but not often. Two to three times a week I have laundry on the line, but when my kids were little, it was every single day.

Do you use dryer sheets? Nope. Quit using dryer sheets over 20 years ago and have never looked back. Clothes feel cleaner, more healthy without.

Do you swear by a certain brand? Not really. I've used Tide, Sunlight, and Gain, but always buy Clorox bleach. When my kids were in diapers I used to use a special diaper wash detergent called Diaper Pure. Back in my moms day I remember her using Dreft for washing diapers, though she didn't use it all the time.

How often do you wash? Nowadays, 2-3 loads per week, however, back when I had a house full of kids, nearly everyday was the norm. With babies I used to do laundry every other day.

Does husband help? LOL!

Other comments? Totally awesome thread, SOT! Thank you so much for starting it! :)
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Pods are nice. I use them or liquid. I like the smell on clothes after using dryer sheets.

Gosh, friends! If I washed every day, I would never be able to leave my place!But I am in an apartment where all eight families share. Once we move into our house I won't have to watch the clothes so carefully. That should happen the first of July or so.

Do you like frontloaders or toploaders? We bought a front loader, my favorite. I'm so short that I often have to tippy toe to reach the bottom clothes on top loaders...lol. it's a hard knock life for small people;)
You know, I still love the old-fashioned top-loading washing machines! So traditional... so what I remember from my younger years.

Liquid detergent in our house, now, but when my kids were babies I used powder.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
One thing about the old top-loading washing machines, diaper washing was made easy. Downstairs with the plastic diaper pail I'd go, pour pail right into the machine, a quick spin cycle to remove any excess wetness from the diapers before starting the wash cycle, add detergent, close the lid, press the button, and let the washing machine do it's thing.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Oh! I missed the most important part - Does husband help?

Help? Heck, Jabber does the laundry more often than I do! Best Hubby EVER!
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Oh I hang my work clothes, husband's work polos on clothes line in my basement. I put in dryer for five minutes first then hang and all the wrinkles come right out. My mother in law taught me that and it works great.

I do have some ironing but hate it!
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Oh I hang my work clothes, husband's work polos on clothes line in my basement. I put in dryer for five minutes first then hang and all the wrinkles come right out. My mother in law taught me that and it works great.

I do have some ironing but hate it!
Yes, RN, I've done the quick dryer - hanging thing before many times! You can also do it in reverse. As in, take laundry down off the line while still slightly damp, toss in electric tumble dryer, and bam, nice soft laundry. No wrinkles, no stiffness. I used to do it all the time when laundering my kids diapers. Kept them soft and comfy.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Well, aren't you so lucky, Lil! LOL! :)

You're darn tootin'!

He grew up with five sister, one brother, and a mom and dad that both worked. Then 4 years in the Marines and a bachelor into his 30's. His philosophy on chores is you don't do them or not do them based on them being a man's job or a woman's job. You do them because they have to be done.

Back in the day, he was SOOO picky! The very first time I put laundry away for him at his place, he waited until I was gone and then refolded all the socks and underwear. Yes, he folded his socks. I rolled mine and just tossed my underpants in the drawer unfolded! Now he's relaxed a tad, rolls his socks, and I've started to fold panties so we've compromised - but he still can't fold a towel properly. (Pretty sure he'll say it's me who can't do that!) :p
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I can honestly say, if I were raising a young family today, I'd have an old-fashioned top-loader washing machine at my disposal, especially is I was using cloth diapers, but even if I used disposables, because you're washing so many loads of laundry (so often), I find it much easier and more comfortable to reach-down into an old-fashioned top-loading washing machine to remove laundry, than crouching-down all the time to remove it from a front-loading machine.

Those old top-loading washing machines were real mommy machines. :)
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
I love my front-load washer and dryer.

The front-load washing machines have a reputation of getting moldy around the seals, at least in the older ones, but using the cleaning cycle once per month keeps that from happening.

I like the steam clean features on the newer models. I think it gets clothes cleaner.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
You're darn tootin'!

He grew up with five sister, one brother, and a mom and dad that both worked. Then 4 years in the Marines and a bachelor into his 30's. His philosophy on chores is you don't do them or not do them based on them being a man's job or a woman's job. You do them because they have to be done.

Back in the day, he was SOOO picky! The very first time I put laundry away for him at his place, he waited until I was gone and then refolded all the socks and underwear. Yes, he folded his socks. I rolled mine and just tossed my underpants in the drawer unfolded! Now he's relaxed a tad, rolls his socks, and I've started to fold panties so we've compromised - but he still can't fold a towel properly. (Pretty sure he'll say it's me who can't do that!) :p
My husband is so old-fashioned that way. Housework, laundry, baby/childcare, all women's work.

My mom used to roll our socks and stuff them into our dresser drawers, but I found it prematurely wore out the elastics, so as a young teen I requested that she simply fold my socks, and to this day I fold socks instead of rolling. As for panties, I lay the panties out, fold up the crotch, then fold over each side into the centre, and stack.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I love my front-load washer and dryer.

The front-load washing machines have a reputation of getting moldy around the seals, at least in the older ones, but using the cleaning cycle once per month keeps that from happening.

I like the steam clean features on the newer models. I think it gets clothes cleaner.
I've always left the door of my front-loading washing machine open, and to date, no mold, mildew, or odour issues.

My top-loader doesn't have the steam feature. If I ever need a new washer, I will definitely look at getting steam.
 
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