Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

[Anonymous]

I've found the only upside of stink bugs.

We were getting three or four a night in our laundry room in the basement. They would usually land in loads I took out of the dryer and left there to fold later.

I was so grossed out that they touch the clothes or that they get inside them that I immediately bring clothes upstairs to fold after the dryer, no leaving anything behind for stink bugs to cozy up to.

Has worked wonders to reduce the piles of laundry .

[Anonymous]

I wash everything in cold--it stops stains from setting in and your clothes keep their colors longer.

[Anonymous]

I find that the time I waste on DCUM significantly lengthens the number of days it takes me to get around to putting away or folding the clean laundry....

On a more serious note, we frequently have houseguests (lots of visiting relatives) and I find that just one visit sets me back a long way in laundry. Between washing their linens and all the laundry that gets delayed while they are here, since our laundry room is in the basement as is the guest room, guests= screwed on the laundry front. There are always at least 4-6 loads waiting to be washed somewhere in our house, including the bedroom hampers. And we are just beginning the summer-wet-towels-from-camp-and-the-pool season, oh joy.

[Anonymous]

I was just at a friend's place and her 6 yr old does the family laundry - that is his chore to earn his allowance. Mom brings all the laundry to the laundry room and the child does the rest...right up to folding and putting piles on beds. He is great at it and takes it very seriously.

[Anonymous]

I've never sorted laundry and absolutely don't get this practice. I've never had anything bleed into my whites. I will wash my kids' new clothes separately the first time since kids clothes do seem to be bright and colorful, but after that, it all goes into together. We do everything in cold water, I find the clothes last longer (less shrinking, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:23:30 here- another secret tip that we figured out way too late- have them clean one bathroom item every Sat am - every three weeks the whole thing is cleaned at least once...

One week its toilet, the next sink and then next tub.... No matter what trash is emptied each week. We do this in exchange for having text turned on the phone...

It could probably stand to get cleaned more often, but I figure a kid-cleaned bathroom in a 3 week cycle is a decent accomplishment.

You wouldn't know it from DD's room, but I do think she is picking up some housecleaning skills...

I'd really worry about kids (9or 10) cleaning toilets --even with gloves on, the potential for transmission of really nasty fecal bacteria is very high.

so it's better for mom or the maid to do it? A kid can wash his or her hands just as easily as an adult can. Also, I use a brush, not sure what you are doing, PP.

Start them young, people. By the age of 12, a child should be handling a large percentage of a household's chores.

I like your idea in theory? do you actually have kids? Even at 12 they clumsily knock down a toothbrush on the floor (or worse, the toilet) and pick it up. You have to use a sponge to get behind in the crevices of a toilet bowl and to sop up extra water. Kids will forget to put on a glove or touch their hand to their mouth doing this--even up to twelve. Yes, the maid or I would be more likely to understand the consequences of contamination. E.coli bacteria kills. A 10 year is supposed to understand this? How do you use your kids as guinea pigs this way? Don't get me wrong, I believe they should bo as many chores as possible--but that one seems really risky.

[Anonymous]

These two machines are our exact washroom set up. With 3 kids we use the Mac-est Daddy machines they sell. And yet I hate them. The front load washer is 1 year old and it uses an obscene amount of water (cycle is 59 minutes long) The washer leaks occasionally and it is loud. You have to dry that inner lip everytime and leave the front door open when you're not using it or you get mold. The dryer is great. A nine year could be taught to operate either of these machine but so far we just let them fold and put away the clothes after they've been dried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 kids under 9 here: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

Te he!

But seriously, I have only have 2 kids and both are young teens. DS must change clothes everyday or else they stink. DD tries to sneak her clothes back into the hamper so she doesn't have to put them away.....even after she's spent an evening folding them. And what is up with the socks? My socks and DD socks are easily identifiable. DH and DC have socks that look similar. A couple of years ago I stopped trying to sort and match them. Now I throw them in a bin and let them sort through it. The both forget which socks they like or don't like. I've washed my hands of it though. If they want to make it easier on themselves they can write their initials on them. 8)

This makes me so mad!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I like your idea in theory? do you actually have kids? Even at 12 they clumsily knock down a toothbrush on the floor (or worse, the toilet) and pick it up. You have to use a sponge to get behind in the crevices of a toilet bowl and to sop up extra water. Kids will forget to put on a glove or touch their hand to their mouth doing this--even up to twelve. Yes, the maid or I would be more likely to understand the consequences of contamination. E.coli bacteria kills. A 10 year is supposed to understand this? How do you use your kids as guinea pigs this way? Don't get me wrong, I believe they should bo as many chores as possible--but that one seems really risky.


Not PP, but I have 4 kids, the eldest 12, and she cleans the toilet. I am not sure what your toilet really looks like, but is e-coli that big a risk? I think most people who die of e-coli have ingested undercooked hamburger. My daughter wears gloves and uses a brush, plus she cleans it daily, so no crud builds up. I was cleaning toilets at age 9, and my mom does not use a brush, she just puts her hand in the toilet with a brillo pad and ajax powder and scrubs! I never got sick. I don't think this is using your kid as a guinea pig. I guess it is all in how you raise them. I have taught my daughter that she is not above doing any job, including cleaning toilets. That is how I was raised.

[Anonymous]

GIANT eye-roll for the poster who thinks 12 is too young to clean a bathroom. And for the overblown e coli fears.

Re: sorting: I don't sort by color, I sort by temperature. Socks and underwear and towels (kitchen and bath) get washed on hot. Everything else goes in together on cold. Never been a problem. I do two loads a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:23:30 here- another secret tip that we figured out way too late- have them clean one bathroom item every Sat am - every three weeks the whole thing is cleaned at least once...

One week its toilet, the next sink and then next tub.... No matter what trash is emptied each week. We do this in exchange for having text turned on the phone...

It could probably stand to get cleaned more often, but I figure a kid-cleaned bathroom in a 3 week cycle is a decent accomplishment.

You wouldn't know it from DD's room, but I do think she is picking up some housecleaning skills...

I'd really worry about kids (9or 10) cleaning toilets --even with gloves on, the potential for transmission of really nasty fecal bacteria is very high.

You sound like a real worrywart!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 kids under 9 here: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

We taught DD how to do her own laundry at 7 - seriously. At first it is significantly more work than just doing it yourself, but if you can stick through the investment - it is WONDERFUL. Teaches them responsibility and minimizes family laundry load for mom / dad.

At 13, she handles all her own laundry completely - washing, putting away, etc.

OP, I did the same with my children. I also had a washer/dryer installed upstairs and this makes a world of difference.

[Anonymous]

For those who have their kids so the laundry, when do you let them put the detergent in themselves? Liquid or powder? I can just see my 6 y.o. spilling it all over. I've thought about getting some of those all in one sheets for him though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:q for those who don't sort:
you really don't sort, just throw everything in together? What about red and hot pink? Dark jeans? Do you use a color catcher or anything?

Depending on the volume of laundry we have, I'll do between 2 and 5 loads of clothes (sheets, towels, table linens are separate).
low volume:
1 load lights & whites
1 load darks & brights & reds

high volume:
whites
lights
brights
darks (navy, black)
reds & pinks

I throw everything in one load. I've never had a problem. Maybe my husband's undershirts aren't the whitest of whites but they're not pink or anything. I put everything in cold/cool water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who have their kids so the laundry, when do you let them put the detergent in themselves? Liquid or powder? I can just see my 6 y.o. spilling it all over. I've thought about getting some of those all in one sheets for him though.

Growing up, my mom always loaded the washer. One of us would move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and we folded and put away laundry together. I am pretty sure i participated even in kindergarten.

Though this was such a routine in our house that I went to college not knowing how to start a washing machine!

I did, however, scrub floors, toilets and tubs, even in elementary school. Seriously, a kid is grossed out enough by a toilet to not want to touch one and then pick her teeth.