Why do people get obsessed over laundry?

[Anonymous]

People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

[Anonymous]

It’s never JUST the laundry. It’s usually because one parent is doing 90% of the heavy lifting while the other parent does 10% and thinks he should get recognition for anything beyond that while remaining oblivious to all the little things that need to get done in order to have a reasonably well functioning family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people get so obsessed and overwhelmed by laundry?

It’s not like you a washing it by a river-you put it in the machine and it’s done.

The only person I see obsessing over laundry is the one who came on here to post an entire thread about it.

Personally, I just finished washing, pressing and folding the laundry for a family of 6 (two of which are club swimmers- IYKYK), washed our sheets, pressed our pillowcases, cleaned two bathrooms and made cinnamon rolls. I’d offer you one for your heroic achievements in laundrydom, but you’re probably too busy judging people for things that have absolutely no impact on your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

You can't take it with you and time is precious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

You can't take it with you and time is precious.

Well this attitude is your problem right there.

If you view your time as something that should only be "spent" on things you find enjoyable or rewarding in narrowly defined ways, you are going to be a dissatisfied, impatient, unhappy person.

Being a human being in a living, mortal body requires a certain amount of caretaking. Even if in the modern world and with enough money you can outsource some of that caretaking, some of it you will NEVER be able to outsource. You can't pay someone to go poop for you, or take your showers. I guess you could outsource brushing and flossing your teeth but... why would you do this.

Learning to efficiently but diligently perform basic caretaking and hygienic functions, including laundry, is just part of being a person. Laundry truly does not take that much time unless your clothes are very hard to clean (which is a choice, especially in this day and age when most jobs allow people to wear machine washable clothes that don't need to be ironed). If you cannot dedicate the 30-40 minutes a week to laundry, then what else are you considering to be unbearable drudgery? This is such a basic activity.

This is why some religions and philosophies advise learning to engage in a form of mindful diligence, particularly while doing these daily chores. If you can find pleasure in the act of folding laundry, flossing your teeth, trimming your toddler's nails, packing a lunch, you can find true and rewarding joy in life. And when you find this, you stop having this attitude of "my time is running out, I can't waste it on these pointless chores!" Instead, you realize that true happiness comes not in clearing your schedule of all drudgery so that you can spend it laughing uproariously while sky diving and inventing an app. True happiness comes in the ability to enjoy the something as simply as the physical act of folding a t-shirt and placing it in a drawer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people get so obsessed and overwhelmed by laundry?

It’s not like you a washing it by a river-you put it in the machine and it’s done.

Really? No one switches it to the dryer or folds it or puts it away? The machine does it? Where can I buy one???

It’s a timing thing. Turns 20min of work into a task that takes all day, for like one load.

There are machines that will wash and dry as part of a continuous cycle. As for folding and putting away— why do you need to do that? Just dump it into a basket and get your clothes from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

You can't take it with you and time is precious.

I agree. If you don’t have time to do the laundry, just outsource or throw them away and buy new clothes every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

You can't take it with you and time is precious.

Well this attitude is your problem right there.

If you view your time as something that should only be "spent" on things you find enjoyable or rewarding in narrowly defined ways, you are going to be a dissatisfied, impatient, unhappy person.

Being a human being in a living, mortal body requires a certain amount of caretaking. Even if in the modern world and with enough money you can outsource some of that caretaking, some of it you will NEVER be able to outsource. You can't pay someone to go poop for you, or take your showers. I guess you could outsource brushing and flossing your teeth but... why would you do this.

Learning to efficiently but diligently perform basic caretaking and hygienic functions, including laundry, is just part of being a person. Laundry truly does not take that much time unless your clothes are very hard to clean (which is a choice, especially in this day and age when most jobs allow people to wear machine washable clothes that don't need to be ironed). If you cannot dedicate the 30-40 minutes a week to laundry, then what else are you considering to be unbearable drudgery? This is such a basic activity.

This is why some religions and philosophies advise learning to engage in a form of mindful diligence, particularly while doing these daily chores. If you can find pleasure in the act of folding laundry, flossing your teeth, trimming your toddler's nails, packing a lunch, you can find true and rewarding joy in life. And when you find this, you stop having this attitude of "my time is running out, I can't waste it on these pointless chores!" Instead, you realize that true happiness comes not in clearing your schedule of all drudgery so that you can spend it laughing uproariously while sky diving and inventing an app. True happiness comes in the ability to enjoy the something as simply as the physical act of folding a t-shirt and placing it in a drawer.

When I outsourced laundry it was because I had two small children and a full time job and I was exhausted. Time can be precious for reasons that have nothing to do with whether you enjoy chores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine doing laundry for my kids over the age of 10. They are completely capable and should be doing their own. If you’re doing it for them consistently then you are babying them.

Honestly, I have to fight my teen and tween boys on hygiene (including showering daily, brushing teeth before school, combing hair, etc.). I’m pretty sure that if I just left it to them, they would wear dirty clothes to school.

Sometimes I make them do their laundry, and I have them help me fold it and hang it up if they are home. But I don’t put them in charge of it.

My daughter does her own laundry. Which feels sexist and I hate it, but she’s a different kid, and I know she will keep her clothes, body, and room clean without intervention from me.

And the cycle continues...

Exactly. Her DD will be on DCUM complaining about her DH, who is just like her brothers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People also have lost the ability to cook, do their own grocery shopping, and pick up their own takeout. We are the laziest society ever

Actually, as a society we are overworked.

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/09/10/the-rise-of-the-overworked-american-u-s-work-hours-reach-record-highs-in-2024/168652/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine doing laundry for my kids over the age of 10. They are completely capable and should be doing their own. If you’re doing it for them consistently then you are babying them.

That's a real lack of imagination. Imagine...other households running differently than yours!
Here's one of MANY examples. My teen Ds gets home from high school basketball practice at 9:45. His practice uniform needs to be washed and dried and in his backpack by 7:15 am. Should he stay up late doing laundry? Not the best use of his time. He needs to eat, shower and go to bed.

Simple. Tell Ds to get a second practice uniform.

You know nothing. The practice uniforms are issued by the public HS. Each kid gets one jersey and one pair of shorts, and they must be washed every night, worn to every practice and brought to every game. You don't "just go get" another one.

You get another if you send your child to practice with a note explaining how the laundromat lost the uniform and you need another - Yes. I’ll pay if necessary.

This makes it easier for the child to manage their own laundry, and teaches problem solving skills.

This is especially necessary for young boys who should never be allowed to let women do their chores. He’s washing his basketball uniform, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine doing laundry for my kids over the age of 10. They are completely capable and should be doing their own. If you’re doing it for them consistently then you are babying them.

Honestly, I have to fight my teen and tween boys on hygiene (including showering daily, brushing teeth before school, combing hair, etc.). I’m pretty sure that if I just left it to them, they would wear dirty clothes to school.

Sometimes I make them do their laundry, and I have them help me fold it and hang it up if they are home. But I don’t put them in charge of it.

My daughter does her own laundry. Which feels sexist and I hate it, but she’s a different kid, and I know she will keep her clothes, body, and room clean without intervention from me.

And the cycle continues...

Exactly. Her DD will be on DCUM complaining about her DH, who is just like her brothers.

+1

Lots of PPs here raising lazy incompetent future husbands.

You are the Parent FFS. Teach them to bathe themselves and launder clothes without being told.

And your husband is helping teach them, right? I mean, he is right? Because his parents instilled in him the necessity of doing chores, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m assuming you don’t have kids?
We go through one load a day. Moving it from washer to dryer, then folding it, sorting it, putting it away. Not Terrible, it’s like 20-30min a day total time spent. But let’s say you go on a 3 day mini vacation. Or you get the flu and so 3 days. Suddenly you are 90 minutes in the hole. Now imagine that happens every other week- for some reason, ever 14 days, you have to skip a few days. That means you are not infrequently staying home on a Saturday so you can obsessively switch over laundry loads, fold, sort, put away, then repeat an hour later all afternoon.

NO way it takes you 30 mins to put ombre loud away. Give me a freaking break!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine doing laundry for my kids over the age of 10. They are completely capable and should be doing their own. If you’re doing it for them consistently then you are babying them.

Honestly, I have to fight my teen and tween boys on hygiene (including showering daily, brushing teeth before school, combing hair, etc.). I’m pretty sure that if I just left it to them, they would wear dirty clothes to school.

Sometimes I make them do their laundry, and I have them help me fold it and hang it up if they are home. But I don’t put them in charge of it.

My daughter does her own laundry. Which feels sexist and I hate it, but she’s a different kid, and I know she will keep her clothes, body, and room clean without intervention from me.

And the cycle continues...

Exactly. Her DD will be on DCUM complaining about her DH, who is just like her brothers.

So I shouldn’t let her do her laundry? Or I should let my boys go to school in dirty clothes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine doing laundry for my kids over the age of 10. They are completely capable and should be doing their own. If you’re doing it for them consistently then you are babying them.

Honestly, I have to fight my teen and tween boys on hygiene (including showering daily, brushing teeth before school, combing hair, etc.). I’m pretty sure that if I just left it to them, they would wear dirty clothes to school.

Sometimes I make them do their laundry, and I have them help me fold it and hang it up if they are home. But I don’t put them in charge of it.

My daughter does her own laundry. Which feels sexist and I hate it, but she’s a different kid, and I know she will keep her clothes, body, and room clean without intervention from me.

And the cycle continues...

Exactly. Her DD will be on DCUM complaining about her DH, who is just like her brothers.

So I shouldn’t let her do her laundry? Or I should let my boys go to school in dirty clothes?

You should be a parent and get your sons to bathe and do laundry. That’s your job.