How often do you launder----

Post by **adam2** » 02 Jul 2017, 13:53

Cleanliness is IMHO preferable to being dirty, but over frequent laundry has both environmental costs and direct expense in fuel and water, and extra wearing out of the articles laundered.

I usually do as follows.

Socks and underwear, daily
Shirts, T shirts, short sleeve vests, and polo shirts worn next to the skin, every day if polycotton, every other day if all cotton.
Shirts or polo shirts worn over a short sleeve vest, after several days or when dirty looking.
Trousers, sweatshirts, pullovers, after about 7 days wear.
Overall coat, when dirty looking.
Overcoat, once a year.

Sheets, every 2 weeks.
Pillow cases, once a week.
Blankets twice a year if in continual use, once a year for those used only in winter.
Under blanket or mattress cover*, a few times a year.
Pillows, once a year (send to laundry, not at home)
Bath towel, once a week.
Bathrobe, a few times a year.
Night wear, twice a week.

Duvet cover* every two weeks.
Duvet*, once a year.
Long underpants*, cotton after each wear (unless worn over short underwear in which case twice a week.)
Decorative bedcover* twice a year.

*Items marked thus are not used or seldom used by myself so the laundry intervals are what I WOULD do, not what I do.

This to me to be a reasonable compromise, what do others think ?

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 02 Jul 2017, 18:55

That is about where I am on it. Of course teen age daughters wash their clothes a lot more often.

I have changed my habits now that I am retired and not in a public work environment. That required a full set of clean each morning after a shower. Now all I have to offend during the day is the cat known as mouse breath so can go a few days with just changing the underclothes and socks.
Also showering at bedtime instead of the morning gets the days sweat off and makes sheets and pillow cases stay fresh a lot longer.
Back when I was working twelve hour days with paving crews I'd almost fall asleep in the shower at night and counted that shower as being worth three hours of sleep. No need to re shower in the morning as the paving crew couldn't smell anything over the hot asphalt and their cigarette smoke.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 02 Jul 2017, 19:57

Shirts every day, everything else when it looks like it needs it or if it starts walking by itself.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 02 Jul 2017, 23:55

I launder once a week on the weekend. Usually Saturday.

Clothes changing routine for "smart" (white collar) clothes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* trousers once a week

* shirt and vest twice a week

* Blazer once a month

* underpants and socks every couple of days

Clothes changing routine for"rough" (house renovation, allotment, messing about) clothes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* everything/anything (apart from underpants and socks) whenever they start to stink. Not before. My wife usually lets me know.

Personal cleanliness
-------------------------

* notwithstanding particular activities which might require additional showers, I typically shower once a week in winter and twice a week in summer
* shave once a day
* brush teeth once a day

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Jul 2017, 01:53

Little John wrote:I launder once a week on the weekend. Usually Saturday.
........

* everything/anything (apart from underpants and socks) whenever they start to stink. Not before. My wife usually lets me know.

Yours too? Probably one of the reasons why married men live longer then single stiffs.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 04 Jul 2017, 10:17

I find a daily shower helps cut down slightly on laundry.

Items of clothing are inspected by sight and smell, erring on the side of caution if leaving the house.

We definitely don't clean bed things as often as you, adam2!

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 07 Jul 2017, 23:26

Anyone noticed that folk don't seem to use clothes-brushes any more?

I have one. I still recall Renewable fils' surprise, when I got it out to brush a spot of mud off his otherwise-clean jeans before handing them back to him instead of putting them in the laundry.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 08 Jul 2017, 03:37

RenewableCandy wrote:Anyone noticed that folk don't seem to use clothes-brushes any more?

I have one. I still recall Renewable fils' surprise, when I got it out to brush a spot of mud off his otherwise-clean jeans before handing them back to him instead of putting them in the laundry.

We have replaced a clothes brush with the sticky roller to remove cat hair provided in abundance by "mouse breath". The only alternative was having the Missis switching all her work wardrobe to the color pale yellow.
We did find that the habit of trying on an piece of clothing and rejecting it for that evenings presentation and throwing it into the laundry pile by the teen aged girls came to an abrupt halt once we made each of them do their own laundry. It was amazing how often a clean piece could be re hung on a hanger or refolded and returned to a bedroom drawer where before once touched by human hands it "had to be" laundered.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 11 Jul 2017, 10:08

RenewableCandy wrote:Anyone noticed that folk don't seem to use clothes-brushes any more?

We do. Handy for dried muddy spots, which are abundant in the country.

Having said that, fewer clothes need brushing than previously, possibly a change in materials or something. A bit like not as many squashed flies on windscreens in summer. Streamlined clothes?

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 11 Jul 2017, 16:57

They coat them with something.

That's why so many people are "allergic to wool". It's not the wool, it's the treatment it gets to help prevent staining. Either that or the OP-related stuff they dip the sheep in.

I've got leather skin and can wear wool with impunity.

Post by **adam2** » 02 Sep 2017, 14:59

My Mother has been taken ill, and despite the care that I can give, also needs two visits a day from the home care team.

Whilst hygiene is important in case of illness, I am amazed at the amount of laundry resulting from home care visits.
No outer clothing to be worn more than once seems to be a rule, and clean sheets "preferably" every day !

I fear that I will have to purchase a power gobbling tumble dryer

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 02 Sep 2017, 20:39

8 of everything that needs changing daily, a very large washer and a very long clothes line = 1 wash per week

Or

4 of everything that needs changing daily, a reasonably large washer and a reasonably long clothes line = 2 washes per week

Post by **adam2** » 02 Sep 2017, 21:40

Or in the case of Mother, per week

8 sheets
2 blankets
8 pillow cases
7 nightgowns
7 t shirts
4 pullovers
4 pairs trousers
7 knickers
7 face flannels
4 large towels

I make that at least 5 domestic sized washing machine loads a week, maybe 6. And I am not changing sheets as often as the care team feel that I should.

And for myself, per week
7 pairs underpants
7 pairs socks
7 t shirts
1 pair trousers
2 pillow cases
1 sheet
2 pairs pyjamas
1 large towel
About two wash loads a week.

Just about keeping up with it by doing a load every night, and the odd extra one.

Can be dried outdoors if the weather is fine, but for winter I fear that a tumble dryer will be needed.
Some laundry can be dried indoors but that requires continual use of the dehumidifier if the weather is cold, wet or humid.

Edit to add, since I posted this, my mother has passed away so it is no longer applicable

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 02 Sep 2017, 22:48

My mother is about the same stage Adam. Me and my sister take up much of the slack as my other two bothers are useless.

You have my sympathy. It comes to us all. It'll come to us in the end.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Sep 2017, 03:13

RenewableCandy wrote:They coat them with something.

That's why so many people are "allergic to wool". It's not the wool, it's the treatment it gets to help prevent staining. Either that or the OP-related stuff they dip the sheep in.

I've got leather skin and can wear wool with impunity.

A chance to examine this "leather skin" closely is out of the question of course but nonetheless an entertaining thought.