Washing

Why the micromanagement?

Clean va dirty is a subjective concept

I washed things more often when younger as I sweated more. As I've got older I don't sweat as much. I've also found my hair doesn't get as greasy so I no longer need to wash it as often, or have as many showers. If it is true what I read the other day about rationing water in a few years time if we don't build more reservoirs, we'll all need to cut our water use drastically! Washing clothes less frequently is good in so many ways. Less water used, especially hot water which has to be heated. Less detergent polution, less wear and tear on the clothes and less work for us! I'm not advocating going back to the middle ages when people were sewn into their clothes for months on end, but most people wash their clothes far more often than necessary and have more baths and showers than they need. Unless you have a very physical job or a very active lifestyle you don't need to shower every day.

I wash most of my clothing after one wear because I suffer from eczema and have to apply lotion after each mornings shower. The lotion can transfer onto my clothing. Otherwise I would reduce the number of times I wax my tops, trousers and dresses.

Mollygo

Norah

Any item touching body - daily.

Socks, underwear, jeans, the shirts under jumpers (not the jumpers), the tights under jeans (not those jeans). Towels, flannels, kitchen items.

We live by a frequently very muddy field, with a dog who likes a lot of walking, diving into the river, paddling in puddles, scrambling through the bushes, and rolling over for anyone willing to part her tummy.
Certainly I change underwear daily, and might change other garments if they’re dirty or muddy, but I must be lucky because I have more than one of each thing, so don’t need to wash daily.

Same.

I have plenty of dog walking attire. Huge loads of my husband's filthy work clothing (physical labor) + our dog walk clothing. Not necessarily running machine daily, but lots of clothes & towels in basket daily.

Xgran you should ne telling them, not us. You need to have what might be a difficult discussion & tell them as, for whatever reason, you're doing their laundry, then it'll be done your way. I don't suppose D D dictated the washing terms when she was living at home before she got married. Just grow a pair & tell them what's what!

MayBee70

There’s quite a lot of publicity at the moment about the amount of times you can wear something before it needs washing. Maybe you could find some of it and show it to them. I used to housekeep for a family that used to even wash bath towels after one use. Some people are like that.

I always wash bath towels daily after one use, always have done. Same for undies and socks, wouldn't dream of wearing socks twice let alone 2/3 days like Xgran.

1. Stop doing their washing
2. Charge them for all the washing powder, extra electricity etc.
Treat them like teens and they revert to teen behaviour.
3. Not having clean socks each day sounds quite revolting, am with them on that!

Biscuitmuncher

I'm sorry but wearing socks more than once is a bit of a stretch

So true! Yuk!

Norah

Any item touching body - daily.

Socks, underwear, jeans, the shirts under jumpers (not the jumpers), the tights under jeans (not those jeans). Towels, flannels, kitchen items.

We live by a frequently very muddy field, with a dog who likes a lot of walking, diving into the river, paddling in puddles, scrambling through the bushes, and rolling over for anyone willing to part her tummy.
Certainly I change underwear daily, and might change other garments if they’re dirty or muddy, but I must be lucky because I have more than one of each thing, so don’t need to wash daily.

Maybe do their cleaner stuff on the shortest wash (15 minutes) with a very small amount of bio powder.

I prefer to wash body linen such as bra, socks ,and knickers daily. These need minimal washing as sweat washes off easily compared with blood, faeces, mud, and other assorted stains.

I expect there is a good enough reason you do their washing. I'd be happy to do my son's and daughter in law's washing if this would help them with their busy lives. I am lucky to own a really nice washing machine.

Allira

We don't have a dog.

You perhaps don't live in the messy fens, in a field, on dirt/rock lane with a dog who requires lots of walking either. Differences!

Grocer

Grover Jack is it true what Mummy says you won’t come back?

NotAGran55

I don’t think Xrgran is coming back …

She's too busy ironing. ☹

I used to say I felt like Widow Twankey sometimes.

I don’t think Xrgran is coming back …

Are you cooking their meals and cleaning their rooms as well ?
Either read the riot act about household chores
Or
Stop doing so much .
If you can't care a row give the clothes a quick squirt with Febrese and put them back .
Or
Mix white and coloured clothes up with unfortunate results !

I felt like a slave when my adult kids plus partners lived with me .

One of my daughters would cook and she got really fed up with her lazy siblings .

I have a dog, but I'm certainly not washing clothes every day. I do change my knickers every day, but that's about it. I can easily go a week in the same clothes and yes, I cook from scratch too. If I'm not going out of the house, why bother? No-one else is going to know - or care.

When we have been in Australia, everything got washed daily; SIL's clothes twice daily as he did very physical work, he would shower before dinner and change.
Not much got ironed!

The answer seems to be their washing, they do it, they pay. although I understand making that happen would be awkward.

I thought younger people were supposed to be more aware of/concerned about climate change.

We are constantly nagged by utility companies to use less water, and incentivised by soaring fuel costs to use less electricity etc.

I suspect it’s partly being easier to drop something in the laundry basket than to hang it up for reuse.

When we got married, DH always put everything to wash after one wear. When I was heavily pregnant and couldn't cope with the washing he took over and suddenly, it was only underwear that couldn’t be worn at least twice.

I am curious as to why the OP is doing the washing for her adult daughter and husband, and why she is not able to tell them that it is costing an inordinate amount of money.
I rather think if she told them their laundry was their responsibility they would find very quickly it wasn't essential to was every single thing after one wash.

Anything next to the body gets washed after one wear.

I have a fifteen minute quick wash eco programme on my washing machine, and that is what I use unless clothes are really dirty, then it’s a full wash (59 minutes at 30 degrees)

I couldn’t put something on which had any food smells which happens when cooking from scratch.

Frugola, I am the chief sniffer in my house! DH always gets me to check his polo shirts.
Underwear and socks washed daily here. Everything else two or three days.
I sympathise with you, Xrgran, as DD and two teens live with us and the amount of washing is phenomenal but DD does it all now that I am finding the full washing basket too heavy to carry.

We don’t have pets so we’re ok to wear socks two days running 🙂

I have absolutely NO sense of smell! So, with me, it's all guesswork. I'll often take a used garment and hold it under my husband's nose to ask if I can wear it again. (I can hear you all thinking "Poor man!".) The answer is usually an o.k., which surprises me as I sweat all year round, just doesn't seem to be smelly sweat!

I don’t sweat even in hot weather I m completely dry even when I lived in a tropical country I never sweated, my body temperature has always been on the colder side
I shower and wash my hair every morning without fail I change my knicks every day but not other clothes
I do a wash once a week sometimes twice

Why are you doing their washing and paying for it ?