Laundry... unrealized savings..

[old medic]

For years I have been helping out with doing Laundry. In the past it at the old house, 6+ loads every week. Working between EMS, 3-4 uniforms a week, and my garbage clothes, tree business and side auto work, there was an endless supply.
This morning, As I was getting Laundry going, I realized its now only 2 loads a week most of the time. The clothes line resembles our closet... mostly the wife's stuff....

 

[pacergal]

Same here, however, I do have an extra large capacity washing machine-- Wish I had that kind when we were younger with little ones around!
We often get by with one load, unless DS and DGS come over on the weekend to do their laundry

 

[Dtail]

Saving on the clothes line too.

 

[Midpack]

I must be doing it wrong. I have 4-5 washer loads every week, and an extra 2 every 3 weeks.

 

[Gumby]

I think we actually do more laundry now that we are retired. When I was working, I generally wore suits and starched white shirts that I always took to the cleaners. Now all my clothes go in the wash at home, and I have found that we always have at least three and sometimes four loads per week. One load of towels and bedsheets, plus two or three of clothes.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Two people, one load, every six days.

I hang dry everything in the sun, so a cold cloudy day may force a delay and make it 7 or 8 days.

 

[W2R]

When I moved into my Dream Home, I bought an oversized LG washer and matching dryer. Usually I do one load/week of my clothes, and Frank does one load of his laundry over here, separately. Works nicely for us.

I probably wash more than I did when I was working, because I change clothes whenever I feel like it rather than on a schedule.

 

[aaronc879]

I only do one load of laundry most weeks. Only do an extra load when I do bedding which isn't very often and not on a set schedule.

 

[rk911]

i do the laundry for my wife and I. we have enough underwear, shirts, pants and socks to last two-weeks. i do three loads of laundry every other weekend.

 

[aja8888]

i do the laundry for my wife and I. we have enough underwear, shirts, pants and socks to last two-weeks. i do three loads of laundry every other weekend.

That's about what we do. And in the summer when I am playing a lot of golf, I do another load of golf clothes every two weeks.

Sure beats all the dry cleaning costs when working.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We do laundry when the hamper is full or when someone is running out of socks or underwear. Probably 2-3 loads a week. Our bamboo sheets don’t take up much space in the washer and dryer.

No one ever had to wear a suit to work, so the only dry cleaning are DH and DS’s tuxes (worn as a concert uniform). I had a few dry cleaning pieces but that was a long time ago.

 

[jollystomper]

DW and do our laundry separately. I am him the habit since being taught how to do laundry from my parents. When we had kids in the house, the washing machine was going every day. I do 2 loads (one warm, one cold) about every 2 weeks. When I worked and traveled this fit well with my traveling schedule so it is a habit for me.

 

[FlaGator]

Interesting to see the range.

I still have one at home-school and a job a few days/week with a uniform. UW and socks on hand for 10+ days, that helps spread it out. We shower before bed, so bedding lasts a while. Towels get done every week. Cycling clothes add to work.

Minimum 4 loads per week, probably 18-20/month. The LG pedestal washer cuts down the total time, and is good for the hand wash items.

 

[old medic]

Saving on the clothes line too.

We have always tried to hang out the laundry to dry, then a short tumble for wrinkles.

We could get by doing laundry every other week, But DW is one that has to wash the sheets every week.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I do laundry about once every three weeks. Being retired I don’t have as much plus now it’s just me. I shower at night so only change sheets every 2 weeks. When there was 2 of us I did it weekly because he didn’t shower at night but in the morning. I do 3/4 loads a month.

 

[Bamaman]

My household consists of myself and a granddaughter we're raising. My grandson comes every other weekend, and my wife has been in bed 4 months after terrible back surgery and a fall breaking a leg. Our daughter comes in every 2 weeks to do her laundry--massive amounts.

Other than my own clothes I have no idea what clothes belong to who. I'm down to the point that everyone keeps all dirty laundry in their own rooms, and each washes their own clothes, folds them and takes them back to their own closets.

I have enough clothes and underwear to last me a month, so I seldom have to do any laundry.

What gets me are blankets, comforters, sheets, etc.--being washed weekly. We simply have too many blankets and pillows--and no place to store them.

I run a working kitchen, and keeping it clean is a big, big job. I have been running two dishwashers full every day. If I can keep the kitchen clean, the rest of the house follows. While my wife is down, I'm like the short order cook at the Waffle House.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I used to wear mostly suits to work so when working from home come along due to Covid I stopped wearing them. I would spend about $50/week at the dry cleaners. What a savings!
Now that I’m retired I really casual clothes only and do laundry about every other week. 3/4 loads depending.
I have several sets of sheets so those are maybe every 6 weeks?
I usually save those for when I need to wash the bedding that the grandkids use when they spend the night.
Summer time is a whole other story since I have a pool and wash beach towels- maybe every other week. But definitely more laundry.
I also run my dishwasher more now probably because I’m eating at home more often but also because my younger friends have taught me to put everything in the dishwasher when before I would wash a lot of dishes by hand.

I’d say it’s a wash (ha!) on actual saving time. But it’s a lot more enjoyable now that I’m not rushing to get it done.

 

[rodi]

3 loads total per week - about 1.75 loads of clothes and the rest is sheets/towels. I hang some of the stuff on the laundry line outside, though I'll confess I'm doing more dryer runs since we got solar (it's an electric dryer.). When the kids come visit the sheets/towels loads increase.

 

[GravitySucks]

It's just me here and it's about 3 loads ever 2 weeks. A weeks worth of clothes and sheets and towel every 2 weeks.

Sent from my LM-Q850 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[ncbill]

When the kids were home we were doing six loads weekly until I replaced the older style washing machine that had started leaking due to a rusted-out tub with a new HE top-loader with roughly double the capacity.

Now it's one load of colors, one load whites, & one load towels every week.

 

[old medic]

I also run my dishwasher more

Whats a dishwasher?

 

[Major Tom]

I live on my own. If I were left to my own devices, I'd only need to do laundry once every 2 weeks. However, my best friend, who lives nearby, doesn't have laundry in her building. She doesn't generate a lot of laundry and has a busy schedule. To save her going to a laundromat, I put her laundry in with mine. Between us, we manage one load about every 10-12 days.

 

[Koolau]

Whats a dishwasher?

I am!

DW usually cooks and I clean up. We intentionally did not install a dish washer to leave more room for cabinets.

 

[Koolau]

Regarding laundry: We dress very casually with very light clothes and nothing dressy. Throw in the sheets/pillow cases/towels and we're looking at 1 or maybe 2 loads/week. We hang most on the lanai to dry.

 

[old medic]

I am!
DW usually cooks and I clean up. We intentionally did not install a dish washer to leave more room for cabinets.

We have gone back and forth on getting one for the house build. We had one at the old place, and once the kids moved out it only got used a few times a year when we had company for dinner.