Laundry Basket/Hamper

[Moliphino]

Ok so here’s a thing that apparently is controversial - so you wash your linen as well as all towels (both bathroom towels as well as kitchen dish towels) together? Supposedly the vast majority online believe that no tea towels etc should be in the same washing bundle as towels that touch your bodies? Thoughts?

All of our bathroom towels are white (hand towels, bath towels, face cloths), so those get washed together with bleach. The kitchen towels are colorful and just go in with regular laundry.

 

[tzolkin]

But we put things away with each load coming out of the dryer so we make multiple trips anyway.

What?! That's the craziest thing I've read on this thread.

In our house, putting the laundry away is the most dreaded part so I do all the laundry in one day that way it only has to be put away once. (The kids have their own baskets that they are responsible for putting away themselves.)

Ok so here’s a thing that apparently is controversial - so you wash your linen as well as all towels (both bathroom towels as well as kitchen dish towels) together? Supposedly the vast majority online believe that no tea towels etc should be in the same washing bundle as towels that touch your bodies? Thoughts?

I have a friend who is absolutely over the top about this. If even one item is in the wrong load, she will get so grossed out that she has to re-wash/sanitize. She also cleans all her baskets with disinfectant after every use, so she would be losing her mind over this thread. lol

I probably fall somewhere in between, but I wonder if people's feelings are influenced by how the use the towels and cloths. If I just used towels to dry off after a shower and kitchen towels for drying hands, I would think nothing of washing those items together (since I would consider them to be relatively "clean"). But, if I use washcloths for "personal hygiene" or if I use cloths actually in the sink washing dishes or for cleaning rags with cleaning products, I'd probably be more hesitant to toss them in with other things.

 

[kdonnel]

I probably fall somewhere in between, but I wonder if people's feelings are influenced by how the use the towels and cloths. If I just used towels to dry off after a shower and kitchen towels for drying hands, I would think nothing of washing those items together (since I would consider them to be relatively "clean"). But, if I use washcloths for "personal hygiene" or if I use cloths actually in the sink washing dishes or for cleaning rags with cleaning products, I'd probably be more hesitant to toss them in with other things.

It is very rare I might segregate an item in the wash to its own cycle.

It is usually only items that are covered in paint or oil from a particularly difficult household task. I trust the washing machine to do its job.

I think what you have described with laundry has a similar scenario with pets.

Some people have no issue with pets eating off plates/dishes/etc. Some people would never allow that. I am very much in the dishwasher gets dishes clean camp and don't have an issue with pets performing the prewash step.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have a friend who is absolutely over the top about this. If even one item is in the wrong load, she will get so grossed out that she has to re-wash/sanitize. She also cleans all her baskets with disinfectant after every use, so she would be losing her mind over this thread. lol

I bet she was a joy to be around during Covid.

 

[maxaroni]

We do not use a laundry basket but have a hamper for underwear & socks with another hamper for clothes.
We both grew up in families that used laundry baskets, so it never occurred to us. LOL.
For those using laundry baskets, where do you put your underwear and socks? If a laundry basket, do you use 2 for that?

Once my mom passed away, my dad just used the washer as a hamper. He took clothes & underwear off, placed in washing machine and when enough in there, he’d do the wash. He didn’t separate anything really.

 

[soccerdad72]

For those using laundry baskets, where do you put your underwear and socks? If a laundry basket, do you use 2 for that?

Same laundry basket as other clothes (underwear and socks are clothes, you know).

Towels (both bath and kitchen) often go in the same load as well. Bed linens are usually done separately, just because it’s a big enough load by itself.

 

[Babs Johnson]

One day years ago my DD wore a red shirt and my neighbor told her - nice shirt! Too bad you won’t be able to wear that for another 2 months because that’s how long it’ll take your mom to get a full load of reds together to wash.

One guy in my college dorm bought a new sweatshirt with the university colors (mainly red) and decided to wash it with his white underwear, despite being warned not to. Wash it with jeans and other darks, he was told, but he ignored the advice.

Sure enough he ended up with tightey pinkies for underwear.

 

[maxaroni]

Same laundry basket as other clothes (underwear and socks are clothes, you know).

Towels (both bath and kitchen) often go in the same load as well. Bed linens are usually done separately, just because it’s a big enough load by itself.

Thanks for that tip, didn’t know that
Do you use the laundry basket for both clean and dirty?

We separate and do underwear & socks together as we wash differently than our street clothes. It’s how we both grew up and continued into our married life. We do sheets and bath towels together and no other clothing. We also do a separate wash for any towels that we have used for cleaning.

such a mundane chore, yet fascinating how we all tackle the never ending laundry.

 

[NAB]

I put underwear and socks with clothes or I wouldn’t have a big enough load for either. Underwear and socks are either dark or light.

I will through a white with colours if I missed it or don’t have enough, just not often. I don’t use bleach at all.

 

[soccerdad72]

Do you use the laundry basket for both clean and dirty?

Yes, we do. We have two laundry baskets, but they both get used for dirty and clean clothes. When our boys are home, we usually have to go find a basket in their rooms, as folded clothes tend to stay in the basket for a few days (until we need the basket, then the clean clothes land on their floor, errr, dressers )

 

[sam_gordon]

We separate and do underwear & socks together as we wash differently than our street clothes.

Why? I mean, I could understand if the underwear was "special" and was truly "delicate" and needed special handling in the wash, but "typical" underwear and socks are no different IMO than any other clothing.

 

[Moliphino]

Yes, we do. We have two laundry baskets, but they both get used for dirty and clean clothes. When our boys are home, we usually have to go find a basket in their rooms, as folded clothes tend to stay in the basket for a few days (until we need the basket, then the clean clothes land on their floor, errr, dressers )

In the floordrobe?

 

[tzolkin]

I bet she was a joy to be around during Covid.

You honestly can't even imagine. I didn't think she would survive mentally and is still pretty bad.

We separate and do underwear & socks together as we wash differently than our street clothes.

We separate socks and underwear from most of the other clothing when washing (high heat, different setting), but I do it when sorting the laundry to wash. They go in the same hamper with the other clothes until I'm ready to sort.

Why? I mean, I could understand if the underwear was "special" and was truly "delicate" and needed special handling in the wash, but "typical" underwear and socks are no different IMO than any other clothing.

Interesting. I was assuming the previous poster was separating them out because they consider them "dirtier" than the rest of their clothing, not because they were more delicate but that's certainly a possibility.

That's my only reason for sorting clothing. I know tons of people just toss everything in together (my adult kids included) so I'm sure it's completely fine to do. But, there's a little part of my brain that is convinced that the socks and underwear won't really get clean enough.

 

[dizneegirl]

Why? I mean, I could understand if the underwear was "special" and was truly "delicate" and needed special handling in the wash, but "typical" underwear and socks are no different IMO than any other clothing.

We wash them separately because they get washed in hot water. Our street clothes are washed in warm.

 

[maxaroni]

TWhy? I mean, I could understand if the underwear was "special" and was truly "delicate" and needed special handling in the wash, but "typical" underwear and socks are no different IMO than any other clothing.

More so as that’s what my mom did. However, I do underwear and socks in hot water and dry on high heat. street clothes are cold water and low heat. Never really gave it a thought to do otherwise.

 

[slo]

Thanks for that tip, didn’t know that
Do you use the laundry basket for both clean and dirty?

We separate and do underwear & socks together as we wash differently than our street clothes. It’s how we both grew up and continued into our married life. We do sheets and bath towels together and no other clothing. We also do a separate wash for any towels that we have used for cleaning.

such a mundane chore, yet fascinating how we all tackle the never ending laundry.

100% same for me too.
I wash underwear & socks in hot water with Arm & Hammer for odors (I used to throw some Borox in there too) and I wash everything else in cold.

 

[PollyannaMom]

When our boys are home, we usually have to go find a basket in their rooms, as folded clothes tend to stay in the basket for a few days

That's true in our home too! I consider laundry "done" when it's folded. The transfer upstairs is a step of it's own, and so is putting it away.

 

[tvguy]

What?! That's the craziest thing I've read on this thread.

In our house, putting the laundry away is the most dreaded part so I do all the laundry in one day that way it only has to be put away once. (The kids have their own baskets that they are responsible for putting away themselves.)

My wife has the laundry almost trained to put itself away. We do laundry all in one day too.

 

[RedAngie]

My wife's uncle struggled for years after his wife died because she did everything for him. He had no idea how to wash dishes, wash clothes, cook, virtually any daily life

Sounds like my grandfather. He was completely clueless about any household chores.

My grandmother did everything. She was sick the last few months of her life and each of their six kids took turns going over to prepare meals, clean, do laundry, etc. It fell upon the wives of their four sons to perform such tasks which naturally caused problems and resentment.

After my grandmother died, my grandfather moved in with the oldest son and his wife but that lasted about a year before they got fed up with Gramp’s habits and idiosyncrasies. He rotated among the other kids for a month at a time before eventually landing full time with my parents. He lived the last few years of his life with us.

 

[RedAngie]

I never answered the original question. DH and I have separate hampers and for the most part do our own laundry. The laundry room is upstairs with the bedrooms and we just drag the hampers to the laundry room. There are also separate hampers in there for sheets and towels.

After drying, there is a counter in the laundry to fold clothes, which are then carried back to the bedroom. The hampers return empty.