Do you do your teens laundry?

[Gina]

I am so not letting my 15yr old DS read this thread... He does most of his own laundry, although I often have to remind him. No way am I handling a 15yr old boy's dirty socks and underwear!! LOL. I do my laundry, plus sheets/towels/etc, but for that stuff he'll at least gather it up for me. (His own sheets, towels).

I don't think it would ever occur to either of us that it should be any different. He helps with housework too, because it's not like I'm the only one who lives there! You help mess it up, you help clean it up.

 

[mjkacmom]

I do laundry 365 days a year. However, my kids have been putting their own clothes away since the age of 5 or so. Lately, dd14 has not been putting her clothes in the hamper on a daily basis, and then sticking them all in at once. The first time this happened, I washed them, but put them in a basket for her to fold. The next time, she was told to wash them herself.

So, since I'm a SAHM, I will wash and fold, but if you don't bother to put the clothes in the hamper on a daily basis, you are on your own.

 

[Arielle22]

When my daughters were younger they had to bring their laundry to the cellar for me and then help put the clean clothes away.

Since they hit high school they are responsible to their own laundry. I cringe sometimes when I know they have worn jeans several times before washing but they are old enough to make that decision.

My husband and I have a system for our laundry. He carries the bucket down to the cellar. I wash, dry and hang. DH then takes the clothes back to our room and puts them away.

 

[dis-happy]

I have a day of the week assigned to each person' laundry and from age 10 and up each child does his own laundry on that day. Since it is a week's worth, it's a full load, everything in cold or warm water. Works for us.

Friday is the catch-all day where sheets (2 loads), and towels (1 load) get washed. Kids strip the beds and put their sheets back on, but I do the washing/drying.

We're a family of 6 but one is away at college. I wash the baby's things with mine, so 4 loads a week for regular clothing, plus Fridays.

 

[Donaldswife]

My DD9 has been putting away her own clothes for years now. As soon as she could reach the bar to hang the clothes I told her it was time. It is one of her chores and it must be done before she goes to bed each night that I have laundry for her to put away. Of course, if she has things on the floor they go in the trash bag that gets delivered to Goodwill. Only took one time of my DH and I cleaning her room that way for her to remember to keep her stuff picked up!

I don't ask too much of her around the house, but she is responsible for keeping her room picked up. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the stuff has to be up off the floor. I think that is a reasonable expectation for elementary aged children.

 

[princesshannahsmom]

I'm a SAHM, with two teens and one husband.

Alrite, the bolded part made LOL! I was like YIKES, I hope she only has one husband, I know I would be insane if I had more than one!

In our house, just myself, DH and DD11 we all do laundry. I typically do it on Fridays, when I get home. I start a load when I walk in and we all swap it as we go. DH and I will usually fold and put on hangers and then give towels and DD's clothes to her to put away. She is pretty good about actually putting them away because she hates having stuff "out of place"!

 

[NotUrsula]

I have a day of the week assigned to each person' laundry and from age 10 and up each child does his own laundry on that day. Since it is a week's worth, it's a full load, everything in cold or warm water. Works for us.

Friday is the catch-all day where sheets (2 loads), and towels (1 load) get washed. Kids strip the beds and put their sheets back on, but I do the washing/drying.

We're a family of 6 but one is away at college. I wash the baby's things with mine, so 4 loads a week for regular clothing, plus Fridays.

How do you manage colors? We do five loads in two days just because of that: lights, darks, reds, greens, and "other brights".

We don't divide laundry by owner, but by color, so we can't assign one person a day to wash his own. I've been coaching DS14 to do laundry, but he's colorblind, and I really can't trust him to sort properly. (For some reason, his father doesn't like the idea of wearing pink undershorts, LOL.)

 

[dngnb8]

I was like YIKES, I hope she only has one husband, I know I would be insane if I had more than one!

I think having 2 spouses would be very bigofme (say it real fast)

 

[JessicaR]

Alrite, the bolded part made LOL! I was like YIKES, I hope she only has one husband, I know I would be insane if I had more than one!

In our house, just myself, DH and DD11 we all do laundry. I typically do it on Fridays, when I get home. I start a load when I walk in and we all swap it as we go. DH and I will usually fold and put on hangers and then give towels and DD's clothes to her to put away. She is pretty good about actually putting them away because she hates having stuff "out of place"!

More wives but please not another husband!

 

[dis-happy]

How do you manage colors? We do five loads in two days just because of that: lights, darks, reds, greens, and "other brights".

We don't divide laundry by owner, but by color, so we can't assign one person a day to wash his own. I've been coaching DS14 to do laundry, but he's colorblind, and I really can't trust him to sort properly. (For some reason, his father doesn't like the idea of wearing pink undershorts, LOL.)

Pre-treat stains with Spray and Wash. Then it's just one big load using cold water and Tide (plus a scoop of Oxyclean if needed).

Nothing fades or bleeds, everything gets clean.

 

[smb6]

I have 5 kids; they all have set chores that they do daily. My 12 yr old son's chore is the laundry. His chore is just to run the washer and dryer; not fold and/or put away. I fold the clothes and everyone has a pile. The 3 oldest; 10,12, and 13 put away their own piles of clothes. I still put away the 8 and 5yr old's clothes. This works for us.

 

[princesshannahsmom]

I think having 2 spouses would be very bigofme (say it real fast)

HAAAAA!!! Thats a pretty good one!!!

 

[indimom]

I usually run the washer and dryer during the day and just dump each load on the couch (except the nice items that might wrinkle, I lay those out flat or hang them). Then, we all fold and hang the clothes while watching tv in the evening. Put it away during commercial breaks. Works well and only takes about 30 minutes to fold and put away about 8 loads. If someone is busy with an activity, they just get a pass that week. The only debate is who gets stuck matching socks. None of us like that part of the job. My kids can run the washer/dryer and have on occasion, but timewise it just works better for me to run the loads during the day.

 

[scrapquitler]

My DD14 has been doing her own laundry for a couple of years now. I was so tired of washing, drying and folding then putting things away only to find the drawers empties into a big pile on the floor and then mixed with dirty things while she searched for what she wanted. I finally told her that I was finished, if I can't tell the clean from the dirty, I wasn't going to deal with it anymore. She's been doing her own wash ever since.

I don't have a problem with her doing half loads...I have the opposite problem: she stuffs the washer so full that I can't imagine things are getting properly cleaned, but it's not my problem. The biggest issue we have is that if someone else's laundry is in the dryer waiting to be folded, she throws it on the floor and puts her own stuff in. I fixed that by throwing her things on the floor ONCE. She doesn't do that anymore.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

During the school year I do all of the laundry, though DH irons (he's better at it than I am). Each person puts his/her own laundry away.

During the summer, I get to slack while DS takes over most household chores. Works for me!

 

[disneyismyname]

Ever since I was 10, I was doing laundry. My mom always makes me put it away. I was the only sibling to do the laundry correctly (my brother bleached the towels once and Mom said his laundry days were over!).

 

[marlynnp]

My daughter is only 11 and has been doing her laundry for a couple of years already. This past year she finally got tall enough to get all her clothes out of the washer, lol. We used to have to switch her load for her. She knows she must do a full load and I haven't ever had a problem with her not following that rule.

I still do iron anything of hers that needs it though as I don't think she's quite old enough for that responsibility (and too easily distracted).

My husband also does his own clothing and most of the general household laundry - towels, bedding, etc.

 

[marcyinPA]

How do you manage colors? We do five loads in two days just because of that: lights, darks, reds, greens, and "other brights".

We don't divide laundry by owner, but by color, so we can't assign one person a day to wash his own. I've been coaching DS14 to do laundry, but he's colorblind, and I really can't trust him to sort properly. (For some reason, his father doesn't like the idea of wearing pink undershorts, LOL.)

Shout Color Catchers....a little pricey, but the greatest invention EVER! (I try to sort my darks into loads in a way that I only need to use one or two of these little gems a week)

 

[cheermom1]

I haven't read the replies but this is what i did. I would do laundry just like you and it would end on the floor then when My dd was 12 she would wait til about 10 pm and say I have to have this for tomorrow (uniform) and I got tired of waiting up so I started making her do her own at that point. then when each kid turned 12 I started teaching them how to do their own. I believe that every kid should be taught basic living skills.

Now I do not worry about weather they have clothes or if they are on the floor or what b/c they are responsible for it themselves. They are very good at keeping up with it b/c I never 'bailed' them out. It only take a few times of them not doing it to realize they need to wash clothes.

 

[mamacatnv]

I never sort socks - each member of the family wears a different kind but all the same style/brand

DH likes an ankle sock - his are all the same brand.

I like a no-show and mine are all the same brand in white with 2 pairs of special black ones for walking/jogging

DD wears the no-show crazy designs and the rage right now is to not match

Socks go into 3 piles and those piles go into our own sock drawers.

I throw them out if I see holes or they are just stretched and worn out then I buy more of the same ones.

No leaving piles of warm laudry in my house, the cats instantly find it and leave it all furry.