S/O when did you start doing your own laundry?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

1 2 3 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 5:37 pm

this is a spin off of the adult children living at home thread.
In that thread the mother asked if she should keep doing his laundry for him. I found that to be a bit unbelievable. I left home when I was 23. I had been doing my laundry since before I was bat mitzvah. My parents showed us kids how to do laundry as we got old enough.

Am I the only one? Or are there others out there who also have been doing their own laundry since forever?

amother

Mistyrose

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 5:51 pm

I started doing my own laundry as a student, when I left home at 18.
I still do the laundry for my older kids (teens to young adult). First of all, one is in the army, and doesn't have time on his short breaks to worry about laundry (I also pack his bag).
Second, I separate everything anyway according to colors and different temp. I put all the laundry together and then separate into piles.
I wouldn't want each kid to start running their own load with 5 items. Which is what would happen, since they'd run out of clothes before they could fill a load.

Mother 4

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 6:00 pm

I did my own laundry for the first time in seminary, and then when I got married. When I was home between seminary and getting married my mother did it, though I did sometimes hang the laundry for her. I guess I'm spoiled, because even when I go home to visit now ( with a bunch of kids b"h), she still insists on doing it for me.

Raisin

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 7:00 pm

my teenage daughter would probably prefer to do her own laundry but I have a very large machine so other clothing needs to be added.

I started doing my own laundry when I went away to seminary. I actually can't remember if I did it myself when I moved back home before getting married. Probably I did, because I remember thinking how much more complex the controls on my mothers machines were compared to american machines.

When I go home to visit I do it myself.

yo'ma

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 7:03 pm

I started when I went away to school in 12th grade. I didn't when I came home, though. I taught my ds15 before he went to yeshiva at age 15. My dd16 has been doing it for about a year or two now when she needs something that's not clean.

Frumdoc

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 9:14 pm

Since I was 10 or so. My mom taught me, helping with the heaps of laundry was just one of the shared household tasks we all participated in. So I think I had a day of the week when collecting, sorting and doing the laundry for the whole family was my job, or it was just more flexible, I can't remember exactly. Like changing bedding or towels or vacuuming or cleaning bedrooms or the kitchen or washing dishes. Normal chores.

I often did my laundry separately if it was delicate.

Dh never did his at home, although he did in yeshiva. He has now learned (been taught by his wife!) how to sort, use the right settings and cleaner, hang or dry and fold. He does most of our laundry, I just do the odd load at the moment as his work pattern gives him more time currently, and I am working late almost daily.

I would recommend teaching your teenagers how to self care, including laundry, basic cooking like pasta etc and how to clean and tidy a house, including bathrooms. You just do them a favor by instilling this kind of knowledge into them before they get married.

I would bet an awful lot of silly shana rishona arguments involve practical issues like laundry, cleaning, shopping sensibly, keeping to a budget and the basic tools of adulthood.

mommy3b2c

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 9:40 pm

When I got married. Mine and my husbands and shortly after my kids, bh

nywife

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 9:52 pm

When I was 13 or so my mother showed me how to do laundry, although I didn't do my own laundry most of the time (not economical to run a load of 4 shirts). However, when I got to seminary, the girls who didn't know how to do a load of laundry really annoyed me.

gp2.0

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 9:56 pm

My mom did all my laundry while I lived at home until age 20. I probably would have preferred to do it on my own once I hit 17-18, but my mom preferred to do it herself. We all helped with other chores like sweeping, washing dishes etc.

That being said, I did do my own laundry at summer camp at age 16 and 17.

ETA: I probably did help do some loads now and then, but it was like helping out the same way I sometimes washed dishes, not an official "everyone washes their own laundry" policy.

smilingmom

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:05 pm

Each of my kids did their own laundry starting at around age 13.
I can't imagine doing all the laundry and then having to fold and sort it all.

mha3484

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:19 pm

10th grade so maybe 15? It was my fathers way of punishing me for complaining about him not washing my clothes fast enough. I found I liked doing my laundry on my schedule and kept at it.

ra_mom

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:32 pm

From about age 13.
This thread is making me think about whether or not I want to do the same with my daughters.

perquacky

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:40 pm

My mother did it, but I think I was given my own laundry to fold.
But now, with four very capable kids who wear something once and throw it in the laundry even if it's clean, resulting in mountains of laundry, and me working full time, everyone pitches in. The washing and drying are easy. It's the folding I hate. So I bring armfuls of clean laundry up to the den, turn on the TV, and we have folding parties. I can't say the kids enjoy it, but folding T-shirts while watching the Simpsons isn't the worst way to spend a half hour!

water_bear88

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:42 pm

From when I left the house after high school. I definitely helped with sorting and folding from a much younger age, maybe 11 or 12 on sorting and earlier on folding. I also did my own hand-washing by high school. Same reasons as posters listed above- my mother didn't want everybody wasting water and electricity by running our own loads. FTR, I've had to relearn every machine anyway (different dorms, different rental apartments). The most useful thing I learned was how to sort.

rachel6543

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 11:48 pm

I started doing most of my own laundry sometime in high school after my dear mom shrunk one of my shirts! Problem resolved after I started taking care of my own laundry.

My son is 7 yrs now. I wash his laundry, but don't fold or put his away anymore (not for they last yr or so). That's his job. I don't know why, but I just hate folding/ironing/putting away laundry! I don't mind washing it.

naturalmom5

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 12:05 am

I was doing laundry since I was tall enough to reach the the machine
Before that my mother picked me up so I could put the quarters in

Kiwi13

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 12:10 am

When I was about 12. The first time I did a load of wash it came out dirty. My mother asked me if I put in soap. I said, "no, I thought it came through the walls with the water." Live and learn!

AlwaysThinking

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:01 am

I often helped with the laundry when I was a teen, sorting it into lights and darks, putting a wash on, taking it out, hanging it to dry. There would never have been enough for me to do my own laundry.

agreer

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:08 am

I did it sem, then again when I got married (mid twenties).
I never did it at home because we had a cleaning lady.
but I do know some friends who did it when they were in high school as they didn't have cleaning help that did laundry.

amother

Oak

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:59 am

I helped out here and there when asked but didn't do it routinely until I moved out at age 24.

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 Next