How Long Can You Go Without Doing Laundry? - YouLookFab Forum

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How Long Can You Go Without Doing Laundry?

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

After a long wait, we were supposed to have our new washer/dryer installed yesterday, but there was a snafu, and now it won't be done until tomorrow.

The last time I did laundry was 11 days ago. I realized, between having plenty of clothes and re-wears between washes, I easily have more than enough to wear. However, I'm down to my last two pairs of underwear so, realistically, my laundry limit is 13 days. Here's hoping the install is successful tomorrow, or I'll be back at the laundromat for some emergency washing.

How long do you think you could go without doing laundry, and what would you run out of first?

General

58 replies

Latest reply was from fathenry

Kathie

Veteran

Like you, underwear is my limit for laundry. I could manage for 12 days, but then I’d have to do some laundry. Or hand wash in the sink. I do try to make sure that everyone in the family can manage for at least a week, with clothes appropriate to our dominant seasons, and no re-wearing, in case the weather is super muggy or cold/wet/rainy, and clothes need to be washed after every wear.

kellygirl

Veteran

It would depend on the weather honestly. I’d run out of clean bras after a week and then underwear after maybe 14 days. (I don’t wash bras after every wear except when it’s hot and I get sweaty—TMI?) I can go a week and a half for gym clothes. Hope you get your washer and dryer ASAP!

Anonymous

6 days, I usually do everything on a Saturday once a week. But when we had a broken dryer in winter the longest I had to wait was 3 weeks and it was difficult.

Sal

Veteran

Mmmm not sure!! You are doing well. I think the longest I have gone is one week - socks and gear would get me first.

Angie has given me the very glam title of Laundry Queen on the forum (I know - it is prestigious) and I have to say I get antsy if I miss more than one day in a week. I suspect I do 10 loads a week between the four of us.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh no. This is part of my sock problem, but there is no way I’m doing laundry every week. Once a month I devote a whole day and do full loads and fold while watching HGTV. I will never have less than 30 days worth of socks and undies.

Never. Hahaha!

Bijou

Veteran

1 week, only because of exercise gear. I hand wash most of my real clothes, and tend to do so every few days in a small sink. I like putting my gear and underwear in the machine to get a thorough clean.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Oh Jenn thanks for giving me a great laugh at the end of the day!
You led me to count my undies- 15, so 15 days I guess. Think hubby and son prob have similar but didn’t count theirs! I wear bras happily for several days if not doing much exercise ( which is the case on my 9 am- 7 pm type days) and I have only 6 of those since I had to ditch 2 earlier this year where the underwire started poking through and hurting. I haven’t replaced those yet as I am managing with 6.
I have heaps of everything else but dislike large amounts of laundry building up so we usually do a load twice a week for the 3 of us. Then DD2 sometimes brings a load here of hers to do on the weekend- which she does herself.
I’m amused by Rachylou and the socks xx

Style Fan

Veteran

I have enough undies to go 3 weeks before I need to do laundry. I usually do a load once a week of whatever I need. I might do a load of my pjs and other dark things once a week. I wash my Yoga clothes as needed. It could be once a month. I wash my jeans as needed. I don't do my laundry all at once.
Mr. SF does several loads a week. He is starting to see my wisdom of having lots of undergarments, socks and pjs.

Staysfit

Veteran

I’m like Rachy, I can go for a month.

lisaflex

Veteran

bras are handwash only. too expensive for washing machine!

we could all go at least three weeks, but, dont. laundry is an easy chore so i do 1-2 loads almost daily.

Liesbeth

Veteran

I also hate laundry, and could go about 25 days before running out of undies. I would wear trousers and sweaters more than once though without washing after each wear. And do handwashing for bras.

TanyaBurr

(website)

Things that I hate most include laundry in it. I honestly used to never do my laundry. MY mum was responsible for the laundry and my younger sister helped her. I was a pampered girl but after being an adult you have to do some stuff that even kills you to do it. I usually wear different clothes everyday do that I don't have to do the washing often. I do it after a month.heheh

kerry

Veteran

Good luck! Probably 2 weeks ... I tend to do laundry on the weekend although I keep trying to implement one day during the week for this task to free up more time on the weekend. In most seasons I go 2 weeks between loads. In summer it’s usually one week. This is for two reasons: I wash almost everything after one wear because I live in a hot humid place and because I have fewer of these items to rotate because summer is short (12-14 weeks tops).

I have three limiting items: undies, camis and pj bottoms. The former two get washed after every wear and the latter after every two. I’m not a fan of socks (though I have plenty for all seasons) so try to avoid wearing whenever possible.

I am not discerning or careful with laundry at all. Except for bras (hand washed) it all gets chucked in together. The other exception is jeans which get their own load maybe once a month. I do hang dry quite a bit.

Diana

Veteran

Around 2.5 weeks. Underwear is the limiting factor. I actually often go ~2 weeks between laundry days because my husband and I do our laundry separately (and linens are also their own thing) so that’s how long it takes to amass a load’s worth of just my stuff.

April

Veteran

I have no idea how long I could go, because I can't bear for laundry to pile up. I do a load a day (HE washer adjusts the amount of water used to the load size) or else I get anxious.

LaPed

Veteran

Not much more than a week during the colder part of the year. Socks and PJs are the limiting factors for me. I can go much longer in the summer!

nemosmom

Veteran

We could go maybe 2 or 3 weeks without doing laundry. My kids go through clothes the fastest, and I wash their laundry separately from mine and DH's. I like to have at least a week of clean laundry available at any time so I don't cause a bottleneck if we need to pack for a trip. I would guess undies would also be my limiting factor.

Susie

Veteran

DH does his own laundry (and the sheets and towels too, gosh I love that man!) so I only have to wash my stuff. I generally do 1 load a week but occasionally skip a week. I'm sure that I could go at least 3 weeks, maybe 4, but I prefer to do smaller loads.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Lol! Undies are definitely the limiting regent in our household. My son has about a dozen—mine to for nearly a month. But his pants supply also keeps the machine running—he has about 5. It is so hard to get him to buy more!

Anonymous

Probably a week, but I do at least one load a day most days to keep up with it easily. It does not pile up that way.. I also do lots of hand laundy, especially underwear and other delicates. That is part of my bedtime routine.

Sara L.

Veteran

2 weeks would be my max - underwear is the limiting factor. My kids only have enough for one week though so I do laundry every weekend.

JAileen

Veteran

Sixteen days. I’d run out of underwear. I have a lot because we went on a sixteen day trip and didn’t do laundry. I also have the stretchable underwear that I’ve taken on our last three trips, and it can be washed out at night.

Kate

Veteran

At least three weeks and probably a month.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Two weeks.

Anonymous

Limiting factors are bathroom towels and underwear. I've reduced my massive bath towel collection to a more sensible stack, and have enough to last 3 people about 2 weeks, max. Same time frame for underwear. Husband's uniforms - we'd need a laundromat for those after a week.

bridgie

Veteran

Twelve to twenty four hours. Not that I don't have enough clothes to wait longer, but guess I just don't have any self control concerning laundry.

Bonnie

Veteran

I go on long MH trips, so I have a stash of inexpensive underwear and worn tees, hiking pants, and shirts that I keep in storage for these trips. I can go about 60 days. I really hate using laundromats. I've been in some where shelters are washing their blankets and towels, and people with horses are washing their horse gear. If we camped in resorts, I would use their machines, but we like camping in National, State, and local parks. When I'm home, I can last two weeks.

kkards

Veteran

2 weeks with comfort...another 5 days with the less desirable undies (bought because 3 years ago i was supposed to get my new washer/dyer delivered and we had an ice storm and i had to move the appoint out a week, and was to lazy to go to the laundromat, easier to go to target and pick up new....,did the same with sheets)

anchie

Veteran

I haven’t really tested it since I have a feeling that I am doing laundry every day. I guess underwear, sleep and lounge wear would run out first. Towels and linens too - don’t keep many spares.

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