Too bratty?

[catnapper]

I have long insisted I do the laundry for various reasons. One its my only place in the house that is MINE. Second, it allowed me to stay on top of the kids. Third.... why not just sit back and be lazy while a maid does your laundry?

Now they are all much older, they think they are outsmarting me by sneaking into the laundry room and doing their clothes while I am at work. They all swear up and down that they NEVER go to the laundry But yet, bottles of laundry soap empty out when I never even opened it -- eerie! and the lint filter shows black lint when I open it up to remove whites . and most odd is I remove a stray panty or sock from a load bedsheets, when I know that neither panties nor socks went in with those sheets --- very scary!

So obviously the kids are doing their own laundry. I can't mention it to them in person because they all swear they do not do laundry. I can't be super nice and mention it off the cuff. I can't mention it in a family meeting. No matter what I'd say, or when, they won't accept that I know what they're doing and I'm a-ok with it. Most of all, I'd like them know they can do their own laundry so that I don't keep going down and seeing everything moved around.... it makes me feel like I'm losing my mind or something PLUS I want them to stop dropping the clean laundry from the washer into baskets, then plopping it back into the washer when they remove theirs for the dryer.... I'd like them to simply put the clothes in the dryer then fold them when they're done. I'd do that for them.

Sooo... here's the letter I composed to put on the washer lid. Too cranky? Too sarcastic? Just right?

I know all. (bwahahahaha)

If you insist on doing your own laundry then put whatever was in the washer into the dryer instead of plopping it in a basket then back into the washer when your stuff comes out. Then fold what was in the dryer instead of putting it back in after your stuff is dry.

Thank you,
Management

[moosmom]

Kim,

Geez, that pretty much sums it up!!

[Logan]

The rule around here is "if you take it out of the washer or dryer, you are responsible for it". Hallelujah when our kids do their own laundry. Helen has been doing her own for years. We help each other when we can with folding and getting it in the right place.

Good luck, Kim!

Logan

[RICHARD]

Have you asked the neighbors?

They may be behind this.

[Rachel]

I'm more of the opinion that when laundry is done, everything in the household that needs to be washed (whites separately, mediums separately, and darks separately) should be done at the same time hence saving unnecessary loads - water and energy. I'm not necessarily green but I think this is one way to lower energy usuage. Years ago my husband was known to have basically run a whole cycle for a pair of socks. Okay, maybe that is a tad of an exageration - but not that much.

[Laura's Babies]

Rachel, the guys on the boat will run the washer and dryer for a pair of socks.. Had one fella that washed his clothes from the day before, EVERY day and it was always 2 loads... 1 shirt, 1 pair of pants = 1 load....
2 socks and 1 underwear+ load 2...

catnapper, seems like you got it squared away but I think I would have hid the soap and see if anybody asked what happened to it or shut the water to the washer off.. .. Had a bit of fun with it before I made an announcement..

[caseysmom]

Aren't those "kids" 19 and 16? Bought time they learned to do laundry

[Logan]

There is NEVER a partial load in this house, especially since we purchased large capacity machines, earlier this year. If Helen does her laundry, she knows to go get similar colored laundry from our laundry basket. I do the same thing with hers. Our only exception is if it is a non-colorfast piece of laundry (something that has never been washed and might fade), then we might run a small load. But we do have a second washer and dryer in our garage that don't hold as much, so we would most likely use those instead.

Logan

[jenluckenbach]

It won't work. If they won't admit to doing this, they certainly won't admit to reading that! And be realistic......do you honestly think they want the extra duty of drying and folding a load that is not theirs??

[Sevaede]

I think it sounds great!

I have been known to overload a washer from time to time.

[catnapper]

I'm more of the opinion that when laundry is done, everything in the household that needs to be washed (whites separately, mediums separately, and darks separately) should be done at the same time hence saving unnecessary loads - water and energy. I'm not necessarily green but I think this is one way to lower energy usuage. Years ago my husband was known to have basically run a whole cycle for a pair of socks. Okay, maybe that is a tad of an exageration - but not that much.

Ahhh... another reason. I have loads of reasons why I finally decided to do all the family's laundry. Yes it brought more work on me, but in the long run it was actually LESS Work. No more shrunken sweaters. No more whites turned pink. No more bleach accidentally splashed on my good shirt. No more tossing a "dry Clean Only" outfit into the washer. No more finding the lint filter ready to explode. No more overstuffed loads. No more washing things that aren't dirty.... as if you need to wash jeans after all you did was wear them to the movies for 2 hours!

So now I give up - let them do their own laundry if they are that desperate to do it. I can use the break. Let hubby see just what happens to his work clothes when they get involved. I bet that he'll have a fit sometime between now and October when they ruin a few of his work clothes. He doesn't see the issue in something I complain about until it affects his stuff directly

[catnapper]

catnapper, seems like you got it squared away but I think I would have hid the soap and see if anybody asked what happened to it or shut the water to the washer off.. .. Had a bit of fun with it before I made an announcement..

I've thought about it. Unfortunately it would be wasted efforts. I hid something a few weeks ago (forget what it was, something like hairspray, conditioner, tweezers, thats all the stuff they "borrow permanently" on a daily basis from me) and they tore my room apart looking for it. God help me if *I* tore their room apart for something! They'd kill me, but somehow when they want my hair gel, its ok to tear MY room apart. Don't get me started on that one because its something I've fought with hubby over for years -- he is convinced if its in the house then its for anyone's use. I insist that if they need it ASK ME, and I'll GIVE IT TO THEM. But nooooo.... they just sneakily take things so when I go to do/use something, I can't because its gone. Pens, scissors, paper, cleaners, soap, razors, makeup, feminine hygene products, basically any type of supply is gone. Tell me you need it and I'll give it to you, and then I'll buy a replacement so when someone else needs it its there. We all know what its like to need a maxi pad, go to get one and the bag is empty.... try that on a constant basis! Open a drawer to get something that was a whole bag/box last time you looked and see its empty. Hubby thinks I'm over reacting until its HIS stuff thats gone missing.... then its a major issue that renders a "family meeting" We had one yesterday because someone ate all the pecans from his pecan ice cream. LOL

I can't wait til they have their own homes and then I'll go shopping in their cabinets

[Twisterdog]

I hate it when other people do laundry, too. I know, it sounds good in theory ... a little help around the house, etc. However, it never works out that way.

If my step-daughter does a load, it's HER stuff only. Like everyone else's stuff has cooties or something. And she NEVER does a full load, because she wants that ONE particular pair of pants clean. So she does an extra large load, and puts the dryer on for 90 minutes ... for ONE pair of pants.

My dad does one load per day, every day. And it contains one pair of pants, one shirt, one pair of underwear, one pair of socks and one towel. Everything he owns is sort of the same color of gray by now.

I like to do all the laundry not only because it is more efficient for me to do so, but because I consider it a very good way to check up on my kids. Hmmmm ... did that hoodie smell like smoke? What, is that a ticket stub to an R-rated movie left in my 14 year old's pocket? Nosy moms learn much from doing laundry.

[Twisterdog]

I've thought about it. Unfortunately it would be wasted efforts. I hid something a few weeks ago (forget what it was, something like hairspray, conditioner, tweezers, thats all the stuff they "borrow permanently" on a daily basis from me) and they tore my room apart looking for it. God help me if *I* tore their room apart for something! They'd kill me, but somehow when they want my hair gel, its ok to tear MY room apart. Don't get me started on that one because its something I've fought with hubby over for years -- he is convinced if its in the house then its for anyone's use. I insist that if they need it ASK ME, and I'll GIVE IT TO THEM. But nooooo.... they just sneakily take things so when I go to do/use something, I can't because its gone. Pens, scissors, paper, cleaners, soap, razors, makeup, feminine hygene products, basically any type of supply is gone. Tell me you need it and I'll give it to you, and then I'll buy a replacement so when someone else needs it its there. We all know what its like to need a maxi pad, go to get one and the bag is empty.... try that on a constant basis! Open a drawer to get something that was a whole bag/box last time you looked and see its empty. Hubby thinks I'm over reacting until its HIS stuff thats gone missing.... then its a major issue that renders a "family meeting" We had one yesterday because someone ate all the pecans from his pecan ice cream. LOL

I can't wait til they have their own homes and then I'll go shopping in their cabinets

OMG, that is so one of my pet peeves! My step-daughter takes make-up, hairspray, brushes, etc. into her room, and they are never seen again. I have to hide EVERYthing. She also uses things up at an unnaturally fast rate ... for example, a bottle of hairspray that would last me a month or two, she uses completely in a week. Or a bottle of conditioner in three days! How is that possible?

And my step-son is like that with food. If a buy a box of cookies, cereal, etc., the rest of the family will consume it a normal rate ... a couple of cookies per day, a bowl of cereal. But he will eat nothing but that item six times per day until it is gone, and no one else gets ANY of it. I completely quit buying soda pop, because he would literally drink a twelve-pack in one day.

[crow_noir]

Sounds fair and reasonable.

Yeash. Why can't they just cooperate?

...Don't get me started on that one because its something I've fought with hubby over for years -- he is convinced if its in the house then its for anyone's use. I insist that if they need it ASK ME, and I'll GIVE IT TO THEM. But nooooo.... they just sneakily take things so when I go to do/use something, I can't because its gone. Pens, scissors, paper, cleaners, soap, razors, makeup, feminine hygene products, basically any type of supply is gone. Tell me you need it and I'll give it to you, and then I'll buy a replacement so when someone else needs it its there. We all know what its like to need a maxi pad, go to get one and the bag is empty.... try that on a constant basis! Open a drawer to get something that was a whole bag/box last time you looked and see its empty...