My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Do you was your childrens clothes after each wear?

58 replies

kiki0202 · 20/08/2014 10:52

DS (2.5) has the same jeans on as yesterday because they were not dirty a friend I seen yesterday has just said 'does DS have 2 pairs of those' in a very judgy manner I said no he has one she's told me in a round about as polite as she can way she doesn't put worn (aka dirty) clothes on her kids and washes everything no matter how long they have it on for and i'm a manky bitch of course not right out.

I'm a bit upset at being judged and tbh I don't see the problem. I wash pants and socks after each use and t-shirts usually are dirty so get washed but jeans and trousers can do 2 days unless they have marks/spills. Am I being manky? I've got enough washing never mind washing hardly worn clothes.

OP posts:
anothervisittothepark · 20/08/2014 10:56

I am same as you. If they look fine they wear them twice. Not usually three days. Just creatibg work for yourself otherwise!

Bakersbum · 20/08/2014 10:57

I do exactly the same, why wash if they're not dirty? Give her an equally judging look and say you are doing your bit for the environment.

PancakesAndMapleSyrup · 20/08/2014 10:57

Nope you are sooooo not being unreasonable! Pants and socks are a given but anything that is not dirty will be worn again. This can mean tshirts twice and trousers 2 or even 3 times if they arnt filthy by then. Dont worry about your friend she is being stupid. The kids dont sweat very.much.so the.clothes dont smell!

dreamingbohemian · 20/08/2014 10:58

No, I don't, except for pants and socks. It's not necessary, it wears clothes out faster and it wastes water/electricity/money to wash everything constantly.

Nocturne123 · 20/08/2014 10:59

I only wash dd's trousers after one wear if they have stains on them , not if they're perfectly clean ! Like you I wash everything else as more often than not they have stains on them .

AuntieStella · 20/08/2014 11:00

Things go in the laundry here only when they need cleaning.

Now mine are teen/preteen, T shirts often are slightly stinky after one wearing so get washed, and undies always do. But everything else is the dirt/sniff test

mumofboyo · 20/08/2014 13:28

My stepdad always used to say that if you were to throw them at the wall and they don't stick they can be worn again. Although I'm not quite that bad, I don't believe in washing for the sake of it. If they're not dirty (they usually are) they get worn again. PJs can be used for 3 nights before going to the washer.
Despite that, the basket is never, ever empty Confused

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 20/08/2014 13:30

DD's stuff usually gets washed, but it does depend on what she was doing while wearing it (and for how long). Pants, socks and vests have to be washed, but with other items, not necessarily.

MrsLettuce · 20/08/2014 13:32

I was stuff when it's dirty, that could be after a couple of hours wear or a couple of days. Same for DC as for us. Pants and sock obviously 1 wear only.

Sounds as if your 'friend' has ishoos TBH.

magichandles · 20/08/2014 13:33

Not at all, in fact DD (4.5) is quite clean and I often get 3-4 days wear out of her things.

I went to school with a girl whose Mum washed her entire uniform every time she wore it. Her jumper(s) looked awful, all threadbare and faded from being washed so much.

ouryve · 20/08/2014 13:35

Only if they're dirty or if they got stuffed into the laundry basket with dirty things, anyhow (as DS1 tends to do).

It's rare that they're not dirty. DS2's been wearing his current top for about 3 hours and it's filthy.

SirChenjin · 20/08/2014 13:35

Pants, vests and socks are washed after each wear obviously, but the other stuff belonging to the 7 is only washed when it's dirty. The teens tops are washed after each wear because they are a bit whiffy, but jeans can usually last a few days.

MortaIWombat · 20/08/2014 13:49

Socks and pants are always fresh on daily.

The rest, when they are dirty. By which I mean smell or look dirty.
For ds, that means trousers and tops after anything from 1-4 wears, as he loves sliding on the floor/grass/mud, but for dd, that may mean a dress, skirt or top gets 5 or 6 or even seven wears before it hits the laundry basket.

Judge away. Grin dd is 9 and not yet developing, so no sweat to deal with unless she's been exercising hard. I fail to see how clothes can need washing just because they've spent the day being worn rather than being in a drawer. And I can't bear the modern obsession with washing everything all the time. We don't have a dishwasher, tumble dryer, second car, or flying holidays either, so I appreciate we may be a bit weird.

The dc wash daily, so a day pottering around the house really makes no discernible difference to their clothes, as far as I can tell.

I, otoh, sweat like a bugger and put everything on fresh daily, as does dh. But we rarely need to do more than 4 machine washes a week, including coloured/white/delicates, which I think is a lot more eco-friendly.

ItMustBeALime · 20/08/2014 13:53

I can only dream of having a child who would present me with the 'hmm, shall I put it on him for another day?' dilemma rather than the 'oh fuck, should I put him in a clean set of clothes at lunchtime before we see friends this afternoon so he doesn't look quite so mucky' dilemma...

Hypothetically, if I did have a cleaner child I'd def have them wearing jeans more than once in the hope I'd see the bottom of my laundry basket one day

LauraChant · 20/08/2014 13:57

Yep, things get washed only when visibly dirty (or stinky). The four year old can get through three changes of clothes in a day; if by some miracle he manages to make a pair of shorts or a T-Shirt last two or three days I'm not washing it until it is stained or grubby! DH on the other hand tends to chuck all clothes in the wash basket once they come off, I have to intercept when he is putting them to bed.

ShadowStar · 20/08/2014 14:01

Pants and socks get washed after each wear.

The rest, only if it needs it. Although it's rare for an outfit to make it to the end of the day and still be clean enough for the next day!

SantanaLopez · 20/08/2014 14:01

DD is a muck magnet. I can't wait until I don't need to wash something after every wear!

EndoplasmicReticulum · 20/08/2014 14:02

They get clean pants and socks every day. Other stuff, if it looks clean they can wear it again. This does not often happen.

Thurlow · 20/08/2014 14:04

Not as a general rule.

I tend to find most tops are dirty after one wear, leggings sometimes last two wears, jeans will last several wears, unless we've done something really mucky.

Hoodies and cardigans - now those I always forget to wash Blush

givemecaffeine21 · 20/08/2014 14:07

I'm with itmustbealime.... I very rarely get the opportunity to put things back for a second wear! But if they are still clean and smell ok, then yes, they get another wear; having said that if a pair of trousers is still clean by dinnertime it's usually because they were the second pair of the day! I am particular on smell though, if it has that dried on dribble smell it's in the wash even if it looks ok. So yeh....things rarely get the chance to be worn twice Hmm

I wash their Jammies daily but mine are both in nappies at night (1&2 years) so they smell of wee come the following morning!

Since becoming a mum my clothes are lucky to get through the day and always go in the wash at night....as DH puts it, kids leave a grimy filmy trail on everything Grin

MrsCosmopilite · 20/08/2014 14:07

Socks, vests, knickers - daily.
Anything else is inspected and either aired overnight before being put away again or put in the wash pile.

This applies to me and DH as well as DD.

ThatBloodyWoman · 20/08/2014 14:08

I periodically wash the base layer of clothing spread on their floor.....

Newsletters you might like

Discover Exclusive Savings!

Sign up to our Money Saver newsletter now and receive exclusive deals and hot tips on where to find the biggest online bargains, tailored just for Mumsnetters.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Parent-Approved Gems Await!

Subscribe to our weekly Swears By newsletter and receive handpicked recommendations for parents, by parents, every Sunday.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Bustermqc · 20/08/2014 14:13

Hahaha I don't wash my own trousers ever. Unless they get an actual spill on them. I often let my DCs wear clothes with things like pen marks on them (probably wouldn't with something like food). She's being absurd. You sound like a very clean person.

naturalbaby · 20/08/2014 14:13

I have 3 boys, a gym habit and anything that's still presentable gets put away instead of washed to keep the laundry pile manageable!

beccajoh · 20/08/2014 14:17

It's very rare that stuff is clean enough to be worn more than once, but if it is I have no hesitation in putting it on again the following day.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.