<p>Just finished doing my daughter’s (young professional , living on her own) laundry and my S, home from college on Xmas break. My D did most of her own however sometime around 2:30 AM this morning I heard the spin cycle going on my washing machine. My D was not here when I went to bed around 10:30 PM so I was a little curious as to why the washing machine was in spin mode. When I got up to check, there was my D streaming something on Netflix while she was doing her laundry. In the morning I did all of her whites for her and when she got up all her laundry was finished. Beats using old top-loaders in the basement of her home she’s renting…</p>
<p>We were down to 3 kids at home this semester. But now all 7 kids are home for Christmas. They used to do their own laundry in the basement. (We have two laundry rooms–the other is in master closet.) but we have a tenant in the basement apartment, and ALL of the laundry is in MY room. Horrors. Yes, I am doing all of it because I don’t want everyone in my room/wasting water/soap/energy. . . Don’t even get me started about the grocery bill. . .Yikes! Still, mostly happy to have them all home–I know these days of being together are few and far-between.</p>
<p>atomom, Never will I ever have a negative thought about doing laundry or seeing laundry for my 2 kids again. Ever.</p>
<p>I do all the laundry, by choice. It seems wasteful to have individual family members each do a tiny load of whites, a load of 3 jeans, two bath towels etc. when I could just cram the mega load machines to the hilt and do ONE load of whites etc. It would be like each individual family member running their own dishes through the dishwasher.</p>
<p>At a certain poins each of the kids had to do the family laundry so they would know what is involved. While at college I’ve asked them to bring home the dirty stuff. I find the machines at school, while very eco friendly and frugal, don’t do a very good job. Back at home, their towels and bedding goes into a rinse cycle first and it’s surprising how much residual soap comes out of their ‘clean’ stuff. </p>
<p>Once my kids went to college they declared their intention, when home, to do their own laundry which,frankly, I find more than a little inconvenient since there always seems to be somebody’s laundry in whatever machine I need to use. I’d rather do it for them at my convenience.</p>
<p>Jshain: Thanks. Good to know I’ve helped you, in a small way, to become a more “positive” person 
It is probably even worse than you’re picturing—with clothes and Christmas stuff (my room is also “Santa’s workshop”/present wrapping station) master bedroom looks like a hoarder house!</p>
<p>I’ve seen mention before of “many tiny loads” if kids/H do their own laundry, but that’s not how we do it here. I wait until I have a full load of darks or lights, and do a load. If I have space, I’ll ask H or D for a few things (H has his own weird system so it’s rare that he adds to my loads). Same for my kids-no one has so few clothes that only a tiny load would be needed on a wash day. </p>
<p>The kids mix their loads, and I’ve stopped caring. These days colors don’t seem to run much, at least not in the wash/wear clothing we buy. I do combined loads for me and DH and drape his clean shirts/pants on a hallway railing… but when he stops putting them away on a timely basis, I go “on strike” for a while and let him fend for himself. </p>
<p>When DS is home from college, sometimes I’ll yell up to his room, “The washer is Free. And it’s Free.” </p>
<p>With getting everything ready for Christmas laundry got put on the back burner. Last night my 16 year old son came down stairs and said “Well I guess I better do a load of laundry we are running out of towels” I said "Sounds like a good idea. Thanks. " </p>
<p>For my kids, they don’t want me to do their laundry. They don’t like others handling their dirty clothes and DD wants to fold her own. </p>