DH is laundry impaired!!!

OK, I have a wonderful DH but his laundry skills make me crazy. We go to church at diff' times so that we can leave our 2 yr old at home. I came home from churtch to find that he had 2 loads started. The 1st load was blue jeans and pretty yellow towels on hot. The 2nd was poopy CDs washed with kitchen towels and baby clothes of various colors washed on warm. ARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

For 8 years I've worked on the laundry thing with him. I've tried showing him the instructions on the laundry detergent box. I've tried teaching him and helping him sort. I've banned him from touching anything but his own clothes. I've banned him from doing ANY laundry. He views doing a load as helping out. He grabs whatever is lying in the basket and stuffs the machine full, throws some detergent in and walks away. :(

Washing and drying the clothes IS THE EASY PART!!! If you want to help, FOLD THE DERN CLOTHES AND PUT THEM AWAY FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

OK, I feel a little better. I don't think there's any solution here, just frustration and more work for me.

gina, mom to 3

[MartiesMom2B]

Gina:

I know how you feel. When DH and I were dating he put my silk blouse from Nordstroms in the washer and dryer. AAAAHHHH!! Yeah I think it could fit a baby doll after that. After several more lost items of clothing, the only we could come up with is doing clothes separately. So what do I have now downstairs. Load and loads of everyone's wash. Oh and I've also decided to iron clothes to save the expense of dry cleaning. Sometimes I feel like Cinderella when she has to do all that laundry and stuff for her step sisters before the ball, but my prince has already come - yeah and his dirty boxers are waiting to be washed. LOL!

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

LOL!!! Thanks, Sonia! You made me smile! :)

My oldest DD is 12 and she calls herself Cinderella because I have her doing laundry and the floors. :) I want her leaving this house prepared for the realities of life. Laundry included! :)

gina

[AngelaS]

My dh was banned from our laundry room about 3 years ago after a spilled bleach incident. Now he's only responsible for putting his dirty clothes in the basket and occasionally carrying a full basket up or down two flights of stairs.

I don't mind doing laundry and since he's not much help in this area, I'd rather save his usefullness for a different area, such as mowing the yard. LOL

[MartiesMom2B]

Gina:

I used to think of myself as Cinderella due to all the chores that I did too, especially around age 12. I was told by my parents that yes they did have me so they could have a free servant to clean up after them. LOL!

Plus let me add a note to all mommies out there: Teach your kids to do laundry, especially the boys. You don't know how many boys I had to teach laundry too in college. Hey wait a minute, maybe that was just a pick-up ploy. Hmmmm. I bet they knew how to do laundry all along.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

We have the same problem! DH wants to put everything in the dryer on high. I tell him no, look at the tags conveniently placed on the clothes and wash accordingly. Last week, he put something of mine in the dryer and shrunk it. When I pointed it out, I didn't even get an "I'm sorry", just a "I was trying to help you". That always makes me madder because I have told him a thousand times not to touch the laundry UNLESS it is in the dryer. Once it is in the dryer, all laundry is fair game to be folded, and that would be a HUGE help to me. But does he ever look in the darn dryer??? NO!

You are not alone! I have two boys and they WILL know how to do laundry!

My MIL is a very sweet woman, but did everything for her children. Now I pay the price. She has already appologized to me about that :)

[Marisa6826]

Wow! I guess I'm really lucky. While I have no problem doing laundry, Jonathan actually WANTS to do it. He does it every Sunday night as part of his "getting ready for the week" routine.

The only thing he wants help with is folding shirts and fitted sheets.

Even even likes changing the bed!!

Fine with me :)

-m

My husband knows how to do laundry, he just doesn't want to. Sigh. I actually envy you guys for having hubbies who want to help!