How often do you wash your kids' clothes?

[ourbabygirl]

The other clothing thread got me wondering if everyone is washing their kids' clothes every day. My DC are 1 & 3, and still getting clothes (esp. shirts) very dirty each day, mostly from food stains, but also things like markers, potty accidents, and occasionally sand/ dirt from playing outside.

I'm a SAHM, so I have time to do the laundry often and don't mind (so I tend to do a load of whites and one of darks about every few days), but I'm wondering if other people let their kids' clothes get a little dirtier between washes. It just strikes me as gross to have my kids wear something again if it's dirty and hasn't been washed. But maybe I'm being wasteful with resources?

How do you do it in your home?

[HonoluluMom]

I wash DD's clothes after she wears them.

I do laundry 1-2 times a week.

[div_0305]

DH and I both work FT, and I wash their clothes after one use. Being active kids, their clothes get dirty from playing, sweating, and food (for my 2.5 yr DD). Even if not visibly dirty, I wash after one wear. I spend a ton of time doing laundry, especially on stains from DD's day. She can wear 2 or 3 tops/bottoms in a day if we are really active or just extra playful at mealtime. I have a sensitive nose, and cannot stand the smell of unclean clothes and bodies (so yes, kids both shower each day even if it's for under 5 minutes).

[pastrygirl]

6yo and 3yo both wear everything once and then it goes into the hamper. My 6yo can wear pajamas twice.

I pretty much do the same for myself, except I'll wear jeans and skirts twice.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Shirts are washed after one wear. We get 2-3 wears out of bottoms, more so with ds1 than ds2. PJs are reworn several times. Socks, unless visibly dirty, are reworn by myself and ds2. Ds1 and dh need to have new socks every day. I hate dealing with socks so, yeah, I'm gross and lazy. So long as they don't smell, I just don't care. :)

[BDKmom]

For the most part, I wash their clothes after each time they wear them. For DS, I will sometimes let him wear pants twice in the winter time, if he's only been playing inside and didn't spill anything on them.

[mommyp]

Pajamas get worn 2 (or 3) times. Everything else gets too dirty and gets washed after 1 wear. DD will occasionally change her clothes when she gets home from preschool and if she just wears them in the house for a bit, they will go back in her drawer. We usually do laundry on the weekends, but sometimes I'll throw a load in in the evening.

[lizzywednesday]

Unless DD gets poo on her PJs, they're usually good for 2 wearings.

Everything else gets washed about once a week.

She's got enough clothing that we can go almost 2 weeks without washing everything.

I hate to do laundry.

[maestramommy]

whenever the clothes are visibly dirty. Could be after one wearing, or 2 or 3. cept underwear. that gets washed after one wearing.

[wellyes]

Everything gets worn just once, but we have enough clothing that we only need to do laundry every week or so.

For little kids, IMO, more cheap clothes is better than fewer nicer clothes.

[chottumommy]

DS1 goes to daycare and gets dirty and I mean dirty. Bath everyday and wash clothes after every wear. PJs wears 2-3 nights.

DS2 stays at home, is not walking as yet and tends to get less messy. He gets 2 wears out of his shorts most days but his tops only once. Bath everyday with DS1 and PJs get worn 2-3 nights.

I WOHF and do 1 load of kids laundry (darks) and their whites get washed with our whites as one load. Altogether I do 3 loads - adults dark, kids dark, white and every 1 a month sheets.

[edurnemk]

I wash shirts, pants, shorts, socks and underwear after one use. Sweaters, sweatshirts, etc when dirty. PJ's after 2-3 nights of wear.

If you mean how often I do laundry, I do DS's laundry about once a week.

[megs4413]

Generally, if they've worn it, I wash it. Not jackets and sometimes I'll let DD wear jeans/shorts twice. But I really prefer to wash after every wear. I do about 2 loads/day.

[amldaley]

DD1's clothes get washed basically after every wear unless we get lucky and she wears a shirt for a short while and does not get it dirty. I never let her laundry sit longer than 1 week.

DD2 sometimes can get a couple of wears out of a cute outfit if there is no spit up or blow out.

I don't let either kid wear soiked clothing.

[jess_g]

I wash everything after it is worn once with the exception of sweatshirts which I wash after they have been worn a few times.I wash almost once a day.It just depends when I have a full load to do.

Jenn

[mommylamb]

I wash everything after 1 wear, but in reading this thread I realize I really don't need to do that for things like DS1's PJs.

[Giantbear]

wear once and wash. I will re-dress dd in the same clothes after the pool, but that is it

[queenmama]

He wears pants at least twice, shirts used to be the same (unless visibly dirty, but he's a neat kid) but he's starting to get B.O. so now they're washed after every wear. Ditto socks, underwear, P.E. clothes.

She wears clothes til they're messy.

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[ilfaith]

Most everything gets washed after every wear. PJs (for my older two) can go two wearings, but since DS3 is still in diapers overnight his get washed each time. In winter jeans and hoodies (and sometimes sweaters) usually get worn twice, unless visibly dirty.

[Simon]

Everything gets worn just once, but we have enough clothing that we only need to do laundry every week or so.

For little kids, IMO, more cheap clothes is better than fewer nicer clothes.

:yeahthat: ITA and we have 10-14 days of clothing for each kiddo. I usually do their laundry 1x/week or less. The kids wear clothes for one day (or only 1/2 depending) with the exception of Ds1 who can re-wear jeans in the winter.

[ha98ed14]

Everything gets worn just once, but we have enough clothing that we only need to do laundry every week or so.


This is us too. I have a hanna and gymbo problem, so DD has tons of clothes.

[citymama]

They get their clothes messy pretty much guaranteed after a days use so I wash their day clothes every day. PJs usually get worn two nights in a row. Hoodies and jackets and sweaters get worn till they get *really* messy, because we have fewer of those to go around. We have plenty of day clothes!

I do laundry usually every 2-3 days, so twice or three times a week.

[crl]

Oh yeah, every wearing. Ds is nine and he still uses his pants as a napkin sometimes despite my best efforts. And he is filthy from playing outside most days regardless. Dd is two and she falls down and plays in the dirt and so on. Even her jackets end up getting washed pretty frequently.

Catherine

ETA. PJs get two or three wearings.

[hillview]

I wash DSs clothes after every wear -- they are usually dirty and it is just easier -- for a while I tried to check to see if they could be re-worn BUT it is rarely the case. With my clothes, shirts in summer are washed after every wearing but bottoms (shorts, skirts, jeans) are washed when dirty or stretched out. I do a load of laundry at least every day.

[kijip]

T gets 2-3 wears out of his pants and pjs and 1-2 out of his shirts. Socks and underpants get washed after each use. He is nine so few food spills and no potty accidents. This is less than a load a week.

F is 3 and not fully potty trained. So he tends to go through 1-2 pairs of pants and underwear per day. Often pjs have to be washed if he wakes up and does not make the potty in time. Given that he likes to wipe his jelly fingers on his shirt he is a shirt a day kid too. He fills a load of laundry every week.

I do laundry during the day when I have a chance a few days a week and my husband folds most of it when he gets home. He used to do it all but with me home, this makes sense. I would fold it but my husband is a bit OCD about how clothes are folded and I told him that if he wants it done the way he does it, he needs to do it. Each week I do 1-2 loads of the kids stuff (I will add their sheets to make a full load), 1 load of towels, 1-2 small loads of kitchen stuff and other hh items, 1-2 loads for my husband's and my clothing plus 1 for our sheets and thin blanket. I change the sheets 1x a week (more for F if he wets the bed.) we don't have a ton of hamper space so I try to get it all done before we have more than 2 loads to do in a day.

[rlu]

For DS everything gets washed after one wear (jean issue noted elsewhere) except sweatshirts, sweatpants and jackets which get washed when visibly dirty or smelly. I try to change out sheets every week.

For me with regular wear I wear my jeans several times between washes, pjs three nights max (less in sweaty summer), everything else one wear and wash.

I do laundry all the time but I have a million loads - warm wash jeans, cold wash jeans (mine), warm wash colors, warm wash whites, white towels/socks, cold wash silkies (my shirts generally), cold wash cotton (also my shirts), black socks (I'm weird), hand wash, color towels - and generally do one load at night to throw in the dryer the next morning. I work from home 3 days so those are the days I tend to do the loads that need special care (cold wash generally). Goodness, that was a book.

eta: I buy the cheap mesh pop up laundry bags from the Dollar store and have several by the washer to keep the loads sorted (8 in total, I'm really overdoing this aren't I? No wonder DH gave up). We keep one hamper in the house as a catch-all and then I/DS sorts them into the appropriate load by the washer.

[Jacksmommy2b]

Wash after every wear here too. Hoodies might see two wears, but that's it. I wash pjs after every wear too but S is a sweaty sleeper.

I do laundry every other day-ish. S could go a month without laundry. WIth all the handmedowns I could clothe triplets. J has a weeks worth of jeans and a weeks worth of shorts plus some chinos, etc.

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[llama8]

I wash all of their clothes after 1 use, but I only do laundry once or twice a week. They sit in the hamper for a bit.

[123LuckyMom]

I wash everything after one wearing, but I do colors and whites together (except for first washings when colors might run) and everything in cold water. This makes me feel better about using my dryer. I do towels and sheets separately. At first I worried about using cold water, but it really does get the clothes clean, and it saves energy. I probably do two to three loads each week.

[twowhat?]

Everything is worn once, and by the end of the week I can take care of all the girls' clothes in 2 loads. I do treat for stains asap, but then the stained clothes sit in the hamper with everything else until laundry day.

[KpbS]

Wow, I am really in the minority here :p but I am sure I can't be alone! If we are just home playing I don't wash DC clothes unless they are visably dirty with food/dirt. If DS2 went to school, I'll wash those clothes but DS1 is neat and doesn't get dirty on the playground. He can get multiple wearings out of uniform shorts/pants and sometimes shirts too. Sock and undies are one time only (unless I can't find any socks and we are running out the door late I might grab a dirty pair for DSs, they are boys after all!). I wear my jeans etc. several times before washing them. Jammies can last days--esp. when DC don't eat breakfast in them :)

[ljackson]

Wow, I am really in the minority here :p but I am sure I can't be alone! If we are just home playing I don't wash DC clothes unless they are visably dirty with food/dirt.

You are not alone - I do this too :) For us this means that bottoms will usually get worn for about 5 days before they get washed (maybe less for DS and sometimes only half a day if there is a really bad spill) and tops maybe 3 days. PJs I try to change about every 5 days. If something gets spilt on clothes that can be picked off (like tomato seeds) and it doesn't look too bad afterwards it gets worn for one more day. Patterned clothes are good for that. The same rules go for my clothes too but I would probably only get 1 or 2 days out of a top. Sweaters last many days for everyone. I really don't see why you would wash stuff that doesn't look or smell dirty.

[gatorsmom]

I would normally have the kids wear their clothes a couple of times if there aren't any obvious dirt or spots on them. But I'm trying to get them in a routine of putting their own clothes in the laundry hamper (instead of on the floor) and unfortunately they aren't good judges of what can be worn a second time. So for now, all their clothes go to the laundry hampers at the end of each day.

[Melaine]

Interesting thread, because I have been thinking about this a lot. I think out of habit, I still wash the girls' clothes every wear but it occurred to me recently that that might not be necessary. I know I need to at least have them wear their pjs twice, but it is just habit for them to throw everything in the hamper. It's becoming an issue because we use cloth napkins, rags, cloth diapers, nursing pads, mama cloth.....plus with the baby having reflux I am washing his clothes AND my clothes constantly. I would say I wash about 12-15 loads a week and it is becoming so time-consuming. Another issues I am having is that in this heat, things mildew quickly. I have plenty of clothes for the girls but the sheer quantity of laundry is daunting. Plus our W&D are in a closet so no dedicated room. Things pile up quickly.

[nfceagles]

I would normally have the kids wear their clothes a couple of times if there aren't any obvious dirt or spots on them. But I'm trying to get them in a routine of putting their own clothes in the laundry hamper (instead of on the floor) and unfortunately they aren't good judges of what can be worn a second time. So for now, all their clothes go to the laundry hampers at the end of each day.

This is me too. I don't mind the idea of rewearing a couple times, but don't know how to keep track of it or where to put those clothes in between wearings. So I teach the kids to put their clothes in the hamper after they change.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We use pajamas 2 nights, but nothing else really makes it through a meal, and we do prefer they are clothed for mealtimes ;)

DH, on the other hand, changes clothes all.the.time so his clothes get a couple wears, sometimes his house clothes get MANY (gross) wears before I sneak them into the wash.

[ang79]

We use pajamas 2 nights, but nothing else really makes it through a meal, and we do prefer they are clothed for mealtimes ;)

DH, on the other hand, changes clothes all.the.time so his clothes get a couple wears, sometimes his house clothes get MANY (gross) wears before I sneak them into the wash.

Haha, totally agree with DH's lounge clothes, he just keeps re-wearing them if he hasn't been outside working in them (he changes into mesh shorts or sweatpants after work if he's just going to be hanging out at home). Every few days I chuck them in the laundry basket before they get too gross!

With the girls, they wear PJ's 2-3 nights, we usually grab new ones after a bath and they are fairly clean kids so unless they've been outside sweating a lot, we don't do daily baths. Everything else (with the exception of dresses worn to church on Sundays for 2 hrs.) gets thrown in the laundry basket at the end of the day. My 3 yr. old tends to get food on her clothes and both of them play on the floor alot, so I prefer to just wash everything. For myself, I will re-wear jeans and bottoms a few times before I wash them, but tops I wash after each wear (unless I only wore it a very short time and didn't sweat!)

[wellyes]

If we are just home playing I don't wash DC clothes unless they are visably dirty with food/dirt. If DS2 went to school, I'll wash those clothes but DS1 is neat and doesn't get dirty on the playground.

See, I don't think of clothes as just getting dirty from the outside. Even pre-BO, kids do sweat. Kids underwear gets stinky, too. So I think clothes need washing before being visibly soiled.

[Kindra178]

See, I don't think of clothes as just getting dirty from the outside. Even pre-BO, kids do sweat. Kids underwear gets stinky, too. So I think clothes need washing before being visibly soiled.

This. Boys wear pjs about three times and regular clothes one time.

[kijip]

See, I don't think of clothes as just getting dirty from the outside. Even pre-BO, kids do sweat. Kids underwear gets stinky, too. So I think clothes need washing before being visibly soiled.

If there is no detectible odor on the garment I call it good. My husband and I get 1 wear out of shirts and usually 3 out of pants. As far as I am concerned, underwear, socks and the inner most shirt are all I need to wash every wear barring some huge mess. Life is too short and I am too cheap to wash every single garment everyday. Washing is most of the wear and tear on a garment.

[kerridean]

I wash everything after one wearing. Otherwise it get smelly at their ages IMO.

[ett]

Everything gets washed after one wearing. PJs get washed after 2-3 wearings. I do laundry almost every day. I sometimes can skip a day in the summer since our summer clothing take up a lot less space in the washer than winter clothing.

[Tinochka]

I used to wash DCs clothes after every use, but one day being busy with cloth diapers, DH shirts (I think, he has 40 of them) I realize that my DS1 is not spitting up anymore... I used to wash clothes with bad stains right away too. So, nowadays they wear undies and socks once, shirts once (they are still messy eaters) most of the times, but pants and shorts depends on how clean they are. PJ and sweaters are worn several times. Clothes with very bad stains (tomato, berry,etc.) got my attention right away (dishwasher soap, soak in the bucket. Sometimes items from the bucket get washed with our clothes, so, they will not stink after several day in the bucket. My kids have lots of clothes, so I wash them once per week or in 8-9 days. All depends how full is the basket. We divide then into white and “black” piles. I pull out clothes with bad stains and soak them in the tub. So, I have 2 loads for 2 kids.

[wifecat]

I have two kids, 1 and 3, and they are SO messy. I do wash all the time. Really. Like, every day, at least one load, possibly 2-3. Especially with ds. He could easily go through 3 outfits in a day (and I mean really go through them...cherry stains on his pants that I have to stain treat, paint on his shirt, smooshed something all over his next outfit...).

Dd has JUST gotten to the point that most days she can wear one outfit all day. Whoohoo!

[HannaAddict]

After every use. Laundry is done daily.

[R2sweetboys]

With the exception of socks and underwear, we wash clothes as needed. If they're not outwardly dirty or smelly they are worn again. It doesn't bother me if an item of clothing has gotten a bit of sweat on it as long as it doesn't smell. I hate doing laundry so I am loath to wash more than is necessary!:p I'm surprised that so many people here wash clothes every time they're worn no matter what. It puts a lot of wear on the clothing and seems somewhat wasteful. I only say that because the general attitude on the board skews towards being eco-friendly.

[wellyes]

I'm surprised that so many people here wash clothes every time they're worn no matter what. It puts a lot of wear on the clothing and seems somewhat wasteful. I only say that because the general attitude on the board skews towards being eco-friendly.

Eco-friendly is important but so is hygiene. I do what makes me comfortable in terms of comfort and cleanliness. No judgement on those who wash less frequently; opinions on how often to wash clothes and to bathe really varies by region. I knew a guy from Singapore who showered at least 4 times per day and put on fresh clothing each time, and was kind of grossed out that others did not. I knew a Frenchman who bathed weekly at most. If you don't stink and are happy, it's all good.

[crl]

I'm surprised that so many people here wash clothes every time they're worn no matter what. It puts a lot of wear on the clothing and seems somewhat wasteful. I only say that because the general attitude on the board skews towards being eco-friendly.

I think there must be dramatic differences in how dirty kids get their clothes. Ds is nine, but he often has food on his pants and he plays outside climbing through brambles to get to the fort and climbing trees and falling over in the dirt for dramatic effect. His clothes are filthy nearly every day. Dd is two and hers are honestly cleaner than his most days, but she often has falling down temper tantrums in the dirt outside and also trips and falls. Plus shes not potty trained and we do have diaper leaks occasionally. At least half the time her clothes have visible dirt or food on them. I can't imagine anyone would let their kids re-wear these clothes.

I re-wear my jeans and other casual bottoms several times. And if I have on a t-shirt and a sweater I don't wash the sweater unless it is dirty, just the t-shirt. Dh also re-wears jeans.

Catherine

[carolinamama]

I can't imagine my kids being able to wear something more than once - they are dirty, messy, and play hard. So their clothes (minus pjs which I try for 2x's but that isn't always possible) get washed after one wearing. DH and I don't wear tops more than once but will wear clean pants/jeans twice.

We wash probably 5-6 days a week. My nanny helps out with washing kids' clothing when she is here two days a week and I do the rest. DH doesn't touch the laundry unless he is REALLY desperate!!

[mariza]

I always wash pants underwear and socks after one use. I'm more lenient with shirts if they aren't visibly soiled. DD is starting to noticeably sweat so I can't get away with this in summer as much as I did in the cooler months. My kids always seem to be rolling around in floors whether it's at home or at the mall and that totally creeps me out. Even if pants don't look dirty I know that are coated in germs and they must be washed after one wear!

[zukeypur]

I was after every wear (pajamas get 2 nights because they bathe right before bed), and I do laundry abut once a week or when they start screaming that they don't have any clean clothes to wear, lol.

[BabbyO]

In general we get 1 wear out of each item of clothing (now that DS1 is older sometimes we get 2 wears out of shorts or pant - but not often).

I do laundry weekly (1x/wk) ideally, but often it stretches to every other week or every 10 days or so. Thankfully we got LOTS of hand-me-downs from a friend so we have NO shortage of clothes.

PJ's usually get about 5-6 nights wear.

[khalloc]

I pretty much wash my kids clothes every time they wear them. I might make an exception for a pair of jeans that were worn out but are not dirty and let them wear them another time. but I like clean clothes and I think my kids do too.

[AnnieW625]

I pretty much wash my kids clothes every time they wear them. I might make an exception for a pair of jeans that were worn out but are not dirty and let them wear them another time. but I like clean clothes and I think my kids do too.

:yeahthat: PJs get washed every 2 to 3 washes and sweatshirts or hoodies when they get dirty.

[peanut520]

Undergarments (underwear, undershirts, bras, and socks) wear only once. Most other things fall in the depends category. It depends on how dirty, how sweaty, how stinky based on the activity or event worn (dim sum or korean BBQ requires a wash even it is visibly clean). I can wear jeans 3-4 times without putting them in the hamper.

Pjs get 4-5 nights if she gets a bath/shower nightly. Towels are used for about the same and sheets get changed every week. Duvets and comforters every month.

The really odd part is we only do laundry every 2 weeks because we have lots of clothes plus we have a service that does it all at once, but I will do small loads at home if needed.