HN Explorer

Ask HN: How do you do laundry?

8 points by magicjosh ↗ HN
I don't like doing laundry (sorting, washing, folding). It's just a chore I never have time for. Even if I get things washed I don't fold them and they sit there and get wrinkled.

How do you handle this? Are there any tools or techniques you use? Can I get a folding robot?

21 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 62.3 ms ] thread
LinuxBender
How do you do laundry?

I drink a can of Monster, put on some heavy metal and then fold aggressively.

Can I get a folding robot?

Probably if cost is not a limiting factor. Baxter [1] and others could probably be taught how to fold clothes. Baxter is said to be around $22K. It's probably cheaper to hire someone unless one was folding clothes non-stop.

[1] - https://robots.ieee.org/robots/baxter/

qup
You can just drive it to a laundromat and have them do it. It's not really that expensive.
rajeshp1986
How much do you spend monthly on laundromat?
fogzen
Reduce the laundry you need to do. I only own three outfits. Hand washing a single outfit every day takes less than 10 minutes. Costs nothing. Hang dry. No folding.
speedgoose
What about bed sheets? Do you have a stable temperature all year around? You don’t do sport? You don’t have young kids?
fogzen
Same advice applies. Most people have an unnecessary amount of clothing which makes laundry a big job.

You need one set of sheets. But you only need to wash once every 2-4 weeks if you shower before bed. If you do gym and sport, you only need one pair of shorts and jersey. With daily sport, that’s only two outfits to hand wash per day - a quick job.

If you have multiple kids, sure, you might want a washing machine. With minimal clothing you should only need to do one load. Folding can be avoided by hanging clothes.

Alternatively, you could take the opposite route. Have 15-30 outfits and multiple sets of sheets, and only do a big laundry session once per month ;)

dazc
First world problem but I get the point, it's a chore but chores by their definition are supposed to be 'chores'.

Personally, it was the time sink that bothered me so I bought a washer and drier to put in my office. It is still a slight inconvenience but doesn't eat into my leisure time as it did before.

If you don't have a private office then, as comment below, you can simply pay someone at the laundry place to do it of you.

yuppie_scum
Adulting is hard, isn’t it? Yes, if you have more money than time you should just get a laundromat to do it.
metadat
Find and secure a partner who likes doing laundry and gets mad if you try to help.

I still feel guilty, even though I help in many other ways.

cblum
Lol I’m that partner. I’m very particular about how clothes should be washed and dried. I care about things like sorting loads, proper machine settings for what’s being washed, etc.
andyjohnson0
Accept that it's a chore and it's ok not to like doing it, but also that you're an adult and it still needs doing. So promise yourself a reward when its done, then power on and jfdi.
pjacotg
I listen to podcasts while doing domestic tasks!
swah
Laundry is ok but folding and ironing... luckily remote work also helped with that!
runjake
I don't. My wife (a mother and homemaker) does it all. I should show her more appreciation for having clean clothes magically appear in my dresser.

Back in the day, you could take your bags of laundry to a laundry service and pay very little to have them washed and folded. If you're financially-comfortable, tip generously.

Laundry robots and lifehacks sound too complicated.

8b16380d
Wash clothes by type (delicates, light, darks, etc). Dry immediately after washing finishes. Fold immediately after drying is done. Repeat n-times until all laundry is complete. Scales moderately well with family size.