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I do all my own washing. When I wear male clothes, I know when to put stuff in the machine. I change my male underwear and my socks every day (even though my smalls are all women's stuff), I wear T shirts most of the time and I change them every day. I'll wear jeans for a few days until they start to look a little grubby because of my man-activities. It's all very straight-forward.
Now as Becca, it's a little different. I still change my knickers (panties) every day, socks too if I've worn them, but what about the rest of my stuff? I, as Becca, like to wear different outfits. I might wear one skirt one day and another the next. I might wear a top for half a day then change it for something else if I decide to go out. A bra might be used for a few hours--is it dirty, does it need washing, or will it do another day and if so, where will I keep it so it doesn't get mixed up with clean stuff?
Basically, Becca always has a load of clothing that is not dirty in any way, but can't really be put back into a wardrobe with things that haven't been worn at all since last wash. It's a logistical nightmare!!
What are your laundry protocols?
I use a free standing clothes rail in my bedroom for any clothes that have been worn but aren't ready for a wash yet. At some stage they go into the dirty washing basket. May look a bit untidy but I don't have another half to keep happy. And if the rail gets full I *know* it's time for a wash.
You can use the male mode snif test!
But I do agree with Cheryl on her washing protocols. So wear and then wash 🤔 the more frequent you wash the more it wears and fades the fabric. So most outer wear can go a few rounds before washing. But there's the occasional spill 🤔 🥰
@rebeccabaxter Bra, clincher, knickers and hosiery will be washed after one wear.
Tops after one wear. Dresses / skirts 2-3 wears. Petticoats every 5-6 wears (they are terrible to dry).
Skirts can be worn a few times without washing, unless they become soiled for some reason. Dresses I was after wearing as there is always some underarm soiling and the same for any blouses or tops.
In lingerie, bras can be worn a few days depending on the weather and whether or not they get damp from sweat. Panties are single use and the same with nylons so there are no odor issues.
Things like pants, jeans, shorts can all go for multiple wearings as they generally don't get dirty. Unless of course the weather is warm and humid and they get soiled from sweat.
Dresses I was after wearing as there is always some underarm soiling and the same for any blouses or tops.
Underarm soiling? From just sweat or from the deodorant?
After Dad died, I found his crystal and have been using one as a deodorant since then. No more stains. 😉
@harriette Both sweat and deodorant. If I've worn a top or dress all day it goes in the wash.
@rebeccabaxter I'm no guru, I just go by my gut - 🤔 this actually applies to just about everything, not only laundry.
Obviously the under items get washed after each use - sock/knix/bras.
I'll wash outer clothing items after every few wears. The tricky bit there is that I get dolled up only 3-4x/month, and so a few wears of a top or pants could take months. So really it just gets the old smell/feel test. (shrug) It's worked out so far.
I wish I had a third wardrobe for part-used stuff.
Actually, following posting about this, I went and re-ordered my two wardrobes, as things were getting rather tight, and got a bit of a shock. I took down all my male T shirts, folded them and put them in an under-bed box. The only things in my male wardrobe now are my motorcycle stuff and a couple of warm tops. What I've done is I've moved all my winter clothing to my male side, so cardis, jumpers, coats etc. and put all my feminine T shirts, tops and skirts into Becca's wardrobe. The shock comes about because I've now noticed how much female clothing I have accumulated...and it's a lot! I've only been doing this for, what, sixteen months, and the quantity of stuff I've bought in that short time is little short of astounding extravagance.
I love it!!
xxx
Becca
@rebeccabaxter I can echo that! I've been doing this (in earnest) for 2 years now. Your comment prompted me to go do a quick check on my wardrobe space. The result:
2/3rd Rebecca; 1/6th male stuff that gets worn at times; 1/6th male stuff for emergencies or special events only.
Rebecca seems to be a shopaholic at times. She has spent far more than her male alter-ego ever deemed acceptable ... and don't get her started on shoes!
As far as the wash test goes, I use the Melodee Method.
Sweet smelling hugs, Rebecca x
I wish I had a third wardrobe for part-used stuff.
<snip>
I'm not sure about that, Becca. Putting pre worn clothes into an enclosed space might lead to a build up of unwanted aromas if you accidently get it wrong. A bit like me put kippers in the microwave, or failing to notice something in thr fridge that should have been thrown out
@emmat You're probably right, I'll stick to my present method of draping it over the bannister at the top of the stairs 😀
@rebeccabaxter The amount of feminine clothes I have is scary. For stuff in rotation that doesn't need to go back on hanger, we've got a chair each and a dumb valet in the dressing room.
The large heavy items (wedding dress, ball gowns, bridesmaid dress) are hanging from the top of the door as they're all too big to get in the wardrobes.
Other than the obvious for socks/underwear, this is a bit of a quandary for me too, and I'm in my femme wear all the time.
I want to wear different clothes for different weather or different occasions, even sometimes different things on the same day. Remembering when I last wore something and how long/how many times/how hot since the last wash, is simply not going to happen with the state of my memory, and I'm not going to keep a log!
Then, I don't just have stuff that can all go in the wash together when it's dirty any more. My light and dark colours need separate washes. In theory, even different fabrics need different washes! (Although in practice anything that says 30° will normally go through at my usual 40° with no ill effects).
Since I don't have anyone else living with me to contribute washing to make up a load, I'm just going to have to amass a huge wardrobe, and spend all my time changing in and out of things to get them ready for a wash. Oh, and have lots of baskets to store up loads by light/dark/different settings on the washing machine.
I think not. Oh, OK - I could maybe make an exception for the huge wardrobe 🙂
@finallyfiona I can't be bothered with all that faffing about, everything goes in together on a 40 wash and a prayer.
I have a free standing rail like Emma T where I can hang the 'lightly worn' clothes as putting them back in a clean wardrobe isn't a good thing. I can then rotate a dress with other choices through the week.
Washing is colour wash or whites and lights only. Is it old fashioned to say I will do a hand wash for tights, nighties and smalls if required as they can dry quickly. When washing tights and bras they go in washing bags to stop them knotting the wash or bra catches catching.
I will also hand wash where an item requires or is new and the colour may run.
Then there are coats that require and can be machine washed, like the winter 'Puffa' style coats and jackets.
Then there is the ironing!
I am thankful to the modern machines as my first machine was a twin tub, that was fun!
@ab123 I quite enjoyed 'washing day' with a twin tub.
I do like ironing. Male me just used to put on a T shirt and wait for the creases to fall out, Becca is much more fastidious.
THONG GETS WORN ONCE, BRA 2 TIMES, DRESSES, SHIRTS AND SKIRTS 2 TIMES. COATS 7 OR 8 TIMES. BRAS ARE HUNG ON THE BED POST. OTHER CLOTHES ARE SET ON THE NIGHT STAND UNTIL USED TWICE. EVERYTHING GETS WASHED TOGETHER (GIRL CLOTHES). MOST CLOTHES ARE ONLY WORN 1/2 A DAY. IF ITS HOT OUT THEY MIGHT ONLY BE WORN ONCE. IF I TAKE IT OFF THE NIGHT STAND THEN ITS THE SECOND TIME ITS BEEN WORN AND GOES IN THE HAMPER WHEN I'M DONE.
Unless I was out sweating heavily in the heat of summer, there's no need for me to wash a bra after every wear. You can wear them out pretty quickly that way. My bras are so comfortable that I want to baby them, make them last as long as possible.
