At what age did you begin washing your own clothes?

United States
May 23, 2008 5:57pm CST
I guess I grew up pretty spoiled. I didn't start washing my own laundry until I was in college, so I began doing it at 18 (I'm 21 now) but there were some weekends I still didn't have to wash them. I'd bring them home when I came home and someone at my house would throw them in the wash for me. I never wanted to wash my clothes here because we had a very tempermental washing machine that didn't always work right and if you did one thing the wrong way it would overflow. We got a new machine several months ago so tonight was my first night I'm washing my own laundry here at home. I'm hoping that when I go downstairs to get my clothes everything went how it was supposed to go. What age did you start doing your own laundry? Did anyone make you do it when you reached a certain age or was it something that you just decided to do yourself?
11 people like this
41 responses
• United States
24 May 08
in all seriousness i didnt start till i moved out on my own. my mother took all the cloths to a laundrymat when i was young and then when i was older i actually did get to do my own laundry...when i moved out and got a place of my own. but then i had to move back and it went back to my mom, then eventually my dad decided that only he was capable of using the washer and dryer that he had bought and so i no longer able to do my own cloths and since i dont drive i had no choice to let him do my laundry. of course now i live on my own again and im back to doing my own laundry again.
3 people like this
@cjgrooms (4456)
• United States
24 May 08
My mother worked so the kids started doing that type of thing early on. I can't even remember at what age. My children started "helping" with their laundry at about 7 and was doing their own by about 9yrs.
2 people like this
@wisedragon (2325)
• Philippines
24 May 08
This is embarassing. Here at home we have maids who do our laundry for us. So the first time I washed my own clothes was when I lived in the United States for several months. I was 22 then and my cousin had to teach me how to operate the washing machine. Now at least I know how to do it.
1 person likes this
@youless (112595)
• Guangzhou, China
24 May 08
I think I am lazy. I seldom wash my clothes by myself. It's not so necessary as we have a washing machine at home. It can wash everything. I think it's cleaner than I wash by my hands. I love China
1 person likes this
• Philippines
24 May 08
I don't wash my clothes! My mom wouldn't let me because she thinks that i can't really make it. Our maid is away right now because she's in the province so my mom's the one who make the laundry. Right now I'm starting to learn household chores. I'm 16 and I think it's time to be a little independent :D
1 person likes this
• United States
24 May 08
I think it was when i waqs in middle school. i always hated it thought because my mother would buy the powder washing stuff and when i was done washing the powder would still be stuck to my cothes LMAO.Now i stil do my own laundry no i do not havew thoes problems anymore LOL.
@vanities (11395)
• Davao, Philippines
24 May 08
I start washing my own clothes when i get marriedcertainly i married young..and able to learn how to wash it..im lucky when im still young since somebody had to wash it for us..although i like to learn but got no time for it since i helped my mom in the store during saturdays and sundays thas why we had somebody to work or wash for that particular chores..
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
24 May 08
I think I was maybe around 10 or so when I started helping with washing laundry. But I was about 12 when I did it myself. I reas slighly forced to but I'm doing it more now because it's easier for me to do laundry without waiting for it.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
24 May 08
Don't remember age, just remember always having to help mom do it. But my little GD, age 2, LOVES helping with the laundry and sweeping the floors and dusting and putting things away! She does it on her own - no telling from anyone! I keep telling my son to take advantage of it while he can! In the end, she'll be self supportive and in the meantime, you'll have some fantastic quality time with her and some wonderful hilarious memories!
1 person likes this
@drakesuyat (1063)
• Philippines
24 May 08
you may not believe this but i started washing most of our clothes (not just mine) at the age of six! my late uncle(a soldier) always thought me on all these washing clothes thing. i never thought of it as a task but a play coz of those floating bubbles. and i never regret it coz it helps me a lot at times when i have to do things on my own.
1 person likes this
@hcpoirot (1562)
• Indonesia
24 May 08
Hi highflying, I will be put in a wall of shame very quick. I also didnot do my own laundry. I hired someone to do all the laundry. But i do ocassionaly make my own bed.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
24 May 08
err.. i think i started washing my clothes when im still in grade 4 or 5.. im the ones who wash my undies.. :D when im in highschool.. i started washing my own clothes.. my mother wasnt around for us for being outside the country and my father got to work.. we only had our relatives living beside us.. so, i have no choice.. :D and talking bout laundry, i think i need to do that right now.! :P
1 person likes this
@k101707 (102)
• United States
24 May 08
I have been washing my own clothes since I was about 12. The reason for this is because I have always been picky on how my clothes are washed or folded. I realized I will just do it myself and I have done that ever since.
1 person likes this
24 May 08
I began washing my own clothes at 14 .Because my school was far away from home,and i can only back home once a month,so I have to do the job myself.Now I am 24 ,settled with my mother,and she always wanna give me a hand,I am very appreciate her ,when I have spare time,I do some cooking pay back her
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
23 Jun 08
Well growing up the without electricity made us learn to wash clothes by hand at a early age. I started weashing my own clothes at the age of 5 in a bucket with a plunger and a scrub board. I didn't get a automatic washer till I was married. We were made to do own own laundry by my step-dad who told us that we were old enough to weld a plunger and a scrub board and do our own laundry. Nowdays on occasions my husband will help me with the laundry. But if it had to involve plunging clothes and a scrub board I doubt he be so willing to help..
@laglen (19759)
• United States
26 Jun 08
Congrats on the new machine! I started doing my own laundry when I was about 9. My daughter is 14 and she has a general idea but I do it! lol I really need to start having her do her own!
• United States
24 May 08
Well my mother still washes everyone's clothes including myself. She goes to a laundromat to wash the clothes and there are times that I accompany her. But I learned how to wash clothes when I was in high school. My mother was pregnant and she couldn't wash all those clothes by herself so I was the one that had to go and wash everyone's clothes and I took my little sister along. She didn't really helped much to tell you the truth but I was doing that for all the nine months that she was pregnant. She would go like once in a while. But now she is back to washing the clothes herself and I at least got to learn how to wash clothes.
1 person likes this
@madlees (1377)
• India
26 Jun 08
I was more spoiled than you dear.. I did not have to wash clothes at all, as long as I was at home and that was till I got married. After that I had a girl with me to help. She used to do the washing and cooking. I learnt to do everything only in my late twenties. Till now I have been doing my own laundry and my family's too. Now that my kids are not there with us I am doing our laundry myself with my husband's help.
• United States
26 Jun 08
10, I wanted to do it myself because I started buying nice clothes with my paper route money.
@ksha777 (95)
• Philippines
26 Jun 08
I started washing my clothes when I I was 8 yrs old but my mom said i shouldn't wash my clothes, she can manage it all..but when I was about 11 yrs old then I was asked to washed the clothes.lol. By the way it's hand washing that time and I always got hurt by rubbing thosee clothes with my barehands... sometimes there's blood because of the wounds.By now I'm using washing machine,,, thanks to technology. lol