Good insights. I really love having a small euro-sized washing machine because it allows me to do loads more frequently, therefore rely on fewer clothes.

However, a new habit that DH and I have taken up is wearing the same clothes for nearly a week at a time. People might think this is gross–but it won’t stop us:). Of course we change our underwear and often our undershirts, and we wear different outfits for activities that will make us sweat profusely like biking, running and long hikes–those we wash when they get smelly-er. Clearly in hot weather, we don’t wear clothes so long, but when it’s cold, it’s really no biggie. (also, the cultural pressures on having a new outfit all the time are just not the same in France).

Anyway, DH and I do laundry about 3x’s a week–1 for sport clothes, 1 for regular clothes and 1 for towels or sheets. Obviously we can toss in our underwear any time, so we really only need to own a few items that we can wear repeatedly. I used to hate having to contend with some huge load of laundry–and the confusion of dealing with so many outfits at once. Now, once I’ve picked an outfit, I’ve made my decision for the week!

@tlblack – I do note that smaller machines die more often since they have to be run more often as well. And a new machine costs more than a slightly expansion of the wardrobe.

@Alex – You need to go through some of the 5000+ comments on the site. I think I read it in a comment some time ago. Besides, if you only have one set of clothes, it is pretty much the only way to do it.

To save time, I’d favor a longer laundry cycle and definitely not washing every day. Synergies, you know…

Can anyone explain why Jacob speaks of 12 outfits rather than 14, in a 2-week cycle? I’ve been wondering about this for a while now.

@tlblack: there is nothing wrong with wearing clothes for a weak (the outer layer). I do that too (wearing the outer layer longer and changing the under layer more regularly).

Is there any benefit to keeping strict limits on the number of clothes you own, other than to be able to say “hah! I’m more minimalist than you!”? I don’t own a lot of clothes, but I don’t own exactly 12 outfits or whatever, either.

I only wear handknit socks now. Once I knit my first pair and wore them, I was immediately and forever changed. Most sock yarn is superwash wool and nylon, so they can be washed in a machine, but I usually handwash anyway, b/c I handwash pretty much everything.

I only have about 4 pair of socks, because it takes a while to knit them. I wear them more than once. I put them on right before I put on my shoes to go out. When I come home, I take off my shoes and my socks. If it’s warm, no problem. If it’s cold, I have other socks that I call “house socks” that I’ve knit with thicker yarn to keep my feet warm inside.

Incidentally, the way to help athlete’s foot is to go barefoot more often. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s actually the warm, sweaty environment inside a shoe that encourages fungal growth.

http://www.americaspodiatrist.com/2009/07/if-your-feet-sweat-in-shoes-ditch-your-shoes/

Anyway, I wear my socks maybe 4-5 days in a row, and I just wash them in the sink, unless I have more laundry to do, in which case, I use a 5-gallon bucket. I only use a machine to wash towels, sheets, and other heavy items like jeans. Incidentally, I have about 4 pair of jeans/pants, and I wear them several times before washing. So, I have very few clothes, but lots of towels and sheets. I use a towel for a while before getting a fresh one, and I don’t change my sheets every week like my mother used to. So, a visit to the laundromat happens maybe once every couple months. Laundry in a bucket is maybe once a week or less. Socks and underwear in the sink is probably a couple times a week.

I usually do one load each week (boxers, socks, t-shirts and long-sleeve work shirts) and an extra load every other week (khakis for work, jeans, etc.). I’ve found wearing khakis twice before washing works well, but shirts I prefer to wash every week.

We do towels as needed (since we use rags instead of paper towels for clean up) so this usually works out to once a week-ish.

Our son’s laundry is dependent on how messy he gets in any certain week since it’s best not to let the really dirty clothes sit too long.

Am I the only one that lives where the temp can vary by 50 degrees in a 48 hour period? Or had a baby that could spit up on 3 t-shirts before 9 a.m.? Fewer clothes can be liberating but the bottom limit is going to vary a lot based on lifestyle and climate. My DH laundry is always sock and underwear heavy since he has a work uniform he wears 4-5 days per week.

@JD – It is very similar to yours. I avoid the middle. $50 for a shirt isn’t too bad if you don’t have a lot of them and they last for years.