As a rough guide, one person does 2 to 3 loads of washing a week, a couple 3 to 5, and a family of four 6 to 10, counting clothes, towels and sheets in a standard 7 to 8kg home machine. The number depends less on how many people live with you than on how often you wash sheets and towels, how much sports gear you go through, and whether you run full or half loads.
Loads per week, by household
Counting clothes, towels and sheets in a standard 7 to 8kg home washing machine:
- One person: 2 to 3 loads
- A couple: 3 to 5 loads
- A family of four: 6 to 10 loads
- A family with a baby, or kids in weekend sport: often more than 10
These are estimates, worked out from typical weights below, not survey figures. Use them to check whether your household is about average.
Where those numbers come from
By weight, most households could do it in fewer loads. A week of clothes for one adult weighs about 5 to 6kg dry, a queen sheet set about 1.5kg and a bath towel about 0.6kg. For a couple that's roughly 14 to 16kg a week: two full machines.
In practice people run three to five, because darks, whites, towels and delicates go in separately and plenty of loads go in half full. A family's 25 to 30kg a week turns into six to ten loads the same way.
What pushes the number up
- Gym and sports gear: light, but worn once and washed
- Babies and toddlers: small clothes, lots of changes, plus bibs and cloths
- School uniforms that need to be clean every morning
- Washing sheets every week instead of every fortnight
- Pets that sleep on beds or couches
- A small machine, or no dryer, which keeps loads small
How to do fewer, fuller loads
- Fill the drum about three-quarters: leave a hand's width of space at the top
- Wash towels and sheets on set days so they make full loads
- Air out clothes that aren't dirty and wear them again: jeans, jumpers and jackets
- Use a short cycle for lightly worn clothes
- Keep one basket per type of load, so a full load is obvious
Fuller loads use less water and power per kilo of washing, as long as the drum isn't packed tight.
What it means for a pickup service
A pickup service charges by weight, not by the number of loads, so there's nothing to split. With Laundry Load, one person's week usually fits a Small (up to 6kg, $49), a couple's week a Medium (up to 10kg, $67), and a family week with sheets and towels a Large (up to 15kg, $95, free pickup & delivery).
Our load size guide shows what fits in each size, and the guide on what a laundry service costs in Sydney breaks down a typical week by household.
