Should adults be responsible for putting away their own laundry?

I believe adults and older children should be responsible for putting away their own clean clothes and organizing their drawers & closet spaces. I'm happy to wash, dry and fold my husband's laundry but feel it's his job to put it away in his drawers or hang it in the closet. He ends up piling baskets of clean laundry on top of his dresser and leaving his drawers empty. I think he's hoping I'll get sick of looking at it and put it away for him, and I refuse to do that. I have enough work to do around the house w/o coddling an able-bodied adult. Anyone else have this issue? How do you deal with it?

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Asked by Anonymous at 12:31 AM on Nov. 27, 2009 in Home & Garden

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Does he support you or do you work outside the home? If you do not work outside the home, it is your job to take care of it.

Answer by Anonymous at 12:34 AM on Nov. 27, 2009

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If I was lucky enough to have a husband I wouldn't mind putting his clothes away.

Answer by Anonymous at 12:34 AM on Nov. 27, 2009

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I always have put my husbands laundry away. It is not that big of a deal.

Answer by Anonymous at 12:37 AM on Nov. 27, 2009

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I agree with PP. If you do not work outside the home, that is your responsibility. If you do, you should ask him to help out.
As for putting away the laundry, in my house whoever folds it also puts it away. We both work, we both share the chores.

Answer by jenellemarie at 12:38 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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Unless he's physically incapable of putting it away himself, it is not unreasonable to ask a grown man to put away the laundry that you were kind enough to wash, dry, and fold. And yes, my DH DOES share this opinion. I am a SAHM, and I do put his clothes away for him, but I do it because I WANT to, NOT beacause I am expected to, or because its "my job". It is my job to take care of the house and the kids (and cats), IMO, but this is also a relationship of 2 adults, not another parent/child relationship.

Answer by EvaSerenity at 12:43 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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I put my husband's clean clothes away...not a big deal, it's my "job", but I REFUSE to pick his dirty stuff off of the floor because he's too lazy to walk 3 feet to the hamper.

Answer by lifehappy at 12:45 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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My 5 and 4 year old put away their own clothes.

Answer by outstandingLove at 12:50 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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OP here. I'm a SAHM right now but am looking for a FT job. DH works FT. I should clarify that I was raised by a single mom who had brother & me doing our own laundry by the time we were 10 years old. I never saw her do another adult's laundry. DH's parents waited on him hand-and-foot and he did his first load of laundry at age 31. Like I said before I have no problem washing, drying & folding. It just feels weird to put an adult's clothing away. To me it's like wiping his butt or clipping his toenails, which I'd happily do if he was disabled and needed my help but he's not.

Answer by Anonymous at 12:56 AM on Nov. 27, 2009

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I put my SO's clothes away but thats because I'm on mat leave. If I wasn't I'd probably still end up doing it. i don't mind. he does other stuff around the house. we share :)

Answer by Domsmom2009 at 12:57 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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Sometimes I do it, sometimes he does it. If I'm already in the closet hanging stuff of mine, I'll do his. Same thing with the folded stuff, if I'm making a trip with a pile of laundry I'll put his away as I do mine. But there are things he does that I don't. He cleans all the bathrooms, I never (well, very rarely) clean them. He cooks, I do dishes. It's all a compromise and we've worked out what's right for us.

Answer by canadianmom1974 at 1:06 AM on Nov. 27, 2009
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