Seven sets for seven days

Short answer: Seven sets of underwear and socks mean the washing machine never decides your week. It is the simplest move there is in a wardrobe. The rest of your clothes follow the rhythm.

The arithmetic

With seven sets you can wash once a week at a fixed time. With four you must wash twice, and one of those times always lands on a bad day. The sum is simple: one set per day, and a week becomes one wash. Then you choose the time, not the machine.

What counts

Underwear, socks and t-shirts. Those are the three types that must be changed every day, and so the three that decide how often the machine has to run. Count these three against seven and you know whether your wardrobe lasts a full week and where something is missing.

The outer layer does not count

The outer layer can be worn several days and does not count. Trousers, jumpers and jackets can hang and air between wears if they have not become dirty. So only the innermost layer sets the washing rhythm, which makes the sum much easier to overview. See bamboo sweatwear.

If you wash less often

Then the number must go up. Ten to fourteen sets cover two weeks. If you only want to wash every second week, you need enough of the innermost layer for the whole period, or you end up washing anyway. Check how much room you have in the drawer before deciding.

If you have fewer than seven

With only four sets the wash day comes more often, and it does not always fall where you want it. That is no disaster, but it makes the week less predictable. Notice which type runs out first and buy exactly that, instead of buying everything at once. See bamboo socks for men.

The same cut makes it easier

All seven need not be identical, but the same cut makes it easier to grab one blind. If you like one particular cut, stay with it. Then there is no day when you hold a set that does not match the rest, and you need not sort before getting dressed.

How to arrange them

Put clean sets at the back of the drawer and take from the front. That way all get used evenly, and nothing waits for months. Keep underwear, socks and t-shirts apart, so you can see when one kind is nearly empty without rummaging through everything.

More than the innermost layer

Seven sets concern the innermost layer, but the rest of the wardrobe can follow the same thought: few pieces that go together and get worn many times. Consider whether a dress or a pair of trousers can serve several occasions, instead of buying something with one job. See bamboo dresses.

And when travelling

Three sets are enough if you can wash along the way. The washing option decides how much to pack, and it is what you should think about before filling the suitcase. Without washing on the trip you need one set per day, so count the days and then pack.