Saturday, October 28, 2017

The Laundry Goddess

I have never in my life loved to do laundry. Until now! I am the proud owner of a new washer and dryer! I have done at least ten loads in the last 24 hours. It gives me great pleasure.


I've had one, cheap, used washing machine for the last 12 years. I've never really liked it. It was incredibly small, didn't clean the clothes very well, and lacked in choices. I've never had a dryer. They are energy suckers for sure, but more importantly they will damage clothes forcing the owner to shop too often. However, going to the laundromat to dry comforters, blankets or pillows that won't air dry fast enough is a health hazard. To survive the laundromat experience, I have to take a little plastic bag with a towel soaked in vinegar and wipe down the dryers in hopes of removing any fabric sheet or fabric softener residue. It usually worked...a little. I vowed if my washer went out while I'm still in this house and there is no hope to move in the near future, I'll buy myself a dryer along with the new washer.


Tiny Lone Washer
Perfect for Tiny Laundry Room
A month ago the washer died. It was 12 years old which is a good life for a washer and shows how incredibly patient I am (or cheap) to wait so long with a substandard appliance.

I started going to a laundromat that always had few customers and was rather clean, but I had a problem with a faulty machine which gave me pause. And then a friend was telling me her friend is very susceptible to athlete's foot and every time she uses a laundromat she gets it. Eeeeewww! Unless you are running the machines on hot water or filling them with bleach, you can get any kind of bacteria...or bed bugs. So I collected piles and piles of dirty clothes in the kitchen for a month. I was more than excited to get a new washer and dryer set, and the piles of dirty clothes motivated me. However, shopping always poses challenges for anyone who is chemically sensitive.

Living beyond civilization is the first challenge. No one wants to deliver. They won't even take bribes to deliver. They just don't want to deliver to the edge of civilization. I finally did find one store willing to venture out of their area for a price, but dealing with Home Depot is never a good experience. When I ordered from the stinky salesperson I was told it would take 7-10 days for it to be delivered to the store. Don't count on it. None of their customer service emails were managed, the "track delivery" didn't work, and most of their phone lines wouldn't let me push a department number. What a hassle!

After too much stress, the washer/dryer set was delivered. The delivery guys stunk. They hooked everything up, push the buttons and the dryer refused to work. They look. They check. Oh well! It must be the electricity! Not our problem. And left. Before they left they said, "If it's the dryer, MAYBE Home Depot will exchange it?" Remember the days when delivery was free and they actually made sure everything worked before they left? I was in a panic since contacting Home Depot and expecting to get a response is the hope of fools. I called my electrician instead and it was the electricity. My electricians are incredible, adorable, friendly, and totally fragrance-free, just expensive.


So I get everything working. The dryer stinks to high heaven. Modern appliances are made with a lot of plastic parts. It stinks like the new Cadet heaters, but I have run out of vinegar. I run it on high, open the window, and put the fan on high. We'll see. I have hope. And a headache.


So awesome to get new appliances! I've not had fluffy towels for 12 years! And these appliances are HUGE! I can fit two sets of sheets in the washer at a time! But it also has a sensor so I can also wash one pair of socks and the water only reaches to the socks. Technology is so incredibly. I feel like I've come out of the dark ages!

HOORAY FOR SPENDING MONEY!

HAPPINESS!

I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MORE DIRTY CLOTHES!

6 comments:

  1. Congrats!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! HAha....

    You did not get the front loading ones?

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    1. No, everyone I talked to complained about front-loading washing machines. Besides I like being able to open in the middle of a cycle if I need to and I don't think you can with a front loader. AND my laundry room is tiny and those front loaders are usually wider AND I wouldn't have room to open it where the washing machine goes. I shopped for a while trying to figure out what was right. Not sure I like this washing machine - the water sensor is weird. I don't think they clean the clothes very well or maybe I'm just used to water actually covering clothes when washing. So strange.

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    2. I think this is those smart inverter HE machines where they save water, electricity AND detergent.

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    3. It is and I have to say, I don't know if I like the washer. I put in a whole blanket and the water only comes up 2 inches. How does that even clean? The stuff comes out with dry spots that haven't been cleaned. The manual says "Oh this is because of the speedy spin cycle" but then why is it still dirty? Why is the lint still on it? I think we might be saving, but not if you have to wash everything multiple times. I guess we'll see.

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  2. I wonder how you are faring over time with the washer. In the past 3-4 years, I have purchased 2 new washers - a front loader and a HE top loader. The front loader turned out to have a gasket impregnated with a scented mold inhibitor that burned my eyes and gave me headaches when the washer was running. The top loader (which I am currently using) apparently has plastic parts that give off an odor that bothers me. I did not notice either issue in the appliance showrooms as I must have been nose blind due to ambient fragrances. Both washers frequently put odors onto the items I wash in them. There seems to be some variation with fiber content. I can sometimes air out the odor by hanging things outside; sometimes not. I wonder if you have any suggestions or resources I could look into to deal with this laundry issue. Thanks.

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  3. Did you try washing the inside of the washer with vinegar or something that would remove whatever is coating the plastics? Scented mold inhibitors??!! Jeez. What will they think of next? How many ways can they poison people in an attempt to make their products attractive?
    I actually didn't seem to have a problem with smells. The brand I have is Maytag. I do empty loads with vinegar a lot mostly as a mold inhibitor, but maybe it cleaned out this mold inhibitor thing? I found with my wall heaters, every time I get a new one before I use it I have to gently wash the plastic parts down with vinegar before I use it or I'm really really sick and it doesn't go away until I do this. If the plastic parts are not accessible, I don't know. Maybe you can find an old used washer that doesn't have so many plastic parts. Find a repair man and ask their advice, or maybe he/she can find you a washer...something he can work on and get parts for? I find if I'm out in public I am also "nose blind" to mild scents. I have to get it out into my vehicle before I can tell or in my house where I can identify anything out of the ordinary - of course, we don't have that option with something big and needs to be delivered directly to our homes. Good luck! So many challenges to being chemically sensitive that regular people take for granted. Let me know if you discover anything helpful.

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