My New Computer Washes Clothes

Recently my washing machine threw the breaker switch. This was a good thing as the motor had seized and when that happened to the previous machine, it caught fire. While I had been contemplating getting a new washer because the finish on the washing drum was wearing out, I was not expecting to have to go looking quite so soon, or without time to weigh my options.

We have always had a suds saver machine. That's one where the soapy water goes into one laundry tub, while the rinse water goes into the other one. The machine draws the soapy water back into the drum so that you can reuse it for another load.  That saves a lot of water. This has become even more important to me now that we are on a water meter and the rates have gone up so much that I tend to hold my breath as I open the bimonthly bills.

Apparently the manufacturers have stopped making the suds saving washing machines. To buy another top loader, with the usual agitator, would mean an instant increase in water consumption. I noticed that they now make some without agitators, but I don't understand the process, and am not comfortable with the idea of something so new and foreign to me without having time to look into it.  I had been told that front loaders use much less water so we started by look at those.

I was instantly confused by all the different models and options. In the past, I had gone in and asked the salesman for a suds saving model, and then bought the only one they had. Not only did I not have a specific feature to ask for now, I also had no idea what all these new computerized models were capable of doing. Nor did I have time to do a lot of research. I needed to make the purchase quickly.

I was delighted to discover that the store where I have always bought my appliances had a sale on. There was $250 off the Whirlpool machine.  That made it cheaper than the others in that store, and seemed to do more than I'd ever need it to do.  We went off to do some other shopping while we thought about what to do, or if we should look elsewhere for comparison's sake.

When we went back to find out how long that sale would be on, we found out it was just for the day.  Then the salesman pulled up a price comparison page, on his computer monitor, and found it for about $50 lower somewhere else. He immediately matched the price. No comparison shopping necessary, at least not in person these days, it seems. No matter how much time and thought and research I put into buying a new machine, I'd never feel sure I was choosing the best possible option out there. Manufacturers give us too many choices these days. We decided we'd probably be just as happy with this one as any, so the purchase was made.

The salesman said that the motor on my new washer is guaranteed for 10 full years. That might have been a great selling point, given our two past experiences but I almost laughed as this machine is practically a computer, and I expect the electronics will fail first.

Now I have to learn how to do laundry all over again. This is the first time I have ever had a washing machine that required programming.  I'm used to just twisting a dial to indicate the size of the load, the temperature of water I want to use, and occasionally setting the machine for a gentler cycle than usual.  This new one senses the water level needed, and while I can set it to take care of more heavily soiled or more delicate loads, that's done on a touch screen. 

One of the main advantages of this electronic marvel is that I can put the load in during the day, when the electricity rates are at their highest, and ask it to start during the evening when the rates are at their lowest. In the past, I would think about doing a load at night, but then not want to go down to the cold basement after dark to do that. I ended up doing all my laundry on weekends, which used to be considered time off.  I just may wear out the timer before I wear out the washer, as I know that pre-set feature is going to get a lot of use. 

Now I have to remember to leave the door and dispenser open after the wash, to prevent mold, check under the rim for small object that might have fallen in there, and run a cleaning cycle once a month. That means I have to buy a special cleaner, as well, apparently a different kind of laundry formulation. It will be a learning experience. Each load will take longer to wash, but since I will no longer be washing two loads at once, and hopefully not spending my weekends doing laundry, that shouldn't be a problem.

While I have purchased the High Efficiency detergent now, I bought the liquid kind, like I normally use. The manual says that liquid detergent works best as the powdered stuff may not dissolve properly and could form clumps. It also tells me that for pre-set washes, I apparently need the powdered kind anyway, so it doesn't seep into the washer ahead of time, and gum up the works.  The new fangled capsules, on the other hand, are to be added to the drum before the laundry, and could likely be the answer for pre-loaded washes.  I'd love to hear from any of you who have detergent stories.

We've done two loads so far. The laundry came out soft and clean and was spun much dryer than usual. It wasn't tangled up either.  I left the door open afterwards, but forgot about the soap dispenser the first time. My hubby forgot to put the detergent in before starting the water the second time, and discovered the water shoots up through the dispenser if you open it while the machine is on. Like I said, it will be a learning experience.

De-Cluttering Week 10 - Over the Top with Tops

It's a good thing it's been cold this winter.  I have been wearing sweaters a lot, and since I tend to wash them gently, one at a time, sometimes there are several out of the drawer waiting their turn for their turn to be washed.  This, I've discovered, is a good thing as I have not once been able to get all of my sweaters and sweatshirts into the drawers all at the same time this winter. 

I can't recall ever having had that problem in the past, and I'm sure I didn't get any new ones in the past year or two, so I decided that the drawers needed to be cleaned out, and reorganized. All three of them.

I took everything out of the drawers and stacked it on the bed, all at the same time. Then I went through the piles and restacked them into categories. Sweaters, sweatshirts, long sleeved t-shirts, and regular t-shirts.  Hey, what are they doing in there? 

I decided it was time to dispose of an old purple jogging suit, and any Red Hat related tops, since I don't wear them anyway. There was also an old sweater that I didn't wash properly and totally ruined that I will finally let go of for the same reason.  I convinced myself I have enough rough work clothes and painting duds.

To put the t-shirts where they belonged, I had to look into those drawers also.  Since it's still cold, I wanted the long sleeved ones in the dresser in my room.  The short sleeved ones can be stored in the drawers of the dresser in the spare room, until things warm up and then I'll change things around again.  I have way more tops than anyone needs, but some colours work better some years than others.  Some summers I wear a lot of black and white, while others summers I'm much more colourful. Some years I like greens and oranges, while other years I like blues and browns. I don't follow the gurus advice to  dispose of the things I don't wear for a year.  I've discovered many times that I'm quite happy to pull what seems like a whole new wardrobe right out of a drawer each spring.

While I started out to clean out three drawers, I ended up rearranging six.  I have a bag of stuff to donate, and some other stuff hit the trash bucket.  I feel confident I will finally be able to get all my sweaters into the drawer when I wash them this weekend.

As an added bonus, when my hubby saw what I was doing, he took his sock drawer and cleaned it out too.

An InLinkz Link-up

Step Out of the Way

This morning there was an author being interviewed on the CTV Morning Show.  She mentioned that sometimes when the men in our lives try to help, we step in and get in their way by making suggestions on how to do the job.  I'm sure I'm guilty of that sort of thing, but I have learned to step back from certain chores when my man takes a notion to do them.

You can always tell, however, just which of us did certain things.  For instance, when I hang laundry, I hang pants by the waistband, and shirts by their bottom hem.  He hangs pants by the bottom of the legs and shirts by the shoulders.  His way may require a bit of extra ironing on my part, but I think I still come out ahead time wise, when he helps with that chore. When doing dishes, I put the dishes in the drainer facing toward the sink, starting from the front of the drainer. He does just the opposite.  I'm not sure I understand the logic of that, but hey, the dishes still manage to dry just fine, so it's easy to stay quiet about that. And of course, there is always the toilet roll.  The ones I replace roll from the top and down the front of the roll.  His roll from the back, down the wall to the bottom.  Okay, so while I can leave the other differences in how we do things alone, sometimes I really feel the need to FIX this one, but I'm working on it.