Some men really like doing laundry...I mean really...

[jtuck004]

Had to replace ours again today - happens when you use old ones - but these people get a lot more fun out of theirs than I do.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. Love his washer collection

[jtuck004]

2. I know - and they work! He talked about how they represent a progression of

change in how we do things over time, but the people do as well. Hung out over cars at 16, now over washing machines at 60.

Interesting the focus on mechanical things for people who lived through the past few decades, now seems to have morphed into folks who hang out on computers and make software do things. I wonder if that will serve them as well, but it sure seems like a lot of practical knowledge has been lost in the transition.

[KT2000]

3. wonder what he thinks

about the front loading washers with no agitators. They are fun to watch but do they get the clothes clean???

[Rhiannon12866]

4. That's what we have and no complaints yet...

Except if you forgot to put one thing in and still think you can do that after it's started...

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. Lol. That is the downside of front loaders. Once they click lock..thats it

[Rhiannon12866]

7. I can't believe I did that, but I've done it before so many times with every other washer

Well, the floor needed cleaning, anyway...

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Thats what I was gonna say. People swear by the old top loaders

We've got a decent front loader now, seems to do a good job. Definitely uses less water, which is the point obviously.

[brooklynite]

12. You can't add things to a front loader at the last minute.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. it's true.

well, if you catch it within the first 20 seconds or so, maybe. I've pulled it off.

[TexasTowelie]

5. Since I bathe my cats about every two weeks

I've always wondered if using a side loading machine without an agitator would do the job. Not only would it get the cat clean, but it provides some side benefits such as getting some exercise for the cat and entertainment for the human watching the cat through the glass door.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. You really bathe your cats?? And you still have appendages left??

I only bathed a cat of mine once and it's an experience I don't want to repeat. My beloved Rhiannon was ill, was having to hand feed her, and she really needed cleaning up. I had help, but it was still next to impossible she was so freaked out. And this was the most user friendly cat I ever hope to know - and the poor kitty was declawed when I adopted her. My Felix is still sometimes skittish though I've had him for going on two years - and he has serious claws. What is your secret??

[TexasTowelie]

10. The best way to make it work is to hold them by the back of the neck.

Instinctively it reminds the cat of being carried by its mama and keeps the arms away from the sharp claws. I let the cats swim through the low water to get wet and only put them under the faucet to get the head wet.

After they are soaked, I sit on the commode with a towel draped over my lap so that I can put in the flea shampoo and give them a thorough massage. They get the full rub down from the top of the head down to their purrsonal area.

The flea shampoo needs to stay in for about five minutes to be effective, then rinse the cat in a similar fashion. I start the indoor Siamese with this treatment after about eight weeks and have been bathing her about every two weeks afterwards. The gray tabby that moved indoors this winter gets the same treatment--I was surprised because he has sharp claws, but I haven't gotten scratched. I've even bathed a small Siamese cat that is about three years old that was never bathed before and I wasn't scratched.

They may howl some particularly at the start of the bath, but I think that like being pampered afterwards like it was a cat spa. I have a lot of cat scratches on my legs, but none of them came from bathing them. The indoor Siamese has gotten wise to the routine now and he has been known to cower any place where he can hide and curl up like a ball, but it is surprising how much fur and oil comes off when they are bathed so it does help control hairballs as well as fleas plus they smell good afterwards.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Thanks so much for sharing your methods! You really must have a real knack for it.

I always thought I could do anything with Rhiannon, but she drew the line at being put in water. And I should have started Felix young - both cats are/were long haired - but he's only finally warming up to me. Given his early experiences on his own, he was not a cuddly kitten. Recently I fell asleep on the couch and he showed up and fell asleep right next to me. He's gotten better gradually, but this was real progress!

[jtuck004]

16. I would think the harder part would be letting go. n/t

[Vinca]

14. He says the laundry is the "icing on the cake" so where do I send it?

Love those machines! That's when a washer was really a washer. None of the water conservation that turns your load of clothes into a soggy mass that barely moves.

[DetlefK]

15. Well, there are modern top-loaders. And they are significantly smaller than side-loaders:

The barrel has a horizontal axis and opens sideways (operated with a simple spring-mechanism). But the whole washing-mashine is smaller than a side-loader of equal capacity, making it perfect for small bathrooms and small households.

[hunter]

17. I'd like to see more of the washing machines themselves...

How about this:

The perfect washing machine would use very little water and electricity, and last at least a century.

Some of the old machines would easily last thirty years or more with minimal repairs. My parents had a Kenmore that was seemingly immortal, possibly because my mom's never been enthusiastic about bleach. But the machines were power and water hogs.

I don't have room to accumulate old washing machines, or even to experiment with one or two of them. I do accumulate old computers. The diversity and maintainability of old computers matches that of old washing machines.