I am doing something I have never done before...Brand New Experience..!!!!

[Stuart G]

No, please do not go there....it ain't that.....

About 2 weeks ago, my washing machine broke down..There was a pool of water underneath the machine, and that is not a good sign..NOOOOOOOOOOOO..!!!!!!!

I had some clean clothes so they lasted a few days. My concerns are clean underwear, (underpants and undershirts) and socks..Now I have heard rumors that there are places where an individual can wash and dry clothes. Rumors are out there that there is something called a "Laundromat" where a person can wash and dry them for a small fee. ....but no, I am in a very lazy phase..so I started to think..What did they do in the "good old days?"........I got an idea. Hand Wash the clothes...brilliant...!!!!

Here is my method. I put the dirty clothes in a sink. Fill the sink with water and soap. Then swish the clothes around the sink for about 5 minutes, squeezing the clothes back and forth. Moving them around in the sink, then I empty the sinks dirty water and fill it up with clean water, and rinse the newly cleaned clothes out of the soapy stuff that remains in the cloths. Now, after that one is done, I empty the sink again, and fill it up with a new fill of clean water and repeat the process. So, I rinse the clothes again. After that is through, I take the clothes out of the sink and carry them over to my clothes dryer. (which has not broken down yet.) In the dryer they newly cleaned clothes go, and 45 minutes later..I have dry clean clothes. Now, I will admit, this is...
not at all fun, even a little

Oh I guess the first time was, "unusual" but this is the 5th time and ...well I am tired of doing this. So, today, maybe, I will go and buy a new washing machine. I have saved enough money, that the cost will be not be a burden...but...I have never bought a new washing machine before..that is also new. (when I moved into my townhouse there was a new washing machine there)..a long while ago. Now I am retired, well past the retirement age,,,and this hand washing clothes..feels like lousy dirty job. Water here and over there. Swishing the clothes back and forth, and then filling the sink up with more water, and so on and on.. I am not even sure that the clothes are .."perfectly clean"..Well I do not give a damn....Today is the day to buy the damn washing machine...and........

NO I DID NOT MAKE THIS UP...IT REALLY HAPPENED..AND HAND WASHING SUCKS..!!!

thank you for reading this.....Stuart G

[FM123]

1. ....and thank you for sharing.

Sometimes it is all too overwhelming with the non-stop Trumpy madness, and a little "human interest story" is just the respite we need. Good luck with the new washing machine 🍀

[Glorfindel]

2. I feel your pain, Stuart G. I have been through the exact same thing.

But it was about six months before I would be leaving one state and moving to another. I didn't want to buy a washing machine or haul one from place to place. So I did the whole hand-washing thing for a few weeks, and finally decided "to hell with this." I found a laundromat with a wash and fold service and took my clothes (except underpants) to them for the final months I lived in Mississippi. It's a wonderful service and not expensive. I kinda miss it now that I have a brand-new washer and dryer. I also have at least 60 pairs of underpants, due to putting off washing them as long as possible, which meant buying several new pairs. Buy your washing machine, by all means, but if tragedy strikes again, find a nice wash-and-fold service. You'll be glad you did!

[Rollo]

3. Yes, handwashing clothes is tedious, time consuming, and sucks...

This is why we have washing machines...

Might I suggest when you purchase a new machine, that you get a front loading machine, instead of the usual top loader?

It will be more water and energy efficient, and less harsh on the fabrics. However be prepared for longer wash times. But better results.

Just a hint.

[Kleveland]

6. Front loaders seem to have a bad reputation, from what I have been told.

The women in my life, all say that they are more prone to mold buildup, and eventual messy leaking issues.

Anyone else care to chime in on this opinion?

(Reminds me of the fear of gas stoves or pressure cookers that some older Italian ladies I know seem to have)

Not to appear to be a sexist at all, but I am a guy, and it seems that the women have better first hand knowledge of these details in life!

[procon]

10. No problem with mine, or anyone else in my family with frontloaders.

If someone says they have mold, it's probably due to user errors. Unlike the old style top loaders, the front load machines have an airtight seal, so if you shut the door right after removing the wet clothes then you've locked in all the residual moisture, creating an environment for mold. Also the silicon door seal has deep channels that can get a little damp, and they can also catch a bit of wet lint, threads and hair which needs to be removed. The interior wetness is easily solved by just leaving the door ajar overnight and let the inside dry out and there's no problem. In all respects, the frontloaders are much better than the toploaders, and it's so much easier to get clothes in and out of them.

Oh, and I love the speed and convenience of my pressure cookers, and I use them almost everyday for just about any type of recipe. I honestly couldn't live without them.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. I read up on front loaders when we bought our current washer.

They mentioned 2 problems: mold, and the machines tended to "walk" when spinning, there was even a suggestion to use them only in a basement.
The mold issue is because you have to wipe dry the gaskets around the door area, and leave the door open enough for air flow when not using.
But most people are used to just closing the lid of a washing machine/dry, esp. if cats are in the picture.

[Rollo]

16. Mold is a result of improper usage...

1) Don't run cold water washes exclusively. Occasionally run a hot water wash to clean all the gunk that cold water washing leaves in the washer.

2) Do leave the door open on front loaders with air tight door seals. Some, like the Neptune front loader, have ventilated doors, as well as a rapid tumble in the next to last rinse to help clean out the tub

3) Use quality High Efficiency (HE) laundry detergents. Use enough to get the fabrics clean but not so much that you get a thick layer of suds. A lot of suds will interfere not only with rinsing, but also lessen the wash action. A thin layer is all you need.

4) For deep dirt and stains, use a good powdered HE detergent with warm or hot water. I happen to like Tide powder.

5) Use fabric softeners sparingly or not at all. Properly washed fabrics generally do not need a fabric softener, especially if they are to tumble dried. Fabric softeners are mold food.

6) Just because you are used to closing the lid on an older top loading washer doesn't mean it isn't full of mold. I've seen it quite often on old top loaders, esp. when they run only cold water washes. But you generally have to pull the top of the washer off (to which the lid is attached) to see it in all its glory.

7) I have multiple front loading washers and none of them walk around in the spin cycle. If yours does you're doing something wrong, or the there's a problem with the tub suspension or machine leveling. Most modern front loaders have balance detectors and will slow or stop their spins if the load is way out of balance.

8) Maybe the women of America are ignorant of the fact that the women of Europe use mostly front loading washers and are fine with them.

9) My personal recommendation is to get a front loading washer with a built-in water heater. There's so little water used in a typical front loader that the hot water from the tap can cool below optimal level. It can help to run a nearby hot water faucet till it's hot. But an internal water heater is best and doesn't use much energy (it's only heating about five gallons).

10) Most front loaders spin a lot faster than top loaders. Thus they remove more water, which does not need to be evaporated away in a dryer. This in combination with the lower water (hot and cold) usage means the front loader is more water and energy efficient than a traditional agitator driven top loader. It also generally cleans better with less wear and tear on fabrics.

11) There are newer HE top loaders that use an impeller plate or other tricky mechanism instead of an agitator. In general these don't clean as well as a front loader but they generally are more water and energy efficient than the older top loader designs. I don't think they wash or rinse as a well as front loader.

12) A traditional agitator top loader is fun to watch but so is a front loader. And these days you cannot buy a traditional top loader that uses enough water to get the wash adequately clean and rinsed, IMHO, due to water and energy guidelines for such new appliances. So time marches on and the best path is to embrace tumbling and leave agitation to the radicals .

[Rollo]

4. If you are at all mechanically inclined, you might try fixing the leak in your older machine...

It might just be a hose that can easily be replaced.

Usually the feed hoses are what go out.

Might also be one of the hoses that drain the tub.

If the tub itself has a leak, then that's a major fix and a new machine is probably a good idea.

But hose replacement could save you some $$$.

[Kali]

13. this

[mercuryblues]

5. I rented an apt

a long time ago without a W/D. I only had 3 uniforms for work. They had to be washed after every wear. My solution was to fill the bathtub with enough water, put in the white shirts and wash. Take them out and wash the black pants and socks. Drain the tub, then repeat the process for rinsing out.
Put on hangers to dry.

I would do this by cranking up the music and dancing in the tub. If anyone saw me they surely would have thought I was bonkers.

[appleannie1943]

7. A toilet plunger makes a good agitator in the bath tub. You can sit on the edge and just move your

arm up and down and let the plunger do the work. You can even read a magazine while doing it.

[Stuart G]

8. I am grateful for all the info....I am not alone.

Thank you for your input !!!. Thank You , I need all the help I can get.. I must add one more time..........

....................................................HAND WASHING SUCKS...

[procon]

9. Here now, I remember my great aunt Ethel washing clothes in a wash boiler

over a fire. It was an all day process from hauling buckets of water, to scrubbing clothes on washboards, or pounding them with wooden beaters and strong lye soap, then running them through a hand cranked wringer before the baskets of wet clothes were handed off to the children to hang on the clotheslines.

When my family lived in Spain in the early 60s, no one had a washing machine because electricity wasn't always available or reliable. All the local women used a communal public wash house that dated from medieval times. There were lots of old ladies who worked there as washerwomen, scrubbing the clothes against the stones and applying liquid soap with a stiff brush. It was hard work.

Happy shopping! Read the reviews before you buy a new washer, there are so many new features and options that make laundry day so much easier than the olden days.

[Shrike47]

12. My mother and I handwashed our clothes throughout my childhood. In a laundry sink.

Towels and sheets went to the laundry (which washed, dried and folded). When I started college, one of the other girls in our dorm had to show me how to operate a washing machine.

And we were pretty middle class.

[Phentex]

14. Laundromats are pretty cool...

We had no power for about a week once and I was sending one of the kids off to summer camp. We loaded up our stuff and the amazing part was how fast it was. The machines are big and you can use as many as available. They had snacks and wifi. Boom, you are done.

When I do laundry at home, I have to REMEMBER to put the clothes in the drier and add new ones to the washer and take the others out of the drier and then move the others back to the drier and it can take many hours...especially the remembering part.

[trof]

15. DO NOT BUY 'NEW'.

We bought a clothes dryer from a used appliance store.
They go over them from stem to stern, make sure they're in perfect working order. 90 day guarantee.
Shop around.

[rurallib]

17. If you don't do a lot of clothes there are washing machines that hook to the sink

When I was young in college and very poor I had one of these for about 2 years. Long time ago. My recollection was that it did do the job.

here is one as a sample. There are others on that page.
https://bestchoiceproducts.com/products/best-choice-products-portable-compact-mini-twin-tub-washing-machine-and-spin-cycle-w-hose-13lbs-capacity?gdffi=fdeb4d4eff114bfcbe8a2984508a1b42&gdfms=086388AD497F4A9F999CD3E49A4D8046&gclid=CjwKCAjw7MDPBRAFEiwAppdF9FdvQA6mD9HL3nPPT9pPcpT7qfGv71NeneTn4fBxvL1v1rmjg9HilhoCk9AQAvD_BwE