Saturday, January 5, 2008

This is the way we wash our clothes

I don't have a dryer.

There was a broken dryer in the house when I bought it, which I asked the sellers to remove, and they did. There is still an oldish washing machine, but, since there's been no dryer, I have done a few loads of laundry at my parents' house (too far and it drives their dog crazy), paid the nice folks at the laundromat for a few loads (they stole the gray pants I was borrowing back from Kay), and finally decided it was time to see how I could make my own laundry setup work for me.

I took my parents' suggestion that I make my first load vigorous and full of bleach. One load of socks and towels and sheets later, the washing machine appears to work. I've strung clothesline up around my otherwise empty basement, and it seems that everything dries just fine in less than a day.

So here, now, is the real question: How long will it take before it feels like it's worth $500 or so not to have to iron? Commenters who want to start a pool are welcome.

4 comments:

Lisa Clarke said...

Well, there is another option you didn't mention - you could decide you don't mind being wrinkly ;-)

If it were me, I think the ironing thing would get old in about a week. But then, I'm lazy that way. Heh.

JAM said...

I'm not sure I understand the question... Did the magical dryers you used to have prevent you from having to iron? Because if so I need to get me one like that... else I return to my first sentence.

bzzzzgrrrl said...

Um, yes, kind of.
Aren't all dryers magical in this way?
That is, I don't mind being a little wrinkly. If you put wet wrinkly clothes in a hot dryer, and then put them away immediately when they're done drying, they are not pleated and crisp, but they aren't so badly wrinkled you couldn't leave the house in them. Also, if you have clean wrinkled clothes that can be washed, you can toss them in the dryer with a wet towel, and the dryer does an OK job of ironing them for you.
If you take wet clothes that have just been spun and tangled with each other in the wash and hang them on a line, they dry very wrinkled, and a little bit stiff.

Anonymous said...

When I lived in Mexico I took my clothes to a full-service laundromat exactly to avoid the washed-by-hand-and-drip-dried texture. When the clothes came back to me stiff, I asked why. They said, "Oh, we didn't know you wanted us to use the washer and dryer. We assumed you wanted your clothes cleaner than that." I answered that I did not want my clothes THAT clean; just wearable.