Verified by 
Relationships
How I Fell in Love With My Washing Machine
A tongue-in-cheek post about my love affair.
Posted April 10, 2019
When my old washing machine began to leak, I knew my time was up. The washer and dryer were both approaching 20 years of service, we had not renewed the extended warranty. After a call to a trusted independent repairman, my fears were confirmed. It would take weeks, if not months, to get the necessary parts and at best it would only be a temporary fix. He pointed out that with the washing machine going, the dryer would soon follow and that if a purchase was on the horizon, it would be best to replace both.
SIGH…
The volume of leaking water grew larger by the day which meant that we had to move to avoid costly repairs of the floor. What does one do when faced with this problem?
Rush out to the nearest appliance store to see what’s on sale?
Of course not!
I had to do RESEARCH. What became apparent was that the worst of current washer/dryer pairs were better than the best of washer dryers that had been produced some 20 years ago. The issue then was to contain costs, choose needed features, and make a decision. A totally rational process.
Decision Points - Front-Loader vs. Top-Loader –The best of the top-loaders exceed the worst of the front-loaders in terms of water consumption. Both will wash and dry clothing adequately. If water consumption is an issue, choose the least expensive of the front-loaders. If bending over causes you, or others in your family, discomfort, get the best of the top loaders. Either will work just fine.
Capacity – Washers and dryers can take a large load, a very large load, or a humongous load. Even the smallest load capacity of today's washer and dryer twins are bigger than the largest that were available two decades ago. If you live alone or with one or two people, the smallest capacity machines will suffice. If you are large family and all of your children play sports that have them coming home looking scruffy, get the largest capacity available, all other things being equal.
Cycles – This is where your price can easily double if you get seduced by the marketing pros and product engineers. Rinse, detergent, wash, rinse, wash again, or rinse, wash, rinse, detergent, wash again, etc. On some of the priciest machines (think $10,000+ for a European pair) and most exotic models, the number of cycles exceed 20, each one of them capable of being tweaked ad-infinitum.
They seduce you into thinking that more is better. It’s not.
Load size – A few clothes (small) or a lot of clothes (large). It should be simple. But how about this: very small, small, medium, medium-large, large, and extra-large? There's even a washing machine that comes with a second mini washer built into the stand on which the washer sits for a tiny load.
Small, putting in enough to justify the use of water. Regular, enough to fill a machine while still allowing you to close the door. That's it!
Time – The minutes from when you push “start” to the chime that lets you know that its done. A small load of normally soiled clothes can be easily handled by a short cycle. The more clothes and the dirtier they are, the longer the cycle. Aha! But the techies do not leave well enough alone because on some machines you can increase the time in 5 to 7-minute increments given the option of as many as 12 different times if you wish – but I don't!
Water Temperature – There is considerable controversy about how to wash clothes in a way that is environmentally responsible while still effective. The consensus is that washing clothes in either cold/ warm water, and rinsing them with cold, contributes to saving the planet and the length of time your clothing will be serviceable. But, here again, you can choose a machine with up to 15 different combinations, if you’re willing to pay the price.
Ready to Roll – Go online, read the reviews from Consumer Reports or any number of similar sites, ignore the hyperbole, and make a rational decision. Perfectly fine washer/dryer pairs are available for under $1,500. That means, just white; no stands, no fancy electronics, just turn the dial and push the button and go.
Making it Happen - I've done the research, identified the make and model that I plan to buy, called the appliance store, determined that they have what I want both on the floor and in stock, that they are able to deliver in a few days and take away the old machines. Things to be negotiated include a price for the washer and dryer, the cost of installation, the cost for removing and disposing of the old machines, and probably a number of other things that I hadn't even thought about.
On a Saturday morning, we took a short drive to the store, parked, and walked in the front door. I brought along all my notes, knew the price range for the machines that I was interested, and was feeling focused, in control, and even a bit smug. I had done it the right way. I had done it the “guy way” - research, planning, and ready to roll.
Since it was raining there were not a lot of people in the store. Facing me were row after row of round-faced, pristine, white, washing machines.
And then it happened! As I turned the corner, I came face-to-face with two beautiful metallic gray machines sitting on pedestals. “No, no, no”, I said to myself. You already know it costs $100 more per machine to get a gray color, and it's absolutely the same machine whether it's white or gray. This is stupid. This is throwing money away. And the pedestals – totally unnecessary and once again costly.
Remember Shaevitz, this is a RATIONAL DECISION.
- You've done the research!
- You've determined what's important and what's not.
- Whether it's white or gray doesn't make any difference!
- Putting it on a pedestal is idiotic – one more thing to break and just a few inches less to bend!
Impossible! Irrational! Delusional!
But even as I was thinking those thoughts, I knew it was all over. Yes, once again, I'd fallen in love!
Lust over logic!
Passion over practicality!
Impulse over Intellect!
But you know what? It's actually very cool.
Every time I catch a glimpse of my new washer/dryer twins over my shoulder, I smile. Every time I see either machine silently spinning the clothes within, I feel warm and tingly. Every time I open the dryer to empty a load, it just feels soooo good.
Hey guys. Want to come over to wash and dry some clothes? I've got the coolest machines in the neighborhood and I'll even supply the wine.
Don't hold back. We’ll have a ball.
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love.
