About 6 weeks ago, I mentioned to my husband that the agitator on the washing machine wasn’t working and I guess it was time to call the repairman. Again. He shocked me by saying that since that machine was well over 10 year old (did we have it in the old house and move it here, or did we buy it when we moved? Old house, that’s right) maybe it would do us well to NOT repair it and get a new one. What? Buy a new one? Oh, that would be heavenly!! I was so excited, especially since our current washing machine is really just a “soaker”. It fills up, it swishes the water slightly, it does spin and drain, but it’s not really doing the BEST job at getting our clothes clean. And with a family like ours (seven people who against my instructions keep getting dirty) and frequent guests, I estimate that I do about 14 loads of laundry per week. Plus or minus 2 or 3.
I started asking friends what kind of washing machines they had, and if they loved their front loaders, etc, etc. I wanted to go out right away and pick one out.
NOT SO FAST. Ryan, ever the consumer reports investigator, had to do some “research”. Fine. But do it quickly. What with frequent trips out of town, (out of the country, even), Ryan didn’t get around to doing his research. I kept saying things like, “Just tell me which ones NOT to buy, and I’ll go and get one myself.” For some strange reason, he didn’t like the idea of me picking one out myself. What, I might do it wrong? So, I continued to grumble and wash clothes in the old washer as it limped along. Admittedly, the grumbling got louder as the weeks went on. I thought I might need a new dryer, too. For a few days, that stupid dryer was taking FOREVER to dry clothes. Oops, it looks like someone had just put it on delicate and I hadn’t noticed. So no matching set. We will keep the old (it’s only 9 years old) dryer until it dies.
It was decided that on Saturday we would “go and look” for a new washer. There was no play rehearsal, no holiday, no big exciting outing with the Chinese girls planned, and we had a few unscheduled hours in the afternoon.
So, after we took the girls to Farm Country and the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point, and lunch at Wingers, and BEFORE we took the whole family down to Springville for the Folk Dancing Festival, Ryan and I left all the kids at home to rest or watch a movie and we headed out to appliance shop. Home Depot is having a sale, so we went there first. We checked the high end models, ignored the ones that Ryan had read bad things about, and came out of there with a favorite in mind.
Then we went to Lowe’s to check their prices. They had a different brand, different model comparably priced. We left there prepared to head back to the Home Depot and buy that one, and we ran into an old friend who was also leaving the store. We mentioned that we were looking for a washer, and her husband said, “Oh, what kind?” Turns out he does REPAIRS for RC Willey appliances, and he told us all about the multiple repairs he does on all the different washers, including the one we wanted to buy. Ugh. I thought we would be forever stymied by this new information. But after some discussion, we decided that no appliance was foolproof, and the best thing to do was buy the one we thought would be best AND to buy the extended warranty, just in case this model turns out to be less than ideal.
So, we went back to Home Depot, talked to a different guy, and actually BOUGHT ourselves a washing machine. Because if we didn’t, it could be another 6 weeks before we found the time to go out together and shop for one. I was SO THRILLED!! Getting Ryan to shop is not painful, per se, but he’s not the most willing shopper around, and I was delighted that we actually came to a decision. With how picky he was, you’d think that HE was the one who is actually DOING the laundry (hey–a girl can dream, can’t she?).
We decided to forgo the pedestal (Hello?!! Two hundred dollars for a BOX?! That’s totally insane!), but did get the warranty, and I’m proud to welcome our new washing machine into our family!!! Not the fancy red one, by the way, because they charge $200 more for red. Not as much as they charge for the stainless… What?
Well, we’ll welcome the new washing machine into our family on Thursday. Thursday is soon enough for me. I’ve limped through with this one for so long, I can wait a few more days. And they will bring it, haul it up the stairs, install it, take the old one away and down the stairs and haul it away! Woot! I’ve got to seriously clean up my laundry room. I can’t have people coming with a bunch of lint and clothes all over the floor! And then I can get back to being the domestic goddess I’m meant to be.
Stop laughing.
Yeah! good job! This may even make doing laundry exciting. Susan has a front loader and its programmable so that she can put the load in at night but have it start so that its done the next morning when she’s getting up. Talk about getting a jump on the laundry.
Ooh, is yours programmable? I’d love that! Congratulations on the new addition to your home. At least this one won’t keep you up all night!
That sounds awesome – you’ll have to let us know how you like it once it’s in your home. Speaking as someone who owns neither a washer nor a dryer, I completely understand your excitement!
Ooohhh….I am so jealous! I am waiting for the day ours dies so we have an excuse to buy a front load washer! 🙂 Our is almost 10 years old, so maybe that will be sooner than later. Let us know how you like it!!!
So excited for you! I just got my new washer and dryer a bit ago as well. Love the front loaders!!! Only advise is, when you take the load out of the washer, leave the door open–that way it doesn’t have a tendancy to get a moldy smell. Also the tub cleaners by tide etc that they recommend, DO IT. If you use them once a month or even every other month, you will never get moldy smelling clothes. Because they are sealed so tight, it is a possibility. My friend never left it open and she has a hard time getting the smell out. There is a rubber ring around the opening too. Wipe it down with clorox wipes occasionally too which will help. Enjoy your new addtion. I still enjoy doing laundry–yes I did say enjoy it! So much faster to dry when you have front loader washer too. And in case you ever do get that moldy clothes smell because you forgot to take your clothes out for a few days (like that ever happens)–pour a cup of vinegar in the load when you rewash it and it gets rid of the smell in the clothes.